Telgen

Telgen is the city of sails and spears, the port of entry for those seeking the Kingdom of Hain. Knights come here to sail North for the glory of Hain, while merchants rest here on their way to Vruhafen, Trostev, or Savelov.
Unlike the rest of Graefsher, Telgen is not unusually hierarchical or xenophobic as a whole (though such people certainly reside here). The culture is a mix between the Graefsher, Andrig, and Heartlands regions, and is more in touch with the other big coastal cities than the Northern marchlands.
While Telgen is not a city of great violence or imminent adventure, it is an important port with a capacity for intrigue and shenanigans. The local political scene is tense, and nobles from all across the Kingdom of Hain visit here to oversee their holdings or interests in Hain's Northern protectorates. The Junker's penchant for parties often draws visitors of many factions together in a space where wily adventurers can slip in - and who doesn't love a good costume ball?

Demographics

10,000 humanoids live in Telgen. 45% are Dryads or Half-dryads, 25% are Humans, 29% are Starspawn, and 1% are Other.

Government

The city is managed by a mayor-knight, known as the Junker (pronounced Yun-kar), who rules in the name of the Elector-Princess. The influence of the Elector-Princess is muffled, as the Junker has legal rights to autonomy that restrict the direct involvement of their liege.
In terms of actual day-to-day rule, most power is in the hands of the Junker and the council of Burghers. The Junker is a semi-hereditary title that is granted by the Prince, where the child of the prior Junker has automatic nomination for the position but no guaranteed granting. The Junker's job is to manage the local garrison, act as high judge, lead the city guard, and act as overseer and tie breaker for the Council of Burghers. The Burghers (pronounced Boor-gars) are city elites such as major merchants and guildmasters who are granted title and Honors in exchange for services rendered to the city and kingdom. The Burghers are expected to contribute to the city's infrastructure funds and to donate time and energy running the city's treasury and bureaucracy. In exchange, they get a seat on the council that does most of the actual governance (plus some extra perks and privileges.
On matters of magic, religion, and moral law, the priesthood is given full state power to operate courts, set policy, and request action by the city guard. The priests of the city are divided into the mainline temple-priests and the local cult-priests, all of whom answer to the same religious overseer- the Rosgen.
The Burghers of Telgen are prone to fighting amongst themselves (and sometimes even with the artisan guilds). The city also has an extra notable of note: the City Captain, who manages the city guard, hosts visiting garrisons seeking questing or travel abroad, and organizes local militias. The City Captain is confirmed by the Junker and Burghers, but is nominated by local nobility from the region - and tends to be a representative of the nearby lords.

