WORLDBUILDING POST 014: LOCATION; MYREFALL
Myrefall is the political city of Hegaehend, all the businessmen, officeholders and otherwise important nobles will be found here. It’s just a shame that they’re all corrupt. The city is unfortunately familiar with people bribing, threatening and even killing their way to the top. Assassins and thugs tend to get their fair share of important clients here who are willing to pay top coin to see their opponents gone. Such actions between high society have caused fear and unrest for the civilians and the church of Beshaba, Goddess of Misfortune, has thrived as a result. The clergy preach that if the people do not appease Lady Doom she will bring misfortune to all, and with the beginning of the war, the number of followers is only growing. Warsi, a young clergy member who the King has chosen to trust, has been placed as the council member in control of Myrefall in the hopes she will stop the corruption.
COUNCIL MEMBER: Warsi DOMINANT RELIGION: Beshaba, Goddess of Misfortune OTHER RELIGIONS: Ilmater, Mask, The Traveler, Talona, Cyric, The Shadow
PLACES:
THE TEMPLE OF DOOM AND DESPAIR - The church is a towering, hulking black structure with sharp spires that pierce the sky. The clergy of Beshaba have allowed the building to decay and crumble in places to add to its intimidating nature. When the wind blows, the walls creak and shriek, in certain light the grime on the windows resemble faces that leer at passersby, and some of the fang-like spires that rise up from the vaulted roof seem to move as the building shifts. It’s a despotic, undead thing of a building that haunts the city skyline. No matter the weather, the grounds are perpetually blanketed in thick, miasmic fog.
CATACOMBS - Attached to The Temple of Doom and Despair are the tombs. Its labyrinthine tunnels span half of the city and wind and twist for miles and miles. No accurate maps exist of them. When the clergy and the loyal followers of Beshaba die, they’re turned into undead and are set loose to roam in the dark tombs forever. No one, not even the clergy, knows precisely how many undead reside in the tunnels. The only official entrance to the tombs is beside the Temple, but because the tombs receive no maintenance, tunnels are prone to collapsing. It isn’t uncommon for holes into the tombs to open up in the streets, or the tombs to merge with maintenance or sewer tunnels, and for the undead to escape.
WHITEWOOD PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTION - This austere, brutal-looking hospital rivals the Temple in its intimidation. It’s surrounded on all sides by tall stone walls with metal spikes and locked iron gates. Masked guards patrol the fence and the curtains are always drawn on the windows. Some people claim to hear screams emanate from the building, but in truth, no sound ever escapes. No care or compassion can be found within the institute’s walls, but torment and cruelty abound. It’s an unspoken, but well-known fact that a lot of the businessmen and politicians in Myrefall somehow send their rivals to the Institution to get rid of them. No one who enters returns better than they were—that is if they ever come out at all.
MERCY’S HOME - Myrefall’s orphanage is run by priestesses of Beshaba. Matron Keyzana, a strict and cold elf, has run the orphanage for as long as anyone can remember. She’s “raised” thousands of children throughout the centuries. Rumours have begun to spread that Keyzana must be immortal, otherwise she would have died already. No one knows her true age and anyone who attempts to learn more about her, or investigate the orphanage and its cruel practices, are swiftly stopped. Everyone is frightened of the orphanage and terrified of Keyzana. Even the powerful men of Myrefall know not to trifle with her. Parents with particularly unruly children in need of correcting have been known to send their children to her for discipline. As a result, a common Myrefall tradition is for parents to tell their children that if they misbehave, they’ll be sent to Matron Keyzana.
THE VELVET CURTAIN - An establishment as old as the city itself, The Velvet Curtain is a family business that has been passed down through generations of gnomes, culminating in the current owner; Jelxi Slipwhistle, a woman of respectable regard in the city of Myrefall. Known for paying her employees well and using her connections within the city to benefit her business practices, not many would question her authority within her designated territory. Marketed as a place of reprieve from the political machinations that rule the city, The Velvet Curtain promises customers discretion, entertainment, and engaging companionship in a safe manner that otherwise could not be found within the city.
THE INFERNO - While campy grandeur and fun aren’t common in Myrefall, both can be found in The Inferno, the city’s favourite burlesque bar. The establishment is run by the effervescent tiefling drag queen Dongorzal and his cheeky, megalomaniacal, kleptomaniac imp familiar Zozo. Every night the bar hosts a different live performance: live bands, drag performances, burlesque shows, comedy skits, operatic renditions of things that should not be operatic—everything but improv theatre, which Dongorzal has banned. All are welcome, except improv performers, and all are encouraged to drink to their heart’s content and to enjoy the nightly shows.
GRIMFELL ALLEY - Amongst Myrefall’s many darkened, shady streets resides Grimfell Alley, a veritable candy shop of poisons, alchemical elixirs and tinctures, malicious tinkering, dark magic, and cruel favours. Nearly every building in the alley is some sort of shop with a shady seller and shadier merchandise. The sections of the alley where the buildings have been deemed too unstable to use are packed with temporary merchant stalls, all overflowing in poisons, venoms, weapons, or tomes of ancient, deplorable magic. Accidents and casualties occur often when a powerful magical item is misused or an unstable alchemical concoction explodes. Due to all the magical accidents and the general lack of maintenance on the street and buildings, the Alley is a common location for the undead of the tombs to escape into.
THE SILENT CONCLAVE - In the centre of the city is a well-kept, unassumingly nice meeting hall. It’s used by the many businessmen and politicians of the city as a neutral meeting place to discuss pacts, rivalries, business dealings, and the like. Violence is banned within its walls and that rule is enforced by all. While there is an expectation of privacy, spies are still often hired to gain intel for third parties. Very few common citizens see the inside of The Silent Conclave.
LICTOMP YARD - The Yard is a large swath of abandoned industrial factory buildings. Cotton mills used to line the rivers that ran down from the Drumgamau Mountains through Myrefall and the humid air made it perfect for cotton refinement. Businessmen attempted to capitalize on the optimal conditions but failed to earn a large enough profit in the industry. They eventually abandoned the district. Now the hulking, empty mills, some still with semi-functional machinery in them, along with the large foreman houses, have been taken back by the masses of Myrefall. The city’s homeless population have established shanty towns and communities within the large mills and the local gangs have taken up residence in the foreman’s unused mansions. Life isn’t peaceful in the Yard and it’s frequently the victim of territorial disputes and gang wars as various groups attempt to wrest more control. Those that find themselves living in one of the homeless communities are often forced to join one gang or another in order to survive.
