Whitestone

Over two hundred years ago, the de Rolo family helmed an expedition from Wildemount to the shores of Tal'Dorei. When their vessel wrecked upon the stones of the Shearing Channel, the de Rolos and their remaining crew survived for weeks in the Alabaster Sierras despite the tempestuous weather and slavering beasts. After a time, they stumbled upon a glowing tree—the majestic Sun Tree, a blessing from the Dawnfather himself—and built their home around it.
Since then, the de Rolo's pioneering settlement has grown into a robust, if isolated, city. The cityscape varies from quaint homesteads to dingy hovels, and the majority of the populace sits somewhere in between. Limited in fertile farmland, locally grown produce is scarce, leading to the necessity to develop a good trade relationship with the rural communities of the Turst Fields.
Though the region's scarcity of vital resources made for a harrowing first few years, the de Rolo family stumbled upon a miraculous miracle they called whitestone. This geological marvel both gave their city its name and quickly became its most important and sought-after export. Before long, the de Rolos' sale of whitestone allowed them to quickly amass a significant fortune and construct a princely keep within their city.
The city is constantly improved (and unsettled) by the brilliant tinkering of Percival de Rolo. His greatest creation, the Heart of Whitestone, overlooks the city. Most prominent these days, however, is a rudimentary electric light grid. Using acid pits in the relatively unexplored caverns beneath the city as a sort of battery, six dozen electric lamps throughout the city are given just enough power to gently illuminate the streets, the watch posts on the castle, and the city walls with a soft, greenish glow all through the night.

Scars of the Briarwoods

Lady Delilah and Lord Sylas Briarwood, former cult leaders of the Whispered One, were ousted from Whitestone over twenty years ago. Though they are no more, the evil they committed still lingers. The nearly six years they ruled Whitestone sapped life and hope from its people. Though homes have been rebuilt and the Briarwoods' undead monsters have been eradicated, the trauma of the vampires' reign of terror will linger for generations. Some people of Whitestone were so deeply affected that they turned to necromancy and vampirism themselves, and have fled the Alabaster Sierras to learn the secrets of the Briarwoods' foul magic—and to emulate theier takeover of Whitestone. The enigmatic Grey Hunters, the secretive elite warriors of the Chamber of Whitestone, have worked tirelessly to pull out the Remnants by their roots, but permanently eliminating them seems an impossible task.

An Enchanting Export

One of the climactic battles of the Calamity was a clash between the stalwart Dawnfather and the Chained Oblivion. This battle came to a dramatic and explosive conclusion in the Alabaster Sierras. The unstsable arcane forces unleashed in their battle created the valley that now houses the Parchwood, thrusting the surrounding mountains upward and thrusting the surrounding mountains upward and infusing them with incredible amounts of residuum—the physical residue of arcane energy.
The sheer amount of leftover arcane power within the whitestone of the mountains is incredibly receptive to enchantment. Magic items that incorporate at least an ounce of whitestone into their construction require only one quarter the creation time of other magic items. Some alchemists in Emon have discovered that dissolving whitestone with specific acids can leave behind pure residuum, which can substitute for expensive spell components when such materials are not readily available.
If a spell has a component cost that consumes the component, its caster can substitute the required component for an amount of residuum of an equal value. One pound of pure residuum is worth approximately 500 gp in most markets, though it becomes difficult to find outside of Emon or the city of Whitestone itself.
Residuum can also be heated and blown into glass, forming a shimmering, greenish surface. Residuum slates or orbs can be used in stationary enchanting tables. Archmages willing to pay exorbitant rates—easily 20,000 gp or more—may acquire an enchanting slate that can be used to expedite the creation of all magic items. Using such a table allows anyone crafting a magic item to do so in one quarter of the usual time.

Galdric the Wolf

Given purpose and power as the companion to Purvon Kol, champion of the Matron of Ravens during the wars of the Calamity, Galdric was sealed within a relic of the goddess and interred with his master in a tomb under the Marrowglade Loch in Othanzia. Since a new champion was named in Vax'ildan of Vox Machina, and Purvon's vestment's recovered, Galdric was released from his slumber and bestowed with the charge of guarding the Parchwood surrounding Whitestone. This large and cunning wolf stalked the woods as the city's silent protector for a decade before finally joining his master's spirit in the afterlife. A small statue of his image stands near the Raven Queen's shrine in the Greyfield, and grateful citizens lay gifts at its feet to this day. On moonlit nights, some say you can still see Galdric wander through the Greyfield to the shrine for communion.

