Peyden

Iporis

This content refers to phenomenon on the continent of Iporis.

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### Wealth

**Peyden** is the shining capital of the Nekronian Empire. It is built upon a raised hill surrounded by farmland and the Seraph's River. It was founded in 275 PA, and became the capital in 283 PA. It's the biggest city of the Nekronian cluster consisting of Toomadri, Wyndpa, and Natin.

## Description

Population: 15000. Tieflings (3000), Dwarves (3000), Gnomes (3000), Dragonborn (1000), Orcs and Kin (1000), Kobolds (1000), Humans (500), Other (2500).

The city's gold piece limit is 40,000 gp. Anything, whether it be mundane or magical, having a price under that limit is most likely available for purchase. The total amount of available coinage, or the total value of any given item of equipment for sale at any given time, is 30,000,000 gp.

A previously agricultural city that now also subsists on fishing, trade, fine goods, and tourism. Racial harmony save for the odd remark.

### Economy

Mass production can be seen here, and they use it to produce many goods for export.  The silt washed up by the river is still good for agriculture, but erosion caused by dam building and infrastructure is changing that.  Most energy comes from the river, but is starting to have an impact on the local wildlife.  The sheer amount of wood needed to be burned to produce things is causing a slightly smoggy sky.

## History

Peyden began in the year 198 PA as a collection of farming families that had settled around a hill on the banks of the Seraph's River. A troop of kobolds arranged a contract with one of the farming families by handling their mushroom-growing operation underground. They had tunneled into the hill to create room for this project. In doing so, they discovered the ruins of a caved-in temple. News got out, and scholars flocked to the scene to try and make sense of these artifacts. The area was most busy with archaeologists until the year 200, when the human archaeologist Kumar Aydin was killed by falling rubble, and the ruins were revealed to be cursed by The Psychotic Nerds.

By around 210 PA, a cloister of monks, mainly Gnomes and Tieflings, had settled permanently on top of the hill and frequently interacted with the farmers. They established the Library of the Fostered Mind, which began to bring in settlers seeking knowledge. Eventually, the Ahvahn Clan of silver dragonborn made their new home there, bringing with them the art of fine weapons and luxury swords. Over time, this grew into a town, and then a city. By 275 PA, it was a sizable enough settlement to apply for cityhood. The Nekronian Empire officials, intrigued by the discoveries and environment at Peyden, decided to move their captial there in 283 PA. From there, factories and fantastical contraptions sprung from the minds of scholars, artificers, and magi.

The Ahvahn Clan, finding it hard to compete with the new factories, had issues making ends meet. They would struggle until 314, when Telikore, the eldest Ahvahn daughter, would stumble into Dremleen. There, she would discover the secrets of the Emi, find supply for her family, and bring exalted luxury craft back to Peyden. From then, those who could craft well enough to compete with the machines were regarded as masters of their work, and their pieces sold for thousands of gold each.

Peyden, bolstered by the new, even finer crafts and Nekronian Empire funding, soon grew into the tumbling metropolis it is today. It stands as a crucial trade center where the Seraph's River meets the Ignet's River. The Sarkor and Larksong Colleges would also become established, training spellcasters and scholars as well as bards.

Hushed whispers rise from the Library of the Fostered Mind. Recent expeditions into the ruins have produced harrowing prospects. Rumors fly of prophetic doom wafting like smoke from the ancient ruins that Peyden is built on. Secrecy failed, and guarded information spilled from the Library. The Calamity Prophecy is out. Everyone in the city, and perhaps a few beyond, know now.

*Whispering thorns and clashing seas*

*Erupt from the ground and order shall cease*

*Deface their domain and weather their fury*

*And cull your lights in flight and hurry*

*On four-hundred fiftieth year and 888th moon*

*Or perchance not, may that be too soon...*

## Government

Meritocracy run by a cloister of monks. A subordinate bureaucracy exists to deal with day-to-day tasks headed by a High Justicar. Headquarters are in the Library of the Fostered Mind.

### Leader of the Bureaucracy

High Justicar Markov's public motives have been to keep the city's trade running in harmony with its agriculture by creating programs to help synergize the two industries. He has also pledged to keep Peyden as independent as possible from neighboring cities, emphasizing Peyden's unique nature and promoting something akin to nationalism. He presents himself a bit in over his head, but somehow manages to get the job done well anyway. He tends to assign followers tasks that are a little out of their comfort zone because it would be good for their long-term development.

