Neverwinter
Jewel of the North
Neverwinter is a seaport city on the west coast of Colonia. It is the capitol of the Sword Coast Region. As of 1254 E.G. in the New World Calendar, the city has a population of 8.316, making it the second largest city of Colonia. The population keeps growing however, and Neverwinter is one of the fastest growing cities of Colonia.
Neverwinter is situated at the mouth of the Sword River, running down from the Sword Mountains, through Neverwinter Wood, and splitting the city in twine. A major gateway for trade with Ezmonia and the east of Keltasta, Neverwinter is also the largest port in terms of goods handling.
The Neverwinter area was inhabited by Rashemi for at least 1.000 years before Chondatan and Tethyrian humans settled here. A group of Chondatan humans led by Arthur B. Derry arrived here by way of what is now known as the Triboar Trail in the year 38 E.G. and start work on building new log cabins and a palisade on the northern side of the Sword River. They name the village Neverwinter, because the river waters, heated by fire elementals under Mount Hotenow, safeguard a nice climate the whole year through. In the following years many more settlers have come to Neverwinter, and now the city is known as the most cosmopolitan in the whole of Colonia.
Logging became Neverwinter's first major industry, but before long the city became a commercial and shipbuilding center as a gateway to the coasts further along the northwest of Omodya as many valuable minerals and metals were found along the Ered Ondren. Thanks to the growth of Neverwinter's standing army due to Orcish raids, the Age of Chaos and the outbreak of the Great War, the city became ever more important in technology and manufacturing. Companies such as the Lionshield Coster opened up important trade houses here and the city started to divide into the different parts seen today, with a part dedicated mainly to industry, a part to the military and a part to trade, each with its own harbor. Lured by all the success and economic boom, the city also became an important center for the arts and music, as can be seen in the Great Library, the opening of the Tower of Arcane Learning and the many bustling inns and well stocked stores. Neverwinter can boast to be the birthplace of many great bards and historians.
History
Founding
Archaeological excavations suggest that Rashemi humans have inhabited the Neverwinter area for at least 2.000 years. By the time the first Keltastan settlers arrived, the people (subsequently called the Duvamy tribe) occupied at least seventeen villages on the Sword Coast. The first Keltastan to visit the Neverwinter area was Arthur B. Derry, in Colour Splashing of 38 E.G., during his 35-40 expedition for the Colonian Navy to chart the Northwestern Coast of Omodya. He officially claimed the small town named Aiole Ho'ilo as part of the nation of Colonia and renamed it Neverwinter in the Chondatan language. His party would subsequently move north and claim the area of Waterdeep. Once the Derry party had claimed the area, new settlers moved in from the east, among them the priest Winforth Bonifas. He came from the city of Palanthas born to one of the knightly families of Solamniry. As both a religious leader and a man born into hierarchic concepts, he quickly assumed leadership over the young settlement. Having to fight off both disgruntled Rashemi that originally called the area home, and roving bands of monsters from the mountains surrounding the town, he started work on improving the Neverwinter defenses. In the year 84 E.G. he started work on the Neverwinter castle. It would take over 200 years to finish, but significantly changed the dominance that the city would attain over the area. Once building of the castle had started, and the first safe seat of rule was established, father Bonifas started work on improving the religious services in Neverwinter. The original sacred circle built by the Rashemi had already been improved into a church in the year 68 E.G., but this small building quickly grew cramped as the town kept growing and blooming. Father Bonifas therefor decided in 144 E.G. to start construction of the cathedral of Hextor. The building of the cathedral did not take as long as the building of the castle, but with nearly 200 years construction father Bonifas started another project outlasting his own life. Both of these epic landmarks in the city, make the name of father Bonifas rather famous to the Colonian historians. Timber Town The predecessor of the city of Neverwinter was a small Rashemi fishing village