Crest

The Crest of Whitestone is divided into three parts: top, middle, and bottom.
The top part has the sun on a field of blue. This represents the daytime sky and Whitestone's patron god, Pelor, who watches the city from above. The middle part has a tree—specifically, the Sun Tree—on a field of white. This represents Whitestone itself: life amidst the cold snow of the Alabaster Sierras. The bottom part has six stars on a field of purple, representing each Champion of Pelor that has served Whitestone.

Demographics

78% humans, 7% halflings, 6% dwares, 4% tieflings, 5% other races

Government

For many years, the de Rolo family ruled Whitestone with dignity and justice. Their noble rule was broken by Delilah Briarwood, an exiled necromancer of the Cerberus Assembly from Wildemount, and her vampire husband, Sylas. Together, they slaughtered the family, took over Whitestone, and plunged the city into despair.
Six years later, Vox Machina returned with Percival, the only known de Rolo heir, and discovered that his sister Cassandra also still lived. The heroes defeated the Briarwoods and expunged their evil from Whitestone, and the de Rolo siblings founded a new system of governance: the Chamber of Whitestone.
This council consists of members appointed by the Guardian of Woven Stone, who is to remain a member of the de Rolo bloodline as long as it exists, or until the rest of the Chamber unanimously agrees that there are no suitable de Rolos to accept the position.

Defences

Whitestone's first line of defense is made up of the obelisk wards. Hastily constructed during the time of the Chroma Conclave to avoid detection by their roving wyvern armies, five whitestone obelisks mark the perimeter of the city and castle grounds. These obelisks form a dome of illusory magic when powered by an arcane spellcaster, hiding the city under the guise of continued, undeveloped Parchwood, and shielding everything within from arcane detection. The obelisks haven't been used since the attack of the Chroma Conclave and are beginning to be covered by graffiti and overgrowth.
For each spell slot that is siphoned into an obelisk, two hours of illusion is powered per spell level sacrificed, and the cover of the illusion barrier is incomplete unless all five obelisks are powered simultaneously. This siphoning is a tasking experience, and casters powering the obelisks are often left exhausted.
In addition to this rarely used magical ward, three groups of defensive personnel protect Whitestone from both within and without.
Pale Guard. The people of Whitestone rely upon the Pale Guard to resolve any (admittedly rare) crimes and disturbances of the peace. The pale Guard are a force of sentinels who answer to the Pale Lord of Wardship. Since criminal activity is fairly low these days, most of the Pale Guard are given other civic tasks to help Whitestone's people.
These tasks range from helping newcomers navigate the city streets to escorting visiting dignitaries to diplomatic functions. While performing a duty that requires it, members of the Pale Guard are permitted to carry simple, three-barrel pepperbox revolvers.
Whitestone Rifle Corps. The defense of the city from outside invaders and threats from the darkened boughs of the Parchwood Timberlands is attended to by the Whitestone Rifle Corps, who are trained in the deadly long-range rifles created by Percival de Rolo. They are only permitted to wield the weapons while patrolling the city walls or castle battlements—except in times of emergency, or when granted special permission by the Chamber of Whitestone.
Grey Hunters. An elite force called the Grey Hunters makes up the most secret of Whitestone's defenses. Trained in the arts of hand-to-hand combat, marksmanship, espionage, and etiquette, the Hunters have a reach that extends across all Tal'Dorei, but they exist only as a rumor in the eyes of the public—and they answer only to the Grand Mistress of the Grey Hunt.
The firearms wielded by members of the Grey Hunters are custom-made and named by their owner. Their rifles' stocks are made of Parchwood inlaid with whitestone and enchanted against wear with residuum. The lock mechanism bears the Whitestone crest. Hunters are trained to meticulously care for their weapons, and many learn enough to make personal modifications, or even build one from scratch. A Hunter must never lose their weapon. If they cannot prove it was destroyed, they aren't permitted to return to Whitestone until it is recovered—although they may requrest help from other Hunters in retrieving it. If they come across a weapon of Whitestone in the wrong hands, they are honor-bound to return it to the city.
This covert organization is headquartered in the ruins of a failed city expansion deep beneath the eastern Parchwood. This base is used for training, for weapon storage, and as a repository for their mission logs, so that a complete record of every Hunter and their weapons can forever be kept. As with many of his inventions, Percival de Rolo fears that the Hunters are a powerful—and even necessary—tool in the hands of the righteous, but a terrible weapon, should they be perverted to suit evil.