City Elites

The Junker of Telgen is Lady Sherla Telgenhof, the latest scion of the family that has ruled this city and its surrounding farmland since the last Scouring. The Telgenhofs built this city from the ash and ruins, and are deeply respected by the nobility and commoners alike. Lady Sherla is a proud and headstrong woman with a very grounded and materialistic view of the world. While she is known to indulge in lavish balls and feasts, she doesn't quite fit the "decadent noble" stereotype - she also works to improve living conditions for the craftsmen, and is just as fond of throwing feasts for the commonfolk of her city as she is hosting elite galas. To fund her city projects and hobby of party hosting, Lady Sherla is very involved in the finances of her city. The good Junker attends every meeting of the Burgher's Council and has focused her time and energy on uniting and controlling the merchant families and guilds. This has filled her coffers and cleared many small obstacles to trade in the city, but has entirely distracted her from other political scenes in her city. She is too quick to dismiss priests as moralizing theorists and soldiers as close-minded hierarchical machines, and has allowed the Rosgen and the Captain to build power and influence against her. Thankfully, the Elector-Princess backs her entirely; Lady Telgenhof is deeply loyal to her liege (who is a dear friend who set her up with her current husband), and the Princess knows this. The Telgenhofs are a Dryad family.
The Elector-Princess of the land is Princess Telba Neshelna, a shy and pious half-Dryad known for her formal and stoic knightly bearing. Telba is a woman of quiet devotion, who deeply admires the great knightly orders of Hain (particularly the Spring Knights ), and is known to surround herself with advisors from these orders. She is not an imitator in the way that some are - she is not one to adventure, joust, or engage in obnoxious bombast - but she strives to rule as they would and to embody their idealism in her own way. This can make her something of a moralizing idealist, which is not always ideal; it has already led to her picking a fight with the more-powerful House Savadan in court (as she sees them as bullies that need to be challenged). The Princess is a skilled administrator when it comes to infrastructure; she considers roads, canals, mills, and other 'boring' parts of administration to be the foundations of good society. She is less skilled when it comes to navigating laws and courts (as she is prone to forgetting that she too is bound by law), something that has hamstrung her before in the royal court.
The head priest, or Rosgen, of Telgen is Rosgen Oslo DeTolier, a starspawn-dryad nobleman from the Eastern marches. The Rosgen is a stubborn, patient, and zealous man with no shortage of wasteland battle stories. Oslo loves hard facts and self-contained systems; he has a natural talent for magecraft and law alike, but is prone to rigid and categorical thinking. Business and budgeting only irritate him, though, and he has managed to alienate the Burghers already by refusing to pay interest on loans (and then getting away with it using antiquated laws and a legal loophole). The Rosgen has built quite a powerbase for himself anyways, and no longer feels entirely beholden to obey the Junker's commands when they do not benefit him or his people. DeTolier is very protective of his loyalists and his family; he sees himself as a moral man, but will not hesitate to bend that morality to protect those he sees as his dependents. To that end, he seeks to amass as much power and authority as he can - an attitude that has seen him rise through the ranks all the way here. Of note is that the Rosgen has an extremely calloused attitude towards those who are not Hainish Uvarans. Visiting merchants who are of another faith, or who primarily serve a Lunar God rather than Uvara as a whole, can expect no sympathy or mercy from the courts here while Oslo DeTolier is Rosgen.
The City Captain is Lady Forshia Zwenkar, the sister of a nearby Graf (a Hainish count) and a Half-Dryad. Captain Zwenkar is an ascetic and pious woman, who lives life by a rigid schedule of military discipline. She has a strong personality, enjoys conversation, and is well-liked among the nobility. As a commander, Lady Forshia is excellent at inventive and effective usage of magic (as she demonstrated managing frontier security in the Andrigan Kingdom of Vetenka some ten years ago), but is rather bad at overseeing the training of new soldiers due to her perfectionism. As a politician, Captain Zwenkar is great at managing paperwork and logistics, but is terribly insular socially. The Lady restricts her socialization to visiting nobles and soldiers, and is not fond of making allies (as she prefers subordinates). Ambitious and proud, Captain Zwenkar wants to accumulate power either over the Junker or over her own set of estates.
The collection of ambitious and quirky personalities in charge makes politics her very tense at times.

Defences

Sturdy walls surround the city, and smaller walls defend many of the districts. A castle stands in the Northern district. The harbor itself has several towers that can easily threaten any incoming naval invasion.

Industry & Trade

Telgen is a bustling merchant town, where the resources and goods of Northern Hain meet a mixture of Vruhafen merchants and Northern Stildanian merchants. Merchants from Kizen can even be found here, though the current Rosgen of the city has been driving them out. Selkies from the Khilaia have been arriving here in larger numbers recently, since they received a port in Vruhafen, though the priest has been similarly unwelcome to them. There is no centralized point of trade here; the entire city is full of small markets and shops.
Fishing, textile production, paper milling, and carpentry are all big industries here. Rope-making has become a booming trade recently, as a Burgher family (the Tepplers) opened two large rope-making workshops. Bow-making is a particular trade that has been cultivated by the ruling Telgenhof family; the best bowyers of Hain have been encouraged to move here and to teach as many apprentices as they can. The greatest masters of Telgen's bowyer guild receive great patronage to work with Monstercrafters in Vruhafen for the finest possible war-bows and specialty arrows. Ship-wrights are another trade that has received great government support, but for quantity and consistency rather than quality. Ships are churned out here to encourage trade and build Hain's navy. While Hainish ships aren't famous for their quality and Hainish shipwrights aren't famous for their speed, both have been getting better steadily since 1750.

