Valiance

**Valiance** is the capital and largest city of the kingdom of Menth. It is located on a large strait within the central region of Torne. Valiance serves as the seat of House Borsend, and as a center of trade and military power for the entire nation.

Standing as the largest harbor on Menth, Valiance is a safe port of call in unsafe waters. Valiant Harbor is, aside from Valiant Hold, the most heavily guarded part of the city. Merchants from all over Menth and neighboring nations dock here to trade their goods. The Guardswatch patrol the streets and harbor area to keep the citizens and visitors safe.

## Geography

The city is built along the banks of the Redwater, the longest and most well-known tributary in Menth. The river lies north of much of the settlement, with only a small portion of streets and buildings set back along its eastern bank. Below the Redwater, Valiance spreads out along the east side of Valiant Sound, clinging to the water's edge, and runs south for many acres.

The land surrounding the city is fairly flat and arable, with some low foothills to the north and east. Much of it has been felled of trees and turned into fields tended by the lowborn population.

East of Valiance, along the Ridge Lumber Causeway, the land grows hilly and steep.

## Layout

Valiance is a long and relatively narrow city, with much of it built on the watersides of Valiant Sound and the Redwater river. The northernmost area of the settlement, which spreads along the eastern side of the Redwater, is known as the Tanner District. It is built on both sides of the Capital Road and extends both directions along the river. Once primarily an area for the tanners of Valiance to conduct their work outside the city proper, it has now developed into a bustling mercantile district, with many residences of the merchant and trade classes. Tanner's End, a small sector at the far eastern side of Tanner District, is home to a portion of the city's poorest citizens. Many small docks and private wharves line the southern edge of the district, most in states of rot and disrepair.

The northwestern-most point of Valiance lies to the east across the river mouth from Tanner District. The Prow is named for its shape of the land, which resembles the prow of a ship thrown into the shallow waters of Valiant Sound. Bordered by Hulltown to the south, the Prow is a residential and trade district known for its glasswork guilds. Many of the building roofs are covered with green glass tiles. Most of the guilds and residential buildings are built up along the Prow highland, which overlooks the Sound to the east and the Redwater to the west. The low areas of the Prow, closest to the watersides, are covered with a mass of timber landings and docks.

Hulltown, built between the Prow and the Deck Quarter in the northwestern area of Valiance, is a primarily residential district which houses much of the city's lower classes. Brothels, alehouses, and gambling halls, called gambling ports, line the narrow streets. The residences are built up on timber posts above the shops and trade guilds where the lowborn citizens work. The cries of gulls are continuously heard throughout Hulltown, as they are along the entire Sound side of the city. Portions of the streets are so narrow they can be traveled only on foot. The upper stories of the buildings overhang the alleys, blocking out parts of the sky.

To the south of Hulltown lie the Deck Quarter and Shipyard Quarter, the primary ship trade districts of Valiance. Both quarters are filled with shipyards and warehouses.

Four major roads lead into the city, all of them built from logs halved and laid width-wise in the earth. To the north runs Capital Road, which crosses the Redwater by Tanner's Bridge. It leads south toward the settlement center, passing through the heart of Valiance. Southeast of Capital Road, farther south along the Redwater, the Ruby Road crosses the river by Ruby Bridge. It is the worst road for travel as it is the least well kept, with parts of it fallen into disrepair. South of the Ruby Road, the Ridge Lumber Causeway runs east from the center of Valiance into the rocky Tidefall Highlands. The causeway sees frequent traffic with laborers traveling toward Rustspring Mines and the scattering of villages on the outskirts of the capital. To the west, the Old Road runs near Valiant Sound toward Agara's Green in the city's heart The oldest major thoroughfare in the region, it was once named the Charter Road after the founding of Valiance. It is still well maintained and is considered a wide and comfortable road for travel.

### Festivals and observed days

* Founding Day: The eighth day of the month of Gelarin is observed as the date the city was founded by royal charter.