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Ath'Rivalin

 

Geography & Climate

  General Features
  • Small River
  • Hill to the east
  • Hilly area
  • Rolling fields covered in vineyards/farms
  • Mines to the north
  • The town lies by a mountain on it's west side
  • The town of Ath'Rivalin lies almost furthest north in the land of Ath'Rivalin, and the land continues for about 60 miles south, roughly three days journey on foot.
  • The rolling fields continue south till a border with a larger forest, though people become more and more rare the further you go from the town.
  • To the east of the town the river runs into marshlands, which acts as the natural border for the land of Ath'Rivalin. And to the west the mountain follows until it turns and is replaced by forest. Creating a diagonally long land that's only 18 miles wide, while 60 miles south to north
  • The larger area that Ath'Rivalin finds itself in is a very mountainous region
  Description   Finally, after many days of arduous travel, as you ascend to the crest of the mountain, Ath'Rivalin, The City of Rivals, unfurls beneath you in a breathtaking vista. To the south, undulating fields dressed in vineyards sprawl endlessly, their verdant hues stretching to meet the horizon. In the east, a resplendent temple of marble stands proudly beside the winding river, its golden spires glinting in the sunlight.   To the north, faint specks on the hillside hint at the industrious mines that dot the land, while at the city's heart lies a bustling hub of life. Even from this lofty height, the symphony of Ath'Rivalin reaches your ears – the animated banter of merchants, the laughter of children, and the melodic clink of coin exchanging hands.   However, what truly captures the eye are the opposing hills, each crowned by a formidable castle. Towering over the landscape, these bastions of stone seem to vie for dominance with their intricate carvings and gilded embellishments, a visible testament to the enduring rivalry between the city's influential houses.  

People & Demographics

 

Culture

 

The people of the Rivalin are known as some of the hardest working and most competitive of all the continent, a spirit which has made their people sought after within workforces in many a land. A trait of the Ath'Rivalians that has grown from their belief, that if you work hard enough you will be rewarded appropriately. Perhaps less attractive, is their tendency to boast, especially when comparing themselves to someone of opposite allegiance.

 

Furthermore, the folk of the town are distinguished for their welcoming nature and the importance they place on hospitality. It has however been said that once a family, or person, joins the opposing side, the intent behind the hospitality becomes more devious. It is not uncommon for hosts to play tricks and attempt to embarrass guests of the opposite side.

 

Within the wealthier circles of the town's folk one will also find that the people's competitiveness reaches far beyond just craftsmanship or labour. The wealthy families always try to outdo families on the opposite side, weather that be hosting a more lavish party, by outdressing an opposing family, or perhaps even by drinking the opposing family under the table. All members of the town's folk partake in the defining age-old rivalry of the true houses.

 

Another defining trait of the Ath'Rivalians is their love for breakfast. While most of the town eat at separate times, depending on their profession, all make sure to share breakfast with as much of the family as possible.

 

Religion

 

Historically religion has played an unusually small part in the history of Ath'Rivalin, but in just the last century, as the two houses began to compete for who could procure more divine and religious favour, the population has embraced three gods in particular. Lathander, The Morninglord, Moradin The Allhammer, and Corellon, The Arch Heart. Though all worship is allowed within the town, as long as the worship remains within the bounds of the law.

 

The Morninglord

 

Lathander, most commonly known as the Morninglord in Ath'Rivalin, was the first deity that Ath'Rivalin embraced. And since his introduction into the everyday life of the town, it seems the beautiful sunrise seems a little brighter. Most everyone in the town utters a prayer to the Morninglord, almost always over breakfast, as is tradition.

 

Most formal worship to the Morninglord is done in the Temple of the Morning. A grand temple, made of white marble and inlaid with golden roads that all lead through windows made of pure crystal, until they all reach the altar carved out of one massive block of alabaster standing in front of a massive window through which the first light of dawn shines every morning.

 

The church of the Morninglord has since it's arrival in Ath'Rivalin become an important group in the town. It works closely with both houses, and has become almost like a mediator between the two houses. This has allowed it to prevent the rivalry to get out of control, as it has in the past. Something which has benefited, almost, everyone in Ath'Rivalin. As such the church is popular among both the common families as well as the two houses.

