Twinleaf Mott

Twinleaf Mott is the forest city home of the high elves of Central Midasfjall and is situated deep within the Twinleaf Forest on the western side of The Brightgreen Isle. Twinleaf Mott is the largest elven settlement and curiously features buildings made out of stone and metal rather than the usual 'tree-grown' buildings of the other elven settlements on The Brightgreen Isle.

Demographics

Twinleaf Mott is the home of the high elves of Central Midasfjall and is considered a pseudo-capital of the elves who live on The Brightgreen Isle. While high elves make up the majority of the population of Twinleaf Mott, there are middling populations of both wood and half elves who inhabit the city. The elves are a reclusive people who prefer to keep to themselves, however they are open to visitors and are happy for foreigners to live among them if they wish to, so long as they follow the elven laws. There is a small human population within the city with a scattering of some of the more exotic races too.

Government

Twinleaf Mott is governed by a gerontocracy; a council of the eldest members of high elven society who are selected based on their sage merits. The council consists of five members who each specialise in an aspect of city governance and whenever an issue arises to do with a particular aspect, the councilor who has the most wisdom on the subject is expected to come up with a solution to present to the other councilors who then vote for the final decision. The roles of the councilors are:

• Councilor of Commerce - The role given to the councilor with an affinity for numbers and trade, they handle the economics of Twinleaf Mott.
• Councilor of Progression - The role given to the councilor with an affinity for research into the magical and mundane. Their role is to innovate, bringing new ideas to life for the benefit of the people of Twinleaf Mott.
• Councilor of Preservation - The role given to the councilor with an affinity for military duties. They oversee the training regime for soldiers and citizens of Twinleaf Mott and also double as the leader of The Keepers; the faction of elves who uphold the Law of the Forest on The Brightgreen Isle.
• Councilor of Infrastructure - The role given to the councilor with an affinity for city planning, their role is to maintain the buildings and paths through Twinleaf Mott.
• Councilor of Lore - The role given to the councilor with an affinity for the scholarly arts, their role is to guide their fellow councilors through their decision making processes, using the mistakes of history to choose the right path for the future. They also manage the library in the main spire.

When a council seat is vacated, the councilors perform an interview process to find a replacement member. To apply for this process you must be a full-blooded high elf of Twinleaf Mott of at least a certain age to be considered, applicants then present their cases to the remaining councilors who go on to vote on which applicant they believed would be the best fit based on the applicants' qualifications.

Defences

Military

Twinleaf Mott has no standing army, however it is for from undefended. Every citizen of Twinleaf Mott must undergo weapons training which is extensive enough for most elves to be considered competent swordsmen and women upon completion. As a result of this, Twinleaf Mott has a population trained to form a militia when necessary. There are also highly trained guards posted at important points within Twinleaf Mott. Another source of defense is the faction of forest guardians known as The Keepers who have a headquarters within the city which is always manned by members of the faction.

Natural Defences

The natural defenses of Twinleaf Mott consist almost entirely of the thick woodlands surrounding the city. The elves have been able to construct a ring of connected treetop watch platforms from which enemies can be spotted and shot at from high above. Elves who man these stations are incredible dexterous and are trained to dash across the thin walkways linking the platforms to escape enemy archer or magical fire to raise the alarm. The spire in the middle of the city is built on a raised plateau which is only accessible through switchback paths on the northeastern side, the other sides of the plateau are steep and hard to scale which would make it hard for attackers to take the high ground of the city.

Industry & Trade

Typical Citizen Professions

• Scholar/Tutor - Elves who pursue any scholarly interests, the majority of these elves study or teach within the main spire library
• Gatherer - Elves who scour the forest for fruits, nuts and berries to feed the population
• Guards - Elves who continue their martial training are given positions guarding important parts of the city. They also make up the members of The Keepers if they show a passion for the preservation of the forest.

Imports

• Manufactured goods - tools, weapons, metal armour, etc.
• Exotic crops - cocoa beans, coffee

Exports

• Volcanic Minerals harvested from the southern region of The Brightgreen Isle, these include gold and copper ores as well as diamonds.
• Alchemical and medicinal ingredients found only in Twinleaf Forest.
• Scholars/Tutors - the elves' longevity allows them to become masters in whatever profession they choose, most elves of Twinleaf Mott choose to master swordsmanship or pursue a scholarly interest, most often at the same time, which creates a demand from the other races for tuition.

Assets

The Main Spire Library - A vast collection of elven scholarly articles, from poems to histories, astrology to philosophy, all sorts of knowledge can be found within.

