Geanavue
At a Glance
Castle Geana is one of the crafted marvels of Tellene. The massive stone castle is built of marble blocks that weigh up to thirty tons each. Furthermore, the striations in the stones match their neighbors, and the stones are magically or skillfully placed so closely together that it appears to have been carved from a single block. The entryway, itself a masterpiece unrivaled by men, is a testament to the skill of the stone giant artisans that made it. An arch 24 feet high, with intricate carvings of many natural animals and monsters–but no humans or humanoids–towers over visitors.
Other than the castle, most buildings are of light-colored or whitewashed wood. The people are friendly and welcome strangers, although they prefer that those who wish to trade do so at Loona, the dockside town of 2,200 through which all of Geanavue’s trade moves.
Temples
The city is under the near-total influence of the House of Solace. Its High Peace Maker, a dwarf named Khazuk, advocates total peace, even at the expense of one’s own life. This philosophy epitomizes the Pacifist sect’s view. The dwarf has done much work for the city and since his goals closely coincide with Lord Haar’s, Khazuk has become quite important in the city.
On the other hand, his influence has resulted in a conversion of many of the Dwarves that used to make up the infantry arm of the military; the number has halved in the past few years alone. An increase in the number of crossbowmen has helped to compensate, but the two troop types serve different purposes, and the countryside is beginning to feel the loss as the fire giants wander more freely.
The churches in Geanavue, roughly in descending order of influence are: The Peacemaker, The Holy Mother, The Speaker of the Word, The Founder, The Landlord, The Raiser, The Traveler, The Bear, The Raconteur, The Corrupter, The Emperor of Scorn, The Unseen One/Seller of Souls, The Vicelord, The Overlord, The Harvester of Souls, The Confuser of Ways /Imposter, Risk, The Imposter [Jamie LaFountain: Former Kenzer & Co. employee]
Mages & Sages
The city has few wizards. Jandy, a female Gnome con artist, sometimes distributes some fool’s gold or sells magical items imbued with minor enchantments at outrageous prices. She has an outstanding reward (100 gold pieces) and posters paper the city, but nobody really ever knows what she looks like, so the posters do no good.
Underworld
Rogues looking for an easy mark often hope that Geanavue is the place to be. The city’s reputation for pacifism is wellknown, and thieves hope that the feeling extends to the law enforcement arm as well.
They are wrong.
The police are eager to keep the peace and they are quite proactive. They do not hesitate to approach strangers and introduce themselves, then offer a quiet warning about which taverns to avoid, or which merchants might try to rip off the newcomers. Constables are armed only with stout clubs, but they wear cloth armor and travel in patrols of six to ten, so they do not fear a lone thief or even a small gang.
With the thieves and the constables both so eager, crime is omnipresent, but on a low scale. A character might have his pocket picked, but the thief will not be back again, and the character is probably safe for the duration of his stay (unless it is an extended one).
Demographics
A thorough mixture of humans, Dwarves, gnomes, and half-elves, in that order. The people are Reanaarians, although some of the dwarves have come from as far away as Kalamar and the Young Kingdoms. A few of the dwarves are refugees from Irontop.
Government
Defences
The military of Geanavue includes just under 300 sturdy gnomish crossbowmen in leather cuirasses, mounted humans and half-elves armed with spear and longbow, and 40 dwarven footmen with chainmail, axe, and shield. They share duties with a band of eight to ten earth giants (seemingly made of stone!), armed only with throwing boulders and stone clubs. The giant chieftain, called Poat by the people of Geanavue, is also a devout follower of The Bear and has gained many converts among the area’s gnomes.
Principal enemies include fire giants from the Sotai Gagalia Headlands and a recent rash of attendant creatures - salamanders, especially. The dwarves from the region bring back stories of a hydra, or possibly even a primordial hydra, that has taken up residence in one of the mountains. Rumor says that an efreet lord named Sultar has joined the fire giants into an alliance of over 300 strong by promising revenge against Kalamar for Kabori’s traitorous actions at Kadir Ridge.