 

As the most established church in the town, it also often acts as voice of the wishes of all the gods, and when divination is needed the Church of the Morning is the first place to look. The Grand priest of the Temple of the Morning has, only within the last few years, been granted an advisory position in the meetings of the houses. All of these factors make the Temple of the Morning an influential group in the town, and their word holds much sway over both the ruling houses as well as the common families.

 

The Allhammer

 

Moradin, usually called The Allhammer in the town, is the most recent deity to arrive in Ath'Rivalin, and he unlike the Morninglord is not worshipped by all in the town. His worship can usually be found in the artisan, labourer and dwarven families of Ath'Rivalin. But here he is worshipped readily, and The Allhammer has amassed a large following within the town since his welcoming.

 

While there is no true temple dedicated to The Allhammer, there is common saying among his followers, "Every workplace serves as The Allhammer's temple" which proclaims that their place of work is also their place of worship.

 

Because of the informal nature of his worship, The Allhammer has no organised church in the town, and so in terms of influence his worshippers hold little sway in the town, that is not derived from their economical importance. Though in an attempt to gain the favour of The Allhammer one of the houses has begun to introduce tax-cuts as well as pay raises for smiths, miners and other likely followers of The Allhammer.

 

The Arch Heart

 

Corellon, usually called The Archeart in Ath'Rivalin, arrived only shortly after the construction of the Temple of the Morning.

 

The stories tell that a painter came to the two houses in one of their meetings, and offered to paint one of them. Naturally the houses broke into argument about whom should be painted, but as they argued back and forth, the painter merely sighed and began to paint. After much arguing the two houses were interrupted by one of the young ones exclaiming that it wanted to study at that place. Intrigued the houses paused their arguing, only to find the most beautiful painting they had ever witnessed, depicting an academy. It is said that after the painting was seen, all the people in room agreed immediately to fund it's construction.

 

Afterwards the painter was nowhere to be found, and it was declared it had been a messenger from The Archeart. And so within a day the Church of The Archeart sprung, and all of the town musicians, painters, as well as smiths and artisans began to worship the newcomer.

 

The Church of The Archeart is a fairly disorganized group of people whom share common worship, but as a collective the group holds a surprising amount of sway in the town. For though it has the least amount of worshippers, often time these followers are from wealthier and more influential families, and sometimes even from one of the two houses. This means that a lot of resources are poured into projects for the followers of The Archeart, for example the ongoing construction of the majestic academy.

 

Other deities

Most people in Ath'Rivalin do worship some god, and while these three represent a large majority of the population, there are still sizeable followings for the following deities within the town.

 
Melora, The Earthmother     Waukeen, The Coin Mistress     Oghma, The Evenstar
 

In the modern day religion does play an important part of everyday life in Ath'Rivalin, but while it does hold some sway over the two houses, the two houses have been careful not to give up to much ground, always being weary of potential usurpers. The same goes for much of the towns people as well, while they are trusting of the gods, they still hold on to their identity as Ath'Rivalians dearly.

 

Specie's

The town and land of Ath'Rivalin is a wide mix of the common mortal specie's on the continent. Here you will find large populations of dwarves, elves, halflings and of course humans. A rough estimation is that about half of the towns population is Human, while a quarter is made up out of dwarves, predominantly hill dwarves, and the last quarter mostly halflings and elves with a few more uncommon specie's to be found.

This spread of specie's does vary depending on what area of Ath'Rivalin you find yourself in. In the northern part of the town where most mines are, there is, as expected, a larger population of dwarves, while if head south of the town you will find that nearly all vineyards not under one of the two houses, are owned and managed by Moon elves.

Sadly this town is not without it's biases and dislikes of certain specie's. Centaurs, are as most places on the continent, shunned. A number of the so called "monstrous" specie's like orcs, goblins and so on, are also frowned upon in the town. There is also a strong distrust of Kenku's as they are believed to dwell with the criminals in the sewage system.

