Lifworðig (ˈlɪv.wɔr.ðɪɡ)

"Lifworðig is the largest, richest, toughest, filthiest, and strangest city in the Great Ring." - Aldric the Bold, King of Creoda

"They say there are four great cities in the islands; Wamato, Lifworðig, Tarshish, and Kendari. I've been to them all, and Lifworðig is by far the smelliest of the lot." - Zaman al-Razaz

Lifworðig is the capital of the Kingdom of Creoda, and the largest city on the island of Ynys. It was originally founded by the Clarati sorcerer Illustrata, whose magical experiments have marked the city for all time. It was the home of the Godcrafter's Guild, and is known as the "City of a Thousand Gods" due to the longterm impact of their activities. Small gods and minor spirits are born and then forgotten almost every day in the city, and there are hundreds of small shrines and temples dedicated to those who manage to get a foothold in the public consciousness. Visitors to Lifworðig are often overwhelmed by the vast clamor and bustle of the city, and will leave with either a great love or a great hatred for the city in their hearts.

Demographics

Lifworðig is a diverse city, with people from all over the Great Ring. The majority of the population are human, but there is a community of Selkies near the river, and a Naga Bamsam near the Aurelian Market. Also, the port is full of ships from every region, filling the city with every kind of being the Great Ring is home to.

The human majority is ethnically diverse as well. Creoda was formed from a merger of multiple kingdoms, and most of the ethnicities of Ynys can be found here. The largest group are those who have ancestors from multiple ethnicities and consider themselves Creodan first, a trend exemplified by King Aldric and popular with the younger generation.

Government

As the capital of Creoda and home of King Aldric, the city of Lifworðig is a domain of the crown, and has no ruler of lower rank than the King. For the purposes of daily administration, Aldric has appointed his cousin Ailwin Leofson as Lord Mayor.

The Mayor has near unlimited power to run the city as she sees fit, and only the King can override her decisions. During her tenure, Ailwin has chosen to use a light hand in governing the city, with policies focused on supporting trade and economic prosperity. She has chosen to place her offices on the Aurelian Bridge, opposite the temple to the bridge itself, and is well known as a worshipper and acolyte of the god. She employs several people to assist her in administering the city; these assistants hold the title of Reeve, and each has a particular area of responsibility, such as collecting taxes or directing the city guard. Each reeve will likewise employ various people to assist in carrying out these tasks, and some maintain an extensive staff with their own internal ranks and hierarchy.

Districts

Lifworðig has several districts large and small. At the heart of the city is the Aurelian Market, which surrounds the Aurelian Bridge on both sides of the River Severin. The Bridge itself is lined with shops and open-air stalls, with a temple to the Bridge as the god of Commerce at the center. The god takes pride in the fact that anything can be purchased in the Aurelian Market, as long as you have the right kind of coins in your purse.

North of the bridge and east of the river is the district of Ærhyðe, one of the oldest and wealthiest parts of the city. The royal residence is here, in the formidible Ture Castle. All around the castle are the city homes of Creoda's nobility, with wide streets and public gardens separating the residences.

Across the river from Ærhyðe is the Eglwysi district, where the older and more established temples are found. These are the temples to the elite among the gods, and does not make room for the young and upstart small gods that find whatever space they can elsewhere in the city. The largest of the temples here is Thifield Chapel, dedicated to the god of the River Severin, Llif. It is directly on the banks of the river, and it was on the steps of the chapel that Llif's Prophecy was given to the chapel guardian, Nakamura Chuner.

South of the Aurelian Bridge are the poorer districts of the city. Dockside stretches along the river on both banks, filled with warehouses, taverns, lodging houses, and other establishments catering to the sailors in port. Beyond the Dockside district to the east is the Schmutz district, where the winds can carry away the smells of its tanneries and slaughterhouses, and all the jobs best kept out of sight are relegated. The Schmutz district is separated from the Ærhyðe by a stretch of homes and shops known as Eastmark. The northern part of Eastmark is nearly as affluent as the exclusive Ærhyðe region, with the population growing poorer as you travel south to the southern edge near Schmutz.

To the west of the Aurelian Market is the Mythrral district, dominated by business and merchant houses. The Temple of Small Gods is found here, as is the Lifworðig offices of the Kendari Couriers and the Royal Mint. The Mythrral Road runs through this district, giving it its name.

Finally, the Elster district stretches off to the south of the city. This is an area known for thieves and thugs, and the city guards mostly ignore it. The people who live here represent most of the city's labor, and it has the largest population and the least wealth of any of Lifworðig's districts.

Type

Capital

Location under

Ynys

Included Locations

• Aurelian Bridge
• Thifield Chapel

Owning Organization

Creoda

Characters in Location

• Ailwin Leofson
• Aldric the Bold
• Arvandus
• The Urchin
• Wulfric

Geographic Details

Location: Ynys, Northeastern Region
Latitude: 50.31 degrees North
Longitude: 68.25 degrees East

Routes

Land

• Cairllyn: Take the Mythrral Road east out of the city to Cairllyn. ~73 miles.
• Trefefail: Take the Mythrral Road west out of the city, and then turn south onto the Estwald road. Follow this until you reach Trefefail. ~94 miles.

Water

• Stratende: Sail south on the River Severin to the port of Stratende. ~88 miles.
• Tydelfin: Sail north on the River Severin to the port of Tydelfin. ~112 miles.

Your Thoughts and Prayers are Needed!

In the city of Lifworðig, small gods are born all the time, and need to the thoughts and prayers of others to survive more than a day or two. In order to preserve these entities, the Numina Salvation Society was formed. Volunteers scour the streets for minor Numina that have manifested out of the city's collective unconscious and seek to bring them to the organization's headquarters in the Temple of Small Gods. There they are included in special services designed to acknowledge as many of the minor deities of Lifworðig as possible, and information about what they may offer the citizens of the city is collated and distributed to curious visitors. You can read more about the society here.

An Unusual Hobby

Many citizens of Lifworðig have taken up the hobby of "Godspotting", travelling through the city looking for manifestations of the various gods that haunt it. They keep journals recording the different deities they have encountered, and where and when they were seen. They will also gather to compare journals with each other, hoping to impress their comrades with reports of unusual or interesting gods. The hobby was started by Arvandus, the court wizard, and his godspotting journal is rumored to contain over three thousand unique entries.