### Bureaucracy

The bureaucracy oversees day-to-day tasks. It consists of a leader from each of the eight districts. One does not have to live in a district to be its leader, as long as they live in Peyden. Brightbeacons are eligible to be chosen to be on the bureaucracy, and being selected grants a promotion to Courseweaver. The leader of the Bureaucracy chooses from a pool of applicants.

Gearset - **Inana Steamstern** ( female gnome)

Smithrun - **Vesa Copperfist** (female dwarf)

West Ward - **Melancholy Sunderledge** (male tiefling)

Ploughstock - **Ezikiya Stormtusk** ( female half-orc)

Oxpass - Open, formerly held by **Keshav Mudi** (male human)

Fostershire - **Keith Devonmere** (male dwarf)

Smallforge - **Ahvahn Orlaxan** (male dragonborn)

Copper Knot - **Erwin Nimbleton** (male gnome)

### Leader of the Fostered Council

Prime Consul Arellie is a wizened old tiefling artificer who strives to crack down on the mysterious Emi and find its every use. The resource has already proven to be incredibly powerful and versatile, and its applications could be groundbreaking. Her priorities are set in honing development to perfection through series of testing and retesting. Her tasks may be tedious, but they provide many jobs for the residents of Peyden. As a result, she is seen as an economic anchor of sorts - one who will cause the city to prosper as long as she is here.

### The Fostered Council

The Fostered Council presides over most of the city's long-term development. They are a collection of the best from each of the three Nekronian Empire rank paths. The Council is composed equally of Tinkers, Magi, and Royals. All of the members are ranked Gearspinner, Starspinner, Courseweaver, or above in their respective paths.

#### Historical Figures

Arya Satrinavi, one of the council members in the year 200 PA.

## Culture

The city of Peyden is very laid back. Generally speaking, because of the sheer diversity of its inhabitants, most of the citizens have a "life and let live" mentality. Vendors are friendly with each other, and sometimes have competitor merchants "babysit" their shop, much to the confusion of non-Peydonians.

This changes once you venture deeper into the ranks of academia. The environment quickly becomes competitive as scholars, magi, tinkers, and royals scramble to be at the top. In a city where intellectual ranking is power, foul play is commonplace. Though systems exist to discourage cheating, that doesn't stop it entirely.

## Beliefs and Religion

### Beliefs

The prime ideals of the city of Peyden are as follows:

**Logic.** Emotions must not cloud our sense of what is right and true, or our logical thinking.

**Change.** Life is like the seasons, in constant change, and we must change with it.

**Knowledge.** The path to power and self-improvement is through knowledge.

#### Folklore

##### The Jiangshi

Some insist that the ruins Peyden is built on top of are cursed. Being buried near those ruins is forbidden, for it has given rise to the hopping vampire. Legends say that the Jiangshi, or hopping vampire, surfaced around 200 PA, and was the result of an improper burial rite combined with the cryptic energies of the ruins. Of all of the sightings, the only things they had in common were the apparent pallor, the strange, hopping gait, the ability to sense any breathing creature, and strange paper scriptures attached to the head and torso. The Jiangshi has not been sighted for over two centuries, but parents use the story to keep their kids from staying out too late. Many say that that the hopping vampire was slain by the party known as The Psychotic Nerds.

##### Tale of the Tomb

An old story told in taverns and bars. Notably, it was most frequently told by Fnipper, a gnome, in the years around 200 P.A. The story details how a party known as The Psychotic Nerds explored the ruins under Peyden, mapped it in its entirety, and defeated the horrible monsters inside of it. Time has warped the truth of the story, and it's a bit exaggerated today.

### Religion

The dominant deity is Galonoth. That being said, Tyr is also considerably worshiped, and so is Gilean.

## Notable NPCs

### Temple of Galonoth

The name of the Temple of Galonoth is misleading. As per Empire regulation, this temple includes an unclaimed shrine, which allows for visitors to appease whichever god they wish. Additionally, there is a significant portion of the building dedicated to Tyr. Paladins and Clerics are frequently trained here.

#### Impulse

Tiefling male. Cleric of Galonoth and the city's best healer.

