Cities of Valnear

Caelwon (Greenvale)

Where the river Wing flows into the Harlyn Sea, lies the Valneari capital city called Caelwon. With half million ihabitants, a double ring of towered city walls and its bridges spanning over the river, Caelwon is without doubt the grandest and most prosperous city of the empire.
On top of that, there is the Citadel District of Caelwon, which is one of a kind. There is a fairly large island in the middle of a river; this is where the con Valn house had built their home castle two millenia ago. Later on, the castle was repeatedly expanded until it grew into a gigantic complex of citadels, walled courtyards, long halls and tall towers occupying the whole island and then some more. In this district can be found the Royal Palace, the Coronation Temple, the Grand Spire of the Mages' Guild, the headquarters of the Royal Pegasus Order and the Grand Military Academy, along with several noble estates and embassies. The only building of true importance for which no place in the Citadel District was found is the Grand Cathedral of Suno.
Caelwon is obviously governed by the reigning Valneari King, and by extension the Royal Council.

Teranas (Greenvale)

Teranas had been the capital of the kingdom of Terand, the most powerful and troublesome rival of Valnear in the early days of conquest. It's one of the largest cities of Greenvale, even to current date. The citadel of Teranas is built directly onto the face of the mountain, surrounded by a sprawling city of a hundred thousand souls, built on four levels of cliff and surrounded by many waterfalls tumbling down from the mountain, and through the city.
Instead giving it away as a fief, the con Valn family had always kept the city as a "trophy" of sorts, as a reminder to the victory over Terand. Currently the city is held by Duke Aedar con Valn, the younger brother of King Heland III.

Vyrenpass (Greenvale)

  Along the Silver Road, right at the southwestern border of Greenvale, lies the city of Vyrenpass, with roughly one hundred thousand inhabitants. Historically, the town had often been of great strategical importance, and is as a result the center point of a row of fortresses spanning across the pass between the two mountain ranges. This defense line was first useful during the many wars between Valnear and the different kingdoms of the Silver Coast, and second it was absolutely vital in keeping the invading hordes of the Warlock Kings at bay during the Mage Wars.
Vyrenpass and the surrounding areas had been gifted to the con Vyren family, in order to reward, and in future ensure their loyal support of the crown. The current head of the family is Duchess Tanarelia con Vyren.

Silvergate (Silver Coast)

  With a little over one quarter million inhabitants, Silvergate is the second largest city of the Empire, and by far the largest seaport to the Western Ocean. It's a major trading hub for the Westrons and Sea Elves (who only resemble the elves of the continent, but aren't actually related to them) living across the ocean, but also many ships from here sail to Gergon, up the coast to the more northern regions of the empire, but also to the nations of the southern continent. The city got its name thanks to the row of defensive towers protecting the ports of the city, built from the silvery, light grey stone found in the area.
Silvergate is a free city, governed by a council of noble houses and trade guilds.

Alencath (Silver Coast)

  With a population of eighty thousand inhabitants, Alencath is tightly hugging the curve of the river Harpyn on both sides, for many miles. This is the point where the Silver Road takes a turn, coming from Vyrenpass, and following the river southwards, both on land and water, all the way to Silvergate. The city is often monicked the City of Thieves for one simple reason; it is home to a handful major and influental criminal organizations, which keep up a fragile balance of power between each other.
Originally Alencath had been granted as a fief to the con Caraly noble family, and although their line of succession is everything but traditional, one of them always finds their way to the top of the city through the game of politics and subterfuge. Although members of said family often find each others at opposing sides in the struggle for power, there's one rule among the con Caraly's, which had always been kept for now: "Never cause the death of your own blood."

Redbridge (Silver Coast)

  Redbridge, a city of hundred and fifty thousand, is situated almost entirely on the eastern banks of the river Yrrun. It had been the capital city of a great kingdom (and had a different name back then), with which Valnear had waged lengthy wars in the past, until Redbridge was circled and besieged by the Valneari armies. The city was stormed from all sides, including from over the river, and conquered in a battle of exceptional scale, after which the grasslands, the city, and the river were all painted to the color of blood. To honor this costly victory, the settlement was renamed to Redbridge shortly after the war ended. Over the following centuries the city recovered nicely, and grew quite a lot in size and wealth, and it served as a starting point for many following campaigns towards the north and the west.
The current lord of Redbridge is Duke Vicron con Murstein, the uncle of lady Vesca, who is the eldest daughter of King Heland III

Fallen Wyrm Point (Dragon Reach)