 

Wealth & Standard of Living

While it is hard to compare to a global average, it is not hard to say that the inhabitants of the actual town of Ath'Rivalin live a comparably wealthy and comfortable lifestyle when comparing to most towns and cities of the continent. Though this is the case, the people of Ath'Rivalin are without a doubt some of those who spend least time enjoying their, by the standard of the age, luxurious lifestyles. There is also the fact that while certainly a large settlement, Ath'Rivalin does not present all the luxuries that one might find in certain larger settlements. For example, the town lacks in academical possibilities, having had a distrust for that which can't easily be understood for a long time.

If we do however take a look outside of the town, and into where in fact most Ath'Rivalians live, we will find that the lifestyle of humble farmers in Ath'Rivalin is quite similar to farmers in most places. Though closest to town lies most of the vineyards, and here there are several more wealthy farmers and estate owners. So all in all life is not to bad in the outskirts of Ath'Rivalin. Furthermore the valley Ath'Rivalin lies in, has for the last century at least been known for it's peaceful nature and seeming lack of monsters.

 

Government & Societal Hierarchy

Government

 

The town is organised in a top-down manner where all the power "originates" from the two houses at the top. The ruling group of the town is formally called the Council of Six, though by most locals it is just called "The Council", as the original name no longer fits reality.

 

The Council of Six

 

This council was originally just six members, as the name suggest, three from each house. In theory any three can be chosen from a house, but it has nearly always been the case that the current leader and his two eldest children are the ones on the council. But, in the modern day there are also a few other members of the council, some more influential then others.

Lord Mayor of Commerce

The title Lord Mayor of Commerce, is usually shortened to Lord Mayor, at least when found in speech. And as the name suggests this title is all about the commerce and rights of merchants in the city. As so, when the title was introduced to encourage traders and merchants to come to the town, it was demanded that the title be an elected one, which was not the initial plan. But as the houses once more found something to clash over, it was eventually agreed that there would be a compromise, a rare event in the history of Ath'Rivalin. So there would be three candidates elected by all licensed merchants, and then the Council of Six would make their choice over whom the title would go to. This title is re-elected every five years. Furthermore, whomever is elected for the title also becomes the official head of Ath'Rivalins merchants guild, known officially as Bronzecloak Alliance. On the council the Lord Mayor protects the interest of the merchants and traders of the town. Though the duties of the Lord Mayor are many, his role in the actual council is more like an advisory position, as he has only one single vote.

Grandpriest of the Temple of The Morning

The Grandpriest of the Temple of The Morning is a title given to, obviously, the head of the Temple of The Morning, which in it self is a position chosen independently from The Council of Six. This position is meant to look after the interests of The Morninglord, but also the interest of all followers of the Prime Deities as was agreed upon it's introduction. This means that all in all, the Grandpriest, as the title is commonly known, spends most of his time and effort on the council in the acts of humanitarian causes. So outside of their duties as head of the temple, the Grandpriest will also sponsor charities, organise religious events, and organise any divination sought by the Council. This means that the Grandpriest is usually one of the busiest on the council, but in terms of actual power in the council, he is mostly in an advisory position, with only one vote.

Shieldlord of Ath'Rivalin

This was the first title to be added to the Council of Six. And the Shieldlord, as the title's holder is usually called, is responsible for all of the cities internal and external defences. This position is not elected, but simply chosen by the Council of Six. Though occasionally when a new Shieldlord is needed, a contest of personal prowess will be held to chose the new Shieldlord. This title is for life, or until retirement, whether willing or not. The Shieldlord's duties vary, as some Shieldlord's like to take a hands on approach. That would mean training the soldiers and guards, personally overseeing the financials of the guard and military, and perhaps even patrolling the streets themselves. And on the other hand a more indirect Shieldlord might spend most of his time trying to push policies and budget changes within the council of Six, as the Shieldlord is the only title with three votes, it is quite possible. The one duty all Shieldlord's share, is to protect all the citizens of Ath'Rivalin, which also includes all the small hamlets, fishing huts and of course the roads. In theory the Shieldlord has the most freedom on the council, except house members of course, as he has ultimate control over the military and guard of Ath'Rivalin. But the fact of the matter is that a Shieldlord can be retired whenever the council decides so, and if such a vote is brought up, only the house members are allowed to vote.

