Factions
Government A monarchy ruled by King Valamir Droskan.
The Concord of Commerce A coalition of independent trade masters.
Fate Defied A mercenary guild of warriors, scholars, and explorers with the joint, self-imposed mission of keeping Aurelith and its people safe.
Academy of Fate A training branch of the Fate Defied mercenary guild.
The Ardent Conclave A guild of mages and sorcerers.
Umbrylith Syndicate A ruthless and secretive group of thieves and assassins.
Zerethil Archive A library and archive.
The Ebon Spire A school for arcane practitioners.
The Sanctum of Yrteus A temple for the monks of Yrteus.
Places of Interest
The Brass Post Aurelith's official courier guild operating a network of runners, riders, and trained messengers. The guild is known for its reliability, discretion, and meticulous record-keeping. Their offices can be found throughout Aurelith, marked by a simple emblem of a sealed envelope pressed with wax, a symbol recognized by citizens of every social class.
Upper Aurelith
The Gilded Spring Aurelith's premier bathhouse, catering to nobles, wealthy merchants, and distinguished guests. Within its sandstone walls, guests enjoy heated mineral pools, fragrant steam baths, private soaking chambers, and attentive service in an atmosphere of quiet luxury. More than a place of relaxation, The Gilded Spring is a favored gathering place for the city's elite, where important conversations often unfold beneath the veil of drifting steam.
The Crown's Crucible Aurelith's famed gladiatorial arena, where the city's wealthy gather to witness spectacles of blood, bravery, and survival. Advertised as a path to fortune and social advancement, the arena offers common citizens the chance to earn wealth, fame, and even patronage through combat against monsters, criminals, and fellow contestants. For many of the lower class, it is one of the few opportunities to set foot in Upper Aurelith; for the elite watching from cushioned balconies above, it is simply another evening's entertainment. Occasionally, nobility will sponsor a gladiator, pitting their fighters against their friends' or competitors' to settle deals or for bragging rights.
The Veiled Eye Rising above the rooftops of Upper Aurelith, the Veiled Eye serves as both observatory and place of study for those devoted to unraveling the mysteries of the heavens. Scholars, astrologers, diviners, and mystics gather beneath its great lenses and rotating domes to chart distant stars, record celestial movements, and search for hidden patterns in the night sky. While some pursue knowledge for its own sake, others claim the stars reveal fortunes, warnings, and secrets yet to come—and for the right price, they are more than willing to share what they see.
Sweetwater Place A sprawling sandstone palace built around a vast open atrium that rises four stories to the sky. Its rooftop terraces are filled with shaded lounges, flowing water features, and lush greenery, creating the illusion of an oasis amidst the city's sunbaked stone. Within its walls, guests can indulge in gambling, fine drink, live entertainment, and countless other temptations beneath glittering chandeliers and hanging gardens. The establishment is owned by a flamboyant orc named Vargan Goldtusk, whose jeweled attire, brightly dyed beard, and larger-than-life personality are nearly as famous as the casino itself. Maintaining order are members of his clan, a formidable presence of impeccably dressed orc guards whose loyalty ensures that trouble rarely lasts long within Sweetwater Place.
Upper Aurelith Guard Barracks & Jailhouse A well-funded complex responsible for protecting the city's wealthiest districts, government officials, and noble estates. Its guards are better equipped, better trained, and held to higher standards than their counterparts below. The attached jail is small but exceptionally secure, designed to hold influential criminals, political offenders, and dangerous suspects awaiting judgment. Prisoners are housed in private cells with reasonable accommodations, reflecting the expectation that many detainees come from powerful families capable of scrutinizing their treatment.
The Farmlands
Westwind Estate This vineyard stretches across the western edge of Aurelith's farmlands, where long rows of carefully tended grapevines bask in the afternoon sun. Owned by the wealthy merchant Cassian Merrow, the estate produces some of the city's most sought-after wines, ranging from affordable table vintages to rare bottles reserved for nobles and special occasions. Its rolling fields, stone winery, and sprawling manor house stand as a symbol of both agricultural success and merchant wealth.
Lower Aurelith
Performer's Guild Home to actors, singers, dancers, musicians, story-tellers, and all others that want to practice and share their gift to entertain.
The Lantern Stage The Theater where the Performer's Guilds hosts performances. It is rare to find nobility here; the citizens of Upper Aurelith hire The Performer's Guild for private performances when they want that form of entertainment.
The Pit While the Crucible is a grotesque sport for the elite, The Pit is the lower class's rebellion of that idea. The Pit is a place where anyone can sign up for a one-on-one fight. Fights can be for any reason: clout, to settle a dispute, a challenge among friends, or just to test one's skills. They rarely end in death, and often competitors walk away laughing, shaking hands, embracing one another, or to share a drink, though not always. It is a place for people who need to express themselves through violence. Money is only earned through wagers. Sometimes nobility will send a scout to find talent for The Crown's Crucible.
