Gateway City of Vavahady

(Vah-wa-hey-dee)

It is true that there are few gateway cities to be found within the impenetrable mountains, but Vavahady holds a special place as being the gateway city.
— Mur Hie, Vavahady Gemcutter

Overview

This city and it's outlying farms span the length of central Ambang Valley, which lies in the south-western corner of the Rayiq Mountain Ring. The Western Gateway City of Vavahady is one of only a few gateway cities occupying the few narrow passages between inner and outer Deshret. This particular settlement has leveraged this advantageous and defensible position to the hilt, and has become a great and powerful city. Those living within the inner region of Deshret and wanting of more resources like timber and food must deal with Vavahady to acquire such resources. Those on the outside desiring some of the rarer ores, fauna, flora, and other exotic goods that are found within the Deshret Desert must deal with Vavahady to secure them. As a result, the city is a central hub of economic activity and has secured a venerable horde of treasure as a result.

A Center for the Arts

Vavahady is known for its vast and growing collection of arts and objects. The city is the site of the Atizay Museum, which is said to contain the greatest collection of recovered artifacts from all corners of the Deshret Continent. The Atizay is also a research center that has a division that is dedicated to the study of ancient artifacts. In addition to the museum, the city also contains several amphitheaters to host a variety of plays and other festive events. The Performer's Guild of Vavahady leverages the city's demographic variety to enhance and expand the quality and number of stories to tell. As a result of this leveraging of demographic variety, the city hosts plays that cannot be found anywhere else on the continent. Demand to view these plays by peoples in the surrounding regions has caused the price of viewing to soar, making the Performer's Guild a wealthy one. The magical arts are of particular interest to the wealthy elite of Vavahady. There is an entire wing to the Atizay dedicated to the demonstration and inspection of the arcane.

A Competitive Arena

The city also hosts a variety of competitive sports year round. Some of these include, but are not limited to:

Mount Racing
Archery
Swordsmanship
Weight Lifting
Prestidigitation

Villages and towns in the surrounding regions host their own competition where the winner goes on to compete in the Vavahady Arenas for a grand prize. It is a region-wide tournament that has at times served to settle disagreements in lieu of violent hostilities. The tournament is split into two leagues: the Inner League, where the competitors hail from the inner desert regions of Deshret, and the Outer League, where the competitors hail from the outer jungle-lined shores of Deshret. The Outer League is considered by many to be the more prestigious of the two.

Questionable is the wisdom of raiding the haunted mass graves of our ancestors for sport and riches. But then, true wisdom can halt actions to secure wealth for the self and so is quickly discarded and disdained.
— Kamran Rupvuhkehr, Vavahady Philosopher

Ruin Razing

In addition to the city's array of relatively benign sports, the city will also occasionally host a Ruin Razing Tournament. These tournaments often involve a chosen Ancient Ruin where competitors are tasked with slaying as many undead, ghosts, and monsters as they can. Bonus points are given to those who recover artifacts as part of their endeavors. However, this competition has a high mortality rate where many competitors do not survive their excursion into the ruins. This competition only lasts a period of several days, and never has a ruin been "reclaimed for the peoples of Awldor", an officially stated desired result for the competition, for the ghosts, undead, and monsters remain too numerous in such mass graves. Those that do survive the Ruin Razing and have slain many dangers are rewarded generously. The winner, the one who has the highest kill count and/or recovered the most valuable artifact, receives the most generous favors of all.

Boulder Lasso

Deshret's Sandsea hosts a unique sport where skilled screws with specialized sand ships venture out and capture as many floating boulders on the sandy waves as possible. The larger the boulders, the greater the rewards. A grand Boulder Lasso competition is held on the sandsea every year and Vavahady always participates. The city also makes a point to win, and so has often sought out and recruited the best sandsea sailors money can buy. Sometimes, the Vavadians even buy out talent from other Deshret Gateway Cities, which has resulted in some competitive animosity from said cities.

Demographics

If you can name them, you can probably find them in Vavahady.
— Mur Hie, Vavahady Citizen

Like most major cities, Vavahady is home to many peoples such as humans, elves, dwarves, and even a few tieflings. Even a rare Genasi can be spotted shopping in one of the city's many markets.

Defences

Nobody defends their interests quite like the Vavadians. You can enjoy such protection as well, if you can afford it.
— Artur Neha, Traveler

A combination of mountain slopes and thick stone walls. The main "gates" on the western and eastern side of the city are really castles that ensure the city's protection and control over incoming and outgoing trade. The city has also constructed various watchtowers and walls along the slopes of the mountain range to prevent any daring traveler from skirting the city. Manning these defenses is the Vavadian Guard, who are tasked with ensuring that the city's interests are protected by threats from without as well as within. Vavahady is willing to loan a small portion of this trained fighting force to those who can afford to pay for their protection. Many surrounding villages and frequent traveling merchants often employ a Vavadian Guard or two as protection. If circumstances arise that a village or merchant cannot continue to pay for the guard's services, the guard will more likely than not return to the city for reassignment.

Infrastructure

The city has a unique mixture of the haphazard style of roads and waterways in the older blocks to the more organized network of roads in the new outer areas of the city. Unlike most other cities, Vavahady's wealthy resides in the outer ring of the city. This outer ring contains taller buildings of grander design than the practically crumbling structures in the middle of the city. The central area is where the city's poor resides, and their buildings are increasingly difficult to distinguish between all the haphazard construction of new living quarters and patchwork maintenance of the old buildings. Like most other majorly wealthy cities, Vavahady was built upon reclaimed Ancient Ruins. Part of the duty of the city's guard is to deal with possible outbreaks of ghosts and undead that may lurk within the city's dark underground. This underground is made up of the works of the Ancients, and it is said that the vast majority of it has yet to be plundered. A lot of the ancient piping found within these ruins is continually adapted to the new city's needs as it continues to grow.