Infrastructure

Telgen has some of the finest urban infrastructure in all of Hain. Small canals run through the streets, diverting riverwater to wash away sewage and trash. Numerous wells and cisterns fed by river-canals provide drinking water. The castle in the Northern part of the city actually works to help divert water into these canals and cisterns; the bulwark of the outer wall extends into the river and helps split the streams. Attached to this diversion mechanism is a Monstercrafted item installed by the Order of the Sacred Rose - a gift to the city of Telgen that makes the riverwater slightly perfumed and better-tasting. Visitors to the city sometimes mistake this aesthetic quality for cleanliness or purity, and make the mistake of drinking the canal water straight. Permanent residents (especially Dryads, with their enhanced smell) greatly appreciate having their open sewer system perfumed, though.
The roads are well-paved and maintained, though some of them can be narrow and difficult to navigate. The city's bridges are also well built to resist floods and accommodate significant traffic.

Districts

West Town

Gildfost, Castle District: The elite district surrounding Gildfost castle, home to the Junker and host to any visiting lords. This is not a strictly noble area; many of the Burghers live here, and many servants and retinue staff do as well.
Kombla, Garrison District: A military district dedicated to housing and supplying any troops heading North to Hainish estates in Andrig, the Hill Kingdoms, or Gennorholn - or resting after a journey back home. The total domain of the Captain of the City, and a major hub for city guardsmen.
Luskreb, Market District: The main body of the city of Telgen, home to craftsmen, laborers, and small-merchants. This is where permanent and established residents of the city live; newcomers, sailors, the lower poor, or seasonal workers are pushed East, across the river. There is no central "main market" here, but rather many craft-oriented markets and clusters of shops that blend together along the main roads that run North-South through the district. Between these main business streets are layers of residential neighborhoods, organized around craft guilds.
Zinheef, Port District: The port district is a long strip devoted to ship docking, maintenance, construction, and cargo storage. Sailor's bars and inns also line the port, catering to those who come in for shore leave. Nothing here is devoted towards permanent residence; it is all work and entertainment.
Ertingasha, Temple District: The middle-class district West of the main port, that houses merchants, shipwrights, wealthy visitors, clerks, and better-off craftsmen. This is also where the largest religious structures are and many of the priests live.

East Town

Twenkemp, Bridges District: A small district clustered around the twin bridges across the river. This is home to both the most intense commercial activity, and the worst poverty; beggars and peddlers are common here, and the small strips of land under the bridges are used for less-acceptable (but not illegal) transactions in make-shift markets
Deryelg, Worker's District: The Eastern workers district, where day laborers, poor craftsmen (particularly journeymen and apprentices), freelancers, seasonal workers, city newcomers, and other commoners not fully integrated into the guild system and city body live. The bulk of this district is built on a curious grid system that is very unusual for Hainish cities - this is because the roads and layout of this district are inherited from the old semi-permanent military encampment that previously was here. This layout also has provides pastures for horses and livestock, and open spaces for central market areas. The edges of the district are messier and more crowded. While the parks and pastures here are nice, they tend to be rather smelly and chaotic spaces full of goats and horses, and the district is less well-served by city infrastructure than the Luskreb district is.
Boshindof, Fisher's District: Another part of town underserved by infrastructure, Boshindof is basically its own autonomous community where the smellier trades have been exiled to. Fishing is the largest and most obvious; fishing boats huddle along the docks, and the fish market here is grand. Tanners and butchers also work here. This is not a poor district necessarily - some people here are reasonably wealthy, though most aren't - but it is a less prestigious one. The autonomy this district has also makes it a popular place for smugglers.

