I will share with you a city from my D&D campaign


Jagged Point
Districts


Butcher’s Borough


Description and History: The Butcher’s Borough is geographically distinct from the rest of Jagged Point due to the feature that gives the city its name, the massive rocky outcropping known as the Spear of Erathis which splits the Devil’s Tongue River in two. The Butcher’s Borough sits atop this mound of stone raised above the rest of the city. Walled off from the rest of the city, this neighborhood marks where the city’s gentry once lived. Now, this area belongs to the most prestigious mercenary guild east of the Westwind Mountains, M.E.A.T. Under the leadership of the mysterious Guildmaster Garvin, this district remains almost untouched by the squalor that has enveloped the rest of the city, and this is due to the hard work and resources of the guild itself. Most of the manor houses of the region function either as communal homes for the guild’s various members, or as mansions to the most veteran and prestigious among their ranks, though it is possible for non-members to be granted permission to live here as well, usually merchants and craftsmen of renown who have reached some trade agreement with the guild. During the daylight hours, passage is granted into the district to non-members, but only with armed escort, or on official guild business. Though the Wyvern Wing Bridge that crosses the south fork of the Devil’s Tongue lies outside the wall that marks the border of the Butcher’s Borough, M.E.A.T guild members patrol, maintain, and repair the bridge, and as such exact a toll on all inbound traffic that crosses it.


Points of Interest: The Butcher’s Shoppe (Guildhouse), The Wyvern Wing Bridge (South Bridge), Light of the Knowing Mistress (Lighthouse/Wizard’s Tower/Library/Teahouse), Melora’s Retreat (City Park), The Low Earning Active Novice (L.E.A.N.) Garrison, The Goblin’s Gullet (Tavern), Xeebo’s! eXtraordinary! eXtravaganza! (“X!X!X”, Magic Item Shop)


People of Interest: Guildmaster Garvin, Right-hand Fleischer, Bloorl’ghle’rul the Fetid (Kuo’toa Lich), Druit Lif (Firbolg Druid), Garmak the Tower (Goliath Fighter, Captain of the Watch), Broogie the Barkeep (Bugbear Barbarian Tavern Owner), Dragonslayer Xeeboringo “The Duke” Bjerenzi Zscheippian the First and Only of the Mercenaries who Eagerly Acquire Treasure also known as “M.E.A.T”, but my friends call me “Friend” (Magic Item Shop Owner)




The Sheriff’s Ward


Description and History: The Sheriff’s Ward is built around what was once the Kingsguard Garrison of Jagged Point, connected to the outer eastern wall of the city, it serves as a protected gateway into the city, as well as a barricade to keep lawless brigands from freely strolling the road to Riverun. This section of the city is much more civilized than the rest, having been protected by the self-proclaimed Sheriff of Jagged Point for many years. He and his posse keep the peace as best as they can in this region, patrolling the streets and the roads east, providing a relatively welcoming and safe approach to the otherwise unruly and dangerous city. Being one of the only known users of firearms in the kingdom, the sheriff has a reputation for being fair, just, and downright dangerous. This reputation affords those under his watch a modicum of peace and protection, though danger and rowdiness still often finds its way into the Sheriff’s Ward, but the Posse is always quick to respond. Being the only part of the city that has unfettered access to the outer limits to the east, the Sheriff’s Ward extends its protection to the handful of farming communities that line the road toward Riverun as well. The Courthouse has a bounty board posted and regularly updated outside featuring both common work, and dangerous bounties, often of criminals or beasts that escaped the Posse’s grasp. Many folk of Jagged Point often gather here in the dawnlit hours seeking labor in exchange for coin, food, or shelter. This section of the city also hosts a soup kitchen which doubles at night as a shelter for the homeless, though it fills to capacity every night within the hour. The kitchen and shelter are manned by volunteers, and laborers from the jailhouse, working off their debt to society.


