Valorport
A shining beacon of heroism and goodness, Valorport is the adventurers capital of Savinaru. Valorport is a city dominated by two things: trade and heroism. As a city with adventure running through its soul, it was only natural that adventurers would congregate here. Many of the services and businesses in Valorport are tailored to cater to adventurers. A place to spend the money they take from a dragon’s hoard or make from selling ancient artifacts. Of course, no city can run without resources. While Valorport does its best to provide for itself it still relies heavily on trade. Its location makes it a well-traveled port, sheltered in its bay but with easy access to the entire eastern side of Gorotura. To maintain this trade, Valorport has a large fleet of ships, ready to move cargo and adventurers all along the coast. These two drives often go hand in hand: the city trades for adventuring supplies, uses those supplies to fuel their adventurers, keeps up good relations by sending adventurers to take care of any problems, then uses that good faith to keep the trade flowing.
Daily life for many residents involves resting and recuperating, because there’s no shortage of monsters to fight so the heroes always have something to do. That means that adventurers are always heading out, going on quests and coming back with bumps, bruises and the spoils of monster hunting. Those who don’t go on adventures and stay in Valorport are usually in fields that support either the city, like law enforcement or diplomats, or the returning heroes, like healers and merchants.
Many of the adventurers follow Kayari, the Goddess of Valorport. When Valorport was forming a spirit of the bay, a spirit of the land and a spirit of adventure merged into one entity in an attempt to become an ascended god. The attempt was successful, and while Kayari is not widely worshipped by those outside Valorport those within are often loyal followers. Even those who serve other gods often say a prayer or give a coin to Kayari for success in their adventures. Kayari is only a minor god, but many across the world know her name due to the Champions being both her main faithful and thriving on going out and messing with stuff. None outside Valorport give her more than lip service however, due to how she is only an ascended god and thus unable to do much outside her sphere of influence. This influence doesn’t extend much further than the walls of Valorport, but within those walls she is very active. Because one of the virtues she preaches is to take action, her presence is felt thoughout the city. A piece of her helps run the guild, another part is on the Valorport Council, and yet another can be found in her church both teaching and healing her followers. Occasionally, another piece of her simply wanders through the city, interacting with those who follow her and keeping her in tune with the common people. She can take any form she wants, but her three most active aspects have established appearances. Kayari the Guildmaster is a hulking orcish amazon, equipped with a comically big sword, a thick set of highly ornamented armor and a big grin. She’s boisterous, direct, and always happy to throw down. Despite her crude manners, she’s a sweetheart, being very protective of her adventurers. Kayari the Councilor is the picture of elven grace, still being larger than a normal elf but keeping the poise of her elf form. She is usually clad in elegant dresses and fine jewelry. Her role on the council is to urge the others to action, while the rest of the council is there to translate her godly ideals into the realm of possibility. Kayari the Priestess is a towering human woman clad in a tabard with her holy symbol and fine robes. Atop these priestly vestments, she and can summon ethereal armor, a glowing mace and shield at will. Her personality is somewhere between a loving mother and a protective crusader. She heals and guides her followers and will smite anyone who threatens the city to dust. The Guildmaster and The Counciler will also jump to Valorport’s defense, the Guildmaster swinging her blade with expert skill and the Counciler blasting away with arcane spells. Not just any threat will rouse her wrath, and a goddess with an army of adventurers behind her is a potent enough force to make those levels of threats think twice before messing with Valorport.
Demographics
Valorport is a true melting pot, even more so that many other varied settlements. In addition to the normally civilized species like elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins and so on, there are several more monstrous citizens accepted into Valorport. Morphers can be seen speaking with dragonfolk while a soulbound skeleton tries to sell them goods. Some even claim there is a dragon or two hidden somewhere in Valorport, but no one has confirmed this yet.
Most of Valorport's populace fills one of two roles: either they are adventurers or they are part of the infrastructure that supports the adventurer's guild. This includes magic item shops, taverns, hospitals and anything else that adventurers use to rest and recover between quests. Many of these places are also designed to give the adventurers plenty of places to spend the gold they earn on their questing.
Government
Valorport is run by a democratic council, with 7 members for the seven districts. Kayari keeps one of her aspects on the council, with the other six positions being filled by elected representatives. Technically Kayari could be kicked off the council, but after a few elections it was clear everyone loves her so they just let her stay. While the council is officially in charge, rumors say that the Champions are the real power in the city, and they just let the council handle day to day stuff while they make the real decisions. Both factions deny this, yet the rumor persists.
Kayari herself governs the Guild district, through both her Councilor and Guildmaster avatars.
The Docks are watched over by Captain Orgrin Saltfist, an ogre pattari and former pirate who sailed in one day with his repentant crew and a ton of gold saying they wanted a second chance in life. The Guild took them in, and they have proved valuable assets to the Valorport navy.
