Lakvyer
Lakvyer is another place that most Suranthi citizens would call a city, even though most from lands further south would call it a large town at best. But in the tundra, it does deserve the distinction of small city, given it is second only to Geata-Iarainn in the region. As such it is a busy and interesting place with many moving parts and diverse locales, which will be briefly detailed below. The numbers of course correspond to the map.
Demographics
Last counted three years ago, like all, the Census counts tax paying citizens, skipping beggars, and acknowledging children (Human age 14, simply adjust as required for other races, based on life span), are acknowledged but not counted for the point of taxes and or the military census. The rough demographics are noted below *Tieflings are counted here for GM purposes as most of them would hide what they were, claim to be human. They are noted here incase you wish to use these numbers for a campaign for random race generation if all the player characters are born in and from the city.*;
| Race | % of Population | Count |
| Dwarf | 30% | 6489 |
| Elf | 3% | 649 |
| Halfling | 12% | 2595 |
| Human | 23% | 4975 |
| Gnome | 9% | 1947 |
| Vrock | 21% | 4542 |
| Tiefling | 2% | 432 |
Government
6: Lakvyer Police Department Precincts: These structures house the precincts of the LPD, and handle their operations, house the local prisons, and house local courthouses as well, though their is a city courthouse located elsewhere for higher profile issues.
12: Rail-Yard Enforcement Stations: These fortified structures house the garrisons for the local Rail Wardens for the region, along with Inspectors and the documentation and legal offices for the rail yard, where all paperwork is kept organized and filed properly with appropriate parties and authorities. They are busy fortified areas, housing buildings acting as archives, legal offices, garrisons and enforcement offices.
27: Lakvyer City Hall: This monstrous structure holds the highest courts in the city, as well as housing the city council meetings, the council made up of a wide variety of influential individuals from all sectors of the city. They meet weekly. Besides this, it is also the home of Chief Holvani and his family, his clan making up a large portion of the other families living within this walled off city section.
28: Diplomatic Offices: This large building contains a ballroom like dining hall, along with many comfortable and secure meeting rooms and offices, and the official city records. This is the building where city contracts and necessary meetings with officials from other locales domestic or foreign are held, and where a few permanent diplomatic offices are housed, for the diplomats and their staff from a variety of places.
12: Rail-Yard Enforcement Stations: These fortified structures house the garrisons for the local Rail Wardens for the region, along with Inspectors and the documentation and legal offices for the rail yard, where all paperwork is kept organized and filed properly with appropriate parties and authorities. They are busy fortified areas, housing buildings acting as archives, legal offices, garrisons and enforcement offices.
27: Lakvyer City Hall: This monstrous structure holds the highest courts in the city, as well as housing the city council meetings, the council made up of a wide variety of influential individuals from all sectors of the city. They meet weekly. Besides this, it is also the home of Chief Holvani and his family, his clan making up a large portion of the other families living within this walled off city section.
28: Diplomatic Offices: This large building contains a ballroom like dining hall, along with many comfortable and secure meeting rooms and offices, and the official city records. This is the building where city contracts and necessary meetings with officials from other locales domestic or foreign are held, and where a few permanent diplomatic offices are housed, for the diplomats and their staff from a variety of places.
Defences
Like most the city is walled and garrisoned of course. There is a strong military presence as well besides this, which naturally helps, as Lakvyer is positioned at a key and important location, where the Nordjeim flows out of the Glacial Sea.
Industry & Trade
1: Gorge-fields Markets: This market place is as one would expect, a farmer's market type place where one can find all manner of foods and locally made basic materials and useful supplies, though only but once a week, at end week.
7: Star-side Markets: This marketplace plays well off its proximity to the entertainment district, and one will find much more than just normal type of goods available here. Prostitution, gambling, narcotics, all the things fame and fortune can buy and afford to hide, can be found here if one knows whom to inquire of and how to ask. One must always be careful that proper channels were used however, for so close to a police precinct, their are almost always an undercover officer or two working the market place trying to set up and make arrests.
