Demographics

Adventurers from all walks of life have been given the chance to inhabit this place, so no one race holds a majority. However, representatives from each major world faction such as the Dumortian Coalition and Triumverate Empire have claimed embassies within the territory and have influenced the population accordingly.

Government

While none have seen him in recent memory as he secludes to his tower, all people living within this haven answer to it's patron; Hayelmish Yavdrecht. This powerful wizard has left the care of the settlement to various adventurers that have stopped by over the years, often leaders of their own parties, formidable warriors and keen tacticians picked by a silver golem used as a political envoy. A small set of rules has also been set in place to avoid overt disputes that bring about geopolitical tensions or cause harm to the wizard's tower. They are as follows:

1. "Do no harm unto others, lest harm be reflected unto thine self." (There are confirmed reports of an aura that bolsters an individual's constitution.) 
2. "Do not take what it not yours, lest it be in stated trade or gifting." (Certain items, such as minted currency and food are exempt for some reason.) 
3. "Warded buildings are to never be expanded upon, nor destroyed." ('Warded' in this instance, is a building marked by a certain type of golem.)
4. "If destruction would befall this haven, all must unite to prevent such a fate." (Though rare, attacks from gigantic monsters can cause immense damage.)

Individuals caught breaking these rules are often given three warnings before temporary to permanent exile, depending on the severity of crimes committed. In rare cases, severe punishment has been dealt to people directly via anomalous magical occurrences but there have been even rarer cases where Hayelmish has made an exception and spared an individual from punishment. It is generally accepted that he has some limited omniscience over the area he governs thanks to both the network of golems throughout the settlement and a plethora of wards set up along the outer territories.

Infrastructure

The A.G.C.N. (Advanced Golem Communication Network)

Simply put, seven kinds of golems are stationed at various points and have been assigned different duties based on their material; the golems are often produced as and when they are needed before returning though some have a permanent position to maintain before failing or being destroyed, whereupon they will be scavenged for materials. They are as follows; Adamantine - Law enforcement. These golems are summoned to a location marked and initiate a search for individuals tagged as having broken one or more of the settlement's rules, only stopping when said individual has left the settlement's limits or has been subdued. Tall, imposing and extremely lethal and ornamented to resemble faceless humanoids clad in a gambeson.
Gold - Personal protector. Only two exist within the settlement, one stationed besides the entrance to Yavdrecht Tower and another assigned as an escort to the acting leader of the Explorer's Union and their duty is simple: To ensure no physical harm befalls either party. They have been constructed to resemble knights of a long-forgotten Elven kingdom and wield spears.
Silver - Political denotation. Certain buildings vital to the settlement's function such as medical facilities, chapels and smithing shops are tagged by these squat, often tarnished automatons sitting besides their main entrance. Their function beyond unseen arcane machinations factors into their form, resembling a robe-clad humanoid with one elongated arm used to grasp and open doors or tent flaps. Certain command phrases can be used to 'lock' and 'unlock' this machine, which will bar entry via locking the door with an enchantment or attempt to bar entry with rapid pummelling and shoving attacks.
Copper - Menial labour. Upon commissioning the Workshop with large quantities of refined copper and occasionally required materials, individuals and groups can have a nearby structure created or repaired. For a greater cost, a more distant ruin among a cluster apparently within the wizard's domain can be renovated. This work is carried out by any number of Copper Golems the Workshop produces, who will travel to a specified location to repair or create anything needed.
Iron - Vital aid. While most chapels offer sanctuary to the wounded and grave injuries are very uncommon within the settlement's domain, sometimes healing is required if a large party returns from expeditions or creatures from the Underdark become too boisterous. These golems have been constructed to look somewhat approachable with soft, rounded features resembling a robed humanoid.
Pewter - Surveillance. Designed for maximum stealth, these automata are nought more than a cylindrical core suspended atop five animate wires capable of moving at speeds faster than the eye can see. Their purpose is to hide among rafters, under tables and wherever is needed to observe the populace and ensure none of the wizard's set rules are broken. If physically captured, they will attempt to ensnare a target before detonating.
Bronze - Material reclamation. If, for some reason, a golem is destroyed or left to disrepair for too long, other machines resembling clawed insectoids suspended by balloons of gas will come to drag the machine's husk back to the Workshop. Though not outwardly hostile, they will ward off other potential scavengers with sprays of a highly caustic substance that can degrade weaponry and armour.

The Well of Recall

While teleportation circles are an effective method of instantaneous travel, their necessity for a capable spellcaster to cast them makes it a costly process. As an experiment to create a lower-effort way of transport, Hayelmish bound the will of a water-aspected Djinn and created the spell, 'Well of Recall'. Taught to all new arrivals upon entering his haven, a sequence of alchemical reagents can be cast into a container of water big enough to fit an average humanoid such as a bath, a barrel or a well along with uttering the phrase, "Return to the resting place 'neath the earth, return to the undertower's shade" to create a portal. Upon casting the spell, the body of water will be transformed into an opaque turquoise gateway that one can dive into, emerging on the other side from a stagnant water well near Haymish's Rest. Whatever water was used to traverse to the Underdark would remain unchanged from it's state prior to the spell being cast.