Outside of the City Proper

Eifmahl, the Weird Suburb: Eifmahl is a little community outside the city that is close enough to the walls to basically be part of the greater community. This is a village with a curious mix of people: farmers, ex-soldiers, musicians, dance-hall-goers, exorcists, and cult-monks of the God Vanoke. The head priest of the Shrine of Vanoke, which owns the land, has a legacy of being extremely relaxed about what goes on here (as long as it isn't violence), so the village has become an odd shadow to the main city.
Audrahl, the River Temple village: Audrahl is a temple in the nearby hills built around a freshwater spring that flows into the river; this temple was originally built to keep the water and land pure and to cleanse the region of the corruption of war. Now, it is a satellite village inhabited by visiting nobles, vinters, scribes, priests, and students - a ritsy little place almost entirely owned by the city temple.
Feltenzel, the Lighthouse Area: Small fishing hamlets and farms dot the Southern coast, around the lighthouse at the harbor mouth. A small shrine to some twisted old thing sits along the coast here, tended to a small coven of warlocks. They don't do anyone harm, so no one bothers them; the sea life around here can seem awful strange sometimes, though. A small garrison of local troops also live here, guarding the harbor mouth.
The Preserves: Two very small Ketarun Cat preserves sit nearby: Yondholn to the Northeast, and Girdengot to the West. These two Ketarun preserves do not have that many cats, and both are distracted with either internal politics or bickering between them.

Guilds and Factions

Burghers: The Burghers are the masters of trade, guild work, and local law. The Burghers here are divided, but still powerful. Each Burgher family has lines of patronage that run through guilds and local communities, granting them great power among the common people - in exchange, the commoners underneath them sometimes band together to make demands. Most of the guild leaders are married into the Burgher families, and the two groups are largely one at this point. The Junker of the city has great influence among the Burghers, and the great families all consider her an ally. The most notable and divisive burgher families prone to fighting are listed below:

• The Heffinzol family holds great sway over the Port itself, and has power over the shipbuilding industry here. They own many ships, and concern themselves mostly with goods transport. The Heffinzols have a hot-and-cold relationship with the selkies, who are both rivals and allies at times. The Heffinzols are also intermarried with the Vruhafen Burghers, and have one foot in the South.
• The Teppler family holds great sway over the textile industry here, and have risen among the merchants in recent years as they have centralized the many textile-related guilds and industries. As the most openly aggressive in their expansion, the Tepplers are often blamed for rocking the boat and inciting chaos.
• The Sepperton family is the most unpopular among the commoners, as they are primarily landlords; they are also frequently derided by aristocrats, as they were once a knightly family before they got into business. The Seppertons are highly invested in the bow industry here, and have most of their real connections among the better-to-do artisans and clerks.

Guilds: Guilds are life. The artisan associations that manage the daily lives of craftsmen. The Guilds are ruled by the Burgher's Council, but have their own internal hierarchies and leadership. There are several powerful guilds: Shipwrights, Pulpers, Mercers-and-Workers, Fishmongers, Bowyers, and Grocers to name a few.

• The Mercers-and-Workers include weavers, drapers, and other textile workers. This guild has only recently been formed from these component guilds, and the new structure favors administrators and merchants over actual workers. Textile workers in the city have struggled for a long time, as contract work has long been permitted in Telgen on a level that is typically considered unacceptable in Hain. This recent centralization is just another nail in the coffin, that has made it more difficult for commoners to move from East-town to West-town. What this has been good for is big bulk contracts, like sails for ships or army tents.
• The Bowyers are an odd bunch, known for their "snooty" culture and extreme competitive spirit. They can be extremely exclusive at times, and yet can be remarkably open to the rare crafting savant. The jump from journeyman to master is especially tough here, as the standard for acceptable 'masterpieces' (graduation projects) is extremely high. While they prioritize perfection of craft above all they also greatly value etiquette and political education for their apprentices, as it expected that master bowyers in Telgen socialize with nobles to sell their highest-end products. The other guilds tend to be put-off by this.
• The Shipwrights are a carefully-organized and rather exclusive guild devoted to the construction of ships, but those who get in are set for life. The guild provides very well for their workers, but expects discipline and loyalty.
• The Fishmongers guild of fishermen and fish salesmen is basically the ruling power in the Boshindoff district, and is a very autonomous guild detached from the main artisan culture

Priests: The priests of Telgen come in a variety of flavors, all loyal to the Rosgen.