13: Rail Terminal Buildings: These structures, the pair of them, are large three story buildings where passengers of the rail system hustle and bustle acquiring their tickets, enjoying one of the two restaurants within whilst they wait for their train, board and disembark. It is also where the offices of the major shippers involved with the rail yards are located and where one would meet with them, on the upper floors, to discuss business and terms. Like all the rail-yards, it is a relatively busy place.
14: Railyards: This whole area is the busy railyards, where cargo, freight, train cars and locomotives are busily moving all about the tracks, and workers rush all about, loading or unloading cargo, insuring cars connect to the proper engines, insuring coal is well stocked, doing repairs, maintenance or otherwise. A hive of consistent busy activity. Like all railyards, it is well known amongst the less savory of folk that there are those whom work the yards whom can help one move a wide variety of goods one may not be able to by conventional means.
17: Central Markets: These are the esteemed central markets of Lakvyer, a place where one will find the highest quality goods in the city, along with the most investment opportunities of course. It is a busy place daily, and a place well worth the visit for the variety of craftsmen alone, if one has the coin.
23: Reader's Market: This market gets its name from the various bookstores, and the fact that the local newspaper, the Lakvyer Daily, houses its offices, printing and publishing operations here, as do two other book publishing businesses.
33: Lakvyer Docks: As busy and bustling as the Rail-Yards, this area sees thousands of workers as well, loading and unloading cargo from boats and ships, loading and unloading wagons and carts, storing goods in warehouses, keeping inventory, along with passengers too of course. It is a busy and dangerous place, and a dozen small gangs exist within the Stevedore crews. The offices are generally within the larger warehouses and are places where a variety of business is conducted, both on and off the books, as one might expect. Many are the folk whom, for the right price, will smuggle things in or out of the city via the docks.
7: Star-side Markets: This marketplace plays well off its proximity to the entertainment district, and one will find much more than just normal type of goods available here. Prostitution, gambling, narcotics, all the things fame and fortune can buy and afford to hide, can be found here if one knows whom to inquire of and how to ask. One must always be careful that proper channels were used however, for so close to a police precinct, their are almost always an undercover officer or two working the market place trying to set up and make arrests.
13: Rail Terminal Buildings: These structures, the pair of them, are large three story buildings where passengers of the rail system hustle and bustle acquiring their tickets, enjoying one of the two restaurants within whilst they wait for their train, board and disembark. It is also where the offices of the major shippers involved with the rail yards are located and where one would meet with them, on the upper floors, to discuss business and terms. Like all the rail-yards, it is a relatively busy place.
14: Railyards: This whole area is the busy railyards, where cargo, freight, train cars and locomotives are busily moving all about the tracks, and workers rush all about, loading or unloading cargo, insuring cars connect to the proper engines, insuring coal is well stocked, doing repairs, maintenance or otherwise. A hive of consistent busy activity. Like all railyards, it is well known amongst the less savory of folk that there are those whom work the yards whom can help one move a wide variety of goods one may not be able to by conventional means.
17: Central Markets: These are the esteemed central markets of Lakvyer, a place where one will find the highest quality goods in the city, along with the most investment opportunities of course. It is a busy place daily, and a place well worth the visit for the variety of craftsmen alone, if one has the coin.
23: Reader's Market: This market gets its name from the various bookstores, and the fact that the local newspaper, the Lakvyer Daily, houses its offices, printing and publishing operations here, as do two other book publishing businesses.
33: Lakvyer Docks: As busy and bustling as the Rail-Yards, this area sees thousands of workers as well, loading and unloading cargo from boats and ships, loading and unloading wagons and carts, storing goods in warehouses, keeping inventory, along with passengers too of course. It is a busy and dangerous place, and a dozen small gangs exist within the Stevedore crews. The offices are generally within the larger warehouses and are places where a variety of business is conducted, both on and off the books, as one might expect. Many are the folk whom, for the right price, will smuggle things in or out of the city via the docks.