Points of Interest: Two-moons’ Saloon (Bar), The Dragon’s Best Bet (Casino), The Trail’s End (Inn), The Courthouse (Temple of the Lawkeeper), Feed n’ Seed (General Store), The Soup Kitchen


People of Interest: The Sheriff, Two-moons (Catfolk Barkeep), Cassius “Cash” Gemtongue (Casino Owner), Bjürtlebie “Bjürt” Ridingshield (Innkeeper), Clay Derrinjay (Store owner), Harrier Worrywart (Soup Kitchen Head Volunteer), “Judge” Lex Coldeye (Silver Dragonborn Head Cleric of the Lawkeeper)




Oldtown


Description and History: Oldtown is the most historic part of Jagged Point, dating back to the founding of the city. It is the most central district of the city, connected to the Butcher’s Borough by the Old Bridge, an arch of metal and stone that has survived many wars and disasters. Oldtown’s eastern border touches The Styx, though there is a cliff face that separates the two, other than at the northernmost points. The eastern border of the district is marked by the old City Wall, the northernmost section of which has long since collapsed into Smuggler’s Run. Oldtown is home to the city’s many guildhalls, such as the Splendid Hall, home to the Splendid Order of Armorers, Locksmiths, and Finesmiths; The Songbird’s Nest, a theater complex which houses the Songbirds, a collective of bards and performers of great variety; Starfall Towers, home to the Guild Arcane; The Greenleaf Conservatory, wherein the Naturalists Guild takes residence; and the Den of Blades, where the Trade of Blades guild houses its wares. Oldtown is also where the Court of Representatives is located, the former political center of the city before its collapse. The Court of Representatives is now the seat of the Guild Council, a coalition of guild leaders who rule the district and have a strong influence on the city’s affairs. Oldtown is also where the Spire of Erathis is located, a grand temple devoted to the god of civilization, though its devotees have been labeled as a heretical order by other temples of the same faith.


Points of Interest: The Spire of Erathis (Erathis Revival), The Court of Representatives (The Guild Council), The Splendid Hall (Guildhall of the Splendid Order), The Songbird’s Nest (Guildhall of the Songbirds), The Old Bridge, The Den of Blades (Guildhall of the Trade of Blades), The Mithril Flask (Tavern), The Greenleaf Grove (Guildhall of the Naturalists Guild)


People of Interest: Borin Ironhand (Guild Rep of the Speldid Order), Lyra Songbird (Guild Rep of the Songbirds), Raziel Starfall (Guild Rep of the Guild Arcane), Tara Greenfoot (Guild Rep of the Naturalists Guild), Zane Blackwater (Guild Rep of the Trade of Blades), Marth Eden (Head Cleric of the Spire of Erathis)




Smuggler’s Run


Description and History: Smuggler’s Run is the name given to the district at the northeasternmost corner of the city. It is a district of docks, warehouses, factories, and slums, where most of the city’s trade and industry takes place. Smuggler’s Run is also the hub of the city’s underworld, where smugglers, black marketeers, and other shady characters operate with impunity. The Sheriff and his posse have little authority or presence here, despite the district neighboring the Sheriff’s Ward. The district is controlled by various factions and gangs who compete for territory and resources, though all of them pay deference to the most powerful of these factions, the Needle’s Eye. The Needle’s Eye is a shadow organization led by a mysterious figure known only as Schegzi, a beholder who resides in a hidden fortress somewhere in the Collapse. The Collapse was a cataclysmic event that destroyed a large section of the city wall caused by the immense network of smuggling tunnels carved beneath the district over decades. This event is known to have been the last in a chain of events that led to the city being declared defunct by the King.


Points of Interest: The Iris (Beholder-run guildhouse), The Broken Spire (ruined Wizards’ Tower remnants), The Cavern’s Maw (Underground fight club), The Drowned Rat (notorious waterfront tavern), The Omen Emporium (clandestine marketplace for illicit goods), Last Light’s Lantern (Lighthouse and private docking area for smugglers’ ships).


People of Interest: Schegzi (Beholder guildmaster of The Needle’s Eye), Minnow Blackbird (Halfling proprietress of The Drowned Rat), Hendrick the Shade (Human artifact hunter and Omen Emporium proprietor), Captain Marlow Blacktide (dreaded smuggler and captain-for-hire).


