Forks

The Free City of Forks is a mercantile republican city-state sitting at the confluence of two great rivers. As of 1600 years ago, the floodplains in the area were the site of a small, predominantly halfling agricultural settlement. Human settlers moved from Redacre to Rivertide , and then inland toward Forks in the year 335 GS. The newcomers settled Forks between the rivers in 340 GS, and initially lived alongside the halfling locals. As the settlement industrialized many of the halflings moved southeast where they founded the pastoral Buttonbee Hollow . Its position in the floodplains and near expansive forests made it an attractive place for an agriculture, hunting, and trapping.

Festivals and Revelry

The people of Forks love a festival, and the city finds occasions to celebrate just about everything. It's not uncommon for the city – either the government or the people – to declare an impromptu festival following a special event. In 1459, a herd of twelve cows escaped from a barn in Southgate and ambled across the bridge into town in the late evening. Johann Chenery drunkenly emerged from the Bitter Queen tavern, saw the cows standing in the square, turned back into the bar and loudly declared that Dairy Days had begun. Revelers from the bar entered the square, decorating the cows with laurels and leading them up onto the balconies surrounding the square. The cows, able to climb down stairs but not up, stayed on the balconies for three days, and were fed a steady supply of grain by a throng of revelers in the square below.
Dairy Days are still celebrated in Forks, but only on the off chance that a cow wanders into town.

The Dancing Reeds

Before the walls were constructed the rivers would rise every spring, flooding the streets. The people of Forks would break down the reeds and trees nearby to build temporary dikes and levees around the town. Once they were safe from rising waters, they'd have a loud, three-day party. During this cutting of the reeds, they'd run hundreds of Almiraj out of their hiding spots, and use the opportunity for a hunt.
Now, during the first full moon of Spring the city hosts the Festival of Dancing Reeds. They construct thatched sculptures on their rooftops and the city walls, decorating them with vivid colors. They craft costumes of natural materials, and parade through the streets. The three days of festivity grind normal activity in the city to a halt, and the streets are packed with revelers day and night. The Almiraj Hunt is commemorated with the Spike Sprint, a well-attended Almiraj race at The Downs.

Gambling and Chance

The people of Forks have no reverence for nobility, and view it as an accident. They believe any pauper may wake up tomorrow a millionaire, and any millionaire may roll out of bed to find himself penniless. As a result, the people of Forks don't take great care to hold on to their money, and spend it lavishly and frivolously. Gambling is extremely popular. The centerpiece of this obsession is The Downs - a huge racetrack on the western edge of the city. The area surrounding the track is home to many casinos and gaming houses. A popular style of dice in the region – the four-sided Wishful Ivories – was created in Forks, carved from the horns of Almiraj.

Religion

There are shrines to many gods in Forks, but the largest temples are to:

Tymora

Chauntea

Tyr

Oghma

Mystra

Clothing and Fashion

Forks is a city of color. The people dress in bright, flamboyant colors and jewelry, and are known to have jewels set around the eyelets of their boots. Forksians never wear anything resembling a crown, viewing it as a distasteful homage to their monarchic roots.

Art and Literature

The people of Forks pay artists greatly in respect but poorly in gold. They view the arts as view artists as the pinnacle of free activity, but believe its nobility comes partly from its poverty. Many of the artists in Forks thus scrape by with side labor, some are housed and fed by local taverns in exchange for performance.
The favorite styles of theatre in Forks are those that lampoon royal traditions, or feature a great reversal of fortune.

Government

Forks is run by The Free Council, consisting of three representatives, each filling a specific role:

• The Sword - responsible for protection, law enforcement, and administration of justice. Those elected are typically heroes of war or the hunt.
• The Scroll - responsible for education, commerce, and magical administration. This position is held by a mage.
• The Spirit - responsible for health and social services. This position is held by a cleric.

Each position is elected annually. The Sword is elected in Winter, the Scroll in Summer, and the Spirit in Autumn. If a councilor dies or is unable to serve, their position is held vacant until an election can be completed. This is customarily done one week after the day the vacancy opens. The Free Council governs by popular consent, and can be disbanded by the people at any point. This has happened more than twenty times in the city's history.
The government's offices are in the old manor house, but the Free council meetings are held in the old Abbatoir – in the event that any one of the pigs gets too fat from the people's trough.

Defences

The city was built between the rivers as it was a defensible position against any invaders. Like many cities, Forks has walls around its perimeter. However, the primary purpose of the walls around Forks is to prevent flooding as the rivers rise. The surrounding rivers grant a degree of fortification already, and the defensive aid of the walls was an added bonus.

Industry & Trade

Hunting and Trapping

The first official guild in Forks was the Fellowship of Fang and Fur: hunters and trappers. This legacy is still visible in Forks: the fur trade is booming in the Bazaars, and the city is home to fine bladesmiths, bowyers and fletchers

Magic

Seeking to practice the arcane arts away from the watchful eye of the king, many arcanists made their homes and laboratories in Forks. The city takes a very laissez-faire attitude to magic, looking down on enchantment (as it violates the freedoms of the target) but does not ban the practice outright.

History

The City of Forks was ruled by a series of reeves on behalf of the Monarch of the Red Realm for hundreds of years, serving as a breadbasket for the empire. During the famine of 849, the meager harvest was sent away from Forks to Redacre on Harvest Day, leaving many in Forks to go hungry. Their petitions to the king went unanswered, and a militia of farmers and hunters drove the Regent and his guards out of town, claiming his manor house on behalf of the people.
Ranks of the Crimson Army marched on Forks from the South and East, but the floodwalls and river served as impenetrable obstructions. The hunters of Forks kept the army at bay with their longbows, sending arrows soaring over the makeshift battlements. The Red Army was driven away after only one week.
The people of Forks celebrate their independence, called the Roughneck Rebellion, annually upon the conclusion of the Fall Harvest.

Founding Date

340 GS

Alternative Name(s)

The Free City of Forks, Party City

Type

City

Population

16000

Inhabitant Demonym

Forksians, Roughnecks

Owning Organization

The Free Council

Related Historical Events

• 850 GS
  Forks wins independence