Crime

The community of Whitestone has endured much hardship, from its shipwrecked beginnings to the bloody reign of the Briarwoods. Its hardy people are generally more concerned with personal duty, small comforts, and the creation of new art and technologies than with the pursuit of easy profit. The Myriad has tried several times to gain a foothold in Whitestone, but they've been foiled time and again by the consistent counterespionage efforts of the Grey Hunters. Nevertheless, they continue to try, and their presence has inspired petty theft throughout the city.
The altruistic Lord Percival and Lady Vex'ahlia of Whitestone prefer to address crime at the source—poverty and suffering—rather than punishing criminals. Likewise, most petty criminals are seen in Whitestone as worthy of rehabilitation, not punishment.

Infrastructure

After Delilah Briarwood had created an anti-magic field below Whitestone Castle, Percy began to worry about what a magical blackout could do to the city. As a precaution, he began modernizing Whitestone with non-magical technology. His first major project was a subterranean network of steam pipes underneath all of Whitestone's roads. The result would be heated roads that never needed to be cleared of snow or ice.
It is Lord de Rolo's dream that Whitestone become "a shining beacon on the hill of what mankind's future could be."

Points of interest

The City of Whitestone has a number of famous landmarks. They are keyed to the map of Whitestone.

1. Castle Whitestone

This gothic fortress was erected not long after the city's founding, and has long been the seat of power for the sovereign de Rolo family. Percival and Cassandra de Rolo have opted to end their absolute power over the city by sharing it with teh Chamber of Whitestone—on which they each hold a seats.
The castle's interior has a certain stark regality to it. While the hunting trophies and tapestries that decorate its walls are clear signs of the de Rolos' ancestral wealth, there is a solemn, beautiful hollowness to its corridors. Cassandra de Rolo says that something of her brother's melancholy seeped into its whitestone walls, and the castle will always carry the weight of his sorrow—and of the Briarwoods' evil.
The castle itself is generally off-liimits to the public, but its grounds are more accessible. The Whitestone Rifle Corps trian in a firing yard behind the castle, and many people of the town flock to watch—only to be politely rebuffed by the Pale Guard. Open to all, however are the gardens—except for Percival de Roolo's latest project, the Widow's Garden. This walled garden was named for Lady Melanie de Rolo, who originally cultivated its deadly blooms to slowly murder her husband. The Widow's Garden used to be a macabre menagerie of poisonous plants from across Wildemount. It fell fallow during the reign of the Briarwoods, but Percival has resurrected it with Keyleth's horticultural aid.

2. The Sun Tree

After the Chained Oblivion nearly consumed the Knowing Mistress during the Calamity, a furious and vengeful Dawnfather pursued the fleeing Oblivion across the mountaintops and over the sea to the peak of Gatshadow, where the mad god was eventually defeated and imprisoned once again. The land wept with pain as the two wrathful gods laid waste to Tal'Dorei.
After his victory, the Dawnfather returned to Whitestone and placed a single seed into the ground where the Knowing Mentor was nearly destroyed. The god wept, and from the seed grew a symbol of protection—a tree with radiant orange foliage and a golden glow that surrounds it when in bloom. The Sun Tree became a beacon of light within the dark forest that enclosed it. While the extent of the tree's divine power remains a mystery, it stands as an emblem of unity and hope, both within the city of Whitestone and upon its official crest.

3. Temples and the Greyfield

A patch of land outside the eastern wall of the city sees generations of Whitestone's dead interred within a graveyard known as the Greyfield. Custody of this cemetery is shared by the Temple of the Dawn and the Altar of the Raven, sanctuaries maintained by the clergy of the Dawnfather and the Matron of Ravens, respectively. Since most people in Whitestone consider the Dawnfather their patron deity, the Temple of the Dawn is the alrgest of these shrines. The smaller Altar of the Raven is right next door, and most well-to-do devotees of the Dawnfather look upon the dour, dark-robed clerics of the Matron of Ravens with a mixture of awe and unease.
The temples' grounds also house a number of mausoleums containing the remains of long-forgotten noble families, though the last generation of lost de Rolos were not recovered following the rule of the Briarwoods. Traces of the Briarwoods' defiling magic still linger within the Greyfield, and the Pale Guard are posted here at night to quell the restless dead that occasionally claw their way to the surface.

4. The Heart of Whitestone

A majestic clock tower called the Heart of Whitestone stands proud and tall over the city. It is Percival de Rolo's favorite invention, one he dedicated much of the past two decades to constructing to honor his loyal friends, their sacrifices, and the trials they endured together. The area around it is known as Forlington Square, named for one of the first families to settle in Whitestone. This bustling courtyard is lined with shops and street performers that attract locals and tourists alike.
The clock tower's construction was completed five years ago, but Percival continues to tinker with it, adding both functionality and self-indulgent embellishments. The tower has individual movements for most major holidays, including depictions of famous moments and persons from Whitestone history. The clock tracks the movements of the moons, stars, and spheres. The mechanics of the clock are only truly understood by Percy himself, though small clubs of scholars and esotericists take great joy in unraveling its mysteries. Further, it has long been rumored that Percival secreted a vault within the tower's innards to safeguard his most dangerous inventions.

