Endaravanham

Small Town: Population 1,566 (64% letheni, 21% vesperkin, 8% human, 7% other)

History

Endaravanham is a small settlement that was founded early in the Reckoning period that was originally intended to build a shelter into the Nanathinfiaran mountains southeast of Valensir to protect residents of Valensir during catastrophes, such as major Wellspring eruptions. Many years were spent hollowing out the mountains, building underground tunnels and caverns and stabilizing them to create a structure that could withstand dangerous anomalies. This "city" within the mountain was used to house many citizens from Valensir during the event known as The Rift.

However, the mountain's shelter, known as Tandor Canath, has gone unused for many years now, and the town has long been a simple mining settlement bringing common, but plentiful ores to Valensir. That changed when in 678 RE, on the 41st day of Lekaren, a Wellspring eruption transmuted the Endaratekethi plant native to the Nanathinfiaran mountains, turning every last thicket metallic. The "berries" produced by this plant, difficult to harvest, were found to have special properties, in that Flow could not penetrate the metal made from smelting the berries. What's more is that the berries eventually grow back, though it can take up to one hundred years. The leaves of the Endaratekethi plant seem to be a high carbon steel with a slight blue tint.

Ever since then, a lot of attention has fallen upon Endaravanham, with many coming to try to stake a claim to their own thickets in the mountains, which has made the Nanathinfiaran mountains a veritable war zone. Several factions now roam the mountains searching for new thickets, killing any who get in their way. Endaravan, the metal produced by the berries, has become the single most valuable metal in the world, and the scarcity of the metal makes it dangerous to possess. Valensir has allocated many Enforcers to the town to protect their investment.

Government

Endaravanham falls under the jurisdiction of magistrate Arromar Sinaran of Valensir to the northwest. The town has been a large investment for Valensir, both from the construction of the Tandor Canath in the mountain, and the protection of the Endaravan industry. The locals in Valensir have a strong dislike for Endaravanham due to the amount the magistrate has invested in them, given that little of the profits from their industry find their way to the smiths of the city. Those who do profit from the Endaravan industry tend to be the handful of smiths who know how to work with the metal, leaving everyone else behind.

Economy

The mountains just south of the town provide a very rich source of common metals such as iron, copper, tin, and some more precious metals such as silver, gold, and even platinum. There are a number of mines branching off from the Tandor Canath that produce more ore than many mines of twice their size in central Arak. This has contributed to Valensir's reputation as a hub for metallurgy and blacksmithing. Ever since the discovery of Endaratekethi, the local economy has catapulted towards being more wealthy than Valensir itself. The locals who are able to protect their thickets live like kings, and can afford the protection to keep the bandits away. The Endaravan trade is one of the most cutthroat and dangerous in the world, and everyone seems to want their share. Even the Dwarves have invested a good deal of gold in the metal, using it in their Runetech.

Notable Locations

• Nanathinfiaran - These mountains just south of the town proper are dense and extensive, separating the town and the main road from the dangerous Landu ith Suni forest on the other side. The mountains are home to the Endaratekethi plant, which were once a berry thicket that produced one of the Letheni's favorite berries, which had a dark color and had a complex sweet and tangy flavor. However, after the Wellspring eruption which transmuted the thickets, the berries these plants produce became metallic, having the same dark color as the berries they once were; unfortunate for the first poor Letheni to pop one into their mouth. The mountains are crawling with brigands that will slaughter anyone transporting the metal without a second thought, as the metal is the most valuable in all of Aellorah. Many have been killed on narrow mountain passes, and occasional Endaratekethi can be found scattered at the bottom of ravines, dropped by long dead merchants.
• Tandor Canath - Built in a great hollow carved out of the Nanathinfiaran mountains, this large city was built to serve as a safe haven for the residents of Valensir in the event of a catastrophic Wellspring eruption. To date, the refuge has only been used once, during the event known as The Rift, during which countless malevolent spirits came through a planar rift connected to the Vortex and attacked the living. The now abandoned city sits mostly empty, still having some remnants of those who took shelter here during The Rift. In more recent years, some mines have been dug out from passages within the city, so there is some foot traffic in these halls. Superstitious miners have told a number of stories of their experiences working in the abandoned city, claiming it still contains spirits of the former residents, and possibly even The Rift, but the Sorcerer's Cabal has dismissed these claims, explaining that when the rift was closed, the spirits that came through it went back to the Vortex.
• Landu ith Suni - This forest, lying on the south side of the Nanathinfiaran mountain range, is home to endless dense white pine trees that have unnatural light green, almost white needles. The forest gets its name, meaning "forest of eyes", from the eerie feeling that those traversing it get that they are being watched. Though no Wellspring anomalies have been catalogued here, no other explanation has been found for the color of the pine needles or the feeling of being watched. The needles appear to have some health benefits, as pine tea made from them has shown to accelerate recovery from sickness. In the last century or so, the forest has become home to the dangerous group of bandits known as the Mornadenathen, who are escapees from the penal colony known as The Scablands off the western coast of Myr. They are extremely violent and use the notoriety of the forest to their advantage, emerging from the dense trees to attack those transporting Endaravan. They are also found crawling all over the Nanathinfiaran mountain range, scavenging for food and attacking workers.

