Selgaunt

History

Centuries ago, Yhaunn was considered the regional city of magic. However, mysterious events destroyed the city, and the refugees settled in Selgaunt to help it become the new favored city of magic.
House Castore rose to power in the past century by both winning the favor of mages of Yhaunn, and working large contracts with most of the Guilds.
31 years ago, after Bolivar Castore slew Tyralgarde the Invincible at Dragonfall, the city acquired The Dragon's Hoard: hundreds of thousands of gold coins and comparable amounts of gems. With this windfall of money, they invested heavily in building a new harbor. The mages helped carve deep harbors and generate favorable trade winds, while the guilds built ships and infrastructure. House Castore commemorates the victory with Tyralgarde's skull, mounted on the north face of their Keep.
Today, the City of Magic is home to many magical colleges, as well as the headquarters of the Merchant's Guild. With a superior port, favorable winds to Westgate, and river access to both The Golden Grove and Stormfall: it is the regional economic power.

Layout

A river flows from the Northeast and enters the city region. After entering the outer walls, it splits in two and joins again, creating a large island where an elevated island hosts the inner Keep. The river then bisects the rest of the city, finally meeting the Sea of Fallen Stars in a large and freshly-cut bay.
Merchants crowd the river, eager to get the attention of the city's many visitors. Inns, temples, vendors, enchanters, restaurants, docks, and taverns all vie for all manner of audience in order to find their niche.
Selgaunt has the following districts:

• The Spine - a ridge that runs through the Eastern half of Selgaunt. The wealthy of Selgaunt own various homes and towers along the top
• Academy Park - originally a single park with two magical colleges, it is now a collection of dozens of green spaces carved in the gaps between dozens of magical colleges, northeast of The Spine. Academy Park is also home to the Tower of the Guardian of Archmage Benjym Augurath.
• Asgorath Market - named after the Dragon Deity that supposedly created the Sea of Fallen Stars, these blocks are overrun with merchants every day, each eager to sell wares to the highest bidder. More established vendors open brick-and-mortar storefronts in the surrounding area.
• The Sapphire Bay - originally, the Selgaunt coast was a hazardous harbor. Lady Cynthia Castore used much of the hoard of Tyralgarde the Invincible to fund a magical venture to reshape the harbor and modify the nearby winds, turning Selgaunt's harbor into the safest on the coast. At night, you can see the mysterious blue lights that appear above the sea at the edge of the horizon.
• The Golden Pearl - a foresty grove that acts as an Elven enclave for visitors from The Golden Grove.
• Red Terrace - the military district, where new recruits and old veterans live and drill. Visitors tend to enjoy the surrounding taverns, full of short tempers and shorter-term thinking.
• Tabletop - a plateau on the southwest side of town where The Table used to meet. Since about 10 years ago, the Table now meets in Exaltia, though Selgaunt still hosts the primary guild halls for most of the seven at The Table, as well as dozens of other guild halls. The Tabletop is surrounded in all directions by crafting artisans.
• Eddy - slang for a poorer part of town. Following the Whispering War, many refugees from Ordulin and Shalendar came to Selgaunt. Locals referred to these communities as "eddies".

Demographics

Dominant

While Selgaunt is rather mixed and cosmopolitan, humans are the dominant political force within the city. The city is ruled by Lady Cynthia Castore.

Minority

Goliaths and Dragonborne from the Drakodorse mountains, and Dwarves from the Thunder Peaks, each have prominent groups within the city.

Enclave

Elves have settled either within the Golden Pearl enclave, or within various poorer neighborhoods around Selgaunt.

Groups

Many refugees from Ordulin and Shalendar have formed neighborhoods, referred to as Eddies by locals.

Individuals

All races within Sembia can be found in Selguant, though many have little political influence.

Lodging and Drinking

• The Bilge Pump ($)
• The Salt Knight ($)
• Catfish Head Brewing Company ($$)
• Shore Leave ($$)
• The Dragon's Tale ($$)
• Second Breakfast ($$$)
• The Clockwork Dream ($$$)
• Featherdown ($$$$)

Type

Large city

See also:

• The Castore Family