Ven Draria
The city of hunters stands as a testament of will against the dangers of the Bones. Boastful heroes in doorways of bone bellow out their deeds to all who care to listen.
And it could all be gone in a matter of hours, any given winter.
The dwarven clans of Ven Draria and the Galasteri maintain a comfortable peace around the common threat of the elements. White monsoons, deadly beasts, deadlier folk, and the watchful eye of the Winter Queen have made the people here hardy, wary-eyed, and fearless to a fault. But that may be exactly the problem - proud cities boast, and never beg. Not when dragons raged above their skies. Not when giants descend with dream-crafted monstrosities of their palaces. Not when the dead march to the song of the vile sorcerer. Against them all, Ven Draria stands on its own.
For now, the oil lamps in the street give off a fat, rich glow before mead halls, beer gardens, and the occasional temple. For now, hunters of beasts and men hoist their winnings from the lampposts, posing proudly.
For now, Ven Draria has risen to face whatever threats may come, but some threats are truly vast in scope and scale.
Demographics
Government
Only very technically a Galasteri holding, the waylord position is an open seat and has been since the fall of Savrias. The dwarven clans have always held the real power in the city, from its guards to its guildhalls. They maintain their own version of the Galasteri "standard", ensuring that no one who works will ever starve or freeze to death there, and there's always work to be found or forced upon those who are wanting. Debt labor is neither rare nor ubiquitous, but is seen on a daily basis by those willing to look.
Industry & Trade
Beasts are the lifeblood of Ven Draria. From yak ranchers to reindeer wranglers, many landed and nomadic peoples drive their herds down to Ven Draria once or twice a year. An industry has emerged from fur, leather, bone, oil, and unique components for various religious or magical purposes. The hunting of exotic game is popular, and considered fair, since the fauna of the Bones hunt back without mercy.
There is a mining presence in iron and silver, with refining foundries leaving stacks of smoke in the sky. Whatever methods are used by Elvenkind, they're either not shared or not welcome from the miners of Ven Draria, who stick to classical mining and smelting to craft goods of renowned quality. 'If it can survive winter, it can survive anything' is the common seller's bark, and it's true that cheap steel will often snap in the temperatures of deep Ven Drarian winter.
History
Ven Draria was once little more than a hunting camp and a dwarven scouting outpost, renowned in its own right for 'boasting duels', but hardly holding much of a population. That changed within the last century when armies of the dead rose and ravaged much of the Bones. People banded together for protection, and one of the most successful refugee colonies was Ven Draria. Built from from stone, silver, and the bones of megafauna, Ven Draria held against the impossible, and not even the Winter Queen could see them shaken loose from their position.
Not long after the sorcerer was captured by the Winter Queen, it is said that the great dragon came demanding tribute from Ven Draria. In response, a fearless and fate-blessed dwarven warrior rose to the challenge. With her clan's best warriors, she fought and slew the great dragon. With the aid of the clan's shamans, it's said they even bound it so that it would not return. These must be mere legends, as the dragon's roar has been heard since, but the Winter Dragon has not been seen since Ven Draria's great stand against her. And soon after, the Galasteri came bearing gifts and seeking tax.
Tourism
Visitors to Ven Draria are in for a treat. From the body-deep satisfaction of warm drinks to the belly-rumbling humor with which local bards and skalds tell their stories in the streets, one rarely feels the bitter cold if they keep an open eye, ear, or nose within the city. The paved cobbles are lined with various great trophies of bone on display, from mammoths to even a few small dragons. The head of the Winter Queen herself is said to reside at the city's center, and though many argue that it's not quite large enough, it is quite massive. From those eager to trade for animal goods or ore to those in a hurry to join (or evade) a hunting party, Ven Draria is full of strong arms and helpful hands - for a coin or two.
As for crime? Well, Ven Draria sees a lot of it, but the dwarven clans have a simple justice system. Labor, more labor, and if no labor could make right a wrong? Execution in the form of back-breaking labor. Should someone shout, guards can be expected to arrive within 2d6 minutes in the form of 1d6 dwarven guards, a clan warrior (use the Knight for statistics), and possibly a berserker or two.
