Bonum Prox
It's a beautiful place, sure enough. But the elves there don't exactly think like everyone else, and it makes it a bit strange. They live for so long, if Elves aren't mixed in with the mortal races, they start to get strange views on the world. Usually this happens so far removed from the rest of us that we don't see it, but then you get a town like Bonum Prox.
The way I understand it, Bonum Prox was founded by a group of Elves right after The Fracturing, supposedly because they were watching something in the badlands. Something to do with the Fracturing maybe, why it happened, or to prevent it from happening again. But they had little interest in working with Dwarves or Nelwyn, much less Humans or Orcans. So they built their walls, and for something like five hundred years they did their thing, keeping everyone out.
Well, eventually Bandar Philia came along - back when it was a kingdom, and they claimed the river pretty much up to Cragthorn. The Elves ignored them at first, until the Bandar Philians brought an army. The Elves were limited in number, and saving their strength for something, so they sent a representative to talk. I hear that for the Bandar Philian envoy, it was like banging his head against a wall at first. The Elves offered strange concessions to leave them alone, not quite getting what the Humans wanted. Whether by happenstance or a true meeting of the minds, they came to the understanding that the Elves needed to recognize the kingdom by paying taxes. The Elves provided a sum of gold, and closed their gates back up.
Well, the taxman came back the next season, of course, and the Elves sent a representative. The taxman was shocked when the Elves didn't have the coin prepared, and the Elves were shocked that these humans were back again, even without an army. Apparently, they came to the conclusion that it was easier to pay, and they did, and they kept on paying. There's even been times that the army has mustered to throw back a threat to them, so they've gotten something for the taxes over the years.
Those Elves certainly learned something about the rest of us, then. Taxes, they decided, were what was necessary for them to go about their business unmolested, and they certainly weren't going to be responsible for this themselves, so they decided to pass them on to anyone they could. They started by letting some Nelwyn and Daikini set up near the walls for trade - those were the other species they could deal with the easiest then. And they taxed everything. Ridiculous taxes, and it backfired on them at first. But then they figured out that if they made a product better than anywhere else, people would have to deal with it.
And that, my friend, is why if you want a potion, philter, magical oil, scroll, or other consumable magic item, you go to Bonum Prox. You pay the taxes, you fill out the tracking forms, and you get the best.
Demographics
| Species | Total Population | %Upper | %Middle | %Lower |
| Elven | 9997 | 35 | 62 | 3 |
| Daikini | 2164 | 15 | 80 | 5 |
| Nelwyn | 1935 | 15 | 72 | 13 |
| Human | 742 | 2 | 61 | 37 |
| Dragonborn | 362 | 12 | 8 | 80 |
| Gnome | 305 | 12 | 41 | 47 |
| Other | 192 | 38 | 32 | 30 |
Government
The city is technically a part of Corellum, and specifically the Duchy of Bandar Philia. It is almost entirely self directed, however - they pay a large amount in taxes, and have basically purchased the right to remain out of the affairs of the kingdom.
The city is directly governed by the Elders, a council consisting of the sixty three original founders of Bonum Prox. They rarely all meet, and the way they respond to events can be greatly influenced by who happened to be in the tower on a given day. All but a handful ignore anyone who isn't Elven or Daikini, and the ones that will interact with outsiders see them as tools to further their own plans.
No matter who is currently in the council chambers, there are certain commonalities in responses. They will normally try to extract tax money, or use tax money to buy their way out of situations. They try to maintain favorable relationships with groups that they feel can aid them when the time comes, and will often
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