Haudh-Gwenn
The nearest thing to a capital in the region
Demographics
| People | Share |
|---|---|
| Hobgoblins | 30% |
| Peren | 30% |
| Humans | 25% |
| Hobbin | 10% |
| Gnomes | 2% |
| Half-orcs | 1.5% |
| Other | 1.5% |
Industry
- Economy Trade: Haudh-Gwenn thrives as a trade nexus because of where it sits, at the confluence of two rivers. Goods flow in from both eastern and western Idir, which makes the city a bustling marketplace.
- Agriculture: Fertile land surrounds the city and supports farming, feeding the residents and leaving a surplus for trade.
- Banking: A council-run bank manages the city’s finances, offering loans and safeguarding wealth.
- Craftsmanship: Local artisans produce goods ranging from textiles to metalwork, though the art of gem infusion from the Mól era is lost.
- Alchemy and Herbalism: Magic is rare here, but a few practice alchemy. Gwenivere Velmont’s shop is the notable establishment.
Infrastructure
- Roads and Transportation: Paved main roads with cobblestone; side streets are often dirt paths. The rivers serve as major trade routes, with docks facilitating commerce.
- Water Supply: Sourced from the converging rivers; aqueducts from the Mól era still function in parts of the city.
- Sanitation: Basic sewage systems in the wealthier districts; poorer areas rely on rudimentary waste disposal.
- Healthcare: A central hospital stands near the herbalist shop owned by Gwenivere Velmont, a local alchemist.
Geography
Haudh-Gwenn sits at the confluence of two major rivers, which is what makes it the heart of trade in Idir. The terrain around the town is mostly flat and fertile, ideal for farming, with distant hills to the northeast. Ancient stonework from the fallen Mól Empire still shapes much of the town’s foundations. Near the center of the town lie the neglected ruins, now overgrown and crumbling, but once the jewel of Mól craftsmanship.
Guilds
Council of Haudh-Gwenn
The ruling body of the city, made up of powerful families and political survivors. It oversees law, policy and diplomacy. It moves slowly, and its members have agendas they do not state.
Haudh-Gwenn City Guard
A stretched and often underpaid force responsible for keeping the peace. Loyalty runs by district and corruption is not unusual, though plenty of guardsmen still try to do the job properly.
The Bank
The financial heart of Haudh-Gwenn. Loans, debt, land titles and the major trade notes all pass through it. It is quiet, cold and immensely powerful. Money moves in this city because the bank allows it to.
Shops
The merchants, publicans and innkeepers who keep daily life running. They price by reputation, and the open market is where the city’s rumors travel fastest.
Craftsmen
Blacksmiths, tanners, coopers, masons and laborers who build the city and repair it. One at a time they are easy to overlook. Acting together, they can shut a district down.
Chantry of Tranquility
The city’s primary religious institution, offering comfort, healing and quiet judgment. Its reach runs from alley shrines to private confessions with the powerful.
Upper Class
Wealthy families, landowners and influential bloodlines. Most keep up a polite civility in public while working on their position in private, or while holding on to what is left of it.
Lower Class
Laborers, dockhands, servants and struggling citizens: the base the city stands on. Resourceful, weary and frequently angry, and there are a great many of them.
The Forgotten
Beggars, addicts, gutter prophets and runaways, living in the margins. They see most of what happens in Haudh-Gwenn and nobody thinks to ask them about it. Their loyalty is worth having and it is not reliable.
Silver Web
One of the city’s major criminal powers, and the biggest player in Haudh-Gwenn.
Blackened Coin
Smaller and sharper, and it controls most of the gambling in the city.
Crimson Shroud
Not a guild so much as a shifting network that takes dangerous work. Unpredictable and hard to find.
Foreigners and Transients
Traders, drifters, mercenaries and travelers who pass through or hover at the edges. They move markets, carry rumors and raise tensions, and they never settle.
Architecture
Approximately 40% of the city retains original Mól architecture, characterized by grand stone structures and intricate designs. The remaining buildings are a mix of reclaimed materials and newer construction.
Government
Structure
Oligarchic Council with a nominal High Councilman
City Council
| Office | Held by |
|---|---|
| High Councilman | Traxian Grayeras |
| Councilor | Alyphe Grayeras |
| Councilor | Johanka Materai |
| Councilor | Sarro Rashid |
| Councilor | Asiya Azrak |
| Councilor | Elren Amin |
| Councilor | Khadija Dalzen |
| Councilor | Dalvaar Rashaa |
Traxian Grayeras serves as the face of the council.
Council Composition
Seats are predominantly hereditary or secured through political maneuvering. Only one seat is elected by the general populace; the rest are appointed by existing council members, often through backdoor deals. While it takes 6 votes to elect a new councilor (sans 1 for each vacant position), it only takes a simple majority (5 votes) for any other council motion to pass. The High Councilor casts a double vote.
Law Enforcement
Beltran Grayeras, son of Traxian and Alyphe, is the Emir (military leader) but also serves as Captain of the Guard
Standing Military
Approximately 100 soldiers, the largest in Idir
Town Guard
Separate from the military, responsible for daily law enforcement
Militia
Can be raised from the populace during times of need
Districts
Council Heights
Located on elevated ground, housing the council chambers and residences of the elite. Features well-maintained Mól architecture and guarded estates.
Market Ward
The commercial heart of Haudh-Gwenn, bustling with traders, shops, and inns. Proximity to the rivers makes it ideal for merchants.
River Docks
Primary docking area for trade vessels. Warehouses and taverns cater to sailors and traders.
Garrison Fields
Located on the outskirts, housing the military barracks and training grounds. Strategically positioned to respond to external threats.
Healer’s Nook
Home to the city’s hospital and Gwenivere’s herbalist shop. Serves as a center for medical treatment and alchemical supplies.
Bronze Quarter
Residential area for the working class. Features modest homes and communal spaces.
Hammer Row
District for craftsmen and artisans. Filled with workshops, forges, and guild halls. A busy, noisy area where tradespeople live and work.
River Reach
A lower-class district prone to flooding from heavy rains and storms. Crowded homes to laborers, dockhands, and minor artisans.
Ruins
Uninhabited remnants of the ancient Mól city. Now a haven for vagrants and criminals; the area is largely avoided by the general populace.
Campaign Updates
Haudh-Gwenn is the closest thing this region has to a capital. It sits where a north-bound river forks off an east-west one, and that fork is the whole explanation for everything else about it. There are no bridges across the north-south channel, because large ships have to get through. Locals will tell you it is the largest city on the continent. Nobody has ever settled whether they are right, and the place is large enough that the claim goes unchallenged.
The party’s dealings here started at the docks and worked upward. They came downriver in S1E06 to intercept a slave shipment and get Cleven Gemsmith back, so Aldo went into the dock taverns as “Billy the sailor” to fish for a slaver contact while Mikhail performed to set the mood and cover him. A fence bit. The following session that fence walked Aldo into an ambush in the ruins, and the party turned it: they broke the crew, found the hidden holding-cave under the rubble where captives were kept, and let one of the survivors go to work for them as an inside man. They have been coming back ever since, to a city that has got steadily worse. With the Ten Lashes ring dismantled, Beltran Grayeras stopped working through other people. He took control of the guard, then the neighborhoods, then the title of Lord, and the ruins at the center of the city are held by the Silver Web.
The hospice surprises most visitors. The masked Chantry of Tranquility keeps it, treats whoever arrives, and does not ask what they did to arrive in that condition. Mikhail volunteered there to learn field medicine, and Kithul was put back together there after he was jumped, thrown into a soil-covered pit and left for dead on the road east.