Viridell

* 131WD
* 5WD
* Map

Perchance Port

The Shallows

Viridell is a vibrant city as wild as the jungle that sprawls beyond it, often described as the glimmering gemstone in the crown of Tourmalini'i.

It is the capital of the Radiant Triumvirate.

## History

Viridell was the second settlement founded by explorers associated with Nelenet's Expedition Guild, though unlike Whittengrove was not built upon the ruins of a settlement prior. Instead, Viridell was constructed around the Radiant Waymark, with additions to the settlement quickly commissioned by the newly-arrived residents. Further deviating from the design of Whittengrove, Viridell is a more free-form city, sprawling in clusters of varying density, and so mundane categorisation of city wards akin to elsewhere is a frivolous matter - but oft attempted nonetheless.

The vibrancy of the region of Tourmalini'i defines both the city and its residents, dictating common attire, vocations and composure alike. Passions run hot in the streets of Viridell as humidity rises, while come nightfall taverns bawdy and raucous are filled with the mirthful and inebriated.

Though not the largest city in Ahlus, Viridell is arguably the richest, though this claim is predominantly a matter of potential. Rare and precious resources are mined, harvested and caught from the surrounding jungle and bays, affording many residents a quality of life of higher standard than likely elsewhere. This natural wealth has aided in the ongoing construction efforts, for Viridell has been rebuilt from afresh no fewer than three times, twice as a result of violent and sustained tropical storms, and once following its destruction by the Dragon Irsecrinth in the early days of its existence.

During the Fourth Battle for Viridell, the Ancient Dragon Irsecrinth in his Tempest Ascendent form destroyed the building housing the Radiant Waymark, thunderously shattering the frame houses the Wayfinder Stones. Consuming them in turn, he then escaped with all eight, before his storm buffetted the rest of the settlement into ruins - leaving few survivors. It was destroyed in 7WD, Loghelt-Amberlight by the Ancient Dragon Irsecrinth but shortly after rebuilt following sizeable donations of gold and labour from Grognac, Reginald S. Augustine, Hassk and Ignatius Saurwind.

A bountiful destination for trade owing to the wealth of nearby natural resources, Viridell is a highly prosperous city in which all manner of goods and services can be found, legal or otherwise. Catering for the endless flow of sailors, merchants and travellers are numerous taverns, alehouses, markets and artisan workshops.

## Government

In the earliest days of Viridell's founding, it was considered by many to be a subordinate of Whittengrove, connected as they originally were by means of the Waymarks. The Radiant Triumvirate was later set up by Fonteyne Howell, intended for the Triumvirs to act as a mirror to the members of the Lotus Council of Whittengrove. For this purpose, he constructed the Precinct, ruling as one of the Triumvirs before seceding the title following the construction of Howell Town in the north. As well as serving as a meeting chamber, the Precinct also contained a courtroom that doubled as a public podium upon which all residents could raise concerns, grievances and comments freely. Nearby barracks specialised in training what would become the Glimmerguard, providing teaching in techniques of spear, sword, shield and some minor spell casting to bolster the city's defence.

When Fonteyne Howell stood down as a member of the Triumvirate, further expansion was prompted by the high elf investor Lumaris Xaldir, another founding member, helping create the Triumvirate that exists to this day, upon which Xaldir still sits. The Precinct has since been converted into the headquarters of the Glimmerguard, with the more recently constructed Lapidarium serving as the beating heart of government in the city. Operating somewhere between a plutocracy and a republic, the Triumvirs are decided through election, during which the wealthy finance large-scale campaigns to appeal to the landowners of the city to bolster their chances to represent the electorate. Any landowner may enter the runnings, though only the top three candidates are granted status as Triumvir and the power of such a title.

The Glimmerguard, so-named for the polished triangular shard of glass mounted into their steel helms, are the principal peacekeepers in Viridell, as well as the nearby settlements that fall within its sphere of influence. The deltas of the River Lucent and River Tvia, alongside the Tviatini Jungle itself serve as natural obstacles for approaching forces, and Tvia Bay is patrolled by the noteworthy naval force and resident merfolk alike.

### Laws of the Radiant Triumvirate

As judged by representatives of the Halls of the Lapidarium, fines, conscription and labour are commonplace amongst the punishments of Viridell and its surrounding settlements. Conscripts serve as pirate hunters in the Cobalt Sea, whereas labourers are sent to toil in the countless small lumberyards and mines dotted throughout the jungle. If directed towards military personnel, a guildmaster or an individual in the employ of a Triumvir, increased levies are commonplace.

