Ewrorin

Ewrorin is the largest Elvish city, the second largest city in Chantry  territory, and the third largest city in the known world (behind Aslod and Kingstown). Appearing as a series of walled levels that enclose a gargantuan tree, it has been Chantry aligned since the Rune Wars but has maintained a small element of neutrality thanks to the cultural importance of The Lifewood across Eidos.

Demographics

The layers of Ewrorin directly correspond to political importance and nobility. The higher the layer (and thus closer to the very peak of the city), the more important the individual. As a key city within the Chantry, even the lowest levels are reasonably well kept, well-guarded, and populated by well-off individuals. As with all cities a seedier underground can be found in sewer systems and the like, but it's remarkably minor compared to most cities, even to the heavily guarded town of Ravenrock.

  At the very peak of the city are important political offices occupied by high Elvish leaders, and usually, accommodation for the top echelons of the Chantry. Throughout the city, regardless of layer, are druidic temples that allow access to the World Tree at whatever layer one happens to live on. These temples are usually status-agnostic, and allow entry to anyone regardless of station provided they are a follower of the rules of nature.
Priests of the Chantry, who tend to refer to status more closely in the construction of cathedrals and tending of their spiritual flock, sometimes rub up against druidic practices and their more open worldview. Nonetheless, a careful balance has been maintained for centuries which permits both religious groups to live largely in harmony.

Government

Ewrorin, serving a dual role as the Elvish capital and a critical city within the Chantry, has two sets of governing bodies - the House of Leaves and the House of Sanctity. The former is a largely elected body primarily involved in maintaining Ewrorin as a city of its own, governing the people, creating policy, and the like. In this capacity they also manage surrounding Elvish towns such as Tor'rean and any that would fall under this dual jurisdiction.
 The House of Sanctity, on the other hand, is primarily selected by higher-ranking Chantry officials (and is therefore also made up of such individuals) who aim to ensure Ewrorin and its governance remains in line with the Chantry standard across its territory. This would be in regards to worship, support in wartime, and other matters in which unity and a guiding vision is required.

 At the very top of the governance is the Minya (which translates to "First"), who is the elected leader of the House of Leaves. They would generally guide policy and decide the route to take for government. The Minya could be a non-elf, but there are no records of non-elves holding this position. The other top is shared by the Divine herself, who performs a monarchical role of being able to veto certain policy in terms of dire need and command the assembly along policy lines. Generally, her time is spent governing the entire Chantry, but there are records of Divines taking a more direct hand in Ewrorin policy.

Defences

Ewrorin's layers make it a natural fortress, with multiple safeguards and gates to prevent access to the most sensitive parts of the city. The only time Ewrorin was seriously sieged was during the Rune Wars, where rogue mages and their forces were able to penetrate the lowest level and most of the second level before Chantry assistance succeeded in halting their advance. A standing army of some several thousand Spellbreakers remains garrisoned in Ewrorin, alongside a specially trained Elven guard who maintain an eternal vigil over the Lifewood. As a place of great importance to the Chantry, a Greater Petricite Golem maintains watch at the very peak of the second level in front of the Citadel, while a pair of Lesser Golems are generally to be seen patrolling routes around the city. A number of artificial golems can be found at more sensitive and highly guarded gates in and out of the various layers of the city. The proximity of Ewrorin to Aslod means any protracted siege would readily be reinforced by more Chantry forces, and so even in wartime the prospect of sieging Ewrorin has been considered off the table.

Infrastructure

Ewrorin is split into three distinct "layers", each separated by elevation and walls. As you go up the layers, so too does the importance of people found there. Gates separate each layer, and tend to become more serious about requiring papers and travel reasoning the higher up you go.

The lowest layer is comprised of Lavente Gate, Midverls (translating to "trade centre"), and the Southern Trail. This layer bears very little in the way of permanent accommodation (primarily only the poorest and most destitute would make any kind of long-term home here), but instead is abundant in places of interest for traders, travellers, contractors, and mercenaries. It is full of taverns, hotels, shops, and other such buildings intended to support the usual day-to-day.
The Southern Trail and Lavente Gate, while both heavily guarded, are not the two main ways of entering the city; most traffic coming through the central gate at Midverls instead.

The middle layer is comprised of Everinne (Elf District), Calavinne (Common District), Brevarinne (Brother District). There is cross-pollination across these districts and technically besides marked areas and buildings, anyone can travel freely between them.
The Everinne is primarily comprised of minor political structures/offices for the Elvish politicians of the city, as well as a few druidic spaces particularly catered for Elvish practitioners. In addition, whilst many Elves also worship the Maker as part of the Chantry religion, some pursue this worship in a different way from the rest of the Chantry, and many are allowed to worship lesser deities of their own. These differences in worship are accounted for in specialised places of sanctity.
Calavinne is where the bulk of the population actually lives, and barring common convenience stores and usual goods, most of this area is taken up by living space.
Lastly, Brevarinne is where the standing force of Spellbreakers and Chantry officials tends to reside, in the form of barracks and offices. For most of this area commoners can still freely come and go but elements of Brevarinne are kept a mystery, usually when pertaining to arcane matters.

