Chendl

from The Fate of Istus 1989 TSR, inc. All Rights Reserved, printed in U.S.A.

Chendl stands alone in the Flanaess as the only truly planned city. In days of old there was another city named Chendl nearby (in fact, near where Crockport now stands)* But in the year 927 0.R., several decades after Furyondy as such was formed, the king (then Thrommel III) decided he needed a new capital. Thus, a new Chendl was built: a beautiful, wealthy, clean, and peaceful city, a city of wide canals and graceful temples. Its boundaries were laid out with compass and straightedge, its streets with transit and theodolite. It took five years for the city to progress from plans to reality, and thereafter it has remained unchanging ... perfect.

A consequence of being a planned city is that Chendl is built to hold a set population (15,750, to be exact; its current population of 15,600 is close enough to the optimum that new permanent residents are not actively solicited at the present time). Immigration and emigration are carefully monitored. If there's space in the city, anyone who can prove "verifiable worth"—capital to start a business, skills needed by the city, etc.—can become a Citizen. (Note the capital letter to designate the individual's acceptance by the city administration). As the population approaches the optimum (which is the case at present), Citizenship requirements become more stringent; the converse is also true, of course. (The death rate is almost exactly matched by the birth rate, so this doesn't come into the calculation).

The nature of the city has another consequence: there are no slums, no areas housing exclusively poor people. There are taverns and rooming houses, of course, capable of handling a transient population of almost one thousand. Visitors don’t have to show "verifiable worth”; anyone is welcome as a visitor (as long as he can pay for lodging, which is generally expensive). There are usually few adventurers in the city (it's so well organized as to prove boring). Although not expressly forbidden, the public display of weapons and armor is seriously frowned upon.

The city is absolutely beautiful, as none can deny. Its streets are wide and clean, lit at night by suspended globes on which continual light has been cast. Its buildings are of stone, as opposed to the wood typical of other cities, with graceful arches, buttresses and colonnades. Its canals—on which Citizens often cruise in flat-bottomed punts—boast floating pleasure gardens, or just reflect the magnificence of the architecture. The overall effect proved sufficient to prompt the bard Diam- beth to state, "The City of Greyhawk may claim to be the Gem of the Flanaess, but I name Chendl to be the Diadem.”

The entire city is surrounded by a high wall which is guarded round the clock by the city police reinforced by troops of the King 's Light Infantry. The area surrounding the palace itself—the Inner City—is ringed by another wall, much smaller and less weU guarded. The Inner City is the preserve of the royal family and of the nobility—those born into the Seven Families, the major families that effectively run the city. Although the guards at the gates to the Inner City don’t bar the entry of "commoners,” still the segregation is as effective as if they did. In Chendl, social custom frequently has the force of law, and it is custom that only the nobility may freely enter the Inner City.

At the core of the Inner City stands the palace, a majestic building of gold-veined white marble. Even in a city of magnificence, the palace stands out as extraordinary. Among other attractions, it boasts a huge dome of glassteel covering a garden of exotic plants and birds (even several baneful varieties are on display . . . safely roped off, of course). Anywhere else, the gleaming dome would be the centerpiece of the city; in Chendl it's overshadowed—quite literally—by something else.

This something else is the king's floating garden—not like the ones that float in the canals; this one floats in the air. Held several hundred feet above the ground by powerful magic; it’s a private retreat for the king and his closest friends. Access is by two bridges— delicate white arches—the feet of which are guarded by the king's own House Regiment (a detachment of four for each bridge). When the sun has sunk beneath the horizon, for some time its rays still shine on the king’s garden, making it glow with a golden light. The lower portions of the bridges are already in shadow, so it’s very easy to pretend that the garden has no connection with the ground at all. At the highest point of the floating garden is a flagpole, atop which flies the king's personal standard when he is in residence.

Although not as sumptuous as the Inner City, the rest of Chendl is still impressive compared to other cities in the Flanaess. The streets are clean and lighted, the city police are polite and efficient, violent crime is kept to a bare minimum, and there are none of the hideously poor found in most other cities. There are good inns and taverns, ranging from average quality (prices and goods/ services) on up. The Wyrm is the best inn in town, and Sutter’s is a top-quality restaurant, tavern, and gaming house. Of slightly lower status is Weatherhaven Inn, and below that (but still better than average-quality places in most other cities) are the King’s Arms Tavern and the Heroes' Rest Inn.

