Alverholdt

After the fall of Vhana, Alverholdt became one of the "Sister Cities" which rose to prominence in the power vacuum that the city's fall created. Of the three Sister Cities, Alverholdt is the main political city, also known as the Sister City of the Quill. The Three cities are apart of the same nation, the Kingdom of Dumont, with Alverholdt being the main political head and capital of the Kingdom.

Demographics

The Demographics of Alverholdt is the following:

• Humans, Elves, and Gnomes make up a majority of the population.

Special Enclaves:

• There is an small enclave of T'Chai (Tieflings) within the village. They are the last remnants of the native T'Chai that lived on the island before it's colonization by the Beorc.
• The Changelings under the Sunflower Clan, make up an autonomous region of the city within the High Peaks. Most non-Changeling residents aren't allowed in the Sunflower Streets unless they get clearance from the Hagmother of the Sunflowers.

Government

Alverholdt is directly controlled by the King of the Kingdom of Dumont, King Zuelon Alver. Other than the King's direct influence, the City is run by members of the Alver noble family, who are each delegated to run different parts of the city.
The City's government is split into many parts:

• The Law Sector: This sector maintains the creation of law within Alverholdt and can broadly effect the Kingdom of Dumont.
• The Arms Sector: This sector mainly deals with the light militia that patrol Alverholdt and it's surrounding territory. Most of the protection comes from soldiers from Doorinholdt, the main military powerhouse of the Sister Cities.
• The Affairs Sector: This sector maintains diplomatic connections with the other Sister Cities; Doorinholdt and Levinholdt. This is by courier and by the Navy.
• The Money Sector: This sector maintains that there is a constant cash flow coming in from Levinholdt, the main economic powerhouse of the Sister Cities.
• The Civics Sector: This sector maintains that the people within Alverholdt and the Kingdom of Dumont are content with their rule.

Defences

Alverholdt is protected by the Northwest and West by the Bay of Dumont and the East by the High Peaks, which offer ample protection. The weak points of Alverholdt, the North and South are protected by walls armed with ballista and soldiers. The Sea Wall is also equipped with ballistae and guards who occasionally patrol the Sea Wall for any intruders.

Industry & Trade

Alverholdt often relies on Levinholdt and Doorinholdt for trade. With Levinholdt being the main trade hub within the Sister Cities. Alverholdt doesn't really specialize in making any goods, however many inhabitants work in creating unique dyes that are native to the coral reefs of Alverholdt. Those who do not work in the Naval area or with the government, work in the dye trade.

Infrastructure

Due to the lack of space that Alverholdt was founded on, the city has grown past it's borders and has began to spill out into the Bay of Dumont. Small isles have been built which housing developments are then built upon. It's proven a success for the people of Dumont and many seek to move out into the Bay as it's beautiful.
Alverholdt is highly built up on the mainland itself as well. Due to the lack of space, many buildings are multiple story high tenements. The city makes great use of it's space as many walkways emerge from one tenement to the next, as people can live their whole lives without touching the floor. Many watermills line the rivers that come from the Mountains and drain into the Bay. In Alverholdt are many governmental buildings which act as governmental buildings for both Kingdom affairs and affairs within the Cities.

Assets

Wards of Alverholdt:

The Outer Vein

The Outer Vein is the main dockyard within Alverholdt. The three primary docks within the Outer Vein are the Northern Dock which mainly deals with adventurers, the Eastern Dock reserved for the dye workers and merchants and the Southern Dock, which is reserved for the Evetic Inquisition, the Golden Guns and the Military of Dumont.
Notable Buildings within the Outer Vein:

• The Northern Dock: Located in the Outer Vein. A set of 20 medium sized piers that are meant to dock the ships of adventurers.
• The Sirens Call: Located in the Outer Vein. The main hub for sailors within Alverholdt, this small bar and inn serves the many different people that work in the ship and dockyards of the city. It's a bit raucous at times, but the rooms are very cheap, averaging around 2sp a day, due to the influx of traffic. The owner of the Siren's Call, Typhoon "Ty", often hosts an underground fighting tournament, which he dubs the "Tourney of the Sea".
• The Rusted Anchor: Located in the Outer Vein. The local general store that many of the sailors and adventurers coming from the Outer Vein use as a stocking station for their next adventures. Ran by a Half-Orc male named Creed.
• The Crescent Moon: Located in the Outer Vein. A small magical shop ran by the Dwarf Renna. She's a kind old lady and has run the Crescent Moon for a couple of decades at this point. Not many people use this store due to superstitions from Nala's store.
• The Beating Heart: Located in the Outer Vein. The Beating Heart is a jail-yard located in the Outer Vein of Alverholdt. It is where the jailhouse is kept as well as the court room for the criminals. The prisoners are kept in dark and dreary cells located in the sewer as the jail is located around the docks and due to a lack of space, they fused jail cells with the sewer.

The Painted Streets

The Painted Streets is where the action and livelihood in Alverholdt happens. Most of the lower class workers here are dyemakers, who use the unique coral in the Bay of Dumont to make exotic dyes that are only native to this land. The ward is called the Painted Streets because of the dyes that have stained the streets over the years, as people have slipped and spilled their dyes all over the street. Most of the marketplaces can be found here and many of the shops that sell their wares can also be found here as well.
Notable building within the Painted Streets

• Nala's Oddities and Curiosities: Located in the Painted Streets. An old an run down alchemical shop ran by an old Goblin named Nala. Many people don't go into the store on claims that the shop is cursed. As of Session 11 (29th of Runerion, 1478 A.I.) Nala's Oddities and Curiosities was ransacked by unknown perpetrators. The words "We Know" was written in Undercommon on the wall in Nala's blood.