Culture

Endaravanham is a very busy little town, with most of the foot traffic centered around the metal trade; particularly for the metal for which the town was named. There are a number of foundries, all of which are capable of smelting Endaravan; all of which are under heavy guard. When the metal was first discovered, it brought a large boom of people to the town, who expanded it and took to the mountains in search of a thicket that they could lay claim to, as even a single ingot of the metal can fetch a small fortune. Each thicket has only shown to produce roughly one or two ingots worth of Endaratekethi every century. Although the thickets take a long time to regrow their bounty, it is in the best interests of claimants to protect their thickets so that none take it from them. Claimants are very secretive about the locations of their thickets and will establish a number of defenses to keep unwanted parties away from them, such as traps and even magic. Trust is hard earned in a place like this, and can get you killed. A number of close-knit groups control the Nanathinfiaran, and the town itself.

There is a large wealth disparity in the town due to the few wealthy elite who control the Endaravan thickets constructing the town around catering to their interests. There are a handful of clubs that cater to the elite, where business meetings are held, entertainment is held, and food and drink are served. Entertainment can vary from club to club, but usually involves comedy, music, and burlesque shows. These clubs bring in talent from all across Arak, and have to be scrutinized carefully, as more than a few attempts have been made to spy on the club owners to gain information about the location of their Endaravan thickets. Occasionally, parties will be held at these clubs, but they are under heavy guard by the Enforcers. These parties typically involve costumes and drinks.

Defenses

The Endaravan industry is extremely hazardous for those who harvest the Endaratekethi thickets, with brigands prowling the Nanathinfiaran mountains looking for unclaimed thickets and robbing workers transporting the unprocessed berries back into town. Valensir has allocated a large number of Enforcers to protect the workers harvesting Endaratekethi and the merchants transporting it. The Enforcers patrol the mountains and the roads looking for signs of bandits, and have the town itself locked down tight; all travelers entering the town must register their name with the Enforcers and have valid reason to be there. Travelers without business in the town are kept within the inns outside the town walls, which extend from the mountain slopes around the town itself.

Crime

With the strongest economy in the entirety of the Anduvis'ian Kefiluwen, everyone is trying to get a piece of the profits. It is not rare to hear of attacks on shipments of Endaravan along the main road; but it is even more common to hear of attacks in the Nanathinfiaran. There are a number of small factions crawling around the mountains looking for their own thickets to harvest, and attacking those they outnumber to pilfer theirs. There are two main factions that are the largest problem, with the local Enforcers constantly patrolling the mountain passes on the lookout for them. It goes without saying that with so much money flowing through the town, Enforcers are bribed frequently to look the other way in regards to the shady dealings of the wealthy elite, especially when someone sticks their nose where it doesn't belong and turn up dead.

The Estus ith Nakari are a group of former mercenaries who operated in the area who turned to banditry following the Grave Rot Plague when Endaravan became widely known. They wear masks and obscuring clothing resembling dark spirits to conceal their identities and typically only kill if someone sees them without the masks on, or recognizes them. The Mornadenathen are a group of escapees from The Scablands of Myr who fled their confinement on the solitary island, having been put there for refusal of their mandatory military service in Art Hunahunari. The Mornadenathen are the more violent of the two groups, having endured many years in The Scablands and having been molded by it into cold-blooded scavengers who use violent surprise attacks to overwhelm their victims. They are characterized by an eerie whooping noise they make from their hiding places before they attack, and have taken up residence in the Landu ith Suni.