Archmage

The Archmage was the most recent addition to the Council of Six. It is predominantly advisory position with only one vote, but it was created to encourage the growth of a newly formed group by the name of Followers of the Gems Eye, more commonly known as The Gems Eye. This group of Magicians, primarily wizards, was welcomed and encouraged by the Council of Six, and especially the two houses who have long sought to have a growing society of magicians in the town, which historically has shunted the arcane arts. The Archmage has little duties beyond consulting The Council of Six, but the Archmage is also the leader of The Gems Eye, so his duties mostly relate to his own organisation. Beyond that though the Archmage is present in all trials where magic was involved, and in recent years the Archmage has worked closely with the Shieldlord especially when it comes to investigations, something magic can be very useful for.

House Councillors

Each of the two houses have three representatives. Almost always these three are made up out of the current leader of the house, and their two eldest children. Each of these house councillors have three votes, making a house's total votes nine. Furthermore every house councillors will usually have an assigned area, which they are expected to manage successfully during their time as it's manager. Failure within you're area will result in shame to both you and you're house, something the opposing house will mock you for. It will also make less popular with the common families of the town, as they rely on the success of the industries as well. Though all house councillors are expected to take some interest in their area, it is also not uncommon for them to delegate most of the work to underlings, which is not negatively looked upon, as effective managers are highly respected in the town. There also always two house councillors who are assigned to manage the taxation process for the Council of Six. Always one from each of the two houses.

The Council

So in total there are ten members of the Council of Six, six of which are from the two houses, and four of which are titles with varying degrees of influence. While most of the members of the council keep up regular communication with one another, managing and cooperating on different tasks, the full council gathers monthly for meetings. The two houses take turns hosting the Council, and each of the two houses have spectacular council chambers designed to impress more than the other. If an emergency meeting is ever called it will be in the home of whichever house called it, as only house councillors have the ability to call emergency meetings.

The council meetings are usually spent going over the situation, but this is also the time when new policies or budget changes can be voted for and changed. Every year, on the first day of Varrendar the council also gathers. This yearly meeting is called to decide which members of the council will manage what areas for the coming year. Questions such as which of the house councillors will be responsible for the mines, wine production and other important areas of governing come up. Usually these areas don't change house, as the two houses have their core industries that they control. But if a large trade of industries has happened during the year, then these management positions might switch up. This is also when new house councillors can be introduced if one of the councillors had passed during the past year.

 

Taxation & Bureaucracy

  Taxation

The taxation of Ath'Rivalin's people is based around the household system, so the focus is not on individuals or even families, but rather the household you live in. And all the taxes which are collected from the people of Ath'Rivalin, go straight to the two houses, whom later give a part of that to the Council of Six's coffers. This means that much of the wealth that when you are paying taxes as an individual the money does not go to the government, it instead goes to the coffers of whichever house you are loyal to. And then that house choses how much of that goes to the Council's public works. This system of taxation is incredibly popular among the populace as they get to chose more so where their wealth goes.

When it comes to taxing industries and businesses, it works more similarly to most other economies. The Council of Six imposes tithes, tolls and taxes upon businesses, traders and other industries of the city. Though with the immense wealth of the two houses behind the Council of Six, these taxes, tolls and tithes are usually lenient, and it is common to find special agreements between certain guilds and the Council of Six.

All of these special agreements and documentations for households is purely possible because of the incredibly robust bureaucratic system behind The Council of Six.

Bureaucracy

Since it's founding Ath'Rivalin has set itself apart with it's fiercely adept bureaucratic system, that has managed the mess which is the household system. The taxation system is one of few examples of how the two houses have effectively worked together on something. The House of Coin operates as the headquarters for all and any taxation related questions. This plain four storey high building built almost purely of stone stands out like a sour thumb in the otherwise live town. Here effectivity is valued above all. Everyday hundreds of people show up to request tax cuts, pay their taxes, argue tithes or otherwise engage with the personnel. Something which has allowed the bureaucracy of the town to function at all, is the understanding that most people pay their taxes themselves. As only the household head must pay the taxes. Instead The House of Coin simply sends out a notice to every household of how much they owe and why they owe the amount. Then it is up to the household to pay on time. If they do not, then the Shieldlord's guard will make a visit. It is also possible to argue the amount with personnel in The House of Coin, something which is not looked down upon. It is instead praised that one would do their due diligence and make sure everything is in order.