• The City Clerics, who serve as temple heads and community leaders throughout the city, who are based in the Ertingasha district. The standard clergy have their own smaller leader, the Rector of the Grand Temple, who is the highest-ranked of any of the commonborn priests. While the Rosgens come and go, the Rector remains.
• The River Clerics, who control and reside in the shrine-suburb of Auhdahl Northwest of town, are more plugged into the elite religious culture and more directly tied to the Rosgen. The River Clerics not only rule over the Western estates and minister to the aristocracy, but they also staff the courts in the city.
• The God Cultists, a small handful of god-specific devotees who specialize in big city rituals, festivals, and monastic devotion. Most of these cultists are to Vanoke, the God of Sky and Space, and Ertinar, God of Wind, Rain, and Travel. The Vanoke cultists of Telgen are older by far, as they predate the city itself. Rather than seeing Vanoke as impassionate Old Man Sky, they revere him as the apathetic and capricious sea (and also the sky, as the 'Water Above'). These Vanoke cultists are clustered in the suburb of Eifmahl, right outside the city, and they cater to sailors and fishermen who wish to appease the dangerous ocean. The Ertinar cultists stick to the cathedral, and are much more classically Hainish Uvaran as well as plugged into mainsteam urban culture.

Knightly Orders: Telgen is a hub of activity for the great knightly orders of Hain, who are all represented here in some capacity. All of the main Orders coordinate their mail and transit through Telgen, but two in particular have a major presence here:

• The Order of the Sacred Rose, or the Brotherhood of Rose Knights, is an order dedicated to Hain, the Honor, and to chivalry. They fight for Hain and for glory. They duel, they slay monsters and bandits, and they ride against Hain's enemies. Always, they have impeccable style. This close-knit community of warriors swear to act always with perfect chivalry. The local chapter-lord of the Order of the Rose is currently quite smitten with the Elector-Princess of House Neshelna.
• The Order of the Heavenly Summer, or the Lodge of the Summer Knights, is an order dedicated less to Hain than to the destruction of the Kivishta religion. While their order has lost prestige since the last FScouring (with fewer Kivish threats to gloriously slay), the Summer Knights keep the old traditions alive in preparation for the next Scouring. It is said that these knights have become allies with the Rosgen of the city.

The Crown Couriers: The Mailmen of Hain have a major base in Telgen. While these messengers are mostly detached from general politics and society, their leaders do represent the crown's interest politically.
Politicians and Warriors: The Junker has their retinue, and the City Captain has their city guard and garrison.

History

Foundations (1729 - 1780)

Telgen is actually a very recent city, born in the wake of the Last Kivish Scouring back in 1729. The fishing village of Valtenplod used to sit here where the river meets the sea but the village was mostly destroyed in the Scouring. A different city, Alterheif, used to exist across the bay, but that was also demolished by the Scouring. When the ruined land was liberated in 1729 by Hainish forces, the noble house of Neshelna sent scouts along the coast to look for a good location for a forward naval base - and Telgen was selected as the most defensible and storm-resistant spot. Previous generations of Hainish settlers had largely ignored the Telgen area as potentially difficult to navigate - the harbor was shallower in prior centuries, and it was easier to damage or even sink larger ships. But now, changes in the currents had opened up the harbor as prime real estate. A lesser knight who had distinguished himself during the Great Charge at Salhov, a dryad named Yeigman Grodbrollinzol, was given command. Yeigmen built the lighthouse, the castle, and the port, and began clearing local forests to build Hain a new navy that could take it North to victory. For his great successes, he was granted rulership over the local lands as a Graf and Junker - and House Telgenhof was born.
Telgen itself was more of a port and military base during the 1730s and 40s than an actual town or city. The port itself attracted tradesmen and workers, but many were tied to wargroups. The port and the castle had forest and homesteads between them, while army garrisons temporarily housed here were stationed across the river in the nearby meadows and fields. A fishing hamlet independently was resettled in the ruins of Valtenplod, tied to a nearby shrine to Vanoke the Sky-Father (which itself served as a nucleus for trade between farmers and soldiers). Basically, Telgen was actually five different small settlements with ruins and wilderness between them. Each was fortified and condensed in case of Kivish attack, and none of them really sprawled until the war completely ended in 1750.
In 1750, to celebrate Hainish victory, the Autumn court built a commemorative grand temple to the Gods Ertinar and Ustav near the port - a true cathedral of modern technique. Clerical investment helped bolster the city after the military laborers and encamped men suddenly drained away. House Neshelna, realizing the potential that Telgen had, also helped fund the town; the Knightly Orders of the Summer and the Rose followed suit. Twenty years of sustained investment grew the town, and in 1780 it was finally mostly a coherent and unified urban space. And, more importantly, it had locked itself in as the Northern Hainish port that connected Vruhafen to the rest of Northern Stildane.

