Forestview
Nestled into a clearing in the woods, the main bulk of Claydor soldiers reside in the area around here, in military camps and outposts, and the city acts as an important trade route for the kingdom.
Demographics
Human (76%), Dwarf (9%), Elf (5%), Halfling, Gnome (2%), Half-Elf (2%), Half-Orc (1%), Dragonborn (1%), Tiefling (1%)
Government
A large number of delegates reside here, and with assistance from the king's advisors, keep the city running. Along with the delegates, military officers help keep the peace, and assist around the city in construction, cleaning, and community outreach, largely as a part of basic training for new members.
Defences
The city, which has both vast and nearly no natural defenses, relies on a sturdy wall with ballistae, nearly all aimed towards the north. Vanderbilt's Pass, to the north, is the only way through the Clayden Mountains, and into Claydor Territory. This is the vast natural defenses of the city, and is also the lack of it, in a sense. The city can only be attacked and approached from due north, from which visibility can extend several miles on clear days. However, were anyone to get past the pass, the city is without sufficient defenses to hold off any sizable attacking force for an extended period of time.
Industry & Trade
Much of the cities trade relies on staple crops, grown in nearby fields, which are sold in bulk to traders, who often bring in metals, tools, or other goods that are harder to obtain.
Infrastructure
In nearby rivers, waterwheels spin and drive large sawblades to cut logs for construction, and many construction yards are nearby for using the wood to build many things, from doors to carts, even houses for the ever-expanding city.
Districts
Trade Town
The very heart of the city, trading here never stops, even when it is dark and the moon hangs high overhead. Carts are always clattering through the streets, and there are city workers specifically to keep the streets clean of waste from the horses that move these carts. Almost anything can be bought or sold here.Foun's Green
Named after Albert Foun, adoptive father to George Claydor II, the first king of the Claydor Kingdom, he was buried here in a small cemetery in the heart of town, wherein the greatest warriors of the kingdom are also buried.Castle
A proper castle, made to be grand and luxurious, if the king is not at Oakhall Citadel, he is most certainly here. Made of intricately carved stones, framed glass windows, large doors with designs chiseled and grooved into them, and with slate tiles on the roof, it is truly fit for a king.Bread Orchard
To feed a population as large as there is in and around the city, there needs to be a large amount of food produced. To this end, a large amount of bakers reside in this district, with large buildings filled with ovens. During the mornings, the owners of the ovens pump out loaves of bread and other baked goods, and in the afternoons, they allow regular citizens to use their ovens communally. There are a few restaurants here, too, held in high esteem in the kingdom for being excellent establishments, both the inexpensive place for workers to eat, and the lavish and decorated for the nobles and rich.Goven's Park
Named after Goven Coal-Skin, a dwarven architect, who was responsible for much of the construction of the castle. A small park nearby was named after him posthumously, and is the place of gathering for many of the city's dwarven population on dates of important dwarven holidays and celebrations.Catsteps
A relatively normal residential district, there is a large number of stray cats that reside here, partly due to many of the residents that feed them and take care of them, and due to some of the more narrow and dense streets providing shelter for them, where they feel more comfortable than the wider and more open streets of other districts.Ashroad
The Ashroad district, unsurprisingly, is located on the western-leading Ash Road, cutting through the forest towards Oakhall Citadel, the first few miles of the journey, both sides of the path are heavily populated by Ash trees, hence the name. This district has many farmers and woodworkers, working the fields west of town, and making simple and smaller wooden creations.Raven Street
When this district, mostly the main road through from the north-east, was being built, it is claimed that lumberjacks logging the northeast woods would befriend some ravens while working, and they would follow them back into town, eventually settling there. Now, a few sizable flocks of the birds reside here in this district, dancing in the sky on sunny days, and perching under overhangs on rainy days. The houses themselves here are quite nice, not exactly made for nobility, but those that are quite well off can afford to live here in some of the finer houses the city has to offer.Farcrest
Once meant to be the end of the city's northward expansion, it was to be the Far Crest of the city. This is not the case any more, but the name has stuck. This district houses the nobility and wealthy, with finely paved roads and decorated streets, the yellow glow of lanterns at night cast warm rays upon the fancy wrought-iron fences and intricately carved doorways of the expensive houses here.Windgate
Southern winds bringing cool breezes funnel through the city, and tend to follow the natural slope down and towards this area of the city, creating a gate where there is almost always a gentle breeze. This is another district for the influential and wealthy, not quite as fancy as Farcrest, but still only affordable for the well-offEast Road
A simple part of town, built around the eastward path leading to Skywatch , much of the population here are farmers, working the fields to the east, with a few metalworkers that handle ores that are shipped in from Skywatch mines.Sunrise Road
Once a year, the rising sun glimmers perfectly through a small slot above the portcullis, and through the wall, aiming directly at the tip of Foun's monument in Foun's Green. The day this happens can move from year to year, but when it does, it marks the day that a ceremony honoring the dead shall begin. Most of the businesses here are inns and taverns, offering services to traders heading to or coming from east.The Fair
A steadily expanding section of the city, it sits on the Fairway, a path that cuts sloped and slanted through the forests and to the south, meeting up with Lakebreeze to the south. Many simple farmers and laborers live here.The Heath
A poorer district of farmers, many of them work the land furthest east from the city, being forced to cross the distance on foot, and struggle to move their crops back to the city. Many of them do not own the land they farm on, and instead keep a mere fraction of what they grow, and owe the rest to the owner of the land.North Town
Supplanting Farcrest as the northmost part of the city, North Town has grown as the need to accommodate traders has grown, with stables and inns, and trade markets being plentiful here. The common daily hustle-bustle of North Town often involves traders exchanging trade goods for goods from local businesses, and vice versa.Golden Grove
The fields here grow closer to the city than any other, growing Gildergrass, tall and verdant green in the spring, it turns bright gold in the mid-summer, and is harvested for many uses. Two of the most notable is that it can be used in healing potions, although great amounts are required, it will suffice as an ingredient. Furthermore, when dried, it breaks into small stringy strands, that are particularly soft, and valued by the wealthy for various furniture, particularly bedding such as pillows or cushions.Assets
The Castle holds great stores of weapons and armor, being always vigilant for an attack from the north. Storehouses hold stockpiles of food and tools for feeding the city and repairs in case of a siege.
