Venture

Amidst the endless shadows of Mor'caith, a new seed of cooperation and collaboration sprouts from the very trees. The city of Venture, only two years old, nestles among the ancient boughs, its denizens preparing to explore the ancient ruins underneath.

A Joint Effort

The plans for Venture began as an effort by the Dwarves of Vrathûn to explore and exploit the ancient ruins of the first Gnomish Empire. Unfortunately, the first expedition struggled to get its city off the ground. It seemed that the Dwarves could not adequately navigate such a massive forest. Worse, the Elf tribe that inhabited Mor'caith proved to be hostile at first. The expedition lost many of its members and fled before it could break ground on the city.

Undaunted, the ever optimistic Dwarves reached out to human settlements in the area, looking for adaptability and fresh ideas, and surprisingly, one of the adventurer's guilds agreed to help. A second expedition was launched, but this time, the outsiders approached the Elves first. Intrigued, the tribe agreed on two conditions: the city and its people would have to coexist with the wood in such a way that they caused no harm, and the Elves would join the expedition and receive a share of any treasure or technology that was uncovered.

And thus began the experiment in racial cooperation that became the city of Venture.

A Growing City

In order to ensure that their first condition was met as completely as possible, the Elves took advantage of their ancient magics to grow buildings out of the massive Skyroot Trees. Initially hesitant to have anything to do with magic, the humans quickly came to see the benefits and have tolerated its use in the intervening years, though it is still a near-constant source of friction. Despite their initial difficulties, the Dwarves proved to be able mediators and administrators, and while both the humans and Elves in the city outnumber them, the Dwarves have easily retained the leadership role within the city itself. Under their guidance, the village quickly became a town and has continued to grow since its creation. Traders, survivalists, and adventurers continue to flock to Venture, eager to help with the experiment or to delve deeply into the ground looking for ancient artifacts and technology.

Rising Tensions

Despite the unprecedented cooperation of the three races as well as others who have come to seek their fortune, there are always strains on the alliance that allows Venture to function. Chief among them, the Elves still maintain a powerful presence in the forests of the Mor'caith, and while they freely allow travel to and from Venture and to established delve points throughout the forest, they only allow travelers to follow carefully curated paths from point to point. These restrictions have rankled human prospectors in particular, and the harsh sanctions by Elves who find anyone off the paths has not helped. Recently, the Elves have also insisted that a member of the tribe accompany each party that embarks on a delve. The Talanriel believes (and likely with good cause given how unregulated the delves have become) that her people are not receiving the returns to which they are entitled.

Hopeful Prospects

Still, people from around the continent have continued to flock to Venture hoping to skirt the tension (or exploit it) in order to find their fortune. Recent arrivals have gone beyond just the adventuresome: craftsmen have begun to set up in the outlying boughs and have brought families with them. For the first time since its creation, the sounds of children echo through the once quiet trees. The Elves might look on with chagrin for those traditions that have passed, but they have continued to support the experiment. In the future, the city may fracture, but for now, its star is on the rise.