Vallumar

*Once a haven for those who lost their grace, the city awoke from rack and ruin to form a kingdom...*

Carved out of stone from the first descendants of the sun, the elven city of Vallumar has served as a safe haven for high elves for nearly two millennia. Vallumar is the oldest city in Thilsand and current capital. It has an estimated population of about 80,000. The city's population has been growing steadily ever since the end of the Battle of the Dark Days and the government has begun taking steps to improve infrastructure and expand housing to sustain the increase in Vall residents. Vallumar's government currently oversees all the other major Thilsand cities with the exception of BlueAsh.

## Geography & Districts

Vallumar is a coastal city, built alongside a series of cliffs overlooking the Eastern Sea. Surrounded on 3 sides by water and boasting two harbours make it ideal for trade. There are also half a dozen or so small beaches stretching along the city's shores, the largest of which surrounds The Hill.

The city is divided into 6 distinct districts.

### The Hill

The Hill is Vallumar's wealthiest district and the location of the Vallumar Palace. The most prominent figure on Vallumar's skyline, the palace looms above the rest of the city. As the name of the district implies, it is located at the highest point of the city's elevation. The further one travels up the hill, the more prestigious the homes become until one ultimately reaches the palace, which overlooks the steepest cliff over the sea-side.

Many nobles and 'old money' families live in this area, including members of the city council. The district is made up of a primarily high elf population.

### New Town

As the name implies, New Town is the most recently built part of Vallumar. Architecturally, it does blend in with the rest of the city, though still boasts new technologies and modernized homes. New Town is located at the bottom of the Hill, and the further north one travels, the older the homes become until one is officially in the older, wealthier district.

The 'downtown' area of Vallumar is located here - New Town is home to a number of popular nightlife areas, some of which are nicer than others.

New Town is the most diverse neighbourhood in Vallumar with a fast growing population. There has been recent talk about developing new homes in this area in order to accommodate the influx of migrants to the city.

### The Rock

The Rock is the oldest district in Vallumar. *It was where the city was originally settled*; this is evident in the sheer number of homes built into and of the original desert sandstone. It is located in the city's geographical centre, with its homes and various other buildings surrounding the city's vast outdoor market. It is the least populated district, as many families have chosen to move into newer, more modern homes over the years.

The Rock is the second most expensive area to live in Vallumar after The Hill. This is because of its central location and close proximity to both the palace and the main harbour - both being within a 15 minute walking distance.

### Bayside

This coastal district stretches along the city's western shoreline, beginning down near The Pit and extending all the way up parallel to The Hill. There are a number of small harbours within the bay, though the largest, Golden Gate, is the busiest. Bayside is Vallumar's trading and business district and is home to the majority of the city's trade merchants, fisherman, and even a handful of nobility members.

### Outskirts

The 'suburban' area of Vallumar, the Outskirt district surrounds all other districts, with the exception of The Hill. While its name implies it may be a desolate place, this district is actually the most highly populated and largest part of the city. Many working and middle class residents live here, in homes of all different ages and styles.

Over the years, a lot of money has been invested in turning this district into a better place to live. It was previously a 'not so nice' part of town with a lot of petty criminal activity that has been cleaned up or diverted into The Pit over the last 50 or so years. A lot of families now choose to make this district their home due to it being quieter and less compact than the rest of the city. The Outskirts are often described as having a 'lot of room to grow'.

### The Pit

The Pit has often been described as one of the worst places in Thilsand. Although the sun is always shining in Vallumar, there is little light here. As one travels further east beyond the outskirts of the capital, abandoned warehouses and other dilapidated structures begin to crop up. Blah blah blah it’s basically a shanty town outside of The Rock.

There are parts of the Pit that are better than others. Spots of this district have less crime than others and there are a few places that one might actually consider liveable. The overall bad reputation of The Pit deters anyone who has the choice from living there though, and thus, it remains an impoverished region with high crime rates. A number of Vallumar's criminals are sentenced to The Pit as a kind of imprisonment - they are made to live in the district's worst area, rather than in the palace's dungeons. The city council believes this is a good deal for those who have committed smaller offences, as they are still technically given some freedoms. Still, most choose the dungeons over having to spend any time in The Pit voluntarily.

The new queen Ilyana had recently enacted a movement to try and build two new schools there - one for children, and one for adults who may wish to change the course of their lives. There was a lot of support for this from the other districts of Vallumar, however, a lot of the Pit's residents saw this as some kind of act of gentrification and kept this from happening.

