Catcher's Rest
"Lots of folk consider it a holy place, but some pretty chapel don't cover up the smell." -Local
Catcher’s Rest gleams like salvation and stinks like sin. From the water's edge it looks holy, gold spires rising from mist, light spilling from a hundred stained-glass wounds, but step closer and you’ll hear the coughing, the coin-counting, the prayers sold by the word. The First Altar, largest chapel in the world, burns eternal they say, its flame fed by faith, in truth, it’s fueled by tithe and fear. The rich pray in polished pews, sipping wine steeped in Lough Icewind’s stormy waters. The poor drink from the runoff, filthy, rationed, and sanctified only by desperation. Those who cannot pay for Chiniae’s mercy rot in the alleys beneath her murals, their bodies carted to the Silent Row for “cleansing.” The Knights of All-Faith call this holiness. They walk the markets in gleaming armor, preaching charity with one hand while the other tallies debts. The “penitents” they chain for unpaid tithe row barges and mend nets, their prayers echoing off water they’ll never drink. Every confession is an investment; every blessing, a transaction. The nobles of Catcher’s Rest sleep sound beneath their relic-lit ceilings, their sins absolved in coin, while the laboring faithful kneel on bleeding knees outside the cathedral doors, praying for the same forgiveness sold a few blocks higher. By day the city shines like a promise. By night the glow from the First Altar reflects red off the canals, and folk whisper it isn’t holy fire at all, it’s the light of every soul the Church has burned, still flickering in the water. Catcher’s Rest is faith turned inside out, a chapel built on bones, a sermon spoken through gritted teeth, a city where salvation costs more than sin.
Demographics
The population of Catcher’s Rest is predominantly Humans and Dwarfish as Everwealth mostly is; It boats a notable minority of Elfese and Smallfolk, particularly among the scholarly and artistic communities. Devils and Giants also, while rare are not unheard of due to the city’s reputation as a religious hub, welcoming all who seek redemption, escape from segregation, or spiritual guidance, allegedly. Stones and obscenities thrown at them from the population at-large would imply otherwise. Wealth divides are stark, Knights, clerics, and church officials live in relative opulence, while the lower classes labor in fishing, forestry, or service industries, scraping by on meager wages.
Government
The city is ruled by the Everwealthy standard, the Count, his guards and the duchy at their head. But here, there is another body who may hold the most power of-all. The Knights of All-Faith, a religious order of Clerics and Paladins who reach is felt across the world, smiting and taxing in every known corner of the globe. They call this place home. Ostensibly benevolent, The Church, as they are often called, enforces strict laws against heresy and blasphemy in their order and worshippertswhile collecting heavy tithes to maintain its vast network of parishes and religious missions. While The First Altar is technically a theocracy isoplated within their order, it maintains a sort-of council of merchants and artisans to handle economic affairs, though this body operates under the Church’s scrutiny and control.
Defences
Catcher’s Rest is fortified with stone walls and watchtowers, its bridges designed to be raised in case of attack. The Knights of All-Faith serve as both spiritual protectors and the city’s secondart military force, their well-trained paladins ensuring swift and ruthless justice.
Industry & Trade
The city thrives on fishing, lumber, and religious tourism. Exports include finely crafted Moonpine wood, dried and smoked fish, and illuminated manuscripts. Imports consist of luxury goods, exotic foods, and magickal reagents for Church rituals.
Infrastructure
Catcher’s Rest is a labyrinth of cobbled streets and arched bridges spanning numerous river channels, its thatched-roof houses leaning precariously over the waterways. Stone aqueducts, watermills, and public fountains provide, somewhat, clean water; Too actively trodded or used for waste to guarantee it safe to drink. Wooden docks along the rivers bustle with fishing boats and timber barges. The Moonpine Market sprawls across the central district and all around the city, a vibrant hub of trade where woodworkers, fishmongers, and traveling merchants peddle their wares to the lucky folk who can afford them. Churches and chapels dominate the skyline, their ornate spires casting long shadows over the crowded streets. The city maintains a fortified aquifer vault, inscribed with divine glyphs, where Lough Icewind’s water is held in reserve. Access is restricted and supervised, as ration disputes in times of delay and poor sanitation have led to violent outbursts in the past.