The Styx


Description and History: The Styx is a grim shadow cast beneath the glory of the Butcher’s Borough and Oldtown, known for its pervasive aura of sorrow and spiritual unrest. This district, shrouded in the perpetual gloom of its towering neighbors, is the final refuge for Jagged Point’s most marginalized souls and the final resting place for the countless dead, honored and forgotten alike. The skeletal remains of the elven district, blackened and broken by a historic conflagration, serve as a stark reminder of the city’s darkest hour. Ash and ectoplasm are as common as mud in the twisted streets where the poor make their homes from rubble, and ghosts roam as freely as the rag-covered children. The air is laced with a funereal chill, whispering with the voices of the past and the laments of the unseen.


Points of Interest: The Mourner’s Vale (Cemetery), The Ember Hearth (Crematorium), The Wraith’s Walk (Burnt Remains of the Elven District), The Phantom Market (Occult Bazaar), The Shattered Spire (Ancient Elven Watchtower), The Refuge of the Forsaken (Temple of healing)


People of Interest: Gravekeeper Eldin (Ancient moon elf groundskeeper of the Mourner’s Vale), The Ashen Monks (Silent monks who operate the Crematorium), Lady Esmeralda Valtorin (Half-elf resident of the Wraith’s Walk), Bound Spirit Malthius (Ghost organizer of thee Phantom Market), Seer Sariel of the Shattered Spire (Mysterious occupant of the Shattered Spire), Sister Adelaide (Lead Caretaker of the Refuge of the Forsaken)


My campaign has many facets. Right now a new party has entered the fray. All of my campaigns in this setting thus far have centered on members of the M.E.A.T. mercenary company. The previous party set events in to motion that have heavily impacted the city, and the kingdom that surrounds it, though not intentionally. They were a 4th level party, and while doing a contract for a group known as the Duezvorin Clan, they were framed as terrorists. The Duezvorin Clan have become a kind of autocratic authoritarian mafia that acts as the sole authority for the dwarven refugee community known as the Mudgate that has been constructed around the capitol city of Woodberry. The party were supposedly looking in to the murders of high profile dwarves in the shantytown of dwarven refugees that surrounds the capitol city Woodberry within the kingdom of Komn. While following a lead, they were taken in to a small sewer grate, once they entered, the Svirfneblin Artificer, and agent of the Duezvorin Clan who was to join them on this contract, locked them in to the sewer grate and detonated a bomb that engulfed the party and the northern city wall of Woodberry, blasting a hole in it, and setting a portion of the dwarven shantytown, known as Mudgate, ablaze. The Duezvorin reacted quickly, taking one of the party members prisoner while the rest appeared vaporized by the blast. The Duezvorin quickly controlled the fire and brought their prisoner to the authorities, a corrupted council of high ranking officials in the kingdom known as the Council of Eventides. They were lauded as heroes, and M.E.A.T. was labeled as terrorists. Since then, mercenary work has been deemed against the law, and the Duezvorin have been granted the right to be a policing force within the kingdom, acting as they see fit to maintain order. They were also granted the rights to a plot of land where The Tangle meets the Trollcliffs to create a Prison/labor camp known as the Duezvorin Annex for Public Labor, or D.A.P.L… Unbeknownst to the majority of the kingdom, the leader of the Duezvorin, Dwala Duezvorin, and one of the members of the Council of Eventides, Archmage Varrisa Everend, Lady of Magistery, are both servants of Asmodeus, who seeks to bring the kingdom as a small peice of his plan to win the Blood War. D.A.P.L. is actually a front to open a passageway to the underdark from which an army of Duergar can emerge, and utilizing the new hole in Woodberry’s city wall, sack the city in the name of Asmodeus. Guildmaster Gavin, is secretly a Gold Dragon known as Gavilaran, who has been paying adventurous types from his hoard and creating contracts that he hopes will expose the corruption within the kingdom and rid evils from the region, and as such, M.E.A.T. has been labeled as an enemy of Asmodeus. The new party is a tenth level party, who we have been jokingly calling the Grade-A M.E.A.T… They were recalled from high risk contracts abroad to come to the defence of the guild by Guildmaster Gavin though the messege was cryptic and short. We have played one session with this party, annd so far they have fought through some agents of the Council of Eventides, and made their way in to the back entrance of the Butcher’s Shoppe, the guildhouse of M.E.A.T… The guildhouse is ablaze, as fire elementals have been burning through the walls of the building looking for secret entrances to Gavilaran’s Hoard. Apprentice Ascendant of Archmage Varrisa Everend, Brennen Penderghast, has been dispatched to investigate the guildhouse looking for Gavilaran’s secrets, though they have yet to reveal themselves, and he is the one controlling the fire elementals. The party next session will encounter Brennen, though they still do not even know why the guild is under attack, or the extent of the damage to M.E.A.T.s reputation.