Guilds and Factions

The Keepers - The Keepers are an order of elven forest guardians who uphold the Law of the Forest on The Brightgreen Isle, capturing offenders and bringing them before the Keepers Council in Twinleaf Mott for judgement.
The Wistful Wardens - The Wistful Wardens are a clandestine faction dedicated to making sure magical artifacts of power related to the ancient empire who caused the cataclysm that created The Badlands are kept out of the hands of those who would abuse their power. They have a headquarters in Twinleaf Mott as it grants them access to the library within the main spire.

History

The history of Twinleaf Mott is one that is shrouded in mystery. It is known that high elves of Central Midasfjall migrated to The Brightgreen Isle towards the start of the era, but the exact date was not recorded and was lost to history suggesting that the migration may have been one of necessity rather than choice. It is believed that the first group of elves to visit The Brightgreen Isle found Twinleaf Mott overgrown but standing as it is in present time. Having found the city abandoned, they freed the buildings from the grasp of the forest and set about populating the ancient city. Despite thorough exploration of Twinleaf Mott, there is little to be said of who the previous occupants were and why the city was built in the first place but, despite the increase of elves and other races living within the city, it has still not approached its population limit, leading historical experts to believe it must have had some significant purpose to the previous owners.

Points of interest

The Main Spire - The Main Spire is located in the center of Twinleaf Mott and is the seat of the Council of Elders, the government of the high elves of Twinleaf Mott.
Main Spire Library - The library located in the Main Spire contains the knowledge accumulated by the high elves since the settlement of Twinleaf Mott, it includes all sorts of works from poetry to philosophy and serves as a record of the history of the region. The library is managed by the Councilor of History who decides what knowledge is curated.

Architecture

The architecture of Twinleaf Mott is baffling to outsiders who visit with an expectation for the forest city to mimic Cape Verdinia with its tree-grown houses which seem to blend into the woodland, instead visitors find a city of white marble-like stone buildings with rounded walls and slanted roofs made out of red slate. The walls of the buildings feature twisting patterns chiseled into the stone to resemble curling vines and leafy shoots. At the center of the city is a large spire made out of the same white stone as the rest of the buildings, it is topped by a huge glass dome from which you can see a full view of the forest-city below. The residents live in single storey homes, the inside of which features a set of stairs which leads to a raised walkway, made of the same white marbled stone as the walls, that wraps around the edges of the walls just below the slant in the roof and ends at a small rounded section where residents can rest in their meditative state. The ground floor of the building is a large open plan room which residents do with as they please. Wealthier residents in the cities live in two storey villas which feature a square shaped courtyard, around which is built a structure of corridors which lead to rooms on the ground floor and second storey. The inhabitants of these villas separate the ground floor rooms to suit different purposes; one may be a room for training, one a room for diplomatic meetings, one a room for servants to prepare food etc., whereas the upper floors of the villas are almost always used for private meditative spaces for the residents and guests, and most of these rooms have their own balconies which look out offering a view of the landscape. The roofs of the villas offer shaded lounging areas for residents to sit out in the sun.

Geography

The land that Twinleaf Mott is build on features a small plateau at the center of the city on which is built the large towering spire, the plateau drops down sharply to a small lake fed by trickling streams. The north eastern side of the city is built on the raised plateau and features the wealthier districts of Twinleaf Mott. They can only be reached by climbing switchback paths which oscillate down the plateau on it's southern side, ending at the side of the lake beneath the southwestern edge of the plateau. The rest of the city is build on mostly flat land which slopes gently towards the center of the city, with a couple of lazily flowing streams connecting to the center lake.

Natural Resources

Twinleaf Mott is located deep within Twinleaf Forest and as such resources such as wood, animals, nuts, berries and fruit are plentiful. Mineral deposits are left untouched by the inhabitants of the forest city as they refuse to sacrifice large swaths of woodland to get to the mineral deposits beneath the ground. The elves prefer to scavenge for food, choosing to pick nuts and berries to eat and only cutting down trees for wood with permission from the Council of Elders. Elves do eat meat and can choose to hunt as long as they follow the Law of the Forest but most prefer a pescatarian or fully vegetarian diet. The mineral deposit abundance around Twinleaf Mott is unknown, there are no mines in the forest so the elves instead mine their metals from the volcanic region at the southern end of the island where the woodland isn't as densely populated. Mining operations in that region are strictly controlled and no races apart from the high elves are allowed rights to mine there.

Type

City

Population

8,500

Location under

The Brightgreen Isle