Districts
- The First Altar - The heart of the city, an immense cathedral with soaring stained-glass windows and an aura of magickal radiance, home to the Church’s highest order.
- The Moonpine Markets - Named for the city's forest industry, this district houses lumberyards, carpentry shops, and modest merchants for the many laborers who make this district home.
- Pilgrim’s Crossing - A bustling area filled with inns, taverns, and shops catering to travelers, adorned with colorful banners and religious iconography.
- The Scriptorium - A secluded enclave housed in complex chambers beneath the First Altar, where scribes and scholars preserve sacred texts and conduct research into theology and magick.
- The Silent Row - The city’s prison and allegedly the church's hidden interrogation complex, a grim, fortified section hidden behind high walls.
Assets
The city boasts vast timber stores from the nearby Moonpine Forest, rich fisheries, and a treasury overflowing with tithes. Relics and magickal artifacts stored in the First Altar are considered priceless. A thriving lake-shipping industry
Guilds and Factions
- The Knights of All-Faith - A powerful religious order, allegedly, with a heavy hand in controlling the Church and the city’s governance.
- The Guild of Luminaries - Artisans specializing in stained-glass windows and intricate religious carvings.
- The Merchant's Consortium - A guild of merchants and innkeepers profiting from the city’s endless stream of visitors.
- The Gray Flame - A shadowy faction rumored to handle the Church’s darker dealings, from assassinations to securing forbidden artifacts.
History
Founded centuries ago on the ruins of an ancient battleground of holy men, Catcher’s Rest rose to prominence after the construction of the First Altar, said to be divinely inspired. Over time, it became the spiritual center of Everwealth, attracting pilgrims from across the Three Lands. However, whispers persist of dark rituals and secret purges carried out in the city’s early days to secure the Church’s dominance.
Points of interest
- The First Altar - A colossal cathedral whose magickal light never dims, even at night.
- Moonpine Market - A vibrant trading hub for wood, fish, and religious artifacts.
- The Bridge of Tears - An ancient stone bridge said to weep blood on holy days, a reminder of the city’s darker past.
Tourism
Pilgrims flock to Catcher’s Rest to seek blessings, witness relics, or partake in Church-sponsored festivals. Wealthy nobles visit for the opulent art and sacred music performed within the First Altar, while adventurers seek treasure in the city’s crypts and nearby ruins. Inns and taverns range from humble accommodations to luxurious sanctuaries catering to visiting dignitaries.
Architecture
Thatch-roofed homes line narrow canals, their stone bases carved with intricate reliefs depicting religious scenes. Churches dominate the skyline with towering spires and stained-glass windows, while the First Altar gleams with golden embellishments. Bridges are adorned with statues of saints and carved wards against evil, blending beauty with practicality.
Geography
Nestled amid sprawling rivers and bordered by the Moonpine Forest, Catcher’s Rest is a city of waterways, its canals winding through densely packed districts. Beyond its walls, fertile plains roll towards distant hills, while the Moonpine Forest looms around it. Water shipments from Lough Icewind arrive weekly via armored caravans and river-fed routes, stored in sanctified cisterns beneath the Chapel and rationed according to spiritual merit and civil need. Without these deliveries, the city’s growing population would rapidly outpace its clean water reserves.
Climate
The city enjoys a temperate climate with misty mornings, cool breezes, and frequent rain... Yet despite its warmth and swelling humidity, the city is not self-sufficient in water. Most of its supply is reliant on steady imports from Lough Icewind. Much of the water along the shore or channeled into the city via aqueduct teems with filth from foot traffic, bathing, dumping waste, or dumping the dead; Only useful for the crops, if they can even grow that season. Winters are bitter, mist clings to the air year-round, lending the city a constant aura of melancholy.
Natural Resources
The nearby Moonpine Forest provides abundant timber, while the rivers teem with fish. These resources sustain the city’s industries and feed its people, though over-harvesting is a growing concern.
Alternative Name(s)
'The City of Altars', 'The Faithful Crossing', 'The Holy Channels'.
Population
40,000 folk.
Inhabitant Demonym
'Catchers', 'Faithful', 'Fishermen'.
Owning Organization
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