Keylara

A true melting pot city, Keylara is more diverse than the captial, Elaria, since it's much more of a trading city with a port connecting it to Lores and the road system connecting to the rest of the Dom. It's not surprising to see any kind of people in this town, though humans and half-humans are still the most common. Even the more rare ancestries of Teiflings and Dragonborn are common enough here that they are active parts of the community.

Keylara still operates on the Council form of government.  A Town Council is formed by the Major Guild reps, Archivist and Fort Commander from Fort Keylara, per the usual format. However, Keylara has grown so large as to basically absorb another town, so a seat for the Commander of Wolfgate is also set. The Advisory Keylara Council consists of all Association Reps and usually forms committees to tackle issues within the city.   A People's Council also meets and consists three elected Councilors directly by the people in each of the four districts. Depending on the matter at hand, these individuals will bring issues directly to the Councils that the people deem important.

Leyvarr Guard Fort   NE at the crossing of East Road and Keylara Run stands an imposing stone and log wall for a couple hundred yards in both directions. The main fort entrance is on the east side and another is on the west wall. High above the tall outside walls (roughly 3 stories high) and built into the corners are the guard towers, which rise an additional 2 stories above the wall. The guard towers are always manned with a Mark (archer). Two guards are always posted at each open gate during the day. The gates are closed at night, but are still manned by two guards inside the door.   The walls are about 35 feet thick and house stairs to the about ramparts as well as storerooms for extra supplies and minimal sleeping quarters for wall and tower shifts. Inside the fort are large open training fields and buildings are built against the main walls that house a blacksmith forge, a leather smith shop, stables for mounts, barracks, kitchens, a wood shop for Fort maintenance, and armory. The Commander’s Tower is in the NE corner, a larger version of the other three guard towers, houses offices and sleeping quarters for the officers, specialists, the medical ward and the alchemy room where magic users can learn, experiment and make potions, grenades and poultices.   In addition to the large Fort, The Guard also mans four Posts throughout the city to spread out watches and patrols.   Like other Forts, the Keylara Fort always has a retinue of guards, marks and mages active in the Fort, as well as a Quarter Master Lt and several levels of personnel for support staff, a Med Unit, and other specialists.

Keylara is an important trade hub to the Dom due to it's connection to it's sister city, Lores. As trade freely flows into Lores from the East and some to the south, merchants put goods on boats to Keylara for trading with Keylaran merchants, and vice versa. Travelers seeking a new place to call home, or opportunities, land in Keylara with plenty of both available to them.   Imports: Lumber from Nosta, Pumpkin wine and spiced cider from Lacon, metal ores from Damelza, and a wide variety of exotic goods from Chiara (pottery, fabrics, furs, teeth, hide, and horns from sea beasts, and other monsters), spices and teas from Tavark (ally in the East), and marble and chiton flakes from Draskon.   Exports: Grain, ale and livestock to the Raone settlements in the Eastern Reach (Nosta, Sundale, Fork and Crossroads) and to Draskon. Linen and trinkets to Lacon and Chiara. Wool, grain, and finished leather goods to Damelza.

There are four major districts in Keylara, spread out along the western shore of Misty Lake. Old Town is where most of the town buildings are, Guild Halls, The Docks, The Shipyard and Keylara Fort are. Most of which are right off or near the East Road. Old Town demographics are middle and upper class with lower class living southside near the Shipyard. Mid-Town is mostly upper class with some middle class mixed in and consists of high end shops, plazas, and townhomes. Greentown is commonly seen as poor, but in truth has a wide mix of economic classes, ancestries, and trades. Most workshops are located here. Finally to the north is Wolfgate, a militaristic focused town that got absorbed into the Keylaran governement structure.  

Southtown

The southernmost district is Southtown and is generally south of the Docks and the East Road. The majority of the lower middle class and poorer class live and work here. Many work on the docks, warehouses and Shipyard or in shops, taverns, and inns, and most of poorer class work on farms or fishing boats. The Fisher’s Guild is headquartered in Southtown near the Shipyard and the Axe and Scythe Guild Hall and the Woodworker’s Association local Halls are here. Many of the buildings on the East Road are Inns, Taverns, and Shops, with neighborhoods of townhouses built into each other just south of the Road, gradually tapering to homesteads.