Societal Hierarchy

 

In Ath'Rivalin there is a clear hierarchy of professions, and the respect that comes with it. But beyond that, is the respect for hard work. If it clear that you do you're job well, you will be respected by both peers and even superiors, no matter the profession. In the town no legal profession is necessarily looked down upon, it is simply understood that you're profession represents how hard you and your family have worked. Nonetheless, here is the hierarchy of professions in Ath'Rivalin by respect of the folk.

House Members -- Most respected
Artists, Managers, Servicemen, Freelancers -- Highly respected
Artisans, Merchants, Landowners, Clerks, Clergy, Magicians, Scholars -- Respected
Miners, Farmers, Construction workers, Servants, Transportation workers -- Indifferent
Criminals, Homeless, Sewage workers -- Looked down upon
  Most respected

House Members are idolized in the town of Ath'Rivalin. It is an honour for any business to be visited and do business with a House Member, even if the member is of the opposing house.

Highly respected

All of these professions are highly respected by most, and it would make any parent proud if their child worked in any of these roles, with the exception of certain freelancers, and especially unsuccessful freelancers. Foreigners who come to work as freelancers are however greeted warmly and respected by all members of society.

Respected

These are the professions that while not as prestigious and respected as for example managers, they are still looked upon favourably. And the people who work in these roles are seen as examples of the everyday person.

Indifferent

This is where most normal people are found. These roles offer no true prestige or respect, unless you stand out by you're work ethic and how effective you are. And while it brings no prestige, all of the town still values these people as they are essential to the system.

Looked down upon

Here we find mostly criminals, and those roles associated with criminals. There is no respect for people who can't make their living in an honest industry here in Ath'Rivalin. Now homeless people are fairly rare in the town, and that's because most homeless people find the city to be ruthless in it's attitude towards them. They are seen as lazy, and it is understood that it is the fault of the homeless person that it finds itself where it is. Sewage workers are also looked down upon, as the stereotypes surrounding them are plenty common. Many think that they do business with thieves and smugglers, and while they do an important job, they are still looked down upon and rarely trusted.

 

The household system

In Ath'Rivalin all permanent citizens of the town, and it's surrounding areas are organised into households. In Ath'Rivalin culture there is barely a difference between those you share you're home with and family. Importantly there is also a head of every household, usually the eldest or the one of the most respected profession. All of these households are also aligned with one of the houses, as this determines who taxes them. This means that neighbours pay sometimes vastly different taxes depending on professions and loyalties. Only a few years ago a new policy was introduced to make the city more welcoming to foreigners. For the first year after a household is established it can choose to remain unaligned, and thereby being exempt from nearly all taxes. After this period it must choose which house it will swear allegiance to.

 

Security & Defence

 

Security

The town of Ath'Rivalin has two forces of Security, The Lamplighters and The Rivalin Sentinels.

The Lamplighters

The force known as The Lamplighters act as the town guard in Ath'Rivalin. Their domain of protection is only within the bounds of the town itself. And while the force in the modern day is fairly small, it is made up of well-trained and highly respected individuals, whom almost always come from local families of the town. These Lamplighters rarely see any actual scuffles, and are mostly dispersed to break up arguments, patrol the streets, and just look after the populace in general. There are only three ranks within the Lamplighters, which are as follows

Shinekeeper -- The one in charge of all the Lamplighters, works directly under the Shieldlord Glowguard -- Officers who lead on the ground, usually in charge of small groups of members Lightkeeper -- The general member of the Lamplighters

The name of the force, evidently so, derives from their duty to walk the streets and refresh the lights of the town. Making sure to keep up some light even in the darkest hours of the town. Most people will just call the members of the force Lamplighters, but the criminals of the town are known to reefer to the force's members as lamps or candles even.