The Workshop

The envy of mechanists and tinkerers across Aldrathis, this fabled place has served as the backbone of Hayelmish's Rest since a time even prior to it's founding, when the wizard had travelled to the locale alone for his studies. An unassuming structure on the outside, the machines within have never been seen by anyone. Rather, an outer hatch marked for 'Deposits' and a heavy, sliding door that deposits created golems are the only perceptible entrances as one side backs up onto Yavdrecht Tower - speculated to be where the actual way in is. A complex punch-card machine is affixed beside the deposit hatch and is used to input requests via a complex code worked on by members of the Explorer's Union. This machine is another effort of Hayelmish, as the Workshop is capable of much more but is limited by the wizard being unable to interface with all it's controls outside of producing golems and certain weapons.

Districts

The Rest Proper

Encompassing the immediate area around Yavdrecht Tower, this is considered the main settlement.

The Clusters/Hayelmish's Folly

Due North of the settlement is another section of the cavern that had been deliberately brought down during the days prior to the locale's founding. According to records this was because of 'strange machines and aetherical pheonomena' summoning creatures that were easily able to sneak Southward and overwhelm any passing through the territory around the tower. There are some who have their own theories as to why that particular segment of the cavern was tightened to a choke point but expeditions into the ruins beyond have proved historical records accurate, finding traces of several cultures and empires that built themselves around a central point at the Northern-most point within the caves. Unfortunately, no successful explorations to the epicentre have proved fruitful.

Guilds and Factions

The Explorer's Union

Being a settlement for dedicated adventurers, it was only natural that the most skilled of such would band together to keep the place organized. Handling matters of trade, commerce and politics, they maintain Hayelmish's Rest as a neutral zone between various embassies and private companies though tensions have raised from time to time. All travellers, upon entering the haven, are registered with the Union who monitor their activities and take steps to prevent any outward hostilities from occurring.

Greywalkers

Formerly the title given to Alsaire's army prior to the Triumverate's alliance, this paramilitary band of rangers, soldiers and scouts maintains security on the outer perimeter of Hayelmish's Rest at the behest of an ancestor of Elven royalty. As lethal as they are stealthy, their training for night time guerrilla warfare has translated well into the Underdark's terrain where they maintain camps throughout the nearby ruins of forgotten civilizations and watch for the many monstrosities lurking beneath the earth.

Xiantei

With a tall, imposing manor situated at the Northern edge of the settlement, this noble family of Drow serve as representatives to their nation of Hathel-Sveia. Being exclusively made of settlements located within the Underdark has left their interests vague and mostly unknown to the other political bodies within Hayelmish's Rest. Maintaining that secrecy and ensuring no further expansion from 'surface-dwellers' occurs is the extent of their known motives.

Dumortian Coalition

An equivalent of the Triumverate Empire, the unified council of Dumort's city-states convene and conduct business from House Trelmathias. Though they claim the territory due to it's position beneath the Dumortian coastline, their authority is all but ignored as they mirror House Xiantei in secrecy. Often times, their numbers are seen bolstering the Greywalkers in maintaining the settlement's security.

Aulanders

Also referred to as 'Lurkers', 'Old Wanderers' or 'Rats', this eclectic band of miscreants has been permitted to settle under Hayelmish's watch, their headquarters of an abandoned church having been one of the earliest 'warded' buildings in the settlement's history. Largely independent, they allegedly struck a deal with the wizard by forming a worldwide network of spies and informants in exchange for his sanctuary though such claims are often disputed by the Aulanders as mere myth and rumour.

History

Rather than speaking of this underground haven, it would be more appropriate to recount the tale of it's founder. Not long after the creation of the Arcanist's Consortium, a group of their new apprentices enlisting at a school in Dumort swiftly rose through the ranks and displayed a prodigious control over the aether but none more so than Hayelmish Yavdrecht, a mysterious child orphaned during the days of the Valthiran Conflicts. Though their time within the academies and temples across Dumort were seldom spoken of or recorded, the students - now unified in their talents took to the world at large in hopes of effecting greater change. Whilst the stories are numerous and often exaggerated, it is known their peak was at the Battle of Finnmar's Point where they battled on behalf of Kandrig Boldscar and Monfax against the noble lords of Valthire attempting to maintain their territory. The clash was almost in Boldscar's favour before the arrival of magi allied to Valthire whose counterattack proved instrumental in tipping the scales, leaving Hayelmish and his band among the miniscule amount of survivors. From scattered accounts it has been said that Hayelmish was wracked with guilt for his actions and sought seclusion within the Underdark alongside a small number of allies, only to perish in the journey. Despite the legend, Hayelmish still lives to this day, life extended through unknown arcane means as he maintains contacts with a secretive cabal of elite mercenaries and seasoned adventurers. On occasion, he sends scouts to the surface in order to lend temporary aid with issues arising from an area near the settlement known as 'Hayelmish's Folly'. a collection of ruins divided by a strategic cave-in due to activity from peculiar magical phenomena.

Founding Date

Est. 1300

Alternative Name(s)

Hamish-Magec Kaaklorlaan (Literal translation from Undercommon: Hamish-Mage Refuge)

Type

Outpost / Base

Population

125 - 130

Location under

Dumort