Varrisa is currently trying to pry into the Light of the Knowing Mistress, a lighthouse atop the Spear of Erathis, she does so from her floating tower. The Grade-A party has yet to realize what is happening due to the region being veiled in heavy rain that obscures vision. The Light of the Knowing Mistress acts as a two-fold prison and refuge for the cursed kuotoa lich known as Bloorl’ghle’rul, who has resided there for at least a millenia. He reached an accord with Guildmaster Gavin when he offered the head of the previous owner of the Manorhouse that became the Butcher’s Shoppe to Bloorl’ghle’rul as a token of friendship. This allowed Gavin’s then budding guild special access to Bloorl’s personal library. Bloorl is such an ancient lich that has been punished by the knowing mistress for prying dangerous forbidden knowledge from her. For his transgressions, he was trapped in the Lighthouse and forced to write everything he has ever learned and create a library of his own. For every thing he writes, he forgets it soon after. As such, he has amassed a massive library of his personal recordings, and he is forced to curate it as though it was a public library. While some of this knowledge is public, some secrets Ioun has decided are best left forgotten, though throughout history, some infernal beings have made contracts with Bloorl from before his punishment by Ioun, and these contracts supercede any interference she can impose. Varrisa seeks this forbidden knowledge, and while she knows of the infernal contracts Bloorl is beholden to, she does not know the specific wording, and thus she has yet to break through Ioun’s barriers.


The previous party consisted of four players, and five characters, as I was playing a DMPC. These characters were Agyth, a firbolg Ranger from the hamlet of Lakeview, where Druid’s and naturalists guide the village to live in accord with nature. He was trained by a moon elf druid of great power, but lost him in a struggle with a corrupted treant where he had to sacrifice himself to save Lakeview. Agyth’s childhood was spent in the western forest that later became known as The Tangle. Once, a millenia ago, it was a lush forest, home of elves, gnomes, and fey creatures living in harmony, but a human king known as the Winter King drove a road through the center of the forest, dividing it in two, and drove the druids from the western half. Now, only the eastern half is as it once was, it is known as the Deepwood. On the northeastern borders of the deepwood, on the shore of the Lake of Lights is where Lakewood rests. The Winter King was the husband of the Last Eldar of the Moon Elves. Eldar in this setting meaning a member of the first generation of elves, who were created by the gods. This eldar of the moon elves was the first elf to allow human into the elf lands, and after having cohabitated with humanity, and fought alongside them in an ancient war against the drow and the forces of the Demon Queen Lolth, generations passed, and she eventually fell in love with a human king of great ambition. She offered to teach him the elven ways of wizardry and eventually they wed, uniting their kingdoms, their first joint project being to construct the capitol of Woodberry. As time passed the king grew older, while she remained the same. He found methods off using magic to prolong his life, but not indefinitely. And so, seeking some path that he might live a life eternal alongside his love, he signed an ill-fated contract with Asmodeus, but in his haste, he didn’t read all the fine print. He grew young again, and convinced those around him he had found the secret to eternal youth through wizardry. With time to never again be a burden to him, the king felt safe in allowing his ambitions and focus to wander, and shortly after the eldar became pregnant with their first child. While giving birth to the child, the spark of immortality that resided within the Eldar passed into the King and she rapidly wilted and died. Seeing foul magic afoot, the Eldars handmaids quickly spread word of the King’s dark dealings, and civil war broke out. The eldars handmaidens absconded with the child and fled in to the feywild where they kept the progeny of their queen safe. The child was born a tiefling, having been tainted by their father’s infernal contract. The king was driven mad by his betrayal at the hands of asmodeus, and the loss of his love. The Eldar became a banshee of unimaginable power, who resides in the Shadowfell to this day, cunning and intelligent as ever, if more cruel. The beginning of this civil war became known as the Pyre of Erathis, as the humans had long worshipped Erathis. Erathis had long since fallen to Asmodeus though, who answered prayers in their stead. This is why the followers in the Spire of Erathis are labeled as heretics, they still follow what little remains of the True Erathis, not corrupted by Asmodeus, but they are seen by many as an order of soothsayers. The Pyre of Erathis was a truely horrific time for thhe elves, gnomes, fey, and other followers of the natural order. The humans carved a path straight north through the elven territories to aid in their war effort, even going so far as to enslave many of them and force them to destroy their own forests they called home. The elves were routed, the moon elves were all but eradicated with only a handful surviving, their territory entirely claimed by the humans. The wood elves were taken as slaves and forced in to servitude, and the sun elves, despite their best efforts, could gain no ground against the industrious humans and the dwarves of the western mountains that allied with them