A central facet of city life is gambling, and there are many casinos and gaming houses both in the Inner City and in "Greater Chendl." Policed by the government, all are safe and (relatively) honest. Government regulations forbid high-stakes gambling except in the Inner City (table limits are usually in the 1- 10 g.p. range; in the Inner City, the sky's the limit). Because of this, there are several illicit gambling dubs outside that cater to high rollers who aren’t nobility. In these—it’s an open secret that they’re run by the Thieves’ and Assassins' Guilds—the house percentage is considerably higher and the games themselves are sometimes rigged.

The king, Belvor IV (a 14th level paladin), His Pious Majesty, King of Furyondy, is in his mid-30s—younger than most of his advisors, chamberlains and generals, which is an embarrassment to some—and has the verve and energy of someone a decade younger. He revels in the joys of the hunt (with falcon and with bow), in jousting, and in other vigorous activities. Because the populace follows the lead of the king in many things, the nobility, too, dedicates much time to such pastimes.

The alignment of the city is strongly lawful good, with some of the Knights of Furyondy holding paladin status (like the king). It is a caste-bound society, with the Seven Families at the pinnacle, followed by "semi-nobles” (families with some noble blood through marriage)* then the merchant and guild classes (including the Mages' Guild, etc.), artisans, and finally laborers. The higher-ranking merchants very occasionally diffuse into the lower nobility through marriage. High arts are common among the nobility, with music and the visual arts reaching pinnacles of brilliance. Nobility is generally considered a hereditary thing: if you aren't bom into the appropriate family, or haven’t married into it, you just aren’t part of the aristocracy. Exceptions are sometimes made for foreigners: hereditary nobility from other cities and countries is recognized, and acceptance is sometimes granted—albeit grudgingly—for certain visiting heroes whose achievements live in song and story* Unless the PCs qualify (or can convince people that they qualify), they might find the wonders of the Inner City off limits.

The city is very law-abiding, and is patrolled by a well-trained police force. A typical patrol consists of five privates and one sergeant accompanied by a 2nd level magic-user (see "At the King’s Right Hand” Adventure #8, for statistics). In the Inner City—particularly around the palace—the House Regiment shares some of the police duties. A House Regiment patrol wiU consist of three soldiers (statistics as given above).

Somewhat surprisingly—considering the overall ethos of the city—duels are still used to settle disagreements. In Chendl society, courtesy and politeness are codified, and have the strength of law. There are certain situations where one is required to challenge a transgressor to a duel. Duels take place on the Field of Honor, a large open area near the wall to the Inner City.

For lesser duels, each duelist has a second, and usually some independent party acts as referee; enforcement of rules and honor is left to the participants. For duels among nobles, however, behavior is strictly prescribed: seconds must be unarmed, magic is outlawed, interference from the sidelines is punishable by death, etc,, etc. Duels among the nobility often attract large crowds. Detachments of police and of the House Regiment are frequently present to ensure the peace* The referee for such duels is always another noble, usually one of higher rank—and power, whether physical or magical—than the combatants. Among the nobles, duels to the death aren't as serious, as most can afford immediate resurrection (there are some nobles who've lost several duels among the lower classes, they're deadly serious.

Like any city, Chendl has its Thieves Guild; however, the guild reflects the organized outlook of the city. Instead of a pack of wild cutpurses, the guild is an organization of conservative businessmen; mugging travelers, sticking up stores, and kidnapping merchants are all bad for business. This doesn't mean the city is completely safe, of course: violence is another tool of doing business, and every tool has its uses.

Unlike such cities as Wintershiven, Chendl is religiously very' tolerant . Temples dedicated to most of the non-evil deities can be found somewhere in the city, and all are treated with respect by the city administration. Some faiths have two temples, one in the inner City, one elsewhere. Others have only one, outside the Inner City, Wforshipers of almost any deity can profess their faith in public, confident of living through the experience unlynched. There is a small evil subculture, and services dedicated to certain evil deities are conducted under conditions of deepest secrecy.