Inns & Taverns

The Piss and Whistle – (Tavern/Inn; Poor) Situated on a road off of East Road (south side), the sign hangs off balance and looks worn. The word “Pig” has been crossed through and “Piss” written crudely over it. Inside, the scarce room has some missing chairs, a clearly broken table, and a few patrons sipping on some ale or stew of some kind. The barkeep stands in a corner, sweeping up broken glass, but abandons the task when he sees you come in. He glowers as he asks what you want.   The Rocking Kettle – (Tavern/Inn; Modest) Built right on the East Road (south side), it’s a great place for travelers to find a good spot for an ale, some music and food, and rest before continuing on the next day. The three story building looks small, squished into its neighbors on either side, but once inside, it’s much more spacious. Known for their nightly music, friendliness, and decent trenchers.   The Prancing Praon – (Inn/Stables/Tavern; Mod-Comf) Owned by Lance Sigfriend, one of the best and fastest Praon riders to have ever raced, has long ago hung his racing reigns and settled down to build a series of Inns named after his best steed, Prancer. This location only has one or two Praons for his and his family’s personal use, but they do sell and stable other mounts.

Shops

Southtown’s shops are primarily for the locals’ needs. There’s a couple of tailors, a shoemaker, a few blacksmiths that mostly make tools for farmers, chains and hooks for hauling at the Docks, Shipyard and warehouses, and shoeing for mounts. The nicer shops and larger General Stores are on the East Road and are mostly for traveler’s and to catch some business across from Mid-town.  

Old Town

The town proper – called Old Town by locals -- is near the south end of the city, but north of the East Road. Here, the Docks are built of stone, the Leyvarr Guard Keylara Fort is, as well as the Town Hall, Market, and many Guild Halls are located. A Temple to Pelor is located directly on the waterfront near the Docks to allow the morning sun to touch the temple building before anything else. A few blocks of middle class homes, shop streets, public gardens, and small-medium sized Archivist Halls that act as local schools form the border between Old Town and Mid Town.

Inns, Taverns and Clubs

  The Blue Raven – (Club/Inn; Modest-Comfortable) An upcoming club, the Blue Raven is situated between the Market and the Docks on the north side of the East Road. Attracting workers, travelers, and the gamblers, the club looks from the outside as a stately house painted a dark blue. Inside, the tables are filled with card and dice games, guards stroll all around, and a bar in the back stands proud in black stained wood.   The Copper Pot – (Tavern/Inn; Comfortable-Wealthy) An inn with a dedicated kitchen built for cooking competitions. Known for the best food in Old Town, the cooks in this place have probably won awards or are trained by them. The place still has its roots in the life of everyday people, so although they have the tastes and rooms to accommodate the wealthy, most of their menu and rooms are nice, but not too fancy.  

Shops

  There are a good number of shops along the East Road for travelers who are "efficient" with their time, but most shops are in the Market Square. Some of which are building stores, most of which are mobile carts that makers wheel to the Square on days they want to sell their goods.   The Market Square on old Town has a wide variety of goods and services. Mostly fashionable items for locals, carts with trinkets, food stalls can be found all over, and traveling merchants setting up shop after arriving on a ship and getting a temp merchant permit. Weapons are not allowed to be sold or bought in the Market Square in Old Town. You must go to a smith merchant or to the one building store in the Market Square with a permit to sell and buy weapons.  

Mid-Town

Mid-Town is generally where the upper class live and socialize. The docks here are a mix of stone wharfs and well-built wooden docks and the ships are mostly small and medium fishing boats, sail yachts, and mid-sized cargo ships. The Market in this district is cleaner even than Old Town and usually has higher end fashion and furniture shops. More importantly, there are no workshops in this district.

Inns, Taverns and Clubs

The Golden Torch – (Inn/Tavern;Comfortable) Placed directly on the Main Road that threads through the city parallel to the shore, this tavern calls as a beacon to weary travelers. Faced with many stained glass windows and an old English pub look, the three story building looks as if the perfect place to hear exciting stories. Inside, cozy fireplaces all around the massive tavern welcome all. Retired adventurers run this inn, but don’t think for a second that age have dulled their skills.   Lamp Light Inn – (Inn; Comfortable-Wealthy) Doubling as a lighthouse for the nicer end of the docks and just north of the Docks and Pelor’s Temple, the Lamp Light Inn has a clean and well maintained grounds and furnishings. All rooms are private and nicely furnished. The Inn has four floors with rooms and another three stories of lighthouse above that, making it the tallest building on the shore and in the city.   The Sapphire – (Club/Inn; Wealthy) Located right on the Market Square and immediately next to The Merchant’s Guild Hall is a tall (3 and a half) story building made of wood painted a beautiful rich blue and tall stone columns guarding the front. Inside, the front lobby is a tiled mosaic pattern of an octagonal sapphire (blue glass) surrounded by stone columns, with a curved stone staircase on either side. Past the lobby is the club and rooms on the floors above. The top floor is where the owner lives.

