Redveil

Being a kingdom, Redveil is ruled by, well, a king. Its current king, Merres, is said to be the kindest and most beloved the world has seen in all its long years. Redveil also has an advisor in the Counsel of Daaself, Marrin, who is the king's younger sister.

The walls that surround the city are strong, and have held against a number of sieges. Due to Redveil being located in, admittedly, not a strategically wise location being open to the North, West, and East, the city relies on its powerful guards whom are trained extensively in long-range combat.   As a contingency, if the outer walls are penetrated there is an expansive series of tunnels located directly under the castle Dawncrest and throughout the city which can be used to house citizens during an attack. The castle has its own series of elaborate defenses that cannot be found on the outer wall. Not all of them are known to the public.

Redveil's primary function is trade. Their entire economy depends on it. The reason it is so prominent in trade is because it acts as a half-way stop from the Western Gate to Eastern Gate. It is perfectly in the middle, so in exchange for lodging for weary traders and merchants, Redveil receives a small portion of whatever is being transported. This is not a requirement, just a show of good faith. A merchant could just as easily pay in gold for Redveil's hospitality.

Redveil was founded in 622 ER after the 500 Year War. It was a time of great darkness and gloom. Every kingdom was still feeling the effects of the war, which made some very isolationist societies. Redveil's founders sought to undo this by opening trade continent-wide. Declaring peaceful independence from [Ancient City], the founding clans first had to rid the lands of a small Hobgoblin empire in the area, pushing them to retreat into the Great Ravine.   (Add more here)   The Redveil Crisis - In the late spring of 2643 EE (The 83 Year of the Fourth era) Redveil was overtaken from within by a colony of Mindflayers. King Merres, Prince Jenres, and the royal court were all killed with the king being replaced by a Doppelgänger. Deep below castle Dawncrest the colony over time grew an Elder Brain beneath the city. They slowly took over the government of the city as well as the guards, holding hostage all who entered the city without regard for health or safety. The night of a royal banquet which was to assemble people across Dwaistar with much power and influence was when they finally made a move. The Mindflayers were spurred into their invasion by an adventuring party that had infiltrated the banquet and discovered their plot. The citizens were rounded up and dragged below into the tunnels. Those who resisted were cut down in the streets. They were taken to the hive below the city to be converted into Mindflayers to build an army.   Few outside the city even knew that there had been an invasion from the inside, so very little was suspected other than Redveil's seemingly unprompted aggression. Two days after the attack, Redveil officially declared war on both Critinal and Dreknul simultaneously. The battles were bloody and relentless. The war lasted for only a month, but that was more than enough time for the Redveil Armies to sow as much destruction as possible.    The Redveil Crisis was resolved when the adventuring party that initially discovered the Mindflayer's plan returned to inflitrate the hive below the city. After a long fought battle with the Elder Brain itself, they came to be victorious, eventually exterminating the colony and rescuing the remaining denizens.   Unfortunately, Redveil was left in shambles after the attack. Their once proud army reduced to only a handful of battalions, their marketplaces scorched, the population a fraction of what it once was. Redveil is currently occupied by Dreknul by order of the Counsel of the Purple Spine.

Castle Dawncrest - This castle towers above the city like a mighty pillar of light. It is built atop a large stone spire that reaches far above the rest of the city. At the top, a circular contraption of gold captures the sunlight and reflects it as a symbol of power. The castle reaches far into the sky and overlooks both the city of Redveil and the Sea of Talons. It houses the royal family and doubles as a place of commerce and banquets.

The architecture that can be found around Redveil is mostly of Human design, but also takes inspiration from some Elvish designs. The architects here are quite fond of fanciful metalwork. Many of the buildings have gently sloping roofs and simple stonework on the exterior, while being quite cozy on the inside. In the outer streets where the merchants peddle their wares, the paths become more rustic and full of culture. One might mistake the outermost edges of the city for a city made entirely of tents. Lanterns wistfully dangle across the streets and the smell of exotic spices and frying food fills the nose of any passer by.