Ledenon

*Written by* Hitman488*.*

### Territory

The climate is very arid with very mild winters and scorching summers. There are few rivers and the occasional oasis. There are few mountains but many hills and some small canyons. The flora is mostly shrubland with diverse trees that need little water. The region is named after its biggest city that was built next to the the river of **Potami** and **Snake Mountain**. The desert in which Ledenon is located is called “**Sanaan**”.

Ledenon rivals **Sovereign** in size, being much bigger but less densely populated. The surrounding villages are mostly small farming villages that supply trade caravans with their agricultural products as well as cattle and ridable mounts such as donkeys and ponies. They also supply the big metropolis of Ledenon with the necessities. However, Ledenon's needs cannot be maintained by the locals, and it is very reliant on commerce due to its citizens luxurious lifestyle.

The surrounding lands are inhabited by a wide variety of smaller villages and settlements. Most of them located close to or around an oasis to support life and growth. The **Sanaan desert** is vast and harsh resulting in the disbanding of settlements all too often. Those people must either adopt a nomadic lifestyle or move to Ledenon. Some end up joining the tribes of the east that have been roaming the **Great Plains** for centuries.

### Important Places

The city is ruled by two different ideologies that mostly co-exist with one another. The first is a Plutocracy led by the wealthiest merchants, heads of local caravan and trade companies, and the supreme mayor. The second is the Theocratic society of the Emerald Giant.

* **The Emerald Giant** is a large cathedral, located in a district also known as Emerald Giant (or **Emerald district**) that serves as the governing headquarter of Ledenon and the surrounding lands, as well as the holy site of the Clergy also known as **the Snakes**. The Emerald Giant was built on the foot of **Snake Mountain**, the namesake for the religious cult.
* **Vernet** and **Domazan** are the plutocratic districts in which the filthy rich Elite owns their enormous palace-like structures. **Trade Town** is the heart of commerce and therefore the living breathing pulse of both Ledenon and the entire region. These 3 districts, alongside **Emerald District**, are known as the inner-city districts.
* **Gloom Village** is a small district outside the city walls and adjacent to the Emerald Giant district. It is inhabited by a wealthy group of people that are neither part of **the Elite** nor the **Clergy of the Snake** or outcasts of these societies.
* **Purpleport** is a trading district that, unlike **Trade Town**, has no city walls. This district is named after the cloth trade and is the oldest part of the city. Once the city walls were built around the river of **Potami**, Purpleport was not the centre of the Elite anymore. Even though **the Elite** have abandoned the district, Purpleport is still a rich district and vital for the city since its sprawling port hasn’t lost any of its appeal for merchants.
* **Shahat**, or **West Quarter**, is the largest district of the city. It largely consists of impoverished slums and its inhabitants make up the bulk of the workforce of the city. Living in Shahat is still expensive and due to the poor payment most workers get, the slums are in a poor state. However, people from the villages and smaller settlements tend to settle in Shahat since it is the only place a newcomer could possibly live and most people see it as a gateway to the inner city and its wealth.
* **Denia**, or **East Quarter**, is located next to the city walls and **Shahat**. This district is mostly inhabited by the middle class. Merchants, traders, craftsfolk, scribes and the like. Many people who live in Denia are working in **Trade Town** but can not afford to live within the city walls yet. Due to it’s close proximity to the northern edge of the city and the inner city walls, the area is much wealthier than **Shahat**. All toll stations that lead into the city walls have to go through Denia which means that local toll collectors are profiting from every supply cart, trade caravan, nomad and visitor to Ledenon. Newcomers also have to register with these toll agents and pay an arrival tax simply for being able to move to the slums of **Shahat**.
* The most northern district is called **Nomadsrest**. Its population fluctuates and mostly consist of people trying to gather a sum large enough to pay the toll agents for a living permit.

### Society

The governing forces of Ledenon used to be very secretive and as a citizen of the lower and middle classes it was next to impossible to get any insight on Ledenon's politics. However, after joining the **Commonwealth** a few decades ago, the government has been more transparent, and a **supreme mayor** is elected for life. The current supreme mayor is the former trading mogul a founder of the legendary builder’s guild “**The Gilded Dragons**”, **Arvad Dareia-Andro**. Arvad has a particular interest in working with the Commonwealth and has spared no expense to support **The Quest**’s endeavors.

The **Clergy of the Snake** recruits people of **Denia** and **Trade Town** annually and is more open to the public than **the Elite**. However, only the biggest ceremonies and the annually recruiting is transparent to the people.

The laws are usually enforced by one of three private military forces that are sponsored by **the Elite**, the **Clergy of the Snake** and the **supreme mayor.** The private military usually houses several detectives from the **Commonwealth** to ensure that the Commonwealth and it’s laws are properly represented. Banishment is more common than imprisonment since it is the cheapest form of punishment. Banished people can regain citizenship but must pay a large sum to be accepted back into society. The sum is dependent on the severity of the crime. Crimes that include other's possessions such as theft or vandalism are more expensive than those of harming someone. Avoiding taxes or tolls is the most severe crime and is largely considered to be worse than murder since the Clergy and Elite frame it as an “attempted murder of the state”. Every so often, banished individuals would travel to **Sovereign** and either return to Ledenon or spread out into the **Commonwealth**.

### Culture

The architecture of Ledenon is highly dependent on the district. While **Shahat** mostly consist of huts made of dirt, **Purpleport** has a lot of wooden warehouses and iron enforced structures that support the massive trading. **Denia**, **Trade Town**, **Vernet** and **Domazan** are mostly made from yellow, white or light brown bricks. While Denias buildings are mostly cube-shaped and not too tall, Trade Town buildings can reach up to 6 levels and have a pyramid shaped roof. Buildings of Trade Town are never higher than that because the tallest structures are reserved for Vernet, Domazan and **Emerald Giant**. **The Elite** districts feature majestic structures with breathtaking gardens and awe-inspiring fountains. Emerald Giant features imposing and monumental buildings that often feature green ornaments or outer wall paintings.

The people of Ledenon, except for the people of **Shahat**, enjoy a life style of splendor, compared to the rest of the region. Lavished in exotic meats and fruits as well as the finest cloths, such as silk. Aqueducts, both large and small, make sure that most people have easy access to fresh water.

### People

The citizens of Ledenon are a wide mix of people from all around the region as well as far away lands. Cunning and charisma are virtuous traits. The general populous is very upbeat and cheerful, always looking up to the inner city, its districts and wealth and all the chances presented to them.

The governing Elite is not viewed as corrupt, although they are, but rather revered for their smarts and success.

The men often wear beards in all shape and forms and the women wear mostly braids. Colorful clothing is a sign of wealth and therefore respect. People from the **Shahat** district often wear simple linen clothes and can be easily distinguished from the other districts.

The **Nomad tribes** are unusually good at foraging since it is a necessary skill to survive the surrounding lands. The Nomad tribes are very communal and instead of giving their children a traditional and inheritable family name, such as the general population of Ledenon would do, they will give them a last name consisting of their mothers and fathers name.

### History

The city was founded a long time ago and there are no records of its founding date. The story people like to tell is that a merchant crashed his ship close to the shore when he was surveying possible new trade routes. Upon waking up at the shore he built a makeshift hut out of his ship and sold the rest of the wreckage as well as some of the goods he could rescue to the local population. People started to flock to the shore to trade with the merchant and others started to trade on the shores as well. A small trading outpost turned into a settlement. New ships arrived and trade began to flourish.

The merchant’s ship was called the Ledenon.