Stilde

*"Stilde is the cradle of the Protectorate, where she was born from the trials and tribulations suffered by her people at the hands of the Bloody Crowes. She was torched in revenge, but as a phoenix, she rose from the ashes and now shines as a fiery beacon of freedom from tyranny for all peoples of Moribus." -* City of the Phoenix, by Peter Mayberry

## Stilde

To all but the enemies of the Protectorate of Flavevein, of which it is the capital city, Stilde is known as a city where one can live in relative peace and harmony free from the oppression of kings and dictators. Known to many by its honorific name, 'City of the Phoenix', Stilde is a bustling diverse city of commerce and idealism, that has produced some of the greatest philosophers, artists, and heroes of Moribus in the last 800 years. Those that truly know the city, such as those that grew up in its dark alleyways like Rylik and Graves Goosefoot, know that as even the strongest metal has impurities, so too can no city be perfect and free from all corruption and crimes.

## City Geography

Like most cities its size, Stilde is broken into multiple districts based on a variety of different criteria including zoning laws, wealth, defensibility, etc.

### Pheonix Plaza District

Phoenix Plaza is the center-most district of Stilde, and is home to the local, regional, and national governments for the area. Its main features include the three large governmental complexes that house each level of government as well as a large brass statue of a Phoenix that has an eternal flame in a large brazier beneath it to honor those that lost their lives in the fight for independence from Shavenia. It also contains residences for local and visiting governmental officials, the main military base for the Protectors (Flaveveins national army), as well as a supply of shops, resteraunts, and entertainment so that governmental officials rarely need to leave their hilltop. Due to its high importance to the functioning of the national government of the Protectorate, its designed in such a way as to be highly defensible if necessary and is surrounded by its own wall with only one main entrance.

### Oceankeep District

The Oceankeep district is, aside from Pheonix plaza, arguably one of the most important districts for Stilde. Taking up the eastern portion of the city, this district is home to the Protectorate's largest shipping and naval docks, as well as countless warehouses and marketplaces to store, ship, buy, and sell various goods from throughout the Archipelago of Moribus. In addition, this district is the current home to the The Guild Hall, which exists inside of an old warehouse that used to be used to run Shavanian wine before a grape plague wiped out a good chunk of the southern wineries before the Mage's guild was able to find a cure.

### Emberfront District

The Emberfront district is a central district south of the Phoenix plaza and is home to a various number of important places including the watch fortress for the Knights of Stilde, who are the policing force for Stilde and its surrounding rural areas. It is also home to the cleric's guild, as city planners made sure to strategically place it near the entrance to the Pheonix Plaza and the Knights of Stilde in case of an emergency. Otherwise, the district is home to higher wealth residences, shops, eateries, and entertainment, as well as some offices for actuaries and accountants that manage the city's finances.

### Ravenspire District

The Ravenspire district is the small central northern district of Stilde, and is almost entirely dominated by the campus of the Mage's Guild. Any space that is not occupied by the Mage's guild is filled with various shops and stands selling oddities and curiosities, including magical items, though it takes a good eye to sift through those selling useless trinkets meant for tourists, and those who are selling real high quality magical goods. Alucard the Arcane manages his Protectorate branch of his auction business outside of a large building in this district.

Ever since The Planar Incident, this area is also home to a strange array of creatures that were not present in Stilde previously, including a brightly colored red bird that has been named a Ravenspire Spoonbill, and strange intelligent jungle cats with various spotted patterns.

### Greenacre District

The Greenacre district is the northern-most district of Stilde and it borders the northern gate and the farming fields, many of which are owned by agricultural magnate Ferdinaad Dendrivil. The district itself is home to a hustling and bustling daily farmer's market where local farmers and craftsmen offer their goods through various market stands, as well as negotiate for larger sales at the various Agricultural goods offices spread throughout the area. This area has a heavy amount of large roads and pathways for the high number of carts and shipments that travel through here to the markets or down to the Oceankeep district for export.

