Tolstov

**Theme**

**The Imperial City of Tolstov** is the capitol city of the **Ozmit Empire**, and also its largest city. This massive, sprawling city is said to be the center of human culture and civilization in **Dharrenal** and it is considered one of the grandest cities in the known world.

## Overview

The city of Tolstov completely dominates the surrounding countryside. This sprawling metropolis is easily three times the size of Ibrido.

The skyline is made up of massive, dark, gothic towers; a sea of spires and steeples. Tolstov is laid out on an easy to navigate grid, each street numbered and the buildings uniform in appearance and design.

Central to the city is the tall, black tower known as the High Spire of the Grand Palace, from where the royal family resides and rules.

## Layout

The city is partitioned off into a number of districts, each separated by a gated interior wall. Note that all points of interest are places visited by player characters or prominently mentioned.

### Alabaster Row

The academic quarter, home to student housing, and the local university. The quarter is built at the base of the Pillar of Knowledge. It is a quiet and clean part of the city, and loitering in the district is viewed with suspicion; people aren't advised to go there unless they have specific business there.

### The Billows

The docks and port for the city. It is always buffeted by winds, and a layer of salt stain the wood and stone. Scuffs and damage to the stonework and some of the buildings here remain from an attack by a Kraken that occurred over a century ago.

### Cloudrunner District

Home to the skyport and a number of local taverns and storefronts. This area is technically located on a grassy hill outside of the city proper, and is like a small town in and of itself; it has all of the basic goods the crew of an airship might need without having to go into the city.

#### Points of Interest

* **Awgomir's Roaster:** A small carry-out eatery operating from an outdoor booth, offering roasted nuts and vegetable kabobs. The owner, Victor Awgomir, is a vegan and does not serve anything that comes from an animal. His kebabs sell poorly, though people do seem to like the various nuts he has for sale.
* **Calomir's Cleaners:** A launderer owned by a family of halflings, located across the street from the Huhrong.
* **Connor's Dry Goods:** A small general store that stocks basic equipment. An authorized Solgrov-Robard outlet, catalogue sales for the area can be made here, and are delivered straight to this store—or any other certified outlet.
* **The Huhrong:** A comfortable tavern near the skyport. Popular with foreigners. Run by a dwarf named **Broly Stonechipper**.
* **The Rust Exchange:** One of two storefronts that houses this government-sponsored program. The Rust Exchange takes old, worn down metal equipment, crushes it down to raw metal, and gives you some coin for the effort.
* **The Skyport:** One of the largest skyports in the world, able to house more than thirty airships at a time. Numerous taxes make docking at the skyport a bit expensive, in addition to the weekly fees one must pay to dock at the "highly demanded" skyport.
* **What Ales You:** The other tavern in town, more popular with local workers.

### The Crown District

The central district of the city, where the Royal Palace is found. It also serves as the home to various Guild Headquarters and other branches of official city administrations.

#### Points of Interest

* **The Mapmaker's Guild**
* **The Rust Exchange:** A second branch of the popular program, and the first to have officially opened. It is much larger, and draws large crowd.
* **The Skymaster's Guild:** Headquarters of all official airship activity in the city.
* **The Swordsman's Guild**

### East End

The artistic, bohemian district of the city. It's got cheap housing and workspaces that make it appealing to artisans of all walks. There is a healthy residential population as well, and the general atmosphere is considerably more liberal, welcoming, and laid-back than the rest of the city. This is off-set by the crime levels found here.

### The Foundry

A small district of the city near the Ironmonger District, that is home to many dwarven emissaries and immigrants. The district is named after the church of **Moradin** that is found here. Sometimes called the "Stone Quarter".

### High Quarter

Home of Tolstov's elite. It is the cleanest and safest section of the city, apart from the palace itself. Magical entry is forbidden, and those who do not appear to be of the proper social standing are not permitted entry.

### Ironmonger District

The city's industrial district, home to countless mills, forges, foundaries, and factories. Also home to a famous school of combat.

### The Red Market

The merchant's quarter and primary residential district, the Red Market is the city's largest district. Named for for the red sashes that approved merchants wear, and for the similarly red canopies on their storefronts or hanging from merchant stalls.

### Temple Square

A large, mostly-open area of town where the five massive, beautiful temples dedicated to the five gods of the empire are found. The majority of the square is a large, green park with the five temples positioned around the park like the five points of a star; Pelor is at the north end, Heironeous to the west, St. Cuthbert to the east, Boccob to the southwest, and the Raven Queen's tower to the southeast.