Guilds and Factions
The Iron Grove
A druidic order, they have found a way to turn the restriction all druids face, the inability to wear metal armor., on it's head. A controversial order, with the blessing of families of slain warriors, they take their bodies deep into the nearby forests, finding pockets of dense natural magical energies. They lay the corpse there, still wearing the armor they were slain in, and plant a tree so that it will grow in and around the body, this process being accelerated by magic, within a few months, the tree has grown dense and twisting, filling the armor and surrounding the skeleton. After the tree has sufficiently grown, the druids cast the Awakening spell on them, bringing them to sentience, and possessing a form which fully fills a suit of armor. The druids teach these awoken plants the Elvish language, and leave them to wander the woods, protecting it from foul creatures that would sicken it. It is not exceedingly rare to see these trees shambling not far from the treeline on major roads through Claydor territory.History
Started as a small outpost in the middle of a major trade crossroads, the Claydor Kingdom fortified it to ensure trade stayed flowing through their territories, which rely heavily on it. During the great wars of the beginning of the Age of Blood, the city was fortified, and stocked with weapons, and the surrounding area filled with military camps and outposts.
Points of interest
Tavern: The Slaughtered Lizard
Along the park in Raven Street, this tavern is a simple timber framed building, with a brown slate roof, and a large wine cellar beneath. The interior is well lit, with simple, yet well-kept furniture and tables. Gerard Mitchell, a middle aged human, runs this establishment, having bought it from the prior owner for a steal, it was a failing business once, but now sees steady business from traders who have vacated the congested main roads, whether to get away from the commotion, or to plan the next leg of their journey, it is as busy at sunrise as it is at sundown here. It is owned by Gerard Mitchell, a younger man, with a neatly combed mustache, and always dressed to impress.Blacksmith: The Hot Head
Godfrey Radcliffe was a mischievous young boy once, giving all his neighbors problems as a kid. However, as he grew up, he found a calling as a blacksmith, quickly finding he had a knack for it, and becoming an apprentice, eventually founding his own shop in the Windgate district. His large stone workshop is held up by thick lumber beams, some seemingly made out of the entire trunk of a tree. He is not the only person that works here, in fact, he has over 2 dozen workers hired, churning out goods for the military. Godfrey himself does very little with the military weapons, and instead often is busy making custom, quality weapons for nobility, often as a gift for their son, soon to be a knight.Jeweler: Guy's Sun
Guy Sutherland, a name you would expect belonging to an older man, yet, it couldn't be further from the truth. Guy is a teenager, young and hardly with hair on his face or chest, yet his skills with making jewelry are so great that he has been able to, even at his young age, open up a shop. Settled into Farcrest, he almost exclusively caters to nobility and the wealthy, with some of his less expensive works being more than a laborer might make in 30 years.General Store: The Survivor's Stash
Located in North Town, this simple one story building seems simple and homey on the outside, simple construction and a faded-blue tile roof, yet the interior shatters any preconceptions. Stacked to the ceiling are crates of goods near toppling over. Peter Sutton, an older gentleman, runs this store. He is portly, always sweating from his forehead, and with large bushy eyebrows that almost hide his eyes, which are hardly open as is. He is a shrewd trader, always hustling and bustling about, counting inventory, doing math, and making deals with traders offloading goods. If he is certain he can sell something for even a smidgen more than he can buy it for, he will buy as much as he can, and sit on it indefinitely. While not always to his benefit, his arbitrage often works out for him, bringing him loads of money when goods bought cheap are in sudden demand, and he has bought all he can from passing traders.Architecture
Sturdy and simple wooden structures made from the woods of the nearby forests make up most buildings, along with some stone architecture, mostly in older buildings, once hauled from the pass.
Geography
Sitting in a plain that gently slopes down towards the northeast of the city, and very close to the end of a mountain pass, fair breezes pass over the lands around, making it a good place for farming.
Natural Resources
The nearby forests over simple woods, good for construction, and the surrounding plains are quite fertile, and good at growing crops.
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