Infrastructure
5: District of Lights: This is Lakvyer's entertainment and artsy district, and it is here many famous stage actors, and directors, singers, writers, playwrights, athletes and other artists whom have found success, live. It is also where one will find many whom ply artistic trades such as sculptor or stonemasons, glassmakers and other such trades. It is a middle class neighborhood, nice comfortable homes in both an apartment/studio style, along with cozy houses or moderate townhouses. It is also well known as a district that is always busy and thriving even at night, as it is well known for its night life. A handful of bars and 'gentry' clubs aid in that, along of course with a local sauna and bathhouse. The southern part of course seamlessly blends this with the industrial district, where factories rumble and work, often running dual shifts so they operate through the night as well.
10: Lower Lakvyer: This district gets its name not from elevation, but from wealth of those whom live here. It is thick with the poor working class, factory workers and their ilk, along with beggars and the lesser sort of criminal. It is well known to be a place one avoids if one can, particularly at night.
15: Mercantile Row: This neighborhood is known to be home to most in the commerce industry, merchants, bankers and their ilk. Homes here, be they a house or townhouse, are of a higher quality, but not true estate style homes. Apartments here are next to unheard of, though a few may rent their basement out as a flat for extra income.
18: Lakvyer Central Bank: This structure is the sister branch in Ironcliffe Province to the one in Geata-Iarainn. In most other towns if they've any form of banking at all it is but a trusted banker or two running it within the local church, though they've their own security generally. But here like in the capital, the bank is prominent enough and used enough to have its own separate building. Here one can acquire loans or be extended credit, invest with the help of savvy financial guidance, and handle large transactions, like that of businesses or property, with third party witnesses.
20: Coaler's Den: This neighborhood gets its name for the fact that most whom work the Railyards make their homes here. It is of near quality to that of Mercantile Row, though the homes are slightly smaller and a few apartment complexes and the like are scattered about.
25: Pupil's Row: These large dormitory buildings house the many hundreds of students attending the various schools and universities. It is estimated that about four thousand or so individuals are attending the various schools at any given time.
26: Docker's Row: This area houses the dockworkers and various other folk whom work the river bank and lake shore along with the waters, and is a lower end district, though not quite a slum. There are almost no true houses, merely townhouses of one fashion or another and many apartment complexes.
29, 30, and 32: Noble estates of the various noble families within and under Clan Holvani. There are seven of them in total besides Chief Holvani. Along with the local Bishop of Sir Kartheart, they make up the 'nobility' part of the city council.
15: Mercantile Row: This neighborhood is known to be home to most in the commerce industry, merchants, bankers and their ilk. Homes here, be they a house or townhouse, are of a higher quality, but not true estate style homes. Apartments here are next to unheard of, though a few may rent their basement out as a flat for extra income.
18: Lakvyer Central Bank: This structure is the sister branch in Ironcliffe Province to the one in Geata-Iarainn. In most other towns if they've any form of banking at all it is but a trusted banker or two running it within the local church, though they've their own security generally. But here like in the capital, the bank is prominent enough and used enough to have its own separate building. Here one can acquire loans or be extended credit, invest with the help of savvy financial guidance, and handle large transactions, like that of businesses or property, with third party witnesses.
20: Coaler's Den: This neighborhood gets its name for the fact that most whom work the Railyards make their homes here. It is of near quality to that of Mercantile Row, though the homes are slightly smaller and a few apartment complexes and the like are scattered about.
25: Pupil's Row: These large dormitory buildings house the many hundreds of students attending the various schools and universities. It is estimated that about four thousand or so individuals are attending the various schools at any given time.
26: Docker's Row: This area houses the dockworkers and various other folk whom work the river bank and lake shore along with the waters, and is a lower end district, though not quite a slum. There are almost no true houses, merely townhouses of one fashion or another and many apartment complexes.
29, 30, and 32: Noble estates of the various noble families within and under Clan Holvani. There are seven of them in total besides Chief Holvani. Along with the local Bishop of Sir Kartheart, they make up the 'nobility' part of the city council.
