Whitebridge
Summary and history
Whitebridge operates as a Demarchy, a government in which the city is governed by randomly selected individuals from a broadly inclusive pool of eligible citizens. In theory, this governing structure overcomes some of the functional problems of other forms of government, which are widely subject to manipulation and corruption. Whitebridge is unique not only in its government, but also in its history. Whitebridge was founded after the Era of War, and the creation of Whitebridge (known as the Coalition of Whitebridge ) marked the start of a new era, named the Era of Prosperity. See After Chaos (AC) Timeline for more details.The Land
Whitebridge was built in a very difficult and dangerous location. Before the city was built, The Avaria to the North was an insurmountable obstacle. The Ash Forest to the South was also incredibly dangerous to traverse. Whitebridge quite literally bridged the gap between the North and the South, and provided travelers and merchants alike safe passage through this dangerous region. Whitebridge is built on a relatively small corner of fertile land North of The Ash Forest. Due to the limited fertile land and the lack of game (aside from fishing), clever engineering was used to redirect a small offshoot of The Avaria through Whitebridge. This flowing water source was dammed and is used to power various water wheels. The water wheels and the abundant source of fresh water was a major boon to Whitebridge agriculture and an essential part of the city's survival.The People
As a beacon of peace and unity, Whitebridge has the most diverse population in Sorus (even more so than present day Solaris ). Members of every race are welcome here. Humans, Dwarves, Halflings and Elves are very common. After the liberation of both Irondeep and Ridgefell , Gnomes have also started to move to Whitebridge. Finally, this city houses the largest number of Dragonborn aside from the city of Drakdale . These Dragonborn have left their clans behind and are no longer welcome in Drakdale.The Leadership
A random lottery is held yearly on the Day of Peace (Vult 3rd, see Calendar ), which celebrates the Coalition of Whitebridge . The lottery selects 300 individuals that meet the following criteria:- Must be considered of adult age according to your race and or customs.
- Must have a clean criminal record.
- Must have a minimum level of education.
- Must have a job, occupation, or business, or demonstrate willingness to work.
Law & Defence
The laws of the city are determined by the Coalition, a randomly selected government of 300 citizens who work at the Acropolis . Whitebridge's surrounding walls were built not with the intent of protecting the city from invaders from other Realms, but from the creatures that lurk in The Ash Forest . Building the walls was a massive undertaking due to nightly monster attacks that killed many and delayed construction. The city of Whitebridge stands as historical proof of a time where the Realms put forth an incredible collaborative effort. See Coalition of Whitebridge for more details. Whitebridge has a large number of city guards, hired and managed by the Coalition government. Roughly 3,000 well armed guards patrol the city and the farms outside the walls to keep the people safe from monster attacks. While Whitebridge has a trained army, they also have a militia comprised of every able bodied male citizen. If you total up the army and militia, Whitebridge has a total armed force of around 15,000. Every night at sundown, you can hear the distinct sound of church bells ringing from every corner of the city. The bells are a signal for anyone outside the walls to return to Whitebridge. It is highly frowned upon to be out at night due to the high number of monsters, it is considered needlessly reckless. Even the city guards do not dare to venture past the Southern walls. Passage through the Avaria is handled at The Iron Gate , where a fee of 5 silver per traveler is required to pass through the White Bridges . Passage through the Ash Forest is handled by the Crusaders of Ash .Criminals
Whitebridge, like any city of its size, unavoidably sees some amount of crime. Due to the large guard presence and the relatively small amount of lower class citizens, crime is hardly a problem in Whitebridge. The Broken Rat is infamously a shady place that sees a fair amount of criminal activity.Trade
Due to its remote and difficult to access location, not many tourists regularly visit the city from the South. It is however far more accessible from the North after the famous White Bridges were built. There are a number of unique inns and taverns in this city like Magic and Mimic , Devil Rose Inn and Tavern , Oldeye Tavern and A Simple Gift . Similar to tourism, the only traders that pass through Whitebridge regularly are merchants from the North. While it is rare, some merchants do venture through The Ash Forest and make their way North. It is a long and dangerous trek to do so, and is only undertaken by those who can make it worth their while. Most merchants in the South prefer to travel to Elothil and sell their wares at the Port of Elothil . In the same vein, most merchants in the North prefer to travel directly to Norbury to sell their wares. Regular shipments of Adamantium ore do however make their way to Whitebridge from Ker Turum. These shipments are received by the blacksmithery Steel and Adamantium . The city also generates good revenue from passage fees. See The Iron Gate and the Crusaders of Ash for more details.
Maps
-
Whitebridge
Type
Large city
Population
> 23,000
Included Locations
Characters in Location
Comments