### The Ahvahn Clan

    The Ahvahn Clan consists of silver dragonborn. Its pride is its prevalence in the smithing industry, as well as its pure silver dragonborn blood. They hold considerable sway over the Smallforge district. Members of the Ahvahn Clan have been leading that district since Peyden's founding. These dragonborn are proud, having withstood economic ruin, hardship, and near-bankruptcy. However, to them, their openness to innovation and capitalizing on opportunities has allowed them to make a recovery. Now, their crafts are among the most revered of all of Iporis.

#### Ahvahn Hyresha

Silver dragonborn female. Talented shieldsmith and novice sailor.

#### Sentinel

Tiefling female. Friend of Hyresha and business associate for the Ahvahn clan.

#### Ahvahn Orlaxan

Silver dragonborn male. Leader of the Smallforge district.

#### Ahvahn Telikore

Silver dragonborn female. Figure of the past (see history of Dremleen)). Hero.

### The Mudi Family

    The Mudi family are a tight-knit group of humans who have considerable sway over the entire city. In the early days of Peyden, when there weren't established systems or precedent yet, the Mudis were the ones to propose and set up a city guard. This project was spearheaded by Ram Mudi, and its legacy persists. Even now, about an eighth of the city's guards have contracts with the Mudi Family. They have some influence over the neighboring towns, Wyndpa, Natin, and Toomadri.

That being said, they *are* a group of humans living in a city of otherworldly beings. While most members of the family don't exhibit any discomfort, once in a while one may make a crude remark about a particularly exotic race. The need for hired guards is decreasing as mechanical sentries are being developed by the Library of the Fostered Mind. Who knows what the Mudi family will need to do in order to maintain power.

#### Keshav Mudi

Human male aged 62, Darshan's uncle. Assassinated on March 14, 474 by The Twin Tailed Devil.

#### Darshan Mudi

Human male aged 28, middle son of current youngest. Spends the majority of his time in the Mudi Laboratory working on Fostered Council sanctioned projects. Current biggest projects are finding the usage of a crystal called Emi and something that they’re “accepting volunteers for”.

### The Evening Hour Library

#### Anilith Dianthan

Tiefling female aged 75, Perchance's grandmother. Anilith is a grey skinned tiefling with white hair that is pulled into a loose braid. She has two horns on her brow that stagger back. She has circular glasses with thick lenses. She has a nice sense of humor and looks like she’s gonna fall asleep where she sits if left unattended.

#### Reverence Dianthan

Tiefling male aged 78, Perchance's grandfather. Reverence is a purplish-red tiefling with a thick greying beard. He has a single horn that simply curves upward. He has heavy smile lines and crow’s feet.

## Locations

### Gearset

#### The Fidler's Auberge

A crowded tenement. Generally where the poor and unfortunate find refuge.

#### Plaza

##### General Ware

General store. The building is quite large, and is actually a warehouse. They have many things for a lot cheaper than other places because things in the warehouse were mass-produced. Probably not literally operated by The Stave.

### Smithrun

#### District Official's Office

It is made from cobblestone, with wooden supports and embellishments and a steep roof.  There is nothing too grand about it, aside from the metal sign that reads “DISTRICT OFFICIAL”.  The door appears to be spruce, with lots of dark iron worked into it for support.  In the waiting room, there is a lizard kept in a tub, as well as the office. This office belongs to Vesa Copperfist.

#### Temple of Galonoth

Founded by Leofyr.

Heavy granite slabs and cool waves of stone compose this grand, yet open-looking temple. There is a shrine to Tyr, as well as a nondescript shrine labeled "TO WHOEVER YOU PLEASE". Most of the offerings are left on the unclaimed shrine.

#### The Devil's Smithy

A forge operated by a tiefling named Pummel. He's very talented, but creates things more for use than presentation. Only rarely does he create show pieces anymore, as that niche in the market is occupied by the Ahvahn clan. As a result, he's a little more than spiteful of them.

### West Ward

#### The Crown Estate

A supposedly haunted mansion of a fallen Count, slaughtered for a forbidden love. The home of the late leader of the West Ward district, Crown (male tiefling).

#### The Factory Junction

Half-finished products from riverside factories are brought here if they need manual work. The Factory Junction is a large series of buildings housing many people, who also work there.

#### Evening Hour Library

Run by Reverence and Anilith (two tieflings). There is an apartment on the floor above, and the library itself smells like cinnamon. It's built of weathered wooden shingles and seems to have been created as an offshoot of a larger building. The interior contrasts wildly from the city, being vivid shades of orange lit by warm candlelight.