Assets

Immense Wealth

By virtue of being one of the only safe passages through the mountains, the city has made a venerable fortune through fees associated with entry through the city. The massive city acts as its region's central market. Therefore, goods of all kinds are gathered and sold in one of the Vavahady's many markets. In many ways, this city is Deshret's counterpart to Quassus' Centrum. As for what the Sultan does with all this wealth? The city has constructed great fortifications, a network of roads, an extensive aqueduct system, and finally on a well trained and impressively equipped military force. This military force is primarily concerned with the city's defense, although they are often used to enforce contracts within as well as without the surrounding region.

Arcane Secrets

How do these cities communicate on any reasonable timetable? These wealthy cities can employ the greatest sorcerers and the like to perform any needed magical feats, including using Sending spells to deliver important messages. It is rumored that the gateway cities also possess arcane transportation circles that allow certain movements to be conducted in secret. It is assumed among many commoners that there is a great deal of arcane trickery that is hidden and carefully employed by the ruling class. As a result, there is a growing sense of resentment with regards to the power these arcane feats can ensure over the majority. In fact, there is a growing belief that these cities are not ruled by Sultans but by a powerful cabal of mages.

Being landlocked is a poor excuse to not engage in business across the seas, especially if you can just buy out a port.
— Jhanandra Iarro, Harbourmaster

Sea Trade

Vavahady owns a port town which is located along the southern shore of the Deshret Continent, Pantalan This port makes it possible to engage in the rare trade expedition to another continent, most notably to Quassus. The most profitable of these expeditions are those who trade at Centrum. Recently, the authority of Vavahady has begun to see Centrum as a growing rival. Most of the time, the ports are trading nodes for shoreline and river settlements all along the eastern half of the continent. The one downside to this arrangement is that the port lies many miles south of Vavahady, so it takes time for resources gathered at the port to make it to the city. This trade route has therefore become a favorite target of bandits and so the Vavadians employ many guards to patrol the route to prevent or at least reduce losses.

Geography

The valley the city sits in has tall mountains that rise up on both sides. In the middle lies a seasonal stream that has since dried with the advent of the Vavahady's aqueduct system. The mountain slopes are lined with many trees on the eastern end of the valley which slowly shifts to the dry desert features on the western side of the valley. The effect is that you see one kind of environment looking one way, and an entirely different kind looking the other way.

Natural Resources

If it's worth a peppercorn, the Vavadians probably control or cultivate it.
— Vev Voknisk, A Most Disgruntled Former Merchant

The city controls several nearby mines that produce a variety of ores: gold, copper, and iron to name a few. On the eastern side the city is fertile soil that is exploited to produce food crops to feed the city's inhabitants. In order to ensure continued fertility, the city has employed a method called crop rotation as well as irrigation. It is hoped that these techniques can be exported to the western side of the city where the soil is dry and lacking nutrients to produce crops in any useful quantity.

Geographic Location

Alternative Name(s)

Centras von Kultura

Type

Large city

Population

37000

Inhabitant Demonym

Vavadians

Location under

Deshret Continent

Gateway Cities

Vavahady is part of a league known as the Deshret Gateways, which comprises of cities and towns that occupy the safe passages through the Deshret Mountain Ring. In the past, these cities and towns were very competitive towards one another. However, with the increasing amount of trade not only on land but across the oceans, the cities have sent envoys to one another to discuss working with one another to maintain their strong economic positions. Vavahady is currently leading efforts to unite the cities into a League.

Vavadia

While such a state is not recognized officially, even by Vavahady itself, the state may already exist in practice. Vavahady's sphere of influence is such that it effectively acts as a de facto capital of its immediate region. Many have already begun to colloquially term the area Vavadia. The city's aristocracy have remained silent on the matter.

Other Assets

Potion Shop
Bakeries
Confectioneries
Libraries
Artisan shops
Alchemist labs
Tanners
Armorers
Blacksmiths
Woodworking shops
Stone Mason shops
Taverns
Inns
Bathhouses
Trinket Stores

Guilds & Factions

Hunters Lodge
Foragers Gathering
Stone Masons
Armorers of Vavahady
Blacksmiths of Vavahady
Prestidigitators
Lumberer Guild
Sandsea Enthusiasts
Flora & Fauna Scholars
Great Collapse Investigators
Riding Academy
Swordsmanship Essentials

Note(s) from the Archivists:

I traveled with a merchant expedition to and from Vavahady. That city has many things in common with Centrum, only they are bigger. It's a good thing that our city has direct access to the seas whereas the Vavadians need to transport what they have to a port first. - Archivist Taenya Naïlo You seem particularly interested in relations between our city and theirs. - Archivist Th'eta It is called being prudent. The winds of fortune can shift ever so subtly. I'd like to know the second that happens. - Archivist Taenya It's like you expect there to be a war between our two cities. - Archivist Enna Expecting conflict is always a safe bet. Though I don't expect a conflict to arise between the two merchant cities just yet. At least, not until this shattered world reconnects some more. - Archivist Taenya That seems ironic. - Archivist Th'eta It is ironic. But make no mistake, I believe the world will be better off together than apart. - Archivist Taenya

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