* **Theft.** Up to 20 days labour and/or a fine three times the value of the stolen items.
* **Trespassing.** Up to 7 days labour and/or a fine of 750gp.
* **Failure of proper payment of taxes.** Up to 30 days conscription and/or repossession of assets equal to the amount owed.
* **Operating a business without proper permits.** The cost of the permit and a fine of 50gp.
* **Damage to private property.** Up to 60 days conscription or labour and a fine equal to the value of the damage dealt.
* **Kidnapping.** Up to 45 days labour and/or a fine of 500gp.
* **Assault, with intent to harm.** Up to 30 days conscription and/or a fine of 200gp.
* **Assault, with the intent to kill.** Up to 150 days labour and/or a fine of 875gp.
* **Murder.** Up to 8 years labour and/or a fine of 3500gp.

## Crime

As the nearest major port to Fort Arken, Viridell has served as a bastion for the influences of the Arken Den since their transition into a far-stretching network for merchants and commonfolk seeking illicit goods and service. Despite this, the Arken Den does not hold absolute sway in the city's underworld, for numerous minor gangs and guilds operate in black markets and smuggling, while pirates based out of dens along the coastlines to the southeast enter the city on false pretences to further their own self-actuating goals.

## Geography

As previously discussed, Viridell is in truth more of a collection of mercantile hubs, shanty towns, fortified estates, plantations, ports, lumberyards and mines than a true city, and so does not possess definitive city districts in the conventional sense. Nonetheless, in order to aid clarity of conversation and direction, the locals have taken to using colloquialisms which have since spread into common usage.

### Lambent Quay

The main docks and quayside of Viridell, Lambent Quay is the commercial wharf of the city, and the mooring site for the vast majority of visiting vessels. Interconnecting numerous islands of the River Tvia's delta with sprawling floating walkways, Lambent Quay and its associated infrastructure dominates much of the eastern aspect of the city. Serving sailors, shiphands and travellers alike are a myriad of winehouses, theatres and concert halls providing supposedly affordable entertainment and all manner of shipwrights, dockworkers and porters offering their services. The Galebreakers once owned a complex of buildings near Lambent Quay, before the banks of the river collapsed in a flash flood following a vicious tropical storm, carrying the headquarters along with it.

### Perchance Port

The deeper waters around Lambent Quay facilitate the passage of large merchant vessels and the fleet of galleys maintained by the Radiant Triumvirate for the defence of the city, whereas those shallower are preferred by the local residents whom instead own skiffs and dhows with lateen sails for sake of fishing, collecting coral and pearls and the local transport of fruit and other provisions. Perchance Port is an ill-defined collection of docks amongst the sandbanks, famed for its general lack of administration and organisation. Home to a diverse range of professions and services, Perchance Port is a maze of ships pristine and barely seaworthy alike.

Perchance Port is favoured by most smugglers and other criminal groups, who act with a brazen confidence in defiance of tariff and tax in broad-daylight, knowing that most of the Radiant Triumvirate's attention is instead settled on the more financially influential impact of Lambent Quay.

### The Shallows

Spreading inland from both Lambent Quay and Perchance Port, The Shallows are the primary residential region of Viridell, the constructions as varied in appearance as its residents. Thatched hovels suspended over rockpools, clay-fired huts, thatched cottages, cramped manses, all and more can be found within the Shallows. Each and every facet of life is represented somewhere in The Shallows, with tight-knit communities, frequent festivities, religious shrines and licit and illicit enterprises operating out bustling market plazas scattered throughout.

Stretches of The Shallows closest to the Lambent Quay are the most frequently patrolled by members of the Glimmerguard, as well as groups of mercenaries employed by trading guilds to protect their assets, but deeper within The Shallows thefts are exceptionally common, as well as folk with greater malice in mind than that of a simple pickpocket.

### Notable Locations

* The Well-Travelled Traveller - A general goods store located near the southeastern gate of the city, built on the road towards Fernlight. Specialises in the commissioning and sale of adventuring gear, as operated by the retired adventurer Margus.

### Old Alcyon

The frequent storms of the region have long since weathered and warped the stonework of the only truly fortified part of the city, granting it an appearance akin to the natural ridges upon which the numerous coral reefs of the area grow and flourish. Modest in scope compared to that of the Inner City of Whittengrove, Old Alcyon contains many of the original constructions of the city, including the Precinct, Church of Taranis and many other shrines small and large, several taverns and arcane shops, the Helberg Institute for Higher Learning, and several quiet gardens. A recent addition to Old Alcyon is that of an Aerodrome financed by the Aethnarch of Aviacrest, built atop the northwestern portion of the walls.