## Government

Vallumar, and those allied under it, are governed by a monarchy and a council system. The City Council was created before the monarchy, meaning it is one of the oldest democratic governing bodies in at least the mythical world.

### The City Council

The Council consists of 24 representatives - each of the 6 districts chooses 4 residents to represent their wants, needs, and political values at court. New representatives are elected every three years, and a representative may not be elected any more than six times in his or her lifetime. Members of the city council typically live within their home districts and come up to the palace for court throughout the week on an as-needed-basis. Twice a month, all representatives are called up to The Hill for days of Whole Court. On Whole Court days, the city, noble, guard, and advisory councils all meet to make larger, more executive decisions that may impact the entire city's well-being.

Representatives come up with and vote for bills or movements that might impact their individual districts.

### Nobility Council

The nobility council is made up of Vallumar's major stakeholders - wealthy trade merchants, members of ancient houses, and friends of the monarchy. Unlike the city council, members of this branch of council are not elected by the actual citizens of Vallumar, rather, they are specially chosen by members of the monarchy's advisory council. The nobility council exists to work alongside the city council, to ensure there is balance between the average, every day citizens of Vallumar and the overall best interests of the city's economic state. One member from each of the major families in the city is supposed to be on this council, though there may be gaps of time where a family goes unrepresented, depending on how much power that family has at any given time.

### The Monarchy & Royal Court

The royal court is at the head of all matters of state. It is composed of members of House Vallumar and has been since the monarchy was established nearly two millennia ago. The monarchy oversees all important decisions made regarding not only Vallumar itself, but the other mythical cities governed underneath it.

The son of former queen Ilyana Vallumar, Saevel, is the current heir and will be Vallumar's first ever King when he comes of age. Until then, Renna is acting as regent, much to the chagrin of the Vall people.

## The Vallguard

The Vallguard oversees the security of Vallumar and makes up the majority of its military force. It is made up of mythicals of all species, who enter into its training program at around 12 years of age. It typically takes initiates between 6-8 years to complete this vigorous training program. About half of initiates do not make the final cut or find training too difficult to complete.

The Vallguard is headed by 3 captains, each of which are elected by the officers of the 4 branches of the Vallguard. Captains also serve as military leaders during times of war, and may also instruct initiates during their training. Officers oversee their own particular branch and are typically the most skilled in their field.

The current captains are:

* First Captain, Saphielle Vallumar
* Second Captain, Lethonel Aeyra
* Third Captain, Kali Elphine

### City Defense

This branch serves as Vallumar’s police force – they aim to ensure the safety and protection of the common Vall citizen. Members of the city defense undergo the least amount of intellectual and psychosocial training. Instead, they typically focus on learning physical skills – such as swordsmanship. This is the most popular branch of the Vallguard, as there are the most people within this branch. Typically, every member of the guard is required to spend 2 years working specifically for city defense. This is usually done immediately after graduating the training program and allows graduates to put everything they’ve learned to work. This is also where the exceptionally talented have a chance to prove themselves outside of training. Members of the city defense wear red cloaks, and are typically found at work in the actual city itself.

### Intelligence

This branch is comprised of the guard’s finest spies. This is perhaps the second most difficult branch to get into, though it is the branch that relies most on actual sharp-mindedness and less on physical prowess. The intelligence branch works with and for all three other branches by gathering important information about what is going on both within Vallumar and in the rest of the world. Intelligence officers undergo the most training in subterfuge, though some individuals may choose to also specialize in a particular physical skill as well. This branch is comprised of officers and drones – officers (as the title implies) are the best in the field and tackle more challenging missions. Drones are responsible for analyzing incoming information and completing administrative tasks. Because this branch requires a sort of secrecy, intelligence officers and drones do not wear cloaks that identify them. The identities of members within this branch are largely kept secret, as only the Vallguard's captains interact with them personally.

### Royal Defense

The most talented members of the city defense are often promoted to positions within the actual palace itself. Those within this branch are directly responsible for protecting not only the nobles of the city, but the royal family itself. There are about 50 royal defense members responsible for protecting the royal family directly, but around 130 royal defense members overall. Members of this order must be skilled in all areas of training and thus, most that belong to the royal defense are older and more experienced. To distinguish themselves from other members of the guard, royal defense guardsmen wear dark green cloaks.

### Military

Technically, all members of the Vallguard belong to Vallumar's military. However, during times of peace, there are only about 30 guard members who specifically work in this branch, planning future strategies and maintaining good relations with the other major cities. Typically, the 3rd captain of the Vallguard is in charge of overseeing this branch and is given extra training in military history and combat strategies.

