It is with great anticipation that I, Volothamp Geddarm, provide written account of the current situation in the fallen city of Elturel.
According to my best estimations, it has been 73 days since Elturel, the once-Holy City of the Western Heartlands, was sucked into Avernus, where it now sits above the river Styx, slowly lowering into its accursed waters from suspended chains made of infernal iron. My friend Garyx Ebonhawk and myself have spent four nights in Shiarra's Market, where one of many factions now sits. I shall give a short explanation of the factions present in Elturel at the time of writing, providing source information where I may.
There appear to be three types of factions within Elturel at the moment. The first type is that of which Garyx and myself now reside, being a semi-permanent encampment with over- or close to a thousand inhabitants. There are three such factions that I have knowledge of. The second type of faction, is that of roaming groups of nomads. These groups number about thirty or less individuals, and there may be any number of them in the city. The last group consists of scattered factions of warriors and civilians, either behind locked doors or in the open field. There may be many of these, but I can provide information for [number] of these.
Large refugee camps
There are three such camps that I have knowledge to share about - the first being mine own in Shiarra's Market, being led by the High Rider Klav Ikaia. The second is the district of Westerly, where a group of citizens has appointed their own neighborhood council. The third faction is of yet unconfirmed, but speaks of nearly a thousand individuals who have found safety in parts of the Maze, starting underneath High Hall.
Shiarra's Market
For a man who has been dead for little over fifty years, Klav Ikaia is doing an admirable job at keeping the citizenry of the Eastern Docks united. I heard from the High Rider himself how he established the refugee camp after people came to him for aid, having secured himself a slice of the Maze that, unlike many others in the East, was still largely accessible. Having no need for the goods himself, but hungering for a taste of kinship with the people who came knocking on his door, he traded the goods for their friendship, and it wasn't long until many other citizens joined him. Originally stationed at the Keep of the Twin Suns, the group of people had quickly outgrown the complex, and it was decided that the Hellriders who had joined up with the High Rider would secure a path to Shiarra's Market, where a new camp would be established. About three thousand people made the journey from the Keep to the Market, and after a series of natural disasters and building collapses, about half of them made it to the market.
Ikaia makes no secret of his undead nature - a vampire he is, still, but to me he has shown no malice as of yet. In fact, many citizens that I have interviewed have described him as strict, but just, and fiercely loyal, coming to the defense of the camp whenever needed, and striking down fiends with the greatest inspiration. I do not doubt the hatred he feels towards the devils - after all, it was Zariel who banished him down into the tunnels of the Maze when she struck the deal with Naja Bellandi. However, I am left to wonder how the vampire stills his hunger. I hope not to find out through becoming a party to it, though it does occupy a permanent place in my thoughts.
Westerly
The citizens of the Western district of Elturel known simply as Westerly have always had a reputation of being stubborn anti-government freedom chasers, and the Descent has given them exactly the freedoms which they have sought for nearly sixty years. However, much like the hound chasing down a stage coach, the people seem hesitant to take control. Instead, they took it upon themselves to form dozens of committees for a wealth of different purposes such as 'beautification' or 'the protection of Westerly values,' with the latter meaning that they still go on to employ a strict housing policy: only those born in Westerly, or of sizable wealth, are allowed to purchase a home there. They are apparently very welcoming to visitors, but turn people away once they express a desire to stay overnight in the district.
High Hall and the Maze
There should be no surprise that the Maze, the vast network of tunnels, warehouses, and shelter space underneath the High District and much of the rest of Elturel, is used to its full purpose: it is said to house hundreds if not thousands of survivors who stay well-fed and blanketed through the use of non perishable foods such as fruits with a long shelf-life (Chauntea praise the autumn harvest we've had!), hard biscuits, flour, sugar, and so on and so forth. However, this knowledge seems to be mostly based on rumors, as nobody who has gone to High Hall seems to return. Probably for good reason! There are all sorts of perils surrounding the surface, and if the Maze is a safe place to stay, one can only sympathize with the survivor's decision to stay there. However, one might expect the remaining government and military bodies to send out messengers, telling people who find themselves elsewhere, that there is a place for them to stay inside High Hall and beyond.
Known nomadic groups
Some people see no use in finding shelter, preferring to roam the streets of Elturel to either actively take the fight to any fiendish invaders, rent themselves out as mercenary crews to resupply the other factions, or simply because nobody will take them in. This section is dedicated to four of such known groups of people.
Hellrider loyalists
Among those who survived the initial crash were many Hellrider soldiers, with or without their trusted steeds. As the weeks slowly passed, the knights gained a reputation of untrustworthy. With rumors of their 'eruptions' (a quick and horrifying bodily change where the Hellrider changes into a devil) quickly spreading among the refugee camps and strongholds, many Hellriders found themselves outcast from civil society. Groups of these knights, often led by their original sergeant, have popped up across Elturel, either actively looking out their former brothers-in-arms, now twisted into corrupted Hell Knights, with extreme agression; or simply looking to make ends meet, their souls corrupted by Avernus as they raid and plunder indiscriminately. One is best advised to be on their guard when they see a troupe of mounted soldiers approach.
End-time zealots
As with every apocalyptic series of events, a group of overzealous Elturians saw their descent into Hell as a divine punishment for abandoning the teachings of the gods in favor of the Companion. They roam across town as emaciated humans wearing tattered robes, sporting fanatic signs with ominous warnings that indeed, "The end is near". Be sure to thank these people when you encounter them, and then be on your way - making sure not to look back over your shoulder too often not to raise suspicion, but keeping an eye on them altogether.
Mercenaries for hire
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