The king worships the god Heironeous the Invincible, so itJs only logical that his temples be the largest and most ornate (the one inside the Inner City is part of the palace complex, and is most spectacular).

For encounters within the city, use the City/Town Encounters Matrix on page 191 of the Dungeon Masters Guide. The DM should keep in mind the characteristics of the city and should feel free to modify these encounters to better suit the nature of Chendl.

House Regiment officer—6th level tighter: AC 4 (banded mail MV 9"; HD 6; hp 6-60; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10 (halberd) or 2-9 (longs word -hi THAC0 16; AL LG.

from The Marklands 1993 TSR, inc. All Rights Reserved, printed in u.s.A,

Chendl was a planned city, a capital built to specifications, intended to replace Dyvers as first city of the kingdom, it was strongly walled, with beautiful buildings. Canals crossed the city, along which gondola-like vessels languidly conveyed peacock nobility. It boasted hanging gardens, broad boulevards and a wondrous palace. Chendl had a claim to be the most delightful city in all the Flanaess.

Unfortunately, after months of siege during the war, Chendl is a different place now. Over half of the buildings suffered severe damage during the wars, and ruins and rubble still strew areas of the city deemed “nonessential”.

King Belvor has made a point of restoring little of his own palace, only rebuilding defenses and chambers necessary for offices of state. The homes of artisans, barracks, temples and government buildings have had priority, and are largely restored now. Likewise, rebuilding the walls was deemed an absolute priority and priests of Trithereon and Mayaheine have cooperated in incorporating warding spells into them. Magical mortars have been employed, creating effects of protection from evil in key areas of defense. Other dwellings have taken second place, unless the inhabitants have been rich enough to import their own labor to rebuild them. Of course, crafty Belvor has passed a law that any such imported labor must be made available for civic rebuilding two days in each week, at the builder’s own expense.

In total, Chendl has a garrison strength of 850 men including the King’s own forces and some soldiers of Kalinstren. Wearing armor and weaponry about the city, once a crime, is now commonplace. Chendl has a unique atmosphere. Contrasting with the teeming soldiers, artisans and laborers is a rich social life on the part of the surviving aristocracy. They make a point of not allowing anything as trivial as war, siege, starvation and the subsequent virtual military occupation to affect their social lives. Chendl is still a place to wine and dine, to hear opera, to sniff the scented gardens, and to gamble at the casinos and gaming houses. There are hideously expensive restaurants and overpriced taverns aplenty in Chendl.

There is still grandeur in Chendl. The continual light lanterns along the boulevards still shine brightly, there are no slums or even recognizable “poor folks” housing. There is, admittedly, a shanty town of some 3,000 souls fled from northern Kalinstren huddled around Chendl’s walls, but Chendl’s occupants are proud people. War has given them steel and endurance.

Chendl’s rigidly structured social mores are also still in force. The representatives at the Noble Council and “old blood” nobility are top of the pile, lesser nobles and knights second, skilled artisans and the very richest merchants third, other artisans and merchants next, and everyone else last. There are no poor people here, at least as far as social niceties are concerned.

Chendl has a seamier side, but not a very large one. The Thieves Guild here is all but extinct given the vast numbers of militia and other soldiers. Only the most daring of rogues remain in this city.

Started with a Town Square.

Furyondy is a Monarchy. It has a royal head of state, usually installed as ruler by way of bloodlines, whose authority is considered granted by divine right

Furyondy has a traceable Royal Bloodline.

We regard honor and justice as the highest ideals

Our class stratification is extreme and those without means are barely considered citizens

Feature Grace’s Benevolence

Feature -- Earn 1XP when you fail a Negotiation check

Level of Governement is 1

Race is Human

Population score is 29 (+9)

Economy score is 30 (+10)

Oder score is 30 (+10)

Magic score is 11

Culture score is 27 (+8)

Diplomacy score is 13 (+1)

Stability dice is 2d8

Currently 18 stability points

Gold in treasury is 42(000)gp

Skills are Administration, Influence, Negotiation, Training

Currently there are 5 resources within 18 capacity

30 points to next experience level