Ansvine (Ahns-vine)
"Oh, of course, why didn't I think of that? I'll just stroll into Anzhela's house and tell her to teach me magic. I'll just settle down in a city that'd rather parlay with smugglers and vampires than teach men a single spell. Great idea. Really stellar."Ansvine is an Usminan river city along the treacherous Nuewe River, which runs from the Riverlands all the way to Iccot city. The section of the Nuewe it lies on is winding and treacherous, with a gentle surface that hides dangerous rapids and deep trenches below. Renamed after inhabitant Matron Anzhela, it has become a gathering place of mages hoping to learn from the skilled mage. Knowledge of the arcane is strong in the city, trade traveling south from the Riverlands strongly prefers the Nuewe when carrying arcane reagents and items, simply so they can peddle their wares in Ansvine. Despite its reputation as a place of learning, the city has never managed to shake its origins as a smugglers hideout.
Demographics
Ansvine is mostly Usminan humans, especially among the lower classes that work the farmlands and stoneworks outside of city proper. The city has a wide wealth gap with an extremely high cost of living in the city, due to the large population of mages and skilled craftsworkers.
Government
Ansvine is run by a mayor who handles a wide variety of tasks ranging between census work, managing the city guard, and collecting taxes from Ansvine's citizens. Under the mayor, the Night Guard handles the town's defenses, security, and the justice system of the city.
However, the mage Matron Anzhela is widely seen as the true power of the town. She takes few students, but many have flocked to the city to learn regardless. Around her, the town has flourished as a place to study magic, far from its roots as a town cursed by misfortune.
Assets
Ansvine boasts few notable resources. A small forest to the west provides lumber, and the hills enough stone for a basic stoneworks. As far as exports are concerned, Ansvine is simply another stop on the long river journey from the Riverlands. It is most known for being an excellent place to purchase magical reagents and second-hand magical items simply due to the concentration of mages.
The city is spread across three banks of the winding river, connected by stone bridges. On the west end is Ansvine proper, and its hardy stone buildings and grand gardens.
Between two rivers is Old Town and The Graves, the remnants of the settlements that predated the city. Many towns have strong folklore about cursed places and bad luck, but they are easy to believe in The Graves. Savaged by roaming monsters, and nearly wiped out by plague, it is a place few want to spend time. It's said that the former inhabitants drew the ire of a vampire queen that lives in Salkire Castle, to the northeast beyond the marshes.
The only notable locations near Old Town are the stoneworks and the bridges over the rivers.
On the east end are a few new farms, and vast undeveloped land.
History
Ansvine was not the first settlement on this section of the Nuewe river. More than eighty years before it was founded, it was a smuggler's hideout. The complex cave systems to the north made an excellent place to hide from authorities, and trade illicit goods. It began to expand as refugees sought the protection of the caves as well.
The refugee town expanded slowly, but it was not long until the smugglers wrested away control and claimed the town as their own. It became a center of trade, black market dealings, and crime along the border of Usmina. Over the years, the makeshift town was struck by tragedy after tragedy, until few were left.
The city was revitalized when Matron Anzhela settled and rallied the remaining townsfolk. She trained numerous students, and tales of their skills spread downriver. Soon, Ansvine became a destination to seek out rather than avoid. The city quickly grew around her home.
Founding Date
3837
Type
City
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