Tales Overheard Along the Cobbles
| d12 | Tale Overheard |
|---|---|
| 1 | "No, I'm telling you, this ice I'm carrying came alive and tried to kill me! It had fangs, a beak, and the nastiest little wings you'd ever seen. There were half a dozen of them, and I'll sell you the ice for a good rate!" |
| 2 | "I ran into a band of orcs out there who'd gotten lost leaving the Ramparts. I told them which way south was and they rewarded me with this halberd! After I defeated their champion in a leg wrestle, naturally!" |
| 3 | "These tales you hear are all nonsense. What you'll find out there in the snow are bandits, death, and sorrow. I've had my fill of all three. By the way, I've got some daggers and winter clothing for sale if you're interested." |
| 4 | "The damned Clutches are encroaching on the Bones, I'm telling you. I fought three dragonborn monks, and one of them had a chest and rump and face just like a human! And a curvy human, at that! She must be freezing!" |
| 5 | "Polar bear steaks! Get your polar bear steaks! I tripped over the bastard, so someone might as well have a good day! For the first time, try a polar bear steak! And remember - not all snowbanks are friendly!" |
| 6 | "I carved the head of this spear from a mammoth's horn. Kill it? What, no! Are you mad? They make the best cheese and they're absolute darlings once you get to know them! No, Vroma lost a tusk tripping on a rock! The poor dear..." |
| 7 | "I've seen it. And I feel it. Gods, it's cold. The howling. The howl of the Winter Queen. They only got one of them - there's two! Silver and white, noble and spite - gods, help me, it's so damned cold..." |
| 8 | "Hunts? Battles? Boasts? I'll have none of those. You want a boast? I came here from Lion's Fall. I made it here, made it home, on foot. You take your foolishness away from me. I have earned a lifetime of peace!" |
| 9 | "I rode a dragon once! It was a young white, about the size of a bison! She wasn't happy about it, but letting go meant getting bit or breathed on! So I rode her for seven days until we had a parley over reindeer meat and the last of my mead. We marry in the summer." |
| 10 | "This cloak? It's made of roc's feather - a single one. I tried to get the bastard, but I ran out of arrows. Then I tried to snare down the bastard, but it pulled the tree right out by the rope. All I got was this bastard cloak. It flies, though, so that's nice." |
| 11 | "I was saved by one of the Many Daughters of Ang Pasang! I was surrounded by revenants, intent of dragging me out to a cold grave I was lucky enough to evade. But she re-slew my old friends and I did the proper mourning rites. I'll never take the dead for granted again, or the living, for that matter." |
| 12 | "You've never made love until you've made love on the back of a remorhaz. How did I do it? With vigor! Ha!" |
Geography
Ven Draria is broken up into three general areas: Kingstown, Clanstown, and Low Town.
Kingstown
Home to the Galasteri and the wealthiest part of the city, Kingstown is where merchants go to feel special and to get warm. Magical steam vents keep the streets heated enough for little gardens year round, a terrible waste of magic. One might find themselves getting damp from rain or fog as a result in intemperate weather. The empty wayholder's palace is used as a town hall by the dwarven clans for town business, a not-so-subtle message about who's really in charge.
Clanstown
Clanstown is the oldest part of Ven Draria, built into the side of the hill and deeper down into the rock. Here, you'll find the mead halls, beer gardens, sake houses, and tea rooms that give Ven Draria its distinctive scent. It's also here where ice and bone sculptures hold impressive trophies over the years of great hunts. The subterranean levels are all well-lit with colorful lamps, a sign of the shared human and dwarven heritage of the city from its very beginnings.
Low Town
Little more than a collection of hunting tents, shacks, warehouses, and tenements, Low Town is home to those who can't do better in the city. Lacking in the fine glass and proper sealing of further uptown, people are often huddled in furs or burning coal at all hours of the day, adding a sooty and unwelcoming haze to the air. Crime is still brutally put down here, but it has to be, since desperation hasn't quite been met by the Galasteri standard this far from the capital.
Industry and Trade
History
Tourism, Crime, and Tales
Geography
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