### Bronzegate District

Bronzegate district is the eastern-most district of Stilde and is the main residental district of Stilde. Here, most of the general populace live, shop, and enjoy life in a comfortable middle-class area. It is also home to a large entertainment district at its eastern side which contains a large arena for plays, gladiatorial combat, horse racing/jousting, and festivals.

### Westtown District

Settled in the north-western portion of the city of Stilde, this area is generally a poorer area of the city full of smaller multi-family residences, blacksmithing facilities, and additional warehouses to store ores and metals.

### Clayvalley District

The Clayvalley District is a South-eastern district that contains a large amount of housing, inns, food/drink, and entertainment for those that work the dock areas and local and foreign sailors. If any district of the city of Stilde is considered to be 'rough' and 'shady', this district tends to get that reputation.

## Culture

The culture of Stilde is generally considered to be one of the most diverse and free cultures in the Archipelago. Here various races from all over meet in an essential melting pot of culture, sharing food, song, and drink. As such, Stilde contains many unique dishes, drinks, and styles of music that could only exist in a place where culture mixes so readily, including a famous cinnamon liquor known as Dwarven Fire Whisky, made famous by the Dwarf brewer Gimli Firebal when he accidentally mixed a batch of traditional Stildarian Whisky and a high alchohol content dwarven concoction known as Morak (which means Magma in their native tongue).

## Local Government

The local government of Stilde is fairly standard, each district electing a local alderman that maintains the needs for each district, and a Baron that is in charge of the city as a whole. Locals from all areas of the city are welcomed and highly encouraged to bring their worries and needs before the council of aldermen and the Baron. The current Baron of Stilde is Baron Richard Forthwin.

## Organizations

* *Knights of Stilde:* The policing force for Stilde and the surrounding areas, also available as a small standing army for the Protectorate if needed in times of war, to help defend Stilde and the national seat of government.
* *Mage's Guild:* Main home to Flavevein's branch of the Mage's Guild, trains and governs magical use and items, as well as advises local and national leaders on matters of great importance. The nation's largest collection of intellectuals and researchers, and is a huge boon to the city and the nation to have an organization such as the Mage's Guild in your circle.
* *Adventurer's Guild:* A small, up and coming guild of for-hire adventurers started by retired adventurers, and now 'led' by Rhysand Wyrmsbane. They occupy a small guild hall out a warehouse in the Oceankeep District
* *Cleric's Guild:* Main training and living quarters for the Protectorate's clerics and medics, as well as acting as a large local hospital for Stilde. Here Clerics and medics learn and practice their craft, and are distributed nationally throughout smaller local branches and make visits to small towns to help maintain the health of the populace.
* *Warrior's Guild:* A large guild of for-hire warriors that is the direct rival for the Adventurer's Guild, and manages to snap up the majority of local contracts. They work out of a large building in the Greenacre district.
* *Red Dragon Daily:* Local newspaper for Stilde