#### Points of Interest

* **The Cathedral of the Holy Dawn:** A truly massive, steepled cathedral dedicated to Pelor with exquisite windows of stained glass. It is the heart of the Peloric religion and the seat of its leader. Hundreds of candles and brightly burned braziers light the temple, which is filled with the chants and songs of choirs, and the prayers of visitors at all hours of the day. The Cathedral of the Holy Dawn marks the site where the Exalted Crusade that eventually felled the Demon Prince was held.
* **The Grand Library:** The church of Boccob, the Grand Library is a building glass and iron etched with eldritch runes and writings. Every floor of this tall building, and the vaults below it, are filled with countless books, scrolls, and writings of every sort. The byzantine halls and twisting passages are a nightmare for any but the cloistered priests to navigate. The Library contains many laboratories, vaults, classrooms, meditation chambers, and museum exhibits.
* **The Lawbringer's Court:** A tall building, with huge marble columns and the symbol of St. Cuthbert emblazoned in stained glass. The largest courthouse in the world, it is home to countless records, books of law, courtrooms, law offices, a combat arena, and barracks for their clerics and paladins. The head of the Cuthbertine church resides here.
* **The Platinum Hall:** More of a fortress than a temple, this building is one of the most secure military buildings in the empire. Banners for Heironeous fly from its parapets, and trumpeteers and military displays are common.
* **The Raven's Tower:** A gray, cold graveyard where no plants grow, and no animals reside save for the flocks of ravens that are seen in the trees and the iron poles placed along the edges of the walkways. The tower itself is five stories tall and seems to have been carved from a single piece of polished, jet black stone. Cemeteries, tombs, and crypts surround the tower. For most people, it seems that no matter how long one walks toward the Tower, it never gets any closer. Very few have ever seen beyond its doors.

### The Warrens

The slums of Tolstov. Cramped and packed with desperate, scared, somewhat oppressed people the rest of the city has turned its back on. The Gate to the Warrens is always closed, refusing residents access to the Red Market most of the time.

## Demographics

The population of Tolstov is mostly human (72%), with a sizable half-elf, dwarf, and halfling population. However, due to its massive size and importance, the city is home to all manner of races.

## Traditions & Holidays

### Customs

* A local delicacy is a drink known as Bashemi Firewine. It is very expensive, with undiluted vintages available for 70 gp per bottle. When enough is imbibed, the drinker gains a temporary boost of strength at the expense of common sense.
* The Empire is governed by a strict set of laws, with harsh punishments for infraction. Outsiders are generally viewed with scrutiny and suspicion.
* Only five gods are recognized within the Empire--Pelor, Heironeous, Boccob, St. Cuthbert, and the Raven Queen.

## History

### Ancient History

The area that is now Tolstov has been important to the humans of Dharrenal since time immemorial. It is home to the Pillar of Knowledge, and countless bloody wars between ancient Dharranali tribes were fought to claim the lands arounds its base, for it was said that to be near the Pillar was to be awoken to true wisdom.

It was about 600 years before the coming of the Demon Prince that the Ozmit Empire was founded by **Pitor Ozmit**, a proud and fierce warlord who valued cunning over brute force. He built his first palace at the base of the Pillar and challenged any who would dare to try to take it. The city that grew around it over the next century was named "Tolstov". King Ozmit was said to have gained supernatural knowledge, from touching and communing with the Pillar of Knowledge every day.

The Ozmit Empire grew in power and influence over the next few centuries, one of the rare kingdoms that flourished and endured through centuries of bloodshed and constant, petty wars that raged through the region in those ancient days. This longevity gave the Empire more influence throughout central Dharrenal, and its crown city only continued to grow.

### The Calamity War

When the Calamity War broke out, the Ozmit Empire was on the front lines. Due to the devastation and mass exodus from neighboring countries to the eats, Tolstov became a refuge and a place of hope in those dark days. The Five temples each opened massive training camps for clerics and paladins, creating the single largest mass recruitment in history: over ten years, nearly six thousand clerics and paladins were created between the five churches.

With time, the war spread beyond the edges of the Empire and into the heartlands. The sons of the king were killed in battle and his only daughter, married to a count in distant Vanar, was also believed to have been lost. In despair, the King lost all hope and eventually took his own life, ending the Ozmit royal line.

The King's Steward, Duke Radnoy, took up the mantle of leadership. He was reluctant but did so out of loyalty to his old friend, the former king, and to the empire. Under Radnoy's wise leadership, the Empire endured. He led them to victory after victory, and even broke the Siege of Tolstov by leading the knights into battle.

Radnoy brought all of the leaders opposed to the Demon Prince together, and it was Radnoy who founded the alliance that would become the Grand Alliance, forming the Glorious Domains. After several more years, the Grand Alliance would launch the Exalted Crusade that would end with the Demon Prince's banishment.

In the wake of the Calamity War, Radnoy was crowned as king, starting the Radnoy Royal Line that still rules the empire to this day. The Ozmit Empire would quickly absorb dozens of smaller kingdoms around it, "for their protection", doubling its size within a decade.

### Modern Tolstov

Since then, Tolstov has continued to be the largest, most powerful, and most influential city on Dharrenal.