Before the 5th century, the population of the Dragon Reach was held in terror for over two hundred years by the last of the remaining great dragons, who lived west to the Dragon Mountains; a green-scaled wyrm called Maphellym the Sly. Maphellym lived in a citadel he captured from its former human lords, and lorded over the surrounding settlements with an iron fist. His mixed armies of monsters and humans reached far on campaigns of plunder and counquest, and his network of spies and agents reached even farther, making him the most powerful "king" of the Dragon Reach. He even posed a fairly realistic threat to Valnear too, so the Valneari king put a bounty on the head of the dragon king.
After many failed hunters, a small, nameless brotherhood of hardened knights managed to lure the beast into a trap and slay him. Using the king's reward money, and the treasures the dragon had gathered, the knights founded the city of Fallen Wyrm Point, built around Maphellym's castle (which has been simply called Dragon Keep, ever since the dragon moved in), and raised an army of their own in order to support the Valneari king's conquests. Additionally, their newfound fame attracted a small army's worth of knights, and soon after the knightly order of the Dragon Guard was founded.
Fallen Wyrm Point is the largest city within the Dragon Reach, with a hundred and twenty thousand inhabitants, and is ruled by the Dragon Guard. The grandmaster of the Dragon Guard, and lord of the Fallen Wyrm Point, is chosen by the senior members of the order, but always has to be a descendant of one of the original dragon slayers.

Greyfort (Dragon Reach)

  Near the vast expanses of the Maneliath forest lies the town called Greyfort. It was originally built as a garnison for the Greywatch, a mixed group of soldiers, hunters and knights tasked with keeping the many beasts and horrors lurking in the Maneliath forest at bay. Over time a considerable town grew around Greyfort, as merchant guilds of woodcutters and hunters gradually gained influence, and everal smaller camps and settlements were built deeper into the forest due to this. The secluded town houses maybe twenty five thousand people, with a few thousand more living scattered in the surrounding woodlands.
Greyfort was never intended to grow to such a size, but when it did, it was granted as a fief to the con Daraken noble family as a boon of questionable value. In truth, the town is as much ruled by the guilds as the reigning Count.

Kyr (Sunreach)

  Kyr is one of the major imperial port cities towards the south, and the largest one at the Blue Sea. As a result, it's a fairly prosperous and populous town, with slightly over hundred thousand inhabitants. However, what makes Kyr stand out is the fact that it serves as the current home of Suno's paladin order, the Holy Order of the Sun. During the Mage Wars, the armies of Methis, Khead and Alaren attacked the city on multiple occasions en masse, but thanks to the large number of paladins and its blessed fortifications, the city held firmly each time.
Kyr is under the domain of the Holy Order, with the grandmaster of the order being the lord of the city too. (And the current master, Traemon con Aragath is also granduncle of Heland III's son Devarn to boot.)


 

Sunport (Sunreach)

  Before the Mage Wars, Sunport had been the largest port town at the Sea of Sails, including Kyr. However, during the wars, over half of Sunport was practically razed to the ground in a surprise assault from sea. While some of the inhabitants of the city itself, and the surrounding areas could be evacuated, the defending armies took heavy casualties, and Sunport was lost until the end of the war. After the Mage Wars ended, the rebuilding and resettling of Sunport had begun under the rule of its new Duchess, Miressa con Vileddyn, a renowned leader and hero during the Mage Wars in Sun Reach. Unfortunately, her reign was rather short, and none of her heirs did all too well as lords of the city. Currently about seventy thousand people live in Sunport, with some amount of wealth slowly flowing into the city again (a significant part of which is lost due to corruption or crime), thanks to trade with the southern nations, but it's nowhere near its old grandeur.
Although the official rulers of the city are the con Vileddyn, the actual power is distributed among the Church of Suno, the Mages' Guild and the various merchant houses and crime organizations.

Goldemount (Sunreach)

  Goldemount is a fortified city within the Bright Peaks mountain in Sunreach. It enjoys a great deal of fame and wealth due to the deep and extensive gold mines, which lie below. It's a respectable base of power for its old ruling house (reaching back to before Valneari dominion), despite only housing about sixty tousand souls.
A ruling house whose head is currently Vaelmin con Aragath, brother of the current grandmaster of the Holy Order of the Sun, and grandfather of the late king Heland III's newborn son, Devarn.

