Liniston

A city built in Central Votrane on the coast of the Lifeless Loch. It is famous and curious because it is the only city founded and designed by halflings. Inspired by the barbaric tradetowns of the North and East, and constantly a battleground for thieve’s, assassin’s, and knight’s guilds, Liniston can be a dangerous place to visit without a trustworthy guide. Liniston has an aristocracy controlled by the Votrane Confederacy.
Liniston was founded in 560 by the hero and adventurer Lini Rabbitsong. Rabbitsong had collected a massive fortune in her travels across the world, and used it to become a pioneer in introducing the barbaric halfling tribes to the civilized life of Central Votrane. She commissioned some of the best architects in the land to design a city similar to that of a halfling tradetown, so any halfling immigrants to the city would not feel uncomfortable, and declared herself mayor. Her plan went wonderfully. Various barbaric tribes of halflings moved into Liniston, followed by humans and dwarves from nearby villages. But then, in the year 704, Lini Rabbitsong died without an heir. Countless greedy thieves guilds and nobles flocked to Liniston, hoping to snatch up the title of mayor, and with it her riches. Later in 704, the Votrane Confederacy decided to promote Rabbitsong’s lifetime friend and fellow adventurer, Tako Bellad, to mayor. This decision angered the crime lords and nobles that had been eager for the title. But despite this, Bellad’s reign went well. He expanded the city, adding wards designed to be more to the liking of races other than halflings, and created trading routes with the nearby cities Gar Darohm and Bataluck. During all of this, several thieve's guilds and other criminal organisations were founded by the crime lords that had moved to Liniston. Tako died in 800, passing the position of mayor to his child, Sir Tako Bellad III. Unknown to anyone else, Mayor Bellad II is a lycanthrope, training with mentors nationwide to control his powers.

Liniston is divided into three districts: Halflingtown, Dwarventown, and the Hellholes. Halflingtown is a large collection of skyscrapers, built in the style of dozens of halfling huts stacked on top of each other. The strange towers, while effective in drawing halflings to Liniston, give off an alien, seussian vibe to the other races. Therefore, mostly halflings live here. Halflington is the wealthy part of Liniston. Government buildings, noble house, embassies, wealthy businesses, and the richest thieves guilds are all housed here. Crime is relatively low in Halflingtown, as the thieves guilds are either wealthy enough to afford subtlety or are in the other districts anyhow. Dwarventown is a dock and warehouse district home to mostly dwarves that moved in from nearby dwarven villages. Dwarftown is the economic center of Liniston, making the cities money through running docks, canals, transports, and shipping businesses. Dwarves of Liniston are hardworking and loyal to their ruler and their business, but tend to be even more suspicious and paranoid than usual, due to the massive amounts of crime in Liniston. The Hellholes are a slum where most of the other races (e.g. humans, genasi, some tieflings, some half-orcs) can be found. Crime via thieves guilds and riots over the poor economy of the slums make the Hellholes a dangerous place, and a large problem for the other districts. The Hellholes are also home to an order of knights known as the Knights of the Good Mother, a sort of vigilante police. The Knights of the Good Mother are local celebreties, and all but the most powerful criminals fear them.