The Piercing

The Piercing consists of the residential apartments which can reach a staggering 20 stories at some places. In the center of the Piercing is the Piercing Star Resort, which is a group of 5 skyscrapers that are the main skyscrapers that establish the elite in said towers compared to the lower class below. There are 5 of these structures that form a star in the center of the city. Around the structures are smaller apartments that reach a quarter of that height at best. This housing is mainly lower class, with the residents living in the Piercing Star Resorts being more upper class (they have access to the High Peaks District through a Sky Bridge and the towers are interconnected by similar Sky Bridges.)
Notable buildings in the Piercing:

• The Piercing Star Restorts: Located in the Piercing. A collection of 5 skyscrapers that rise up hundreds of feet into the sky, piercing the clouds and forming a star like pattern on the ground. Very luxurious resorts that cost around 20 gold pieces a night. Every 10 or so floors, the 5 towers connect in many different walkways and form a little common area.
• Dempster United: Located in the Piercing. The church of Dempster located in the Piercing. Located on one of the main streets of the Ward, it's noticeable due to the large statue of Dempster in it's courtyard. The church has transitioned into a hospital after the Lock Shock epidemic.

The High Peaks

The area of Alverholdt that is built upon the Yuleski Mountain Range. This area is sectioned off and only accessible through a long gondola ride up the mountain or by the Sky Bridges in the Piercing Star Resorts. This area is mainly considered the upper class district as many of the estates here are massive in their own right. Many of the top officials of the government call the High Peaks home as well.
Notable buildings within the High Peaks:

• The Ivory Palace - Located in the High Peaks. The palace of the King, that is located in the center of the High Peaks district.
• The Sanctum of Eveticism - Located in the High Peaks. The main base of operation for the Evetic Inquisition in Alverholdt. The area was once a stronghold perched in the Yuleski Mountain Range that the Evetic Inquisition purchased and made their homebase. The stronghold has a prison, a large cathedral attached and a large array of underground facilities from fighting arenas to meditation areas.
• The Alver Archive: Located in the High Peaks. The main Archive of the city. One of the previous Kings of Alverholdt was obsessed with knowledge, so he commissioned the Golden Guild to construct one of their archives in Alverholdt so it can become the main place for the transfer of knowledge and one of the best archives in the area.
• The Owlmaster's Observatory: Located in the High Peaks. The Owlmasters office who works with the Golden Guns in ensuring messages can get sent long distances. It costs 10 gp to ship a letter across the Archipelago.
• The High Peaks Hotsprings – Located in the High Peaks. The Hotsprings lie on a small geothermal hotspring that heat up the area to high temperatures. 2gp to enter the public baths. 10gp to rent out a private hot spring (5 total).

Guilds and Factions

The following political factions have considerable power within Alverholdt:

• The Scattered Medallions (specifically the Golden Guns and the Evetic Inquisition) have significant power within the political elite of Alverholdt and the Kingdom of Dumont as a whole. After the Fall of Vhana by the Crimson Phoenix, the Scattered Medallions that stayed began moving their main base to the Kingdom of Dumont, who brought them in as a chance to exploit them and use them as a Navy.

The following guilds have considerable power within Alverholdt:

• The Dye-makers run a guild where they are allowed to market their prices and sell them to foreigners.
• The few Artisans that live in Alverholdt are apart of a Guild ran by the Civic Sector, which provides them protection.
• The Sailors and Merchants all hold allegiance to the various merchant princes that run the sister city of Levinholdt.

History

Briefly, Alverholdt was made around the beginning of the Second Age, as more people from Graza and Meljabul began exploring and colonizing the continent. Both the Grazans and the Meljabulans colonized this island, and as time went on, the people meshed into a mixture of traits from both. Eventually the Kingdom of Dumont was founded after the Fall of Vhana, with the sole reason to protect the Sister Cities from outside threats.
Making Alverholdt the political capital of the Kingdom, the Kingdom slowly began looking outwards, claiming and expanding towards the nearby islands, in hopes that they can spread their influence and become the next Vhana in the Veilnum.

Architecture

The architecture used in Alverholdt is unlike anywhere else in the world. Due to their weird circumstance of being close to the High Peaks, Alverholdt decided to build upwards, as in both up the mountain and straight up wards in high rises. Other than that, unique coral buildings line the artificial islands that line the Bay of Dumont.

Geography

To the immediate East, Alverholdt is nestled perfectly next to the High Peaks, a large mountain range, which is located at the center of the island. The city is in the process of beginning to cut portions of the mountain away and build buildings on there, as well as experimenting and converting some of the old abandoned mines into housing and underground farms
To the South, Alverholdt is protected by the small but deep Dumont River, which runs off from the High Peaks and fills out into the Bay of Dumont.
To the East is the Bay of Dumont, which has many artificial islands which act as housing and naval docks for the city, due to the lack of space.

Natural Resources

Alverholdt has a slew of natural resources. From the vast amounts of clay in the Bay of Dumont, to the stone needed from the High Peaks. Although most of the raw ores from the High Peaks have been extracted over centuries of mining, there are still ores that can be found there.

Regional Features

The Quill. When using a Spell Scroll, there is a 25% chance that the spell scroll is not consumed. Transcribing spell scrolls onto spellbooks takes 25% less time.

Alternative Name(s)

Sister City of Quill

Type

Large city

Population

684,000 (55% human, 18% elves, 15% gnomes, 12% other races)

Inhabitant Demonym

Dumontians

Owning Organization

The Kingdom of Dumont