Vardenwall

*The scions of Duncan Arathel were not the first to claim the region now known as Vardenwall. In ages past, the Dwarven Kingdom of Dhal'Khaduruth owned the entirety of the Mirrored Sea. Duncan retired from adventuring life in his home village of Bluegills. Bluegills was built near some ruins of a dwarven outpost often ignore by the locals.He began to claim the region and overtime created a city to protect the people, defend his holding and hide his wealth. As a Priest of Logan Sunstrider, Duncan made a walled citadel that became, over time, a multi ring walled city. Seeing his City as a bastion between frontiers (Barbarians to the South, Threats of the Deep water to the North and untamed lands to the East) He was declared the Warden of the People and was often seen defending the city from it's high walls. No longer the Village of Bluegills, the city became known as Wardenwall's, later the name evolved to Vardenwall due the regional accent.*

*The line of Duncan remains unbroken to this day and the ruler if the people is called the Warden.*

### History

In ancient times, the adventuring human hero named Duncan Arathel returned home from his adventures with Ulrok the Boar with great wealth. Duncan wished to retire in his home village a small fishing village on the southern coast of the Mirrored Sea. He planned a quiet retirement, fishing, farming, sailing and marrying. A quiet life after many years of daring adventure. This was only the case for a year. News of the great wealth of Ulrok the Boar and his companions spread, and Duncan and the little village of Bluegills became a target for all manner of unsavory characters. Duncan ever the pragmatic man, spent his wealth on building up the near defenseless village. He felt a personal responsibility for bringing wave after wave of evils on the village after moving home. Soldiers were hired, walls built, ships purchased and step by step the village transformed. Ulrok, now know as ‘the bold’ created a city in his namesake. Duncan Arathel created a port town wedged between great evils and made it a bastion of good.

As a devout follower of Logan Sunstrider, Leader of the pantheon of light, Duncan prayed to his deity. He was granted a great vision and a purpose that would span many generations of his line. He was to make a bastion for the good people. A place of hope and family and a bulwark against evil. He named his City Warden’s Wall and over the course of the last hundred years it became Vardenwall.

In the past 255 years since the City's founding each Warden has made it their priority to improve the defenses and the living for the citizens. The current Warden is Vorian Arathel the 8th of his line. Vorian rules much like his predecessors, he is humble and has taken the oath to Logan Sunstrider, while only in his early 30’s the young Warden show’s an uncanny wisdom and forethought. He is already a master tactician and deploys his undermanned forces to great effect. Recently tensions with Sopara are at an all time high due to Vorian focusing on trade and expanding his shipping lanes. His Raith Knights and Night Torches have started to expand their ranks in response.

Vardenwall was once the home to the Seventh Sword of light before they were exposed and expelled. This was a devastating blow to the armed forces of Vardenwall as most of the heavy knights and their training methods went with them. This time is referred to The War of Swords. Gaspard de Chamount, grandfather to Antoine de Chamount (The current Leader of the Seventh Sword of Light) lead the Rebellion of Barons to take over the city and go on the offensive against Vardenwall’s many enemies. Warden Lucian Arathel was able to overcome the Baron’s Rebellion and expel them from the city. He then formed the Raithgaurd and the Night Torches to fill the void in his fighting forces. Lucian also commissioned a wizard’s school focusing only on the elven blade singing arts, abjuration, war wizardry and divining. The school is part of the Raithguards early training and tuition are worked off with years of service to the Varden Military.

### Information

The people of Vardenwall are generally a somber bunch. A strict sense of duty and obligation is heavy in their upbringing. All citizen must serve for a period of three years in either the Citizen's Service or one of the branches of the military. In case of war, every adult able bodied citizen has a duty or assignment to help support the city in a time of need. Vardenwall keeps men and women in reserve detachments for a decade after their service ends. No more than conscripts to bolster the defenses, they are often given important non combat roles.

Vardenwall has a steep tradition to Logan Sunstrider and he is revered as the Cities founding god. Many temples to his worship can be found throughout the city. Other deities of the good pantheon can be found as well, they are simply smaller and fewer in number.

 Vardenwall leads the way in social and political innovation, and its people have greater rights and liberties than those of the other Mirrored Sea Nations. The Warden commands the kingdom’s armies and enforces its laws, but he shares a great deal of power with a parliament elected by the citizens. The parliament consists of two branches: the Nobles Chamber and the Commons Chamber.

Seventeen nobles make up the Nobles Chamber; each holds the position for life and passes it on to his or her heir. The people elect the Commons legislators for terms of three years. Power and influence shift from one chamber to the other, depending on the charisma and stature of the chambers’ leaders. The parliament’s primary responsibility is to create laws. As a result, the people have the parliament to thank for their increased freedoms

#### Population

16,452 (70% Human, 12% Half Elf, 8% Elf, 7% Dwarf, 3% other)

### Locations

* **Raithhome** - Home to the specialized mages light cavalry that used phantom steeds to reach the critical point in a battle, then a combination of spellcasting and martial prowess to win the day. Part of Vardenwall’s's famed magic users, the Raithguard pride themselves on their ability to ride hard and reach strategic points in the battle before the enemy could--or to rescue Varden units in danger of being overwhelmed by the enemy. Made up of Abjuration Wizards, Bladesingers and War wizards, Diviners. Only a single company of 112 Raiths remains on active duty. The current Warden plans to expand these ranks.
* **The Dark Room** (Night Torches HQ) - The Night Torches serve the Warden as spies and assassins. Collectively they form the intelligence division of the Skyfire Citadel, a much larger organization sworn to defend Vardenwall from its enemies and dispense justice in the name of Warden Vorian Arathel. More than any other division within the Citadel, the Night Torches tend toward intelligence gathering missions that extend beyond Varden’s borders. As the secret servants of the Warden, members of the organization are granted the authority to conduct intelligence operations on foreign soil, execute covert missions across the globe, and prevent national secrets from falling into the hands of rival intelligence agencies. The Night Torches also have the unwritten authority to eliminate any creature that threatens their nation, its sovereign, or its citizens.
* **Civil Affairs** (Grey Cloaks HQ) - The City's official Police force mostly made up of Inquisitors, private detectives who specialize in finding missing persons, solving murders or finding those who don't want to be found. Inquisitives are not restricted to this line of work and will solve any mystery. They are known throughout the populace and work in the open unlike the Night Torches.
* **The Kestrel’s Claw** (Wind Riders HQ) -
* **University of the Sun -** The campus outgrew its initial building long ago and now encompasses six sprawling structures equipped with dormitories, apartments, libraries, restaurants, coffee houses, theaters, classrooms, laboratories, and museums. The university remained open throughout the War od Swords, but fewer and fewer enrollees arrived. By the war’s end, the professors outnumbered the students. To increase enrollment, the university relaxed its restrictions on attendees and invited new students from all nations. The new policy created a cosmopolitan mix of scholars including Lygran, Elves, Dwarves, Cottonborn and even a few warforged. This diversity has resulted in increased tensions among the student body, and strident calls for more representation of minority races among the teaching staff. Still, the university is committed to educate as it has over the centuries and has taken steps to accommodate its diverse population.
* **Warden’s Citadel** - Skyfire Citadel
* **Trader’s Ward** -
* **Port Bastion** -

### Special Forces

* Raith Knights
* Grey Cloaks
* Wind Riders
* Night Torches