Assets
2-3: Gorgefield Farms: These farms are an interesting little boon, as the gorge opens into a lower region of soil kept warm enough to be tilled by hot springs not far below, with water well provided by the melt and run off from the edges of the gorge as well as snowfalls that melt upon the ground. Because of the snow, still only hearty crops can grow here. Potatoes, raspberries, onions, turnips, carrots, blueberries, elderberries, and a variety of edible mosses and lichens are the favored crops. This local produce helps keep some food prices in check, allowing a level of local grown competition.
Guilds and Factions
16: Church of the Ascended: Though Sir Kartheart is front and center, again, each ascended has a small shrine and prayer room maintained here. Many such churches are found across Valerick and are the same in the broad strokes, it is generally merely a question of which deity is favored by the local community.
22: University of the Lance: This religious building does function as a church, of course, for the local area. However its first purpose is a school of sorts for those wishing to join most any part or Order of the Cult of Sir Kartheart, except of course the Storm Lancers.
24: Lakvyer Universities and Guilds: These large structures house the local trade schools, guild recruiting halls, and the local university of course. A place of learning and education, with well the most well known and well funded programs focused mostly on biology, agriculture, and medicine.
31: Saint Thoram's Cathedral: This church is large and claims the title of cathedral and one would be hard pressed to argue this fact. Named for a patron saint of Sir Kartheart's, one Thoram 'Axe-Lord' Kurgismac this cathedral is under the eye of Bishop Igis 'Darkeyes' Gormimac. It is a true house of Sir Kartheart, and one can expect to find all the trappings as such, including the military garrison like layout.
22: University of the Lance: This religious building does function as a church, of course, for the local area. However its first purpose is a school of sorts for those wishing to join most any part or Order of the Cult of Sir Kartheart, except of course the Storm Lancers.
24: Lakvyer Universities and Guilds: These large structures house the local trade schools, guild recruiting halls, and the local university of course. A place of learning and education, with well the most well known and well funded programs focused mostly on biology, agriculture, and medicine.
31: Saint Thoram's Cathedral: This church is large and claims the title of cathedral and one would be hard pressed to argue this fact. Named for a patron saint of Sir Kartheart's, one Thoram 'Axe-Lord' Kurgismac this cathedral is under the eye of Bishop Igis 'Darkeyes' Gormimac. It is a true house of Sir Kartheart, and one can expect to find all the trappings as such, including the military garrison like layout.
Tourism
4: Cunningham Ampitheatre: This structure was built by the wealthy Cunningham family, whom made their fortune in iron and steel. It can seat upwards of six thousand and hosts all manner of entertainments, from circuses to theatre to opera, as well as sports of all sorts. It is also the home pitch of the Lakvyer Elk, the city's Caid team in the SCL.
8: The Dancing Halls: This inn and tavern get their name and patronage for their ballroom, a rarity amongst inns and taverns in the northlands, and their excellent parties and musical entertainment. It is said the place has never been without a minstrel for even a day in the last fifteen years. As such it is also a good place for gossip and news, for those interested in such things.
9: The Bounty: This inn and tavern are known to be a bit of a rough place to stay, in the same way a village inn would be. Homey but not exceedingly comfortable, though the food is hearty and well received by any and all whom stay here. It is the most affordable inn the city has on offer as well.
11: The Gutter: This inn and tavern is run down, cheap as all sin, and flea ridden. The food is poor, the company poorer. It is an eyesore in many ways, yet in spite of that Lakvyer's less savory sorts speak well of the place, as if there is a lot more going on than most would see. If you know who to ask, whispers even say that someone who frequents the place can set you up with all manner of 'job' or 'work' *GM NOTE: The idea is either thieves guild or a middle man for debt collection/murder for hire (so assassination). It could be both if you wish.*
19: Bank Street Taphouse: This inn and tavern is well known for its prices, which are the highest in the city, and its quality. It is also known as a favorite place of bankers and some of their wealthier clientele to enjoy a fine luncheon and drink whilst handling business. A classy and high end establishment through and through.
21: The Book-house: This inn and tavern has a unique selling point targeting the local area, and those of a more scholarly bent, one that gives the place its name. For it is also a library of sorts and one can, for a small deposit, which will be returned so long as you do not damage the books, one can check out any number of volumes from the moderately extensive collection for the duration of your stay.
