Greengold
Greengold, the second-largest city in isolationist Kyonin is human-run—the only official point of entry into the kingdom for anyone not of pure elven blood. This busy trading town, famous for the yellow roofs on every building, is a bold elven experiment in peaceful co-existence. The elves study human behavior and trustworthiness in this controlled environment; the queen’s agents covertly scry and occasionally teleport in unannounced when they take issue with events there.
The elves have benefited more than anyone from the open economy, as Greengold is the only stable, legal market for elven magic and goods manufactured in Kyonin. Despite tight controls, Greengold is awash in money. A small but thoroughly cosmopolitan city, Greengold hosts diplomats, traders, and expatriates from every nation in the Inner Sea and beyond. Respected ambassadors to the queen can embark from here to the Kyonin interior if they meet official approval, and all civilized people are welcome to stay in Greengold as long as they can afford it.
To visitors, the town appears as a fairly normal human dock town, save for trees that grow in odd places. Ever since the horrified elves forbade humans from felling them
(forcing them to import their lumber or harvest it from dead trees and blowdowns), it has been illegal to harm trees in town. Merchant-Mayor Selwyn Vanaidorl, a Taldan
philosopher-turned-merchant who claims to have small amounts of elven blood in his lineage, runs the city with a light touch and frequent meetings with elven nobility.
Rules and Laws
Generally, the laws of Greengold are comparable to that of most human settlements with some elvish variations. Slavery is tolerated, but the buying and selling of slaves are not. The trees inside the town are strictly protected by law, as is the forest itself. Warships, most notably from Razmiran, are refused entry into the town, but peaceful vessels are welcome to dock at Greengold. Most importantly, the town is the limit for outsiders into Kyonin, and the elves do not take kindly to trespassers who leave the town limits. Foreign diplomats are free to plead their case for entry, however.Government
As part of the experiment, the town was given a degree of autonomy by placing Selwyn Vanaidorl, a human, as mayor, although his actions are strictly monitored by elvish nobles.
History
As part of a bold experiment of controlled integration, Queen Telandia Edasseril authorized the establishment of Greengold in order to observe and understand the behavior of outside races. While some elves dislike the intrusion of outsiders into their homeland and the progressive nature of the venture, none can deny that the experiment has proven to be most profitable, as it is the only place in which elven magical supplies are available to the outside world.