The Rivalin Sentinels

The Rivalin Sentinels act as the military of Ath'Rivalin, a role which might seem inactive, but is actually quite difficult. The reason the job is harder then it might seem, is because it is up to the Rivalin Sentinels to also protect all of Ath'Rivalin outside, as well as inside of the actual town. This means that it falls to them to keep the roads safe, and to make sure all the small hamlets, vineyards and estates of Ath'Rivalin are safe from possible attackers. To more effectively deal with their duties, the Sentinels were split a few decades ago. Now the force has two branches so to say. One branch which works in the mountains, hills and marshes around where the people of Ath'Rivalin live. They make sure monsters, and other threats don't enter the land of Ath'Rivalin. This allows them to stop most bandits and other figures of ill-intention to enter the land. These sentinels are trained to live in harsh conditions, and spend most their time tracking, ambushing and otherwise hiding in the mountains, forests and marshes. Then we have the Rivalin Sentinels who work with protecting the actual land's of Ath'Rivalin. These people spend their time patrolling roads, visiting the small societies that dot the land, but also protecting the Council of Six, and carrying out missions that are above the pay-grade of Lamplighters. These are the soldiers who are seen by the populace, and they are highly-respected in Ath'Rivalin. Within the Rivalin Sentinels there are four ranks not including the Shield Lord.

  • First Sentinel -- The second highest position within the Rivalin Sentinels, and in practise also the right hand man of the Shieldlord, the positions duties vary depending on the Shieldlord, but whatever the Shieldlord can not be bothered to do, the First Sentinel will take care of.
  • Watch Captain -- These are field commanders. They lead detachments of varying sizes, but the Watch Captains are expected to make most day to day decisions for the group they are leading at the time.
  • Watcher -- The Watcher is the role usually assigned to seasoned Sentinels, it is largely a role given to ensure that in the event of a Watch Captain or higher not being present, there will be someone of experience to step up and take up command. Because of this most Watchers have similar roles and duties to Sentinels, on occasion these Watchers act as the stewards of larger detachments.
  • Sentinel -- The Sentinel is the average soldier in the Rivalin Sentinels. They are highly trained before being accepted in as actual Sentinel's, and once they are fully accepted they bear the insignia of their rank proudly.
 

Defence

The town of Ath'Rivalin itself is fairly unprotected, as it holds few naturally defensive traits, with the exception the of the hilly and uneven terrain surrounding the town. But as for the land of Ath'Rivalin there are loads of defences. To the south lies heavy forests, to the north rough hills and eventually mountains, to the east not more than a few miles away begins the marshes, and to the west a mountain range lies, with the river running through it.

One might think that to protect the town proper, The Council of Six ought to build a wall, but the fact of the matter is that Ath'Rivalin is land which is, and has been, relatively safe for a long time. There are few monsters that actually enter the land, and bandits and villians are usually caught on the borders. There are of course criminals inside the land of Ath'Rivalin, but most of these prefer to work in the shadows.

 

Infrastructure, Trade & Industry

 

Infrastructure

The town of Ath'Rivalin has a well planned out, and functionally effective road system which spreads the full size of the town. The roads are paved stone, and they even stretch out north to the mines close by. The road system does also continue out from the town to most of the estates and hamlets in the countryside, though not far from the city the roads simply become dirt roads. And the further you get from the town itself, the worse the conditions of the roads.

Most of the industries of the town are provided with suitable transportation methods, and since the encouragement of trade, a lot of horses and other pack animals have also been procured, which has made transportation a lot more effective. This means that every vineyard has their own stables where they keep draft horses ready to work. It is therefore common place to find carts rolling up and down the roads of Ath'Rivalin all day every day.

As for the small river that runs through the mountains, there are a few ships in the town owned by the two houses. But most ships found in the small docks of the town, are foreign vessels, come to trade with the City of Rivals. If you followed the river into Ath'Rivalin, then you would however have seen a number of fishing boats on the river, a trend which continues both east and west.

When it comes to water, the town is set. There runs a river right through it, a fact which has allowed the town to even build a sewage system. It is incredibly rare to find a functioning sewage system on the continent, even more so to find one in a town of Ath'Rivalin's size. But the waste is collected, and then later dumped out further east in the river. The small population allows this waste to barely be noticed by the folk living further east.

