Silverymoon
"It is an easy thing to come to Silverymoon seeking knowledge of one subject, and find oneself enraptured by the study that it takes a lifetime to accomplish - or to realize that it was the study, rather that the sought after fact that one truly desired."A powerful and long-serving member of the Lord's Alliance, Silverymoon is to many of its allies a beacon towards their aspirations as a peaceful, quiet haven for any and all who respect the rules and values of the diverse city. Silverymoon stands as a beautiful reminder of the ancient elven cities long forgotten filled with ivy-laden walls and structures built into the massive living trees of the region. One of the most prominent and celebrated visages of the city is the Moonbridge, a sturdy structure composed of pure magical essence which spans the River Rauvin and serves as the main thoroughfare between the Northbank and Southbank of Silverymoon. Many an aspiring artists have sought to capture the inexplicable beauty of the magical bridge and the arboreal city during the golden hours of sunrise.
Demographics
Though humans and elves make up the largest portions of Silverymoon's population, the Gem of the North is well recognized for being a haven for any and all who embrace it's desire for peace and tranquility. Those who value the pursuit of knowledge, regardless of race or creed, are particularly embraced as welcome members of the Silvaeren community. Orcs, drow, and other Underdark denizens who have forsaken their homeland's hostile ways of life can often be found in small pockets of the city.
Humans: 40%
Elves: 30%
Half-Elves: 15%
Dwarves: 8%
Gnomes: 3%
Halflings: 2%
Other: 2%
Elves: 30%
Half-Elves: 15%
Dwarves: 8%
Gnomes: 3%
Halflings: 2%
Other: 2%
Government
Only until this year, the elected High Mage Taern Hornblade governed the city from the High Palace in the eastern ward and while technically the government was initially designed as a democratic magocracy, it often operated more similarly to a republic, especially in times of political uncertainty.
Following the tarnishing of Silverymoon's reputation among its local neighbors in the fallout of the War of the Silver Marches, Hornblade stepped down from his post as High Mage and sequestered leadership to the then High Marshal Methrammar Aerasumé, the half-son of Alustriel, who herself was Taern's predecessor and one of the most celebrated and beloved leaders in Silverymoon's long history. Despite this shift in leadership, Taern maintains the duties as the city's speaker in the Lord's Alliance given his longstanding reputation with the distant allies of the city.
Now serving as Lord Methrammar, the new leader's mornings are often filled with hearing the concerns and conflicts of the citizenry, with more complicated cases being settled in the afternoon in a more formal court structure. By the evening, Methrammar is meeting with delegates and representatives and drafting any changes to the governance of the city to be announced the next morning.
When particularly complex or wide-reaching concerns are raised, an announcement is made through which the citizens of Silverymoon are given a window of days to discuss and bring their specific concerns on the matter to Methrammar. After a period of delegation, votes are cast on the issue. While Lord Aerasumé still possesses the final say on the matter, only a few instances of the final result differing from the majority's vote have been recorded in Silverymoon's history.
Defences
The martial forces of Silverymoon are composed of several renowned factions including the Knights in Silver, Spellguard, the Silverwatch and the Moon Guard.
While the Moon Guard served as the well-recognized and generally honored internal policing force, the Silverwatch were often deployed in facing external threats along the walls of the city.
The Knights in Silver, often depicted riding noble steeds clad in their iconic sliver plate armor and wielding lances or glaives, served in both internal and external capacities, but were most frequently seen patrolling the wilderness within the 50 miles beyond the walls of Silverymoon. The Knights currently boast a battalion of more than 700 trained soldiers who have first-hand experience dealing with the orcs, barbarians, and other monsters of the North following the War of Silver Marches. The Knights in Silver are made of three ranks: Squires, Knights, and Commanders.
The Spellguard, originally formed as a personal guard for the leaders of Silverymoon and the magical colleges, serve as martially trained spellcasters who have dedicated their lives to the study and practice of defensive magic to the benefit of the city and her priorities. There are typically between 50 and 100 members of this elite force at any one time and they have been known to travel in small numbers with larger forces of the Knights in Silver while on patrol as well as to handle more demanding tasks as dedicated strike forces when deemed necessary. Among the Spellguard leadership are 7 Wardens who oversee the deployment of the other forces.
Industry & Trade
With a plethora of evergreen, shadowtop, and duskwood groves available to the city via the Moonwood to the north, Silverymoon is regarded as the premiere exporter of timber, rope, and high-quality paper products. Books, ink, as well as glassware and furs round out the other top exports of Silverymoon.
The most frequent imports include grains, livestock, precious metals and ores, as well as textiles, clothing, and pre-fabricated equipment like armor and weapons.
Infrastructure
While the Moonbridge is known mostly for its beauty and architectural wonder, it is also the home of the city's Mythral, a powerful source of defensive magical wards placed over the city. In particular, spells or artifacts which summon creatures, create elemental effects, or allow for secret transportation or invasion of thoughts are all prevented by these wards. It has long been thought the full effects of the Mythral are unknown so as to deter ill-willed individuals from testing the limits of the ward's capabilities.
Guilds and Factions
In addition to the martial factions which defend the city and surrounding region, there exist a number of other organizations which operate to varying degrees within Silverymoon's walls.
The Conclave of Silverymoon: A collection of once disparate universities now aligned as one aligned body. The most prominent schools among the Conclave are the Lady's College, Miresk's School of Thaumaturgy, the Map House, and Arken's Invocatorium, among many others. The Vault of Sages serves as the library of the Conclave and is the chief resource and incentive to attending one of the Conclave's schools of study.
Harpers: Whereas in many other cities the Harpers must work in secrecy and subtlety influence the political and social culture, the Harpers are publicly welcome and viewed as allies by not only the High Mage or Lord of Silverymoon, but by the other factions as well. Given the over-arching values of individual liberty and the collective disdain for control of information held throughout Silverymoon, the Harpers have a strong and vocal position in the city.
The Logger's Guild: The second-largest faction behind the Conclave, The Logger's Guild exists to work alongside the Lord's Alliance delegate to secure beneficial and fair trade agreements with both local neighbors and distant allies for the myriad of high-quality wood products produced by harvesting trees from the Moodwood.
The Broadsheets: A small, dedicated group of writers and illustrators who believe in the importance of free press and reporting on the activity of the other factions who produce weekly articles featuring recent news and other points of interest to the community.
The Emerald Enclave, Zhentarim, and Lord's Alliance also have a presence within the city, though they, like the Harpers, are not unique to Silverymoon. The Emerald Enclave focusses their efforts on working alongside the Logger's Guild to keep the Moondwood healthy and free of threats to the workforce, while the Zhentarim serve as mercenaries and the Lord's Alliance serve in diplomatic roles when it comes to matters involving the greater Sword Coast.
Worshippers of Mystra, Mielikki, Oghma, Silvanus, Sune, and Tymora also frequent Silverymoon and a temple or shrine to each god is available to the public in the eastern section of the city.
Geography
Divided by the River Rauvin, Silverymoon is split primarily into the Northbank and Southbank, with the former being the older of the two areas.
In the center of the Northbank is the Market which runs from the northern gate to the Docks. The eastern portion of the Northbank also includes the High Palace as well as many of the places of worship found in Silverymoon.
Historically, the Southbank started as an area designed for caravans and warehouses, but has grown to be nearly the size and density of its northern counterpart, although it doesn't contain the same prestige or notoriety. As an exception to this trend, many schools of the Conclave of Silverymoon are based out of the Southbank.
Alternative Name(s)
The Gem of the North
Type
City
Population
40,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Silvaeren
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