The Lapidarium was constructed into the northern aspect of the wall of Old Alcyon, its striking glass dome giving the walled district the appearance of a ring set with a glimmering gemstone when viewed from above. By edict of the Radiant Triumvirate, operation of any kind of business within Viridell requires the provision of a signed permit valid per annum. As such, each Writ's End, the Holy Day of Ilemer taking place annually on the 30th day of Otealt, the streets leading up to the Lapidarium are lined with folk seeking renewal for the year to come, although a few amongst them are known to be offered longer term licences in exchange for providing a portion of their trade for the personal provisions of the Triumvirate.

Each of the Triumvir maintains a fortified manse within the walls, alongside their shared ownership of a clifftop retreat in the settlement of Verdlicay on Great Perianth.

#### Notable Locations of the City (Built During the First Campaign)

* The Waymark Hall - Built from thick stone bricks, the Waymark Hall housed the Radiant Waymark, protecting it from the elements. The doors were protected with a heavy barricade made of wood and iron.
* Altar to the Queen Beyond the Veil - Constructed by Draelfus Dreadwyrm to raise awareness of the largely unknown deity to which he pledges fealty and zealotry, the Altar to the Queen Beyond the Veil is a grand affair.
* The Church of Taranis - Built deliberately without a roof at the susggestion of the adventurer Derecho Dan, the Church of Taranis is dedicated to the service of the Ahlusian God of the Morning, Sky and Sun. Services are held at dawn each day, during which voices are raised high in praise. An associated Mausoleum pays final respects to those that which to be dedicated to the Morning Light in death, whether or not they had done so in life.
* Exander's Exotics - Named for the half-dwarf wizard Exander Havenshade, Exander's Exotics serves the niche populace in Viridell seeking magical services and items. Contained within is a magical enchanter capable of expediating the process of creating arcane objects, as well as the modest living quarters of the mage.
* Galebreaker Complex - Constructed at the order of Albrich Galebreaker, the Galebreaker Complex serves as a mercantile hub for the The Galebreakers. Nestled upon the banks of the nearby river Tvia, the Galebreakers are involved in all manner of business ventures ranging from argiculture to mining to manufacture.
* Garden of Lily - With the increased construction taking place in Viridell, the centaur Liliore instead decided to move to preserve the natural state of the land, as bid by her deity Caihrnn. Constructing sturdy but non-obtrusive walls to protect the modest reserve, she watches over it from a small hut immediately adjacent to the area.
* The Helberg Institute of Higher Learning - Funded by the scholar and adventurer Oswald von Helberg, the Helberg Institute is the first dedicated centre of teaching within Viridell, with specialties including investigative experimentation, arcane research, physiological and anatomical understanding for furtherment of medical matters and natural sciences.
* Köstlich Wunderturm - Also known interchangeably as Das Wunderturm and Köstlich Veldeturm, Köstlich Wunderturm was constructed in the centre of the town by the Thayan expatriate, forcing aside the ring of provisional camps and tents made and maintained by the other residents.
* Party Cone - Starting initially as a snow cone stand operated by the goliath barbarian Grognac, Party Cone has expanded to produce a wide range of flavours to refresh the residents of the settlement.
* The Prescinct - A hub of justice, support and training, the Prescinct was created by Fonteyne Howell shortly after his arrival in the settlement following his departure from Whittengrove. Featuring a manor house, barracks and courtroom, it is one of the larger constructions within Viridell.
* The Sibyl - Skilled with more unusual magical talents, it came as little surprise when Rixori sought to generate an income putting these skills to use outside of adventuring. Conjuring whispers of divined meaning, they provide a service not dissimilar to the oracles of Rydoon, peering into matters of fate and destiny.
* Victor's Circle - Built by the hobgoblin soldier Zran, the tavern at Viridell quickly expanded to match the demands of the residents of the settlement. As well as having a fully functional kitchen specialising in locally harvested produce, it has room sufficient for a number of folk to find shelter from the frequent rainfall.
* Voolno's Grove - Shaped by the Circle of Spores Druid Benes Voolno, Voolno's Grove served as a reminder of what he so desperately longs to return to, providing him with a constant source of motivation, as well as a place to reflect and meditate on his travels thus far.