Telgen the City

While Telgen was recognized as for its potential in the 1700s, it really didn't have much of a permanent population until the 1800s and 1900s. Seasonal workers would come in from the nearby countryside to sell goods and do work in town, and merchants and sailors flooded in from Vruhafen and the North, but most people saw it as a stopping point before reaching somewhere else. The land East of the river was entirely unincorporated into the city prior to 1880, though seasonal workers did inhabit and upkeep the old barracks and military buildings left behind from the 1740s (leaving an abandoned shantytown next to the city during the planting and harvesting seasons). Technically, the land across the river was owned by a knightly family that struggled to enforce its claim, and the family even hired cheap mercenaries to try and tear the seasonal settlement down in the 1840s. This led to the Junker forcing the family to sell the land to the city in 1843, whereupon it was sold to small landlords that seasonally rented the shacks as part of the city. In episodes like this, the city grew and grew from 1800 to 1880.
In 1889 Telgen was given new walls for its larger size, and a great deal of infrastructure work was done over the next twenty years to prime the city for future growth. Both the Rose Knights and Summer knights moved major bases of operation to the city at this time, and the Spring Knights even considered opening something there before moving their focus Northward instead. Since 1900, the city has been fairly stable, and growth has been slow but steady.

Points of interest

Castle Gildfost: The city keep and political hub of the Gildfost district. This is where the Junker holds court and runs her government. It is also where honored guests are hosted, and where balls and galas take place.
The Cathedral of Ertinar the Blessed Son: This grand temple to the God Ustav and his son Ertinar is the center of clerical activity and religious ritual in the city. Attached to it are cloisters for the cultists of Ertinar, as well as the Grand Courthouse for trials and sentencing. In the Ertingasha district.
The Exorcist's Guild Headquarters of Northern Stildane: The regional HQ for the Exorcist's Guild. In Eifmahl.
The Postmaster's Hall: The big mail center of Northern and coastal Hain, run by crown messengers. In the Twenkemp district.
The Shrine to Vanoke the Greyfather: A shrine to Vanoke, the Uvaran God of sky, neutrality, space, creation, and simple existence - also, here, the sea in its most neutral. In Eifmahl.
The Hall of Chivalry: A beautiful hall and lodge for knights of the great Hainish orders - Spring, Summer, Winter, Autumn, Rose, and Horns. Two Orders have major chapterhouses here that run the place: Summer and Rose who both also have large estates in the farmland to the Northwest. Any knight of a sacred order can stay here to feast and prepare for jolly cooperation. In the Gildfost district.
The Telgen College of Clerics: A seminary school for priests of Uvara. While most Uvaran Priests learn as apprentices to a practicing priest, those seeking the priesthood on their own terms can come here. Gentry or the children of merchants who want to become lawyers or doctors can also attend, if they are willing to pay. To be clear - while magic is taught here, it is not the primary focus of Telgen College. Rather than trying to outcompete the Autumn Court or Trostev, Telgen College focuses on having superior law, medicine, rhetoric, history, and astronomy programs. Telgen College also has a great library and scriptorium (where texts are copied and art is made), but these are only free and accessible for students or priests. In the Audrahl district.
Hunter's Hall: A hall of seafaring monster-hunters, who are hosted by the Junker's graces. These hunters are not warriors of the wastes, but rather sailing mercenaries who specialize in either killing pirates or killing beasts that swim up from the Deverkel Wastes. Hunters of either sort (and their boats) are hosted here for free, as long as they have a confirmed seafaring victory in the last few years. If one is looking to get work hunting evil at sea, or if one is an accomplished adventurer with a maritime history, the Hunter's Hall is the place to be. In the Ertingasha district.
The Okintreb: A shrine and lodge dedicated to the Goddess of Order, Jade Atharzen. They host duels, sell arms and armor, and general cater to men at arms and minor knights in their public front, but they act as a meeting place for cultists of Jade behind that. A paladin of Jade can easily find allies or a place to stay here, if they are in good graces with their Goddess. In the Kombla district, near the bridge to the Gildfost district.