Wolvenburgh (Watervale)

Wolvenburgh is a town of sixty thousand people surrounding the home castle of the knightly order called the Knights of the Wolfsmoon. The order had its humble beginnings as a small mercenary army of hedge knights, brigands and sellswords hiring out to the Valneari generals of the area, and kept many aspects of that too; even today, the mercenaries commanded by the Wolfsmoon order are seldom idle amidst to the often feuding lords of Watervale, Jormgardian incursions, and frequently emerging robber barons. A distinguishing feature of Wolvenburgh is, that although its battlements aren't remarkable in themselves, but almost all of the city's walls are reinforced either by small natural rivers, or constructed moats, which is seldom the case for settlements of this size.
The city and the Wolfsmoon knights are led by Duke Zanren con Wradd, the direct descendant of the founding grandmaster of the order.

Pirden (Watervale)

  Towards the eastern borders of Watervale lie two woodlands, the smaller Pirden Forest and the larger Sharden Forest, which are separated by a swathe of mostly clear area. The woodlands are barely settled, but many settlements of woodcutters, hunters (and miners near the mountains) occupy the area between them, the biggest of which is Pirden.
The town has about forty thousand inhabitants, and is currently ruled by Count Martinzo con Sharnis

Whetrock (Watervale)

  Castle Whetrock is an ancient Fortress, quite possibly built a long time before even Castle Valn in Caelwon, sitting atop the foothills of the World's End Mountains. The winters this far up north and in the mountains are usually quite harsh, with cold thunderstorms coming from the oceans being quite a common occurence. However, the mountains around Whetrock are quite rich in all kinds of precious minerals, and as a result, Whetrock grew into a booming mining community, with about fifty thousand inhabitants. Not only that, it's a favoured starting point for many adventurers and explorers, as over the years more and more ancient caverns and underground ruins laden with treasure are found beneath the mountains.
At the time of the Valneari conquests, the king of Whetrock and the surrounding lands was wise enough to ally himself with the empire, trading his crown for the safety of his lands, a respectable amount of Valneari gold, and a noble Valneari wife for his heir. The current lord of Whetrock is Duke Urfan con Eberjom.

Gernad (Gergon)

Once the capital city of the kingdom of Gergon, Gernad is still a respectable settlement, with fifty thousand inhabitants. The city is largely divided into two parts; the castle and the upper town are built atop a tall coastal cliff, while the larger part of the city is situated at the foot of the cliff along the coast. Gernad, especially the castle itself, is very well defensible. The city has a fortified inner port inside a grove underneath the castle, which can safely house several dozens of warships if neccessary, and regular docks along the lower town. The culture of Gernad is a mix of Gergonese and Valneari aspects.
Gergon is governed by Duke Orvan Redter, direct descendant of Gergon's old royal dinasty.


 

Flamefall (Gergon)

Flamefall had been built near the place where the Valneari army had first set foot on the Gergonese island. It grew from a fortified military camp into a respectably sized city with thirty thousand inhabitants. The majority of the population of Flamefall is Valneari, with plenty of Gergonese influence too.
Flamefall belongs to the con Imran noble family.

Carsalanne (Levranne)

Carsalanne had been one of the grandest cities of Levranne, although it was almost entirely destroyed during the Mage Wars. The city was later rebuilt in a joint effort of Levranne and Valnear, but it's still only at half its original size with eighty thousand inhabitants. As a result of this, the "new" Carsalanne has both a cathedral devoted to Suno, a spire of the Mages' Guild, and a citadel in Valneari style.
The city is ruled by the con Amlas-d'Carsalanne family, a joint lineage of one of the six ancient Levrannese dynasties, and a noble family having their origins in Valnear.

Lenary (Levranne)

  Also known as Last Refuge ever since the Mage Wars, Lenary is a city built close to the most sacred place of all Levranne: The Gardens of the Fey Queen are hidden inside the Valley of Light, while Lenary is situated at the entrance of the very same valley. According to Levrannese mythology, it was inside these Gardens that the Fey Queen took the oaths of the six founding knights of the dukedoms, and gifted them the six swords of legends. This was also the place where the crown of the Fey Queen was kept safe before it was stolen by the demon prince Eilardon during the Mage Wars.
Lenary has roughly one hundred thousand inhabitants and belongs to the ancient Levrannese lileage of the d'Lenary.

Amarias (Levranne)

  Amarias is one of the largest imperial port towns towards the south, among with Kyr and Sunport. The city isn't built directly on the coast of the sea, but instead a few miles upriver around a lake-like widening of the river Ollendoir. Curiously, a considerable portion of Amarias is built over the water, with countless bridges, piers and channels connecting the buildings. Furthermore, the city is famous for