Keeping an eye on the Merchant District next door is Miradi Rubyscale, a dragonfolk who was once the hoardkeeper for an evil dragon. They kept account of every last coin until their dragon was slain by adventurers for terrorizing the countryside. Following this, the adventurers convinced them to join them in Valorport, which Miradi agreed to. Their skill with numbers made them a well known and respected trader, eventually rising to their position as councilor.
The Farms are under the care of Phaeris Emberdawn, a centaur druid who uses her powers to make the crops extra bountiful. She serves the thaxom of grain, who is very pleased with the vast fields of crops she has cultivated. Its species thrives thanks to her tireless work.
The Residential district has Dysirna Chillwind flying high above, a harpy with an eye for detail.
Ratik Clankwire governs the Factory District from the back of his clockwork bodyguard. Being a small goblin with a knack for artificery, Ratik built his mechanical muscle to keep him safe.
Below the city, keeping the railways running and the caves from collapsing is Brakun Steelrune, a dwarf from Koldubar.
Defences
The city of Valorport has surprisingly few traditional defenses. It has a border wall and some watch towers, but not much more. This is due to it's inhabitants. Most of Valorport is an army of dungeon delving, monster slaying, world saving heroes, most of who are decked out with magic items. Dealing with a legion of adventurers is a heavy task for any force, but they also have a secret weapon: Kayari. She is the goddess of Valorport, so she takes an active role in the defense of her city and her people. Not every threat is worth her attention, but in times of great trouble having an ascended god on your side is always a boon.
Industry & Trade
While Valorport does its best to provide for itself it still relies heavily on trade. Its location makes it a well-traveled port, sheltered in its bay but with easy access to the entire eastern side of Gorotura. To maintain this trade, Valorport has a large fleet of ships, ready to move cargo and adventurers all along the coast. These two drives often go hand in hand: the city trades for adventuring supplies, uses those supplies to fuel their adventurers, keeps up good relations by sending adventurers to take care of any problems, then uses that good faith to keep the trade flowing.
Districts
The Champions of Kayari hold their guildhall in the Guild district, which is the heart of the Champions activity. This is where they receive requests for aid from across Savinaru, then send out adventurers to deal with the problem. This means that this district is always bustling, as there's always some quest that needs doing.
The Docks are on the eastern side of the bay, and are the busy port that give Valorport the second half of its name. Ships are always coming and going, bringing trade and heroes in and out. There are also several warehouses along the docks used for cargo. The Docks district also includes the bay itself, which has both a decently sized beach further from the sea and a population of merfolk living beneath the waves.
On the outskirts of the city lay several farms for dozens of different crops and livestock. These fields are tended to by druids, who use their connection to the plane of life to ensure bountiful yields. While they provide much of the food for the city, Valorport still needs to import some food.
The housing district takes up a large portion of Valorport, due to how many people both in and out of the Champions Valorport supports. This is also one of the most architecturally diverse districts, due to how many different ideas of the perfect home different adventurers have. While standardized housing exists for the masses, many high level adventurers have the money to buy custom houses. Some parties choose to build majestic keeps in distant lands but other choose to put their base in Valorport. They don't make these homes any less grand however, with each one being a landmark in its own right.
Being a city that depends on trade, Valorport has a dedicated Merchant District next to the Docks. This includes shops, taverns, smithies, enchanters, stables and more. Valorport has many resources at its disposal, and uses them to ensure that their adventurers have everything they need to both do their duty and recover from their battles.
Valorport also contains a factory district, powered mainly by mages blasting lightning spells into specialized generators. Other technologies are used, such as a smaller generator that uses specially carved mana crystals as batteries. Here, Valorport produces industrial quantities of commonly used items, like basic healing and mana potions, bullets, arrows, and adventuring gear. Most of this is used to supply their adventurers but they are also known to sell off excess.
Beneath the streets of Valorport lays a system of tunnels initially dug by dwarves to feel more at home. These subterranean chambers mostly follow the districts they're under, and are treated simply like more of that district. They also house the city's public transport system, miles of rail tracks leading all over the city.
History
Valorport was founded when a famous adventuring party killed a powerful dragon. Once the beast was dead, the party realized that this was a prime piece of land. They decided to build a fort in the bay area, which became the group's home base for future adventures. As they continued questing people began flocking to their base, both new adventurers hoping to learn from the greats and normal people looking for a new place to live. The fort became a town which became a city, leading to the Valorport of today.
Geography
Valorport is set on a subtropical bay on the eastern side of Gorotura, with tropical rainforest to the north transitioning into a more temperate forest to the south. As the bay extends further into the land, it goes from a bay to wetlands.
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