Kalaviir

The city-state of Kalaviir exists as a trading hub for surface and subterranean races alike. Shielded from storms by the mountains, the only frequent form of inclement weather is floods from the river diverted into the ravine. Cliffside caves and alcoves provide shelter for the light-sensitive at noon, when the sun reaches even to the depths of the valley, and lanterns and luminescent stone mark the pathways during the long twilight. The city never truly sleeps, merchants as well as constables maintaining night and day shifts to accommodate their array of customers.

Law:

Kalaviir is governed by a council of twelve elected officials, six men and six women, all of whom are required to have been born in Kalaviir, currently reside in Kalaviir, and to have spent at least two years traveling in other lands. Competition for these positions is relatively minimal; political leadership is regarded as a duty rather than a privilege by most Kalaviiri.
Laws are kept as minimal and uninvasive as possible, and only made as necessary to maintain prosperity and marginal order, mostly in the form of taxation and measures against corruption.
Whatever one might seek to buy, it can be found somewhere in or near Kalaviir. Only the slave trade is prohibited, and even then, a black market is easy to find for those willing to notice it. Slaves may legally be brought through the city (although not kept there long: any sentient being residing in the valley for one month may declare themselves a free resident), and many hobgoblin traders will set up shop in Kalaviir to deal in legitimate wares, parade their slaves before potential customers, and then camp just outside the borders to finalize illicit deals. A few Kalaviiri citizens take it upon themselves to dispense justice to slavers outside of the law, but nonetheless the liberty-minded city has become known as the best place to trade in lives.

Relations:

Despite severe cultural differences, Kalaviir maintains a lasting alliance with the Tate Empire. Fetchling merchants and emissaries are a common sight in the city, as are gemstones and metalcraft from the mountains.
Unlike most civilized nations, Kalaviiri have no particular disdain for the tribes of Shanh Duleiel, and value their handcrafted goods and honest work ethic.
Kalaviir has for some time considered itself in a cold war against Khorhas, and while Khorhan traders are granted entry to the city like any others, a canny observer might notice their merchant stalls suffering a heavier amount of vandalism and theft, constables being clumsy or slow when intervening, or that prices become less negotiable when paid with gold of Khorhan mint.

Culture:

Kalaviiri are fiercely individualistic, and pride themselves on wild self-expression, self-sufficiency, and practical smarts. "If you want something done, do it" is common advice to children, and outsiders are scoffed at if they expect legal intervention for what Kalaviiri would deem a personal dispute. Freeloading is seen as one of the greatest shames, although what constitutes a day's honest work is very loosely defined. To a Kalaviiri, anything that brings in money without harming anyone is a respectable job.
Music is loud and raucous, colors are bright and varied, and nearly every form of art in the city is as vivid and lively as possible. Typical clothing for both genders consists of long woven wraps worn as togas, tunics, or dresses, often adorned with jingling bells, coins, shells, or similar materials. Bangle bracelets and anklets and elaborate earrings are common.
Prejudice of any kind is uncommon in Kalaviir, and most superficial judgments are between travelers from one region and travelers from another.
Children are greatly cherished and usually looked after by entire communities, and nearly any Kalaviiri will enthusiastically greet a child, drow or otherwise, and offer them a simple errand in exchange for sweets or pocket change.

Structure:

Little but the streets of Kalaviir are visible outdoors; most of the city is dug into the walls of the chasm it inhabits. Optimal real estate in Kalaviir is a ground-level cave with an outside entryway; smaller (or shadier) businesses and poorer homes are tucked away further underground in tunneled alleyways. The city is built in platformed tiers along the cliffsides, with walkways, staircases, and stone-carved ledges providing just enough room to reach the doorways set into the rock face, and pulleys every few yards allow moving cumbersome objects between levels. The less prosperous fifth and sixth stories of the wall have treacherously narrow walkways, with fewer of the bioluminescent street lights providing the city's characteristic purple glow, and falls are a too-common occurrence.

Type

Geopolitical, City-state

Alternative Names

The City of No Queen, The Violet City

Demonym

Kalaviiri

Government System

Democracy, Representative

Power Structure

Unitary state

Economic System

Market economy

Currency

Gleam (1gp) Mark (1sp) Shim (1cp)