Shops

The Captain’s Square is the shopping and social plaza in the Mid-Town district and hosts restaurants, cafes, hat shops, specialty fashion shops for gentleman’s clothing, ladies’ dress, hats, shoes and boots, furniture shops, carpet shops, and a shop specializing in cloaks and another in canes. Specialty shops for academics can be found in this district on or near the Square. The center of the plaza features a fountain with a bronze statue of a man in mariner’s clothing and a tricorn hat in a heroic pose, the plaque below names him as Captain Cornelius Marigold.   The Sorcerer’s Source – (Alchemy, Books, etc.) Sells spell scrolls, reference and history books on magic, supplies for students at the Mage’s Guild (paper, quills, ink, etc.), and other magical items that are likely helpful, but expensive.   A Tale of Time – (Bookstore) Specializing in history books, there is both a fiction and non-fiction section. Run by an elderly gnome who loves to tell stories that may or may not be the stories you want to hear.  

Greentown

Greentown is the most northern section of the city and is an extremely diverse community divided into smaller communities based on ancestry or culture. The term Greentown comes from the colored lanterns hung from Tavark households, which use a different fuel source that make fire burn green and cooler. Still enough to give some warmth, but it doesn’t spread and ignite other typical fuel sources. Many upper class don’t like it due to the incense like smell of the powdered fuel.   Greentown is visibly different due to the mix of building design and lower height. Where Mid-Town homes can go up to three and occasionally four stories, Greentown homes are typically one or two. Greentown also has many workshops, smiths, makers, and tinkerers. The Market in Greentown is a wide spread area of endless merchant booths crowded together, part of it is a series of two story houses, where the bottom floor are shops and upper floor is the living quarters of shop owners. The docks in this district are simpler wooden docks with small boats.   North of Greentown is simple homesteads and farming and fishing villages before reaching Wolfgate .

Inns, Taverns, Clubs and Tea Houses

  The Lazy Duck – (Tavern/Inn;Poor) Right off the docks are warehouses and squished between a couple, facing west, is this little seedy inn and tavern. Its best attribute is that it’s near the cheap pleasure houses and near the docks, so you don’t have to go far for either.   Green Bottle Inn – (Tavern/Inn; Modest) Near the docks on the south end of Greentown is a clean Inn with a good reputation for not putting up with shenanigans. It’s one of the two story buildings in Greentown and is owned by a former Lt of the Guard.   Warhammer’s Rest – (Tavern/Inn; Modest-Comfortable) On the south side of Greentown, farther from the docks is a large and sturdy building of classic Dwarven build. The inside is welcoming, jovial, and the smells are spicy and warm. It’s the best place to find authentic Dwarven cuisine and strong Dwarven ale, locally brewed.   Sea Serpent Tea House – (Tavern/Inn/Pleasure House; Comfortable) There are many tea houses in Greentown, but everyone knows this one is the best to stay at for entertainment. Any and all entertainment is optional. Rooms are more private. Everything is in classic Tavark style.    

Shops and Workshops

The Market in Greentown is the most chaotic, loud, and wonderful place to shop for travelers and adventurers due to the variety of cultures, sights, smells, goods, and types of merchandise. If you’re looking for adventuring gear, this is the district to shop in, with its many smith shops and workshops that sell goods directly to customers but watch your coin purse or sneaky hands might free you from it.   Stalwart Shields – (Armor Smith) Makes shields of all kinds and types and can do custom work as well.   The Bladesmith – (Blacksmith) Specializing in swords(Katanas), daggers, and known for the best kitchen knives, Dobnip Snibblebobber, is the Master swordsmith in his style of sword (Katana) in the Dom.   Bonestone Forge – (Blacksmith, Dwarven) Specializes in Dwarven smithing techniques and items. Sells several different types of axes.   Hide and Stitch – (Leathersmith, Armorer) Specializing in leather armor, and bags and packs for functional purposes. Sells Leather Armor, Hide Armor, Studded Leather, and plated leather armor. Also sells leather bracers, archery arm guards, pouches, bags and packs, wine and water skins, gloves and belts.   Granny’s Cupboard – (Apothecary) A small and unassuming shop with shelves filled with bottles, boxes and various dried things hanging from the ceiling. A good place to find riddled wisdom, unique ingredients, unorthodox methods and maybe palm readings, depending on the weather.