This continued on for 7 centuries until the Forest Prince, son of the winter king, led a revolution against the tyrant. At the moment of the Forest Prince’s victory, he was betrayed by the Sheriff, his chief military advisor and confidant. The Sheriff, afraid of the anarchy the Forest Prince might unleash, unwittingly made a losing contract with Asmodeus, and having failed to sway the forest prince’s hopes for the future of the kingdom, Asmodeus demanded he kill him. The Sheriff waited until they were alone and mortally shot the Forest Prince who was just barely able to drag himself in to a feygate, but ended up in shadowfell in a quasi-living state. And so it went for the Forest Prince’s daughter, whom the Sheriff raised as his own, her unknowing of who had killed her father. She grew under his tutelage, but she too turned to thoughts of revolution and anarchy, and the Asmodeus demanded he kill her too. Her child, who now goes by the moniker “Abaddon” has also been raised by the Sheriff, and they too know nothing of their sires’ fate. This character known as Abaddon is another player in the first party of my campaign. They are a warlock whose patron is Levistus. They have run away from the sheriff seeking freedom from his rigid ways. The sheriff fears the day that Asmodeus demands he kill them too, but they have gone missing following the explosion that destroyed the city wall of Woodberry.


Jagged Point: A complex city divided into districts, each with its own unique characteristics and inhabitants. Major areas include the affluent Butcher’s Borough, the law-enforcing Sheriff’s Ward, the historically rich Oldtown, the chaotic Smuggler’s Run, and the somber, ghostly district of The Styx.


M.E.A.T. (Mercenaries who Eagerly Acquire Treasure): A prestigious mercenary guild led by Guildmaster Gavin (secretly Gold Dragon Gavilaran), which is now under fire due to false accusations orchestrated by the Duezvorin Clan and the Council of Eventides, leading the guild to be outlawed and labeled as terrorists.


Duezvorin Clan: An autocratic, mafia-like dwarven faction that has seized control over the Mudgate shantytown around the capital city Woodberry. They are linked to Asmodeus and are working towards an infernal plan involving the Duergar and an underdark army.


Light of the Knowing Mistress: A lighthouse and prison for Bloorl’ghle’rul the kuotoa lich, cursed by Ioun to forget everything he records in his vast library. Archmage Varrisa Everend is seeking forbidden knowledge from Bloorl while respecting the limitations of his ancient infernal contracts.


Agyth: A character from the first party, a firbolg ranger with a tragic past involving a powerful moon elf druid mentor and a deep connection to the history of The Tangle and The Deepwood.


Winter King Saga: A historic tale involving betrayal, infernal contracts, the birth of the Forest Prince, and the resulting civil war. Over time, the descendants of the Winter King have been systematically targeted for assassination by the Sheriff under Asmodeus’ orders.


Abaddon: A player character in the first party, a warlock with patron Levistus, who is unknowingly descended from the Forest Prince and has been raised by the Sheriff. Their true heritage and the sheriff’s dread of Asmodeus’ demands create a backdrop of potential betrayal and self-discovery.


Your campaign world is rich in history, with intricate political dynamics and layered character backstories. It is marked by themes of power struggles, divine and infernal influences, and the constant play between past legacies and present actions. The narratives you’re weaving reflect a complex and engaging setting with significant potential for player-driven storytelling.