Stonewall Stables Located on the outskirts of Lower Aurelith, Stonewall Stables is the city's primary breeder, trainer, and supplier of horses, providing mounts for everyone from farmers and merchants to city guards, adventurers, and the noble houses of Upper Aurelith. Known for producing reliable, even-tempered stock as well as prized riding and war horses, the stable has earned a reputation for quality that spans generations. Its sprawling paddocks, training grounds, and breeding barns are a familiar sight to citizens of Lower Aurelith, and few horses can be found within the city whose lineage does not trace back to Stonewall's carefully maintained bloodlines.
The Mill Known simply as The Mill, this sprawling lumber operation supplies nearly all of the timber used throughout Aurelith, from humble homes and market stalls to noble estates and city fortifications. While the saws and workshops within the city are dangerous enough, the true risk falls upon the woodcutters who venture beyond Aurelith's walls to harvest the lumber itself. Facing wild beasts, harsh conditions, and threats that most citizens never see, these workers are regarded with a mixture of respect and admiration among the lower class. Though rarely wealthy, those who earn their living through The Mill are known as some of the hardest and bravest laborers in the city.
The Harbor District The Harbor District is a bustling waterfront of docks, warehouses, and fish markets that keeps Aurelith fed and supplied. Large fishing vessels depart daily into The Maw, while heavily armed hunting ships, funded by the Crown and sometimes supported by Fate Defied, patrol the nearby waters in search of the sea beasts that threaten the city. Few captains dare sail more than a few miles from shore, as every expedition seeking distant lands has vanished without a trace. Just offshore stands the lone known island, home to the Sanctum of Yrteus, its silhouette a familiar sight to sailors returning safely to port.
Lower Aurelith Guard Barracks & Jailhouse Serves as the primary headquarters for the city's rank-and-file guards. The sandstone structure is functional rather than impressive, housing crowded barracks, administrative offices, training yards, and a modest jail. Its guards are hardworking and often overstretched, dealing with theft, disputes, and the day-to-day troubles of the city's largest population. The cells are clean but sparse, offering little more than a cot, a bucket, and a locked door until a prisoner can be brought before a magistrate.
Black Oak Brewery Aurelith's largest brewery and one of its most profitable enterprises, producing everything from inexpensive ales favored by dockworkers to fine spirits served in noble estates and exclusive clubs. Located in Lower Aurelith, the sprawling brewery employs hundreds of laborers, coopers, brewers, and teamsters, and is one of the city's most sought-after places of employment. Owned by the merchant lord Edric Voss, whose fortune rivals that of some noble families, Black Oak Brewery's barrels can be found in nearly every tavern, inn, and cellar throughout Aurelith. Rumor has it that while Edric Voss treats his employees better than most, if he finds anyone else in the city making liquor, it's not uncommon for them to disappear soon after.
Hall of Grace This serves as the city's foremost center of healing and recovery. Clerics, druids, arcanists, physicians, and devoted volunteers work side by side beneath its stone arches, tending to the sick, mending injuries, and preserving life wherever possible. The hall is modest in appearance but meticulously maintained. Patient chambers line its quiet corridors, each capable of housing several recovering residents. A small library and study contain generations of medical records, herbal knowledge, and healing tomes, while a communal kitchen provides simple meals for both patients and staff. Many of the hall's healers reside on-site, dedicating their lives to the care of others. Though most citizens seek the hall's aid for common ailments and injuries, it is also one of the few places in Aurelith where the dead may be restored to life. Such miracles require rare materials, considerable expertise, and substantial donations to the hall, making resurrection an uncommon and costly service.
The Cave
The Twins A pair of establishments connected in the middle and owned by tiefling twins, Xylaris and Mazorad.
Devil's Snare The northern half of the adjoining buildings, surrounded by shadowed alleys. The inn is a grand half-timbered building, 3 stories, with a tiled mosaic floor. It is in the style of a manor house, very unlike other buildings in The Cave, and has a magnificent collection of artwork. Accommodations consist of food, drinks, and several large rooms with beds of woolen mattresses and silk sheets. Xylaris, a female tiefling of red skin, yellow eyes, petite horns and wavy black hair to her mid-thigh, runs Devil's Snare.
The Black Kettle The southern half of the adjoining buildings. The inn is a large building of half-timbered walls and vaulted ceilings.
The street outside is filled with a mysterious briny odor. Mazorad, a male tiefling of red hair and eyes, runs The Black Kettle. He has a magnificent set of over-large horns adorned with metal cuffs and jewels.