The topmost layer of the city can be clearly seen backdropped against the enormous ridge of the Lifewood, with only one structure tall enough to stand out - the citadel, in which the Houses of Leaves and Sanctity reside. Accommodation at this level is sparse, with only the richest maintaining permanent stay. The Divine, for example, has her own accommodation here, as does the Minya of the day. This layer can be accessed by commoners, but only after enduring mountains of paper work and rigorous questioning as to why.

Guilds and Factions

The Chantry naturally have a heavy presence in the city, both politically and militarily, and tend to operate at numerous levels, the most significant of their establishments being a Spell-Breaker Academy located within the Brevarinne district.

Trade Guilds are found here as in any city, and in Ewrorin they specialise in Elvish goods - bodkin arrows, particularly well-crafted weapons of warfare, and also specialised plants/herbs made from the local wildlife. Elvish clothing is also for its durability, comfort, and freedom of motion, all of which are desired traits from any adventurer.

Druid temples operate apolitically from any other faction and persist regardless of the Minya of the day. Their order tends to accept any who would make the journey, meaning even in wartime, Staldor druids had a tendency of being allowed a pilgrimage to the Lifewood, should they be willing to risk the journey.

Centaur tribes are known to operate quite closely to Ewrorin due to their connection to the land and the Lifewood. Whilst in some regions tribes are warlike and generally regarded as a menace, those in Elvish territory tend to be reclusive and gentler. A lone embassy on the lowest levels staffed by druids occasionally can be seen shepherding (usually under cover of night) small parties of Centaurs wishing to commune with the Lifewood. This particular presence is probably the most politically controversial but those who live nearby or have witnessed this event will pay testament to the gentleness of these Centaurs and their desire simply to co-exist with nature.

History

Ewrorin is the ancient ancestral city of the Elves, stretching back long before the Rune Wars and, some would say, even properly recorded history. The very first stones of the city, deeply engrained now under layers of extra foundation, are said to be as old as the Lifewood itself, and if those rumours are even half correct, that puts Ewrorin's founding at several thousand years before the Rune Wars. Given the long lifespan of Elves - particularly when their magic was better channelled prior to the conflict - this would not be unlikely. What is known is that Ewrorin was founded as a settlement to nurture and protect the Lifewood into perpetuity, and it has fulfilled that role first and foremost over its history. The only time this role was threatened was during the Rune Wars when rogue mages, hoping to steal the natural energies emanated by Mamondrassil, sieged Ewrorin. Had it not been for the intervention of a Chantry in its infancy, its likely they would have succeed.

It is due to this aid that the Elves pledged themselves to the Chantry and became one of their firmest, oldest allies. In return for Elvish support of their cause, the Chantry now help maintain Ewrorin's protection and aid in its further fortification to ensure the Lifewood can remain safeguarded forever.

Architecture

The Lifewood's presence in Ewrorin is not so much that the city is built around the tree as it is built in the tree. With the trunk of the Lifewood running across the entire height of the city, the whole settlement could be considered an immense tree-house.
The Lifewood's roots also follow this pattern, snaking themselves through almost every layer of the city and, of course, deep into the earth. As a result some of the buildings constructed around these roots serve as special places of worship for druids and where man-made construction and the Lifewood's growth conflict, it is always man that gives way to ensure Mamondrassil's health. This is also indicated by the older buildings in the settlement which have been overgrown with vegetation despite them still being lived in.
Elvish architecture takes inspiration from their natural roots - with long, flowing shapes, unusually thin yet surprisingly durable walls, and often, housing built into trees of their own. Carefully tended gardens are common throughout the city, maintaining a perpetual connection to the natural world.

Chantry construction is more traditional, with harder shapes and thicker walls for defensive purposes, usually made of stone instead of the carefully tended wood of Elvish structures. This creates an interesting dichotomy throughout, where heavily guarded sections of the city will appear to be miniature concrete fortresses, sometimes surrounded by wooden construction and treehouses. The citadel at the very peak is a combination of both principles - made of stone and wrought with steel fortification, it also bears some of the more flowing shapes of Elvish architecture and is full of well-tended plantlife both for the pleasure of the politicians there and for the well-being of the Elves attending the assembly.

Ewrorin from a distance

Founding Date

Pre-Rune Wars

Type

Large city

Population

150,000 (60% Elvish, 30% Human, 10% Other)

Location under

The Western Lands

Included Locations

• The Lifewood

Owning Organization

The Chantry