## Notable Stildareans

### Nobility

* *Prime Senator Stefelos Takandrou (Centaur, Male):* Stefelos Takandrou is the current elected Prime Senator of the Protectorate of Flavevein, and he resides in the Phoenix Plaza in the Prime Senator mansion which he has spared no expense in hiring a large number of gardners to maintain a dense and beautiful landscaping around. His lower half is that of a black mottled horse, and his upper half is that of an aged but handsome man with kind eyes and long black hair and dark skin. He is considered to be extremely wise and kind, and is known to be a calming voice helping arguing senators find common ground for the good of the people.
* *Baron Richard von Forthwith (Human, Male):* Baron Richard is currently the leader of the local Stildarian government. He is a very fit tall muscular man, and before his election served as the Lord Commander of the Knights of Stilde for almost 10 years. His dark black hair is shocked with greying hairs near the temples, and his personality is very personable and welcoming and speaks with a booming voice.
* *Alderman Usunaar Silvyr (Half-elf, Male):* Usunaar is currently the alderman for the Westtown district and is known to be incredibly private. Most people are not sure what he even looks like, which some question how he got elected in the first place without campaigning publicly to his constituents. In public meetings with the aldermans council which he says is due to a sickness that has left him bedridden, and he rarely appears in person preferring to speak through his second.
* *Senator Bethani Aetherwing (Aaracockra, Female):* Bethani Aetherwing is the lead senator for the Triyr Brea region and resides full time in the Pheonix district after being elected by the merchant's council to represent the eastern ports of Triyr Brea. She has white feathers with mottled brown and rusty spots, with a rusty red colored tail and wing feathers. She is generally fairly full of herself and tends to look down on those that are less well off than she is. She also spends a lot of time in the Oceankeep district helping to ensure trade between Triyr Brea and Stilde flows smoothly, as she has a big finanical investment in that area.
* *Prime Alderman Jakobi Peters (Human, Halfling):* Jakobi Peters is the leader of the local Stildarean government, and is short with tanned skin and brown curly hair. He is very wealthy, but prefers to live "simply" just outside town on his own massive farm, where he supplies the city with its majority of potatoes.

### Elite Figures

* *Ferdinaad Dendrivil (Human, Male):* Ferdinaad is an incredibly wealthy man, due to the fact that he own a majority of the northern farms and the town of Dendrivil in the north outside the walls of Stilde. He's known to be pretty full of himself and has little patience for those wasting his time.
* *Sigismund Weathersby* *(Human, Male):* Sigismund is one of the wealthiest and most influential men in Stilde. His business, Weathersby Wares, ships a large amount of goods into and out of the Stilde ports daily and he owns quite a few warehouses and storefronts in the Oceankeep district. In addition, he's known to be quite the philantropist, helping out the city's poor and donating to the cleric's guild quite often, in addition to starting and running multiple charities.
* *Sephira Willow (Half-Elf, Female) :* Sephira is an incredibly talented member of the mage's guild, and is a member of the new council under Cinder's leadership. Her incredible knowledge of politics and history borders on prophetic, and she has taken a comfortable position among the senators as a lead national and regional advisor that many of the politicians look up to.

### Authority Figures

* *Betyn of the Mountains (Dwarf, Male):* Betyn of the mountains is the current Lord Commander of the Knights of Stilde. Hailing from the Iron Lords of the Craq Gren region, Betyn was sent to train the Knights of Stilde, and ended up finding himself enjoying the luxuries of living within Stilde. He ended up staying and quickly rose through the ranks, replacing Richard von Forthwith with a unanimous vote from his colleagues.
* *Alphonse the Wolf (Human, Male):* Captain of the Knights of Stilde charged with managing the patrols of the Oceankeep district and has crossed paths with the adventurer's guild many times for better or for worse. He is a good loyal man, and is decently tall with a bald head and piercing blue eyes. He has a distrust of adventurers, feeling like they feel like they can do whatever they want, which was solidified after the incident with *The Protector.*
* *Cyclos Northernwind (Air Genasi, Genderfluid):* Cyclos is the head authority from the mages guild in charge of inspecting magical items and users within Stilde and the surrounding areas. Their light blue skin and white tattoos is a very rare appearance even in a city as diverse as Stilde. They take their job very seriously, and if they ever found out that Rylik was in possession of Soulrender there would certainly be some issues.

### Other Stildareans

* *Archie (Warforged, genderless):* Archie is the main archivist for the Red Dragon Daily field office, a brass and iron warforged with small iron magnification spectacles. He tends to wear frilly white shirt and black pantaloons, and is an exceptional source of knowledge for anyone looking for background info on historical events throughout Moribus.

## History of Stilde

Stilde is the original city that rebelled against the Kingdom of Shavenia and the ruthless sorcerer kings known as the Bloody Crowes. As a result, it suffered the most damage of all cities of the territories that would become the Protectorate of Flavevein, being nearly burned to the ground. However, from the ashes, a shining beacon of freedom and commerce grew.