Kingment

Kingment is the Northern Kingdom of Valley Pines capital city where the Lord Protector of the Northern Kingdom of Valley Pines resides. Before the split of the Kingdom of Valley Pines in 496 SM, Kingment was the capital of the entire kingdom.

# Geography

Kingment is located on a hill off Hard Pine Bay that stretches into the Great Forest. There are four elevations in Kingment that are split into districts. Kingment has even seasons, each lasting about three moons.

At Hard Pine Bay, there are three docks: the Dock of the Sun, the Dock of the Moon, and Traveler’s Dock. The Dock of the Sun is for imports, usually food and textiles. The Dock of the Moon is for exports, mostly slaves.

There are two walls that separate the districts: the Rotted Wall and the Clouded Barrier.

The Rotted Wall separates the First District from Mercantile Lane. Originally known as the Great Wall, the wall was built by the Arcs as an outer city wall for Vothill and extended into the Sapphire Sea and was said to be twenty feet high. Throughout the centuries, the wall has remained, but little upkeep has caused the wall to crumble to about three feet high, giving it the nickname the Rotted Wall.

In 305 SM, Lord Protector Meyor Osmont had the Clouded Barrier built to separate the High Hills from the rest of the city. The Clouded Barrier is made of adamantine causing the wall to still look brand new.

## Districts

Kingment is split into four districts that mimic the elevations of the city. The highest elevation is the High Hills. At sea level is Mercantile Lane, a district where most of the population and commerce are located. Mimicking Mercantile Lane is the First District. The First District, however, is being overtaken by the Slums. The lowest elevation is outside the city walls and is known as the Slums.

### High Hills

The High Hills is the smallest district in Kingment, all controlled by House Osmont. There are two natural hills and two artificial hills. The Black Castle, where the Lord Protector resides, is located on the highest natural hill, right on the Kings Cliff. The smaller natural hill is a simple mound surrounded by horse stables.

The artificial hills are located on the eastern side of the district. These two hills are known as the Twin Hills. Both hills have names, Myp and Ereus, named after the etchings on the stones found at the base of each hill. No one knows who created the hills, nor why, so the hills remain untouched.

### Mercantile Lane

The largest district in Kingment is Mercantile Lane.  This district stretches across the city, touching Hard Pine Bay and New Gate. Tycoons dominate the highest elevation known as the Green Hills, located in the northeastern area of the city. At the Green Hills, the merchants built New Gate to welcome visitors instead of using the original Old Gate, where visitors would have to pass through the Slums.

Kingment is the only capital city in Mystos that does not dedicate areas for visiting guests. Visiting highborn, either stay in the Black Castle or stay in the high-end inns located in Mercantile Lane.

### First District

The First District is the original city grounds for Vothill, an Arcan slave trade city that was created before Kingment. After the Secession of Man, House Trapper moved north to the High Hills and built the Black Castle on Kings Hill, overlooking the Sapphire Sea. First District has now been overrun by the Slums, combining the two districts.

### The Slums

Outside the Old Gate are the Slums. Technically on the outside of Kingment, the Slums serve as the city’s third district where the peasants live. Although the district is barely larger than the High Hills, the district’s population is larger than Mercantile Lane. This destitute area is seen as human crops for the slave trade. With the population being so desperate, they have to depend on the Evaluators, a hated group in the Merchant Guild who buys peasants from families and sells them to slavery.

# Demographics

Most of the demographics in the city consist of valley people. A small population of immigrants now live in Mercantile Lane, known as the Errants.

Because of the slave trade, there are slaves from all around the world in Kingment, but they are not counted as part of the demographics. To differentiate, slaves wear bronze, silver, or gold collars depending on the slave’s occupation.

# Economy

Kingment has a large economy that has helped the Kingdom of Valley Pines prosper for centuries. Since its inception, Kingment has been economically controlled by the Merchant Guild while paying taxes to House Osmont. This friendly relationship has become a pillar in the kingdom’s entire economy.

## Merchant Guild

The Merchant Guild is a coalition of merchants who work together to make Kingment thrive. The leading merchants are known as Tycoons. There are three roles in the guild a member can become: the Vendor, the Operator, and the Evaluator. Most merchants who are not Tycoons live in Merchant’s Quarters on the lower side of Mercantile Lane. The Tycoons live in the Green Hills.

Vendors are the merchants that line the streets of Vender Row with their elaborate shops for consumers to buy. Vendors are known to be extremely animated in their selling process and have faux feuds with each other.

The Merchant Guild relies heavily on the Operators who lead the creation of goods for the Vendors to sell. Operators take their jobs very seriously, alienating many merchants and making this division the smallest in the guild. They work in the Operator Gardens in the Mercantile Lane District.

## Slave Trade

The city’s main economy comes from the slaves, an unspoken trade. In the Five Great Lands, having slaves is seen as taboo, so Kingment has the largest population of slaves in the lands. Few have attempted to outlaw the slave trade, but none have prevailed.

The slave trade is run by the merchants who control most of the city. House Osmont rarely participates in the trade but has historically backed the merchants when complaints arise about the Evaluators use of vitex tonic.  Many slaves travel to Lismure, Ihphy’s Archipelago, and, most recently, Eeccess. Most slaves are sold in Kingment, but there are seasonal slave auctions where merchants from Merchantile Lane purchase new slaves.

Kingment is one of the only slave export cities that have specified slaves. There are eight types of slaves that are sold in Kingment. Graziers, Assemblers, Belletrists, Cocotte, Courtesans, Makers, Servants, and Warriors.

Graziers, Assemblers, and Makers are categories of hard labor where most slaves are placed and wear bronze collars. Cocotte and Courtesans are two different sex working groups that wear silver collars. Cocoettes work in brothels, while Courtesans work with high-profile clients. Out of the two, most slaves would prefer to be Courtesans. Servants and Warriors are the two groups that are mainly exported between the eight types - slaves from this group that stay in Kingment wear bronze collars. Belletrists are the most sought-after type for those who become slaves. Belletrists are educated and have the most “freedom” by wearing a gold collar that is often stylized as a necklace. Belletrists usually work for Savants, Scholars, Priests, and the highborn.

## Other Trades

The city’s other trades are lumber and fur trapping, all completed outside the city walls.

# History

Kingment was originally an Arcan slave trade city named Vothill.

The only time Kingment experienced an attack was during the Burning of Kingment in 481 SM starting the Single King’s War.