### Ploughstock

#### Sarkor College

Sarkor College tends to train more wizards and artificers. The facility boasts labs, forges, areas for arcane study, and an observatory.

#### The Ornery Cornucopia

A large, crowded tavern and inn with buffet-style food. It costs 6 sp to stay a night, meal included. Rooms are stuffy, but they get the job done.

### Oxpass

#### Larksong College

Larksong College tends to train more bards. The facility is known for its grand concert hall, as well as its expansive instrument collection. It is also home to the original transcript of the Nekronian Empire's oldest song.

#### The Arcane Chimera

A small store selling spell scrolls and components operated by a tiefling named Ambition. Situated right next to Jaxton's pub.

#### Jaxton's Pub

A fairly large, rowdy tavern operated by a half-orc named Jaxton. This is a known meeting place for members of The Stave. There are rumors of it being haunted, but that only seems to have increased business.

### Fostershire

#### Library of the Fostered Mind

a cool place if you're smart. The seat of government of Peyden.

#### Mudi Family Manor

its basically a palace swarming with guards. paranoid fucks.

#### The Mudi Laboratory

A tall wizard-tower looking building where the projects sponsored by the Mudi family are tested and investigated. They're a bit secretive about what they make, but they insist that it'll be beneficial and "groundbreaking".

#### The Phase Tower

A laboratory not far from the Library. This tower's main purpose is to find less damaging ways to produce more Emi. Their current research revolves around perfecting the Phase System.

By charging a crystal with excess magical energy (usually at the expense of a caster, a pro,,, so its PROPHASE), researchers have been able to create "magisomes" within the gem, or concentrated units of magical energy. From there, the Emi is brought to the Ethereal Plane (wow ethereal so meta lmao haha metaphase), where spindle fibers created from the Ethereal Curtain can remove half of the magisomes (i don't have a good mneumonic here but thats anaphase), and place them in the surrogate stone. This process reverses the planeshift, teleporting (TELEPHASE) the caster back to their original location on the Material Plane.

This is much less costly than intentionally failing a Reconstruct Soul spell.

### Smallforge

#### The Ahvahn Manor System

The homes of the Ahvahn dragonborn clan, as well as any associated with them

#### Temple to Gilean

What used to be a library has been repurposed. Now it serves as a place of worship and a refuge of sorts. The building is composed of light wood and fieldstone.

#### Ahvahn Docks

Owned and operated by the Ahvahn clan, these private docks are usually where they receive ore and resources to craft with.

### Copper Knot

#### Admiral's Keep

The Admiral's Keep is a high-class riverside hotel that charges 1 gp per night. Meals are not included, but the rich can be found here frequently.

#### Ipaston Factory

Owned by a gnome named Ipaston, this building is a water-driven factor on the riverside. It produces metal parts and half-assembled contraptions to be finished in **The Factory Junction**, or to be purchased wholesale by other manufacturers and crafters of finer goods.

### The Peydonian Sepulchre

The ruins beneath the hill that Peyden is built upon.

The EntranceThe TunnelThe Central RuinsArchaeologist Kumar AydinAnother angle of the RuinsCryptic RunesKumar Aydin's fate.Peydonian Sepulchre Exposition
## Relationships

### Albatross Assembly

The Albatross Assembly and Nekronian Empire are on good terms already, but the proximity of their capitals bolsters that relation. Peyden is just down the river from Chunathan, allowing for easy trade and contact. As a result, the cities look a lot like each other, having shared technology, goods, and services for the past many years.

### Cloven Conclave

In general, the Conclave and Empire don't agree much. However, with the Calamity Prophecy setting the entire city of Peyden on edge, the smallest sight or mention of nature's wrath can evoke a forceful backlash. Rumors fly of Conclave terrorist attacks, though the Cloven Conclave has neither confirmed or denied these.

## Trivia

* Named after a former player, Paden
* we miss his pc, Mardyl the dragonborn eldritch knight fighter
* why did The Scaled Bastards literally become Perchance dating sim. ANSWER ME!!! we were supposed to go solve a mystery in Eastshire but i guess we simping for perchance's grandparents here instead??
* by the way they probably perceive everything as a Conclave terrorist attack.
* architecture is a mix of japanese and northern european (steep roofs)
* SORRY BUT I NEEDED TO LEARN MITOSIS @PHASE TOWER

## Gallery

Flag of PeydenBanner of the Ahvahn ClanBanner of the Mudi Familycityscape