Veille

The population of Veille is made up entirely of elves, with only a select few half-elves. Non-elves are a rarity here, allowed to visit, but never allowed to truly make their homes. That is an honor reserved exclusively for elvenkind.

Veille is very much like many other elven communities in how it is run. Elders are given a great deal of respect, bordering on reverence. Their centuries of wisdom is meant to be used for the good of the community. The oldest man and woman are the Elder and Matron, effectively the rulers of the city.   While the government is kept very loose, some level of order is still kept. This is the responsibility of a volunteer militia. These people, despite only serving part-time tend to be very dedicated and skilled. After all, swordsmanship is treated as an art form among the veille'esti elves.

The city's greatest defense is secrecy. The veille'esti elves take great pains to ensure that none know the location of their home, save for those who mean them no harm. Even those who dearly want the prosperity of Veille for themselves, don't even know where to start their campaign.   Even with its secrecy, the city is far from defenseless. The entire community is surrounded by tall mountain peaks that provide an excellent  natural defense. Since the food and water of the elves all comes from the valley itself, besieging the city is effectively an exercise in futility.   Invasion isn't much better of a prospect. It's true that the elves of Veille don't have a formal military, but they have a strong tradition of swordsmanship, archery, and especially magic. Even in the unlikely event that anyone could breach the city's exterior, they would have a challenging fight on their hands.

Veille is entirely self-sufficient, and take great pains to remain that way. Since their food, water, and building materials all come from the valley, they don't have to depend on importing anything from anyone else. Occasionally, veille'esti travelers bring goods from elsewhere and these are treated as exotic curiosities, but large-scale importation simply does not occur.   On the other hand, goods from Veille are sometimes sent elsewhere, particularly Gate Town due to its relative proximity. Mostly this includes the wine made from unique local berries and metalworks made from veille'esti mithril. Naturally, these goods are extremely valued due to their rarity.

The people of Veille try their hardest to stay out of the affairs of others. It has been said the world could be burning down around them, and they wouldn't lift a finger to help. Indeed, many conflicts have come and gone without the intervention of the veille'esti.   According to the stories the elves tell, Veille was founded during the early days of the Ancient Elven Empire. They chose that location for the plentiful mithril deposits, and used their mighty magic to make that harsh mountain valley their perfect home.   The First Imperial War came and went without incident. If the attacking humans did manage to find the city, they weren't able to break through. They were, likewise, untouched by the Second Imperial War. This made it an ideal location for elves to retreat to after the fall of the empire.   Even the First and Second Rising provided very little trouble. If the mind flayers even found them, their attack wasn't damaging enough to even be recorded in the history of the elves, making them an anomaly in the Twin Worlds.   Veille's isolation is broken by the occasional traveler. The problem is that not all of them are benevolent. The most famous of these is Velsarra Til'vere, a creator of terrible creatures whose rage led to death and shattered lives wherever she set foot.   She was born to an influential veille'esti family, but she was born with terrible deformities. The elves couldn't stand to see such a creature marring the perfect vision of elven beauty they all loved so much. She stayed among them a bitter and hateful outcast, envious of the love and admiration they received from their fellows.   Eventually, she could no longer stand the disregard and disgusted looks of her fellows. She left to try and find acceptance from humanity. They treated her even worse, so she was forced into desperate action. She sought the aid of the hag Granny Pots and learned the magic to change her body. She returned to Veille a vision of incredible beauty.   Now the ideal of elven beauty, the city welcomed its wayward daughter with open arms. Lavish parties were thrown in her honor, and suitors lined up for her favor. Still, this admiration seemed hollow to her. After all, the only thing that had changed was her looks and the people of Veille treated her as though they had always loved her.   It quickly came to be too much for her and she disintegrated a suitor in a fit of rage. She swore, with all of Veille as her witness, that they would suffer her wrath for their shallow ways. Her efforts resulted in the mongrelmen and verbeeg, but the actions of Granny Pots and the party of Ratagar of Rall saw her vengeance unfulfilled.   The history of the city has been far more peaceful ever since. When the mad mage Ansarien Ill'conter attempted to create the Ancient Elven Empire resurgent and enslave or kill all non-elves, they remained neutral. Still, the veille'esti couldn't shake the rumor that they supported his campaign of genocide.

The city of Veille is more of a work of art than a settlement. Towers and spires rise into the sky as if competing with the granduer of the mountains, themselves. Smaller buildings are built with the sort of gentle curves that require great care and skill to create.   Every structure no matter how humble is covered in delicate carvings, so fine they look like they couldn't have been carved by mortal hands. Many are sigils that tell grand stories in a language too ancient for any to understand. Others are detailed scenes ranging from glorious natural vistas to legends of lovers and warriors.

Veille is built in a mountain valley, accessible through a narrow pass. Famously, the city is almost impossible to find without a guide, and many that have sought those beautiful streets have passed right by it, never knowing just how close they came.   The snow-capped peaks rise high above all around the city, creating an especially spectacular view. The valley, itself is densely filled with trees, of the sort that seemingly shouldn't grow among the cold stone surrounding it. This makes for a surreal sense that anyone entering the valley is walking into a much different world.

The city is able to maintain its self-sufficiency mainly by not depending on others for food. Fruits and berries found nowhere else with no names in the common tongue keep the population fed and a small lake made of snowmelt from the nearby mountsins provides water.   The mountains are also rich in mithril. The elves don't mine it on the scale a dwarf or human community would, but it is important to the crafts the elves make. Smiths turn this precious material into crafts like swords or statues.   One of the city's unique claims to fame is the population of winged cats that prowl the streets and skies freely. The elves call these creatures tressym, and treat them not as pets, but as friends. They are frequently used as an icon for the city, itself.