5. Snowdrop Memorial Trail

In the east of the city, winding between the Grey Hunt Estate and the temple to the Matron of Ravens, is a private trail through the woods. Only locals know of this trail, and even among them, few know that the path was made by Keyleth of Zephrah on one of her many visits to the city. Countless snowdrop flowers line this secluded track, and they are tended to by Lady Vex'ahlia when she has time away from her duties to both the Chamber of Whitestone and the Tal'Dorei Council. The significance of this memorial guarden isn't listed on any plaque, but most in Whitestone have an inkling that it's dedicated to a beloved champion of the god of death.

6. Grey Hunt Manor

The estate of the Grand Mistress of the Grey Hunt is rarely used by teh current holder of that title these days, as all her nights not spent away on Tal'Dorei Council business are passed with her family in Castle Whitestone. Members of the Grey Hunt still use it as a formal meeting place—though meetings of true import take place in their secret lair in the eastern ruins.

7. House of the Lawbearer

This temple is both a place of worship and a stately courthouse. All who enter are sworn to tell the truth by the vigilant clerics of the Lawbearer—for the entire building is under the protection of a vast, permanent zone of truth spell. This protection is fallible, but it sends a clear message to all who enter.

8. Slayer's Cake Bakery

Founded by members of Vox Machina, the Slayer's Cake has quickly become one of the most beloved bakeries in Tal'Dorei, and it has a satellite shop in Emon. It ships bread and pastries to Nicodranas in Wildemount via teleportation circle weekly, and the bakery's owners are thinking of expanding.

9. Lord Trinket's Public Park

A section of the Parchwood to the west of the city was cleared in the aftermath of the Whispered One's defeat in anticipation of a major expansion. However, more of the Emonian refugees left the city than anticipated, leaving these plans untenable but the forest already cleared. At the request of Vex'ahlia, Grand Mistress of the Grey Hunt, the space was transformed into a public park that she uses to play with her now-venerable brown bear, Trinket—and a lifelike marble statue of that same bear, clad in magnificent armor, stands in its center.
Portions of this city expansion did eventually come to pass, and now several manor houses have been built near the edge of the park to house visiting dignitaries.

10. Galdric's Gate

The new northwestern gate of Whietstone opens onto the Timberland Trail, which grants hunters easy access to the city when they return from expeditions into the Parchwood.

11. Eastern Ruins

Whitestone's first expansion in recent times happened just after the fall of the Whispered One, to accomodate the city's large refugee population. However, a mix of social unrest and monstrous incursions from teh Parchwood stymied the project, and the bones of the expansion were left to fall into ruin. No attempt has been made to reclaim the ruins, but the Grey Hunt have made a secret base of operations in teh basement of a magnificent temple not yet dedicated to any god.

12. Hearth of the Everlight

Established by Pike Trickfoot in the years following Vox Machina's victory over the Whispered One, this humble temple stands as a bastion of welcoming light and shelter to those seeking solace and direction. Within its stone walls, the faithful of the Everlight study her philosophy of compassion and fierce protection. Still, the temple is far from tranquil—the congregation also hosts monthly fêtes and revels as part of their worship in the image of their exuberant founder.

Geography

Whitestone was originally constructed around the newly discovered Sun Tree, and has slowly expanded outward ever since. Castle Whitestone was built atop a small hill overlooking the city to the north. Over the years, farmers and homesteaders have cleared more and more of the Parchwood to the south of the city. Even today, as Whitestone's population has swelled, the Parchwood remains defiant, dark, and threatening. It is in little danger of being overrun by mortals, and its eerie creatures strike back whenever the people of Whitestone presse against it too greedily. The Grey Hunt was formed to keep the deadly denizens of the woods at bay, though now their purview reaches farther than just the Parchwood.
Dawnfather Square is the central district of Whitestone. The square surrounds a small hill, and the golden glow of the revered Sun Tree that sits atop it can be seen throughout the city. Many of Whitestone's original settlers arleady worshiped the Dawnfather, and teh discovery of the Sun Tree was seen as a sign. Today, Dawnfather Square is filled with quaint, bustling shops and small townhouses.

Type

City

Population

17, 710

Location under

Alabaster Sierras

Owning Organization

Chamber of Whitestone

Characters in Location

• Grog Strongjaw
• Percival de Rolo
• Pike Trickfoot
• Vex'ahlia de Rolo

Related Materials

• Residuum