 

Trade

Major Exports
  • Virnelis's Harmony
  • Silver
  • Tools & Arms
  • Jewellery
Major Imports
  • Horses & Pack Animals
  • Exotic Foods
  • Textiles
  • Iron
 

While the town and land of Ath'Rivalin has spent much of it's time being self sufficient, it has only within the last century or so opened up to the idea of trade. While it's harsh borders make trade hard, it does still possess the river, and more importantly a few rare and key resources. Most merchants who come to the land of Ath'Rivalin do so either through the forest to the south, or more commonly on boat by the river. These merchants usually bring with them animals, textiles, iron and also sometimes exotic goods. And they often leave with Silver, Marble, Weapons or Tools, and most importantly the famous Virnelis's Harmony which is a luxury in all the civilised courts of the continent.

Most trade is done in the Square of Rivals, which acts as both the center of the town, but also as the market. The more established merchants and guilds however have agreements with the houses, and it's less a question of trading, and more just the usual exchange of goods. These more established traders and guilds often just spend a few days unloading old goods, and loading on new goods.

All in all the town and land of Ath'Rivalin possesses many goods which are high in demand in many places, and this makes it tradewise a prosperous town. The seriously limiting factor is the capacity traders can come in and out of Ath'Rivalin, something which bothers both local as well as foreign traders

As for internal trade, this is a huge part of the life of Ath'Rivalians. Most people live and work in the countryside, and all of the trading between hamlets and different parts of society, is still done in the town of Ath'Rivalin. This means that every day loads of people take their goods to the town, sell these goods and acquire what is needed for their household in their small home, and then return.

Industry

Ath'Rivalin is the sole producer of the world famous Virnelis's Harmony, named after a moon elf who came to the town not long after it's founding and managed to convince both houses to invest in his vineyards. Now this special technique is used by his many descendants, most of whom work for the houses as lead managers. The secret technique is said to be passed down only within the descendants of Virnelis, a fact which has given the moon elves of Ath'Rivalin a comfortable position. The production of Virnelis's Harmony is one of the larger industries in Ath'Rivalin, and as the years pass the industry continues to grow as more and more people of wealth demand the wine. It has become a luxurious commodity that represents status in many places around the continent.

The other large industry of Ath'Rivalin is their mining operations. Just north of the town proper lies bountiful mines, which over the years only continue to give more and more the deeper the miners go. In the mines most industrious resources can be found, ore's as iron, tin and copper are abundant. But more importantly there is great deal of silver to be found in the mines of Ath'Rivalin. And in recent years as trade becomes a more important part of the land, the extraction of silver has become the absolute priority. A suprisingly large part of the silver coins minted on the continent have their origin here in the mines of Ath'Rivalin. This has meant that the town now imports iron instead of extracting it themselves, something which on the whole has been profitable. The mining industry employs a large portion of the town's population, and in just the last decade a number of the people living both abroad, but also in the countryside have begun to move into the town, this is happening because in terms of profitable work the mines are beginning to catch up to the vineyards. This migration has also given rise to the newest "district" of the town, which is partly underground and built into the upper levels of the mines.

The third large industry of Ath'Rivalin, is smithing. There are many talented smiths in the town proper, and they make all sorts of things. Historically they mostly made tools and more day to day things, but with trade coming to the town, there are now jewellry, and weapon smiths in the town.

As for the smaller, but still necessary industries of Ath'Rivalin, there are dozens. The land of Ath'Rivalin has for a long time self sufficient, and that means there are woodcutters, fishers, farmers, leather workers and so many more professions which still exist in the land. Many of these might be found in the small hamlets and estates on the countryside though, and it is still true that most of what it produced in the land of Ath'Rivalin is produced in the countryside, and then sold and traded in the town proper.

 

History & Timeline

Founding Date
973AR
Alternative Name(s)
Rivalin, City of Rivals
Type
City
Population
16,000 (Inside the town) 60-65,000 (The land of Ath'Rivalin)
Inhabitant Demonym
Rivallians (Most commonly) Ath'Rivalians (Formaly)
Location under

Articles under Ath'Rivalin



Cover image: by Lumi

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