## Culture

Vallumar's culture is heavily influenced by its history - many of its inhabitants are celestials and practice the traditions and religious rituals of Celestrism. As the Vall population has become more diverse over recent years, so has its culture. The city is now considered to be rather global, in that one can find cultural elements from all over the world in various parts of the city.

The city has no official language, though many residents speak Elvish (a language stemmed from Sylvan). It is commonly spoken within the nobility households and, up until recently, was the official language of the Vall Government's meetings.

Vallumar's seasonal markets and festivals play a large role in the city's overall culture. The Summer Trade period brings festivals with it, which most residents eagerly look forward to. The city comes to life during this time of year, as houses are adorned with colourful banners and the market stalls open for business, overflowing with every kind of good imaginable. The Winter Market (sometimes referred to as the Night Market) is smaller in comparison, but is unique in that it is the only time of year in which traders from BlueAsh do business with Vallumar.

## History

Founded by a tribe of nomadic high elves and their bastard children, Vallumar was once completely hidden from the rest of Thilsand. Shrouded by glamours, tucked away in the middle of the desert, it was nearly impossible to find. The city was an ideal hiding place for the hunted group which founded it. Wanting to create a replica of their old homes, the high elves began building elaborate abodes throughout the desert rock. Eager to restore the old sense of power they had once known, the elves elected to give Vallumar over to the woman who led them to safety. Ygragara Vallumar was crowned queen and ruled over the city for centuries… Under her reign, Vallumar flourished and became home to tens of thousands of high elves and fey.

### The Battle of the Dark Days

Soon after humankind discovered the existence of magical creatures in their world, Vallumar entered a kind of panic, wanting to protect their city from the war that was brewing. As the rest of Thilsand plunged into a period of darkness, Vallumar somehow continued to shine. It closed its walls, not allowing anyone to enter the city without permission from the monarchy. Trade came to a halt as the city began to stockpile its resources, preparing for any potential famines or sieges. The magic that kept the city invisible was strengthened, making it nearly impossible for even those who had visited it many times to find.

Around this time, Ygragara Vallumar announced she would abdicate the throne to her descendant, Renna Vallumar, so that she could effectively focus on preparing the city’s military. Renna, discovering a natural gift for politics, took the throne at the young age of 18. At first, her skills were put into question because of her young age. Rebel groups made several attempts at a coup, but the young woman would not budge. As the war raged outside the city, it was Renna who managed to keep Vallumar safe from any real harm with her careful decision making and selflessness. She was also known for opening the city's gates to refugees in the fact of mortal terrorism.

Meanwhile, Ygragara aided the city council in forming a military task force to aid the rest of Thilsand. It was during this time that Vallumar, a city mostly ignored and forgotten by other communities, really came into the spotlight. At one point, the city’s military effectively rescued Ea from complete obliteration.

When the war came to a close and the light had won, it was decided Vallumar would become the new capital of Thilsand. A treaty was signed under which Ea swore their allegiance to the Vall government and monarchy. Under this treaty, the city is governed by Vallumar, protected by its military, and share in its trade system. Saltpoint was also recently brought into this treaty and is currently undergoing reformations to its own government.

At the end of the war, relations between Vallumar and Shael Serin began to grow rather tense - as Vallumar moved further into the future and became more progressive, Shael Serin fell back on its archaic traditions. It was apparent this was going to become problematic, especially as former leader Ayen Frey and Renna Vallumar often did not see eye-to-eye on matters of state. Vallumar strived to establish cooperation between the other cities, yet the governing force of Shael Serin continued to close Vallumar out of any major decision it made. The two cities nearly went to war with each other a number of times, until finally, the former capital was raided by Vallumar's military forces and Ayen Frey was executed for his crimes. The city has since fallen into ruin.

### A Golden Age, A Golden City

Currently, Vallumar is undergoing a period of immense growth. The end of the Battle of the Dark Days and its establishment as a capital meant the arrival of new families and species to the city. These new faces brought their trades, unique abilities, and cultures with them. This means Vallumar is rapidly becoming a more diverse city in terms of culture - something that many find appealing.

Ilyana's reign paved the way for a promising future - though he is young, the to-be King Saevel has already made great strides in establishing stronger connections to other communities beyond the officially recognized cities. He is currently trying to enact a movement to promote better relations with BlueAsh and the IVG.