Tourism

Telgen attracts all sorts of merchants, sailors, travelers, students, and knights. It isn't known for being that lively as a city of entertainment, but it isn't without hospitality.
The main places to stay are:
The Brined Boar: The most standard sailor's dive bar and place to sleep in the port district. Overcharges and does the bare minimum, but is a place to meet some wild people and a lot of very drunken sailors. Really only a choice for those adventurers who wish to crash at the first place they see off the ship.
The Fiddling Crone Inn and Dancehouse: The biggest and bawdiest inn in Telgen and a favorite for eccentrics, artists, and hedonists. Soldiers, sailors, fishermen, priests, poets, and merchants all frequent here for a good time away from the city core. The decor is a striking white and blue, and it is tradition of the patrons to try and get any visiting monk of Vanoke thoroughly drunk if they visit. Cheap, unless you want privacy and security for your stuff (in which case, pricey). In Eifmahl.
The Stallion's Rest: A large and respectable inn near the bridges at the center of town, the Stallion's Rest is neutral ground for every faction in the city. Visitors of all stripes come here to stay. A profoundly mellow mood is carefully curated by the innkeep here. Special discounts are offered to Crown Couriers (Hainish mailmen), who often relax at the bar here between jobs. Entirely average prices. In Twenkemp.
The Vinter's Garden: A pricier option, but one that provides a safe and luxurious place to eat, sleep, and do business. Basically a nice hotel near the cathedral and the Hunter's Hall that caters to merchants. In the Ertingasha.
The Lazy Ass Rest: A poor and cheap version of the Stallion's Rest (with its own mocking rendition of the other tavern's signage). An inn for fresh bodies who just got into town, seasonal workers, and laborers after a long day of toil. The Lazy Ass is efficient at the important things: food, beds, alcohol. The regulars here are nice, as long as you aren't a dick, but the bar's size and reputation also attracts its share of clowns with something to prove. Speaking of clowns, the inn hosts a weekly comedy club for the local apprentices and workers. Those seeking gossip may also come here for the attached Spinnstube - a patio and room for locals to spin wool in while chatting. In the Deryelg district.
The city has a few religious celebrations of note.

• Telgen's Vanoketen celebration in late winter, which celebrates the God Vanoke, is especially tasty and good-spirited. It is well known that Telgen's Vanoketen holiday pancakes with maple syrup are the best in Stildane.
• Telgen's Ertinfelm celebration in spring, celebrating the God Ertinar is quite robust. The day's seafood feast is delicious, the Fishmonger's Guild parades in the streets with the priests, and the people ritually purify the river and the ocean. The tradition of 'Puppet Sacrifice', in which people whisper prayers to dolls that they throw in the river and ocean, is played up by the locals and is sometimes considered unnerving by non-Uvaran visitors.
• Allmoot Day, the Hainish Day of Unity, is celebrated with greater enthusiasm than usual under the current Junker. This takes place right at the start of summer.
• Olmieron, the Day of Victory over the Kivish, is celebrated with gusto in Telgen (as it is all across Graefsher ). It is a day of military pageantry. This takes place in the middle of summer.

Architecture

Half-timbered and brick buildings with tall, steeped rooves and large basements are common. Buildings tend to be stocky but often reach up to three or four stories, with either white plastered brick and black-brown wood framing or orange-tinted brick and black framing. Colorful paints are a local favorite here. Large, open frontal facades are common, as are small towers or spires.

Geography

The area is temperate forest and farmland. A small river, the Shodetch River, runs from the nearby hills and mountains to the sea.

Founding Date

1729

Alternative Name(s)

Salhov

Type

City

Population

10,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Telgenan

Location under

Graefsher

Owning Organization

The Kingdom of Hain