named Aiole Ho'ilo. The Rashemi people originally living in Chondatan used the rich waters of the Sword Coast to Originally a fishing village of Rashemi, the city was inhabited by growing numbers of Tethyrians and Chondatans who migrated from across the ocean, about 1000 years ago. They pretty much drove out the Rashemi violently, with only a handful of them remaining. Roughly 500 years ago the region was overrun by roving tribes of orcs, resulting in great battles and much destruction. The mere of dead men is a constant reminder of these times, where the bones and ghosts of many slain soldiers still litter this horrible bog. After the orcs were driven back to small bands hiding in the more remote mountain regions, the city was more heavily fortified, and an enormous standing army was installed to protect this area from further problems. Neverwinter is not the most northern city of Colonia, because that is the city of Waterdeep. But because Waterdeep is little more than a trade hub, and the Ered Ondren between these cities is still swarming with orcs, Neverwinter is in effect the northern defense outpost. This is why the army here holds a minimum of 1.000 soldiers, not counting the officers. Because Neverwinter is also commissioned to guard the waters of the Sword Coast, Neverwinter also sports a large navy, with the largest amount of navy vessels on the western end of Colonia. The lord of Neverwinter is Winslow Urchin, a vassal to the emperor, and a quintessential elitist. He believes in stern military rule over the bewildered herd, and violently beating down anything remotely resembling disobedience, sedition or insurrection. He loathes being involved with the organization and planning involved with actually ruling though, and has given over the actual rule of the city to the Council of Wise Men.Demographics
20 bakers, 31 barbers, 3 bathers, 7 beer-sellers, 6 blacksmiths, 3 bleachers, 4 bookbinders, 2 booksellers, 10 buckle makers, 9 butchers, 33 carpenters, 9 chandlers (candlemaker), 12 chicken butchers, 13 coopers (barrelmaker), 10 copyists, 4 cutlers (cutlerymaker), 4 doctors, 13 fishmongers (fishseller), 37 furriers (furworker), 4 glovemakers, 4 harness-makers, 15 hatmakers, 9 Hay merchants, 3 illuminators (maker of fancy coloured drawings in books), 7 Inns, 6 jewellers, 4 locksmiths, 1 magic shop, 71 maidservants, 37 masons, 15 mercers (maker of expensive clothing, such as silk), 25 old clothes, 4 painters, 12 pastry cooks, 7 plasterers (applier of plaster), 19 pursemakers, 4 roofers, 13 ropemakers, 4 rugmakers, 8 saddlers (saddlemaker), 17 scabbardmakers, 3 sculptors, 30 shoemakers, 4 spice merchants, 39 tailors, 6 tanners, 24 taverns, 18 watercarriers, 32 weavers, 9 Wine-sellers, 4 Woodcarvers, 3 Woodsellers
42 Noble houses / 185 peacekeepers / 13 advocates / 264 clergymen / 18 priests
1.000 men standing army / 50 minor officers / 10 higher officers / 1 General
Government
The city’s overlord, a vassal of the emperor of Colonia, lord Urchin rules the city with an iron fist. His focus is clearly on military security and protecting the borders of the empire. He has little patience with revolutionary tendencies, piously follows orders from the capital, and sternly obliterates anything resembling disobedience. As such the recent distrust of dwarves makes live ever harder on these species, and the few of them which can be found in the city, are in the process of leaving the city, to settle in farther away communities, or return to underground dwellings.
Meanwhile, apart from formal and military rule, practical power over the society is shared between the church and the wealthy, with the two powers constantly trying to enlarge their portion of this power.
Infrastructure
Inns:
The Red Flask: A modest commoner's tavern, known for its impossible variety of beers and ales.
The Sleeping Hunter: A grand dwarven tavern, which serves only cider.
The Green Cup: A shabby commoner's inn, built within what was once a minor temple.
The Hero and Cask: A heroic elven tavern, kept by a sphinx named Bidi.
The Stiff Drink: Situated on the south side of the square of divine armour, in the Old City, this inn serves the discerning middle class with a good mixture of agreeable prices and acceptable quality of both goods and services. The innkeeper is called Jim Bean. His wife Emma serves the tables.
Founding Date
58646
Type
Large city
Population
8316
Inhabitant Demonym
Neverwinterian
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Related Reports (Primary)
Related Reports (Secondary)
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