Rivendale
Rivendale is a very conflicted city. Before the time of "Unification" the elves were an independent people and their culture was one who was considered themselves one with nature. They did not have many free standing building on the ground and those that were, were usually inn's for travelers who did not feel comfortable living among the trees. Once Avalon and his armies took the city over 200 years ago things began to change. He saw the established coastal city as a waste of resources and began immediately to expand the docks that up until that point were used mostly for minor travel for only the elves themselves. Much of the forest was cleared to make new buildings that he and his people would be more comfortable with. There were many elves that allied themselves to him and began working with him to ship int he stone you see today that make up the great domed buildings that pay homage to their natural roots, with emerald colored domes and many nature scene engravings. 10 Years into Avalon's rule near the end of the period of Unification the monarchy instituted something that is now referred to as the Great Migration.
The Great Migration is a period of time where the government under Avalon's rule encouraged various races to move to other cities, sometimes in very direct ways such as shipping many humans to settle in Rivendale to mix with the elves and help with the construction efforts, as the elves did not have many that were trained in those crafts. The monarchy had many reasons for this; the first is that it would boost trade by bringing in people with new skills to cities with fresh ideas. The second, it gave the local population someone to have animosity towards instead of the crown, this had an immediate effect of nearly over night lowering the rate of rebellion, as cultures clashed against cultures in various cities where the central military could be thought of from both sides as the ones keeping the other side in line.
Many cities flourished under this leadership as they lost less men to fights, and were able to diversify their industries, the elves of Rivendale however had their culture crushed, as more humans from nearby cities came in droves, then came the other races to balance things out, there were even a few warforged sent to live in the city. While the city itself thrived from the boom of wealth from the docks and trade with the rest of the content the elvish people suffered, their homes among the trees were cut down, replaced by houses the humans, dwarves, halflings and other races were accustomed to living in. Slowly with the lure of gold more and more elves began to embrace this new life style and started to marry among the other races even, something that was previously thought to be taboo.
Conditions continued this way until Avalon died and this is when the conflict among the elves began. Today in Rivendale there are many who wish to return to the elves former "glory" and wish for the other races to leave the city. They also wish to re-plant their groves and tear down the buildings the only serve as a monument to their defeat at the hands of the Great King. While others have gotten used to the comfortable lifestyle and have fallen in love with the power that the gold has afforded them. Many in the upper escutcheons debate the validity of both sides, while the average people just try to continue to survive.
Holidays/Traditions
Yeneasira(Yeartide)
Takes place at sundown of the winter solstice, they spend until sundown the day after the solstice in quiet contemplation with their families on the past year, and their future year that is about to come upon them.Sindarin-inqua(Glory to the Birth)
This is a celebration for the families that takes place at the birth of a new elven child. Due to their low rates of fertility the birth of a new elf is considered to be an almost sacred occasion. A two day feast, is held in celebration of the child's birth and the second day is held in celebration of its future. At the one year mark of the child's birth, the family will reconvene for 10 more days of celebration, giving the child a gift on each day, one to represent each month of the year.Kalenis(Festival of Fire)
Kalenis is held on the summer solstice where they engage in an intense night of revelry with the intensity of the summers burning sun.Kentomen(Coming of Age)
At the age of 25 an elf is now considered an adult. On their 25th birthday a great feast is held before the elf strikes out on their own into the forest for a time that they determine themselves. The point of this is to commune with nature and become complete within them selves and within nature. For each elf this is a different amount of times, some are going for a day or two while others are gone for months.Demographics
Primarily, Elves and Half-elves but there are in rare instances other races.
Government
High Council
Industry & Trade
Rivendale has a thriving port as well as inland river access to Cloverdale, as well as it's close Proximity to Warcrest has led to shipping and trading of goods to be a primary source of income for the city. most elves do not consider them selves to be a sea fairing people so the fishing industry is quiet small for a coastal city. Instead they have entered into a contract with MIthdonner to allow them to dock fishing ships in port, in return Rivendale gets a portion of the fish caught as well as they get to charge for the shipping of the fish out of the city.
While not as large of an industry since the crown wars the crafters of Rivendale have a very high reputation and get a large profit margin on any goods they may sell. Elven armor and weapons are typically lighter in weigh and very flexible without sacrificing durability.The style of their armor is usually very nature focus unless special ordered. A typical piece of armor will have subtle accents of leaves and vines on it, while their swords will all have gentle curves as if they were grown from the earth to take that shape. These items are very rare due to the few elves who dedicate their life to crafting despite the large profit margins available, and the ones who do pursue this path will typically only sell to elves or the few nobles who can afford to pay for their goods.
Guilds and Factions
The Griffin's guild has a location on the western side of town, there may be others int he city but they are not widely advertised.
History
Rivendale has stood since the end of the last Age. It was the people of Rivendale who made the heroic last stand to push the Lich King back from whence he came and save the world from total annihilation. It has been 1200 years since then and the elves are still recovering from the massive losses they took that day, they have never quiet returned to their former glory. During the period of Unification the elven stronghold was conquered by Avalon and it's people were forced to integrate with the rest of the continent, in a period known as the Great Migration.
Architecture
Up until about 200 years ago the elves mostly lived amongst the trees, now the larger "elven" buildings are great domed building with ornate carvings of nature in them, their domes are usually emerald in color to represent their past and their connection to nature.
Natural Resources
Forest and dock/port
Maps
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Rivendale
Large Elvin city on the east side of the continent.
Type
Large city
Characters in Location