Laminar Settlement in Archaios | World Anvil
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Laminar (Laa-men-ahr)

The city of Laminar is a wood elf settlement in the northern reaches of the Sylvanlands. It became a noteworthy city to the adventuring party that defeated Shepherd when it was revealed that one of their number, Evan, was in fact, Princess Evangeline; the runaway royal who fled the wrath of her fratricidal brother, Mainar.   The City of Laminar The great elven city is a sight to behold, raised above the forest floor and cradled in the canopies of ancient oak trees, massive ramps and bridges connect the many tiered rings of buildings that stretch for nearly a mile in every direction.
  • Magical lifts operated by magic allow access to the city itself and various levels between
  • The buildings and houses that sit in the great boughs of the tree are wrought from the living wood of the trees themselves, magically augmented and fortified to be as strong as stone.
  • Bridges hewn from thick vines and sturdy wood connect the many rings of the city
  • Wood Woads serve as guards and sentinels throughout the city, usually rooted in place and generally ignored by most people.
  • Proximity to the canopy is directly correlated to wealth and status, with the most renowned and decadent families residing at the "top" of the city. That being said, no one in this city is truly "poor" as one would expect in a human city. Rather, less wealthy elves must spend their days plying a trade: simple wood working, crafting, gardening, farming, etc.
  Society Laminar has been an established Elven Kingdom for well over 4000 years, initially founded when a sect of wood elves split off from a prominent elven society farther south. This splintering inadvertently saved the lives of the seceding sect, as a dark curse ravaged and ultimately destroyed the old kingdom.   As an elven society, it is steeped in magic, specifically that which coincides with the natural world. As such, druidic magic is common place. It is clear just from the architecture of the city that magic is used in its very construction, with homes being "grown" over the course of decades from the living wood of the trees.   Unlike the high elves, most wood elves do not inherently have magic accessible to them. However, they are very close with nature and can exert minor influence of their surroundings.   Buildings are "grown" rather than built. This process can take anywhere from a few months to decades depending on the purpose of the building.   Standard gold is used as currency, but this is a relatively new occurrence and the old currency of magically imbued acorn shells called sharasel.   The city is maintained by various "automated" magic, constructs, and conjured fey creatures.   The weather around the city is controlled by druids to always be temperate. Rain is "allowed" on designated rain days a few times a month. More affluent elves have access to "micro-environments" for their gardens. Gardens and greenhouses in general are magically augmented to yield bountiful, high quality crops that would ordinarily require vastly different environments to grow.    Magical constructs like the wood woads and wood golems keep the streets safe and "indentured" fey creatures like pixies and sprites constantly keep the city clean.

A Tale of Three Siblings

For many decades, the ruler of Laminar was an ambitious and ruthless elf called Mainar, the middle child of the late King Firina. By rights, the eldest child, Calvan, was intended to continue on his father's legacy. Coveting the crown for himself, however, Mainar conspired to remove his competition; waiting for the perfect moment to assassinate Calvan and lay the blame at the feet of the youngest sibling, Evangeline.   Evangeline was taken completely by surprise by her brother's sudden betrayal and was forced to flee. Mainar's men pursued her and any that could vouch for her across the breadth of Kentro. Finally, Evangeline was able to find at least a brief respite in Horizon. There, she took on a disguise and the moniker "Evan" and joined a mercenary group. Eventually, she happened to cross the paths of an adventuring party that would go on to save Horizon from a lich determined to subjugate the world to his will. They became friends, and once the lich was dealt with, the group accompanied Evangeline back home to Laminar where they hoped to set things right.   In the meantime, Mainar had managed to cultivate the image of a populous leader. He opened up trade to the wider world and brought in new wealth and prosperity for his people. Quietly, he proved to be coldly efficient at "removing" any who questioned or resisted his rule. Despite this, the party proved cunning enough to thwart Mainar's machinations, even going so far as to resurrect Calvan, whose body was long gone, with powerful magic. Ultimately, Mainar was deposed, and Calvan took up his rightful place as king of Laminar with Evangeline being reinstated as Princess.

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