34: The Hook and Wench: This inn and tavern, though seedy, is actually a middle of the road establishment, providing passable food and drink, and simple beds that are comfortable enough and generally flea and pest free, though not always. What it is known for though, is its brawls, indeed rumor has it that its a place one can get in on some pit fighting or gambling on pit fighting action. Its also known for its bawdy serving staff whom are known to really embrace the 'wenches' part of the name, and will make almost any delight you wish come true for the right amount of coin.
8: The Dancing Halls: This inn and tavern get their name and patronage for their ballroom, a rarity amongst inns and taverns in the northlands, and their excellent parties and musical entertainment. It is said the place has never been without a minstrel for even a day in the last fifteen years. As such it is also a good place for gossip and news, for those interested in such things.
9: The Bounty: This inn and tavern are known to be a bit of a rough place to stay, in the same way a village inn would be. Homey but not exceedingly comfortable, though the food is hearty and well received by any and all whom stay here. It is the most affordable inn the city has on offer as well.
11: The Gutter: This inn and tavern is run down, cheap as all sin, and flea ridden. The food is poor, the company poorer. It is an eyesore in many ways, yet in spite of that Lakvyer's less savory sorts speak well of the place, as if there is a lot more going on than most would see. If you know who to ask, whispers even say that someone who frequents the place can set you up with all manner of 'job' or 'work' *GM NOTE: The idea is either thieves guild or a middle man for debt collection/murder for hire (so assassination). It could be both if you wish.*
19: Bank Street Taphouse: This inn and tavern is well known for its prices, which are the highest in the city, and its quality. It is also known as a favorite place of bankers and some of their wealthier clientele to enjoy a fine luncheon and drink whilst handling business. A classy and high end establishment through and through.
21: The Book-house: This inn and tavern has a unique selling point targeting the local area, and those of a more scholarly bent, one that gives the place its name. For it is also a library of sorts and one can, for a small deposit, which will be returned so long as you do not damage the books, one can check out any number of volumes from the moderately extensive collection for the duration of your stay.
34: The Hook and Wench: This inn and tavern, though seedy, is actually a middle of the road establishment, providing passable food and drink, and simple beds that are comfortable enough and generally flea and pest free, though not always. What it is known for though, is its brawls, indeed rumor has it that its a place one can get in on some pit fighting or gambling on pit fighting action. Its also known for its bawdy serving staff whom are known to really embrace the 'wenches' part of the name, and will make almost any delight you wish come true for the right amount of coin.
Architecture
The architectural styling of the city is one of worker pride, you can find makers marks on buildings walls, be they timber or stone, metal or brick. The craftsmen in this city take great pride in their skills and always mark or 'sign' their own work in some way besides a simple maker's stamp. They all have a 'design signature' if you will, which has created a city in this harsh tundra with an architectural diversity somewhat comparative to some larger cities in southern lands.
Geography
Positioned along the northern bank of the Glacial Sea, where the Nordjeim River flows out north and towards the sea, Lakvyer is a central community, a town that is worth a stop in its own right, but is also known as a kind of 'halfway to everywhere' sort of town for it is very well connected to the main trade routes and veins of Suranth. Between its busy rail yards and docks, and the fact that Iron Wheel Way cuts directly through the center of the community, it is a busy and bustling place of trade and business. It is also a well known place of learning and education, boasting a well spoken of and well spoken to university. Vyer Gorge is another distinct feature of the geography of this coastal and riverside city, one that is a large boon to its inhabitants.
Natural Resources
Vyer Hot Springs and Vyer Gorge that help give the city its name. The agricultural products the farms here produce include; Potatoes, raspberries, onions, turnips, carrots, blueberries, elderberries, and a variety of edible mosses and lichens.
Maps
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Lakvyer
The city of Lakvyer, nestled where the Nordjeim flows forth from the Glacial Sea.
Founding Date
1162
Type
Large town
Population
21629
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
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