The Three Districts

Administrator Posts : 108 Join date : 2014-02-25

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The Gildren District. As represented by the rp_tunturi map.
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Gildren wrote:: Famous for it's magnificent craftsmen, Gildren stands highest on Estavyr. Located closer to the peak then any other settlement, the snow capped peaks constantly sweep cold winds and sleet to the city below. When Estavyr was first reclaimed Gildren was home to mainly Dwarfs, Elwynes, and other Ostian refuges, two peoples who were at home staving off the frost. Now, the wealthy and established make their homes at the mountain, enjoying a solitary life away from the riffraff that tends to squabble in the Fenplatz, and even Syndhal. It was decided in olden times the Council Hall would be built here, and when necessary all the families (and their landlord adjutants) meet here to discuss political issues.

Master craftsmen practice their trade in Gildren. It's prestigious even to run a smithy this high, as most businesses are forced to complete in the districts below. Ornate metals, jewelries, and other luxuries are masterfully crafted here at the peak. Tradesmen here are known by name, and it's their titles that sell their goods in faraway lands, with some of them as famous as old lords and generals. One of these same foundries supplies the guards corp with it's arms and armor, keeping the entire process self sufficient in Estavyr's borders.

This isn't to say Gildren is inaccessible. With decent reason the guardsmen (and house guards the wealthy commonly provide) will allow commoners to pass, shop, and loiter within. Ostians with imported ales and spirits bring in most of the traffic coming from Syndhal and the Fens. No laws have been put in place to keep the commoner out of Gildren, but beggars and the like are usually sent back the way they came.

A large monument stands carved into the mountain in Gildren. Volgrim's tomb, or so the Dwarfs claim, is said to host the hero's body and hammer. Surrounding his chiseled face are the names of those that fell when liberating Estavyr, though their graves are said to be buried elsewhere.

Gildren is connected to the other districts as is usual for Estavyr's settlements. Tunnels bored through the mountain connect the district to Syndhal, and from there travel to the Fenplatz is easy. These tunnels are patrolled and kept clear of debris and stragglers, keeping the dug out highways clean and efficient for travel. There are tunnels large enough for horse and carriage even, which are usually pulled by well bred Stolm stallions.

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The Syndhal District. As represented by the rp_vuoristo map.
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Syndhal wrote:: The Syndhal District makes for the most of Estavyr. The largest of the three districts (with the Fenplatz close behind) the Syndhal district is where most travelers end and settle. Almost all trade is held within, and trade boats from all over the world make use of it's docks. Large mine tracks snake through the streets, constantly pulling ores and stone through the district and to the ferrymen waiting at the docks. The commoner makes his home here and Syndhal is home to the most residents of any district.

Every sort of business can be found here. A drinker could drown his sorrows in twenty different inns and still have more to visit next evening. While most of the buisinesses ship their goods elsewhere, a lot of domestic tradesmen make use of Syndhal, selling their services to the population spread throughout. Syndhal is littered with houses, but even more tenements and boarding homes. These larger dens provide room and board for a bolstering population that is constantly growing with refugees and other pilgrims.

The guards corp stations most of their number here. With bushiness comes crime and the guards are constantly on the watch for pickpockets and other cutpurses. Though crime is kept under control it does exist in some quantity. Fledgling guilds and other criminal enterprises plague the district, and traders will surely find their goods nicked at one point or another. Extortion is commonly employed against businesses by both guardsmen and brigands, a practice the guards corp is working to crack down on.

Syndhal is home to all the races that inhabit Estavyr. As the district is home to the common man, all of the civil races find themselves staying in the district at one time or another, and even the lesser races find room and board. While a lot of the lesser races are forced to retreat lower to the Fenplatz (more often then not because they cannot find work elsewhere), the well off commonly stay in Syndhal running businesses or shops.

Famous for it's massive wharf, Syndhal makes extensive use of the nearby Ceryn river. This river is used to ferry goods and ores elsewhere and everyday countless ships come down the swelling water route to pick up their hauls. On a good day they bring goods of their own, and others refugees and immigrants.

Tunnels connect Syndhall to the Fenplatz and Gildren. Naturally the district acts as a hub between the two districts, with no direct paths connecting them, all travel comes through the Syndhal one way or another.

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The Fenplatz District. As represented by the rp_suo map.
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Fenplatz wrote:: Located at the base of the mountain, the Fenplatz is plagued by poverty and incursion from the Savage Lands. Those who can't pay their rent and bill in the Syndhal are usually ferried here. In olden days the Fenplatz was actually well off and home to both the Elves and humans who sought simple life on the mountain. The Hargraves, farmers by trade, sought to revive their planting ways at the base of the mountain. This all turned out to be impossible as the Boletum fungus, an invasive plague had tainted all the nearby soil and made farming next to impossible. The Elves in their own way attempted to remedy the situation with old druidic magic but were ultimately unsuccessful.

A mixing of Elvish and Human culture makes for an odd architectural masterpiece that underneath all of the filth and depravity still stands to be enjoyed. The oldest buildings rival Gildren's manors in their complexity, shaped woods by means of druidic magic and masterful carvings decorate the walls. Derelict greenhouses and other smaller labs are scattered throughout the district, and while they are abandoned now, in old days they worked day in and day out combating plagues and disease. Even now, in the middle of it all, an old cathedral some Astanians have reworked to spread their faith. While their litany and praise falls on deaf ears, their charity work keeps many of the downtrodden alive and healthy.

Crime is common and to be expected in the Fenplatz. Guards exist, and work tirelessly to thwart most criminal enterprise but struggle to keep the entire district safe. Cutthroats prey the streets at night and during the day they take to burglary and simple theft. Much too poor the residents that make their home in the Fenplatz do so by renting out tenements and other boarding homes. The worst criminal of all are the landlords that live in Gildren and Syndhal, who routinely extort the poorfolk living on their fen lands.

The lesser races live here in bulk. With work harder to find for races some believe to be savage, people like the Trogs and Fiends make up a large portion of Fenplatz's residents. Many of these oddball people find work in battling the Boletum fungus, a constant threat that needs to be burned and warded off with chemical fire. Otherwise, the fungus would continue it's advance and engulf the district. Others find work as sellswords for the expeditionary forces that travel out of Fenplatz, as the district is the last stop before the savage world.

On that note, many adventuring guilds and mercenary companies house businesses in the district. Although the area is often seedy, these enterprises are more often then not capable of handling themselves. They use the district as a base of operations, as passing through it is a necessary risk to the world beyond. Live through the fens, and you might have a chance outside -- or so they say.

In reality, while the Fenplatz is truly a bed of thievery and mischief, a decent life can be had within. The same mines that run throughout Syndhal and Gildren also make their way here, with many of them bringing rare and exotic goods from the savage world up and beyond to the rest of the world.