The city is large enough that all official Guilds and Associations have a presence in the city. In addition, there is an official Fisher's Guild that is headquartered in Keylara and has a major voting spot on the Town Council.   The Copper Spoon has a much larger Guild Hall in Keylara due to the wide variety of cultures in the city, providing more ingredients, experiences, and competitions.

-223 BP -- Lakeside villages are formed when a group of survivors from the mesa top find a peaceful life next to Misty Lake. Over the next 200 years, the villagers go through phases of being under the thumb of a bandit ruler or living peacefully.   -120 BP -- After generations of the oppression of bandit clans, a brave group of villagers travel by boat along the shore further south, founding the settlement, Lores.   0 AP -- The lakeside villages feel a series of small earthquakes during the sunny spring day, and see a glowing golden light at the northern end of the mesa top as the sun sets. Some say it was a trick of the light, some say it's an omen.   6 AP -- The first traveler from the mesa visits the lakeside villages, learning more about the bandit clans power over the valley and the terror and poor conditions the villagers have experienced.   8 AP --A series of bandit attacks on the villages are stopped when the Raone fighters from the mesa beat back against the oppressive bandit leader, Turin the Red, in Elaria's 8th year in the new world. Elarian's almost always had a presence in the area since then, though it never imposed or assumed ownership of the area.   9 AP -- A year later, over 3000 people from the mesa traveled across the Golden Fields grasslands to settle near the water.  Nearby Red Rocks was founded the same year, providing a stronger link and trading route to the Elarians.   18 AP -- Keylara and other towns experience a strong attack from the new banit Leader, Jana the Shadow.  The attacks razed dozens of villages, killing hundreds of farmers and fishers. Many flee farther south or to Lores.   21 AP -- Bandit raids has been a regular part of life, but have increased activity on the north side of Keylara in new ways. Packs of wolves that are not behaving normally threaten Keylara. In response, an Elarian warrior, Trevorn Duskblade, who had been injured defending Keylara rallies the people and by his direction, they build Wolfgate, a wall and fort of wood and stone.   23 AP -- The Bandit War reaches its apex with the bandit leader, Jana the Shadow, cornered in what is now called the Northern Reach. The Shadow Wolves that Jana had been controlling increase their attacks on Keylara until she is killed miles away. The guards manning Wolfgate see only crazed wolves attacking, then suddenly all the wolves shake their heads, a shadowy mist dissolves out of their bodies and they run north into the forest.   24 AP -- Keylara officially became part of Raone, instigating a few changes on how things were done.  The town Council method of ruling was already being implemented, though the idea of a mayor went away for the Town Council Hall and Guild Halls.  The Layvarr Guard built a Fort on the south end of the settlement near where a packed dirt road had already formed and where most people lived.   28 AP -- Stone Run and Key Run roads are completed, allowing stone from the Boulder Quarries in the north to bring stone into the city for constructiuon of buildings and the East Road. The East Road, a stone paved road on the south end of Keylara connects the city directly to The Banks by way of Red Rocks and Tungeton.   31 AP -- The sister town of Lores is officially added to the Dom, beginning three years of construction improvements to the Keylara docks to bring workers, Leyvarr Guard, and settlers to Lores. The Shipyard is constructed as well, allowing larger barge ships to be built to carry more goods between Lores and Keylara. The Docks are stone wharfs on the south end of Keylara proper.   38 AP -- After the completion of the two major temples in Elaria, the people of Keylara vote for temples of their own to be built. A temple for Pelor and one for Selune are each constructed, but so are a variety of other temples, more so than in other towns. A large Market is also constructed near the Guild Halls and Town Hall, to mimic the capitol.

People from all over the Dom and beyond visit Keylara for its variety in food, cultures, experiences, shopping, and expert smiths and crafters.    The Temple of Pelor on the shore is a sight to behold, and much easier for many villagers to trek to without traveling up to the mesa top.    Several Festivals take place only in Keylara and therefore easily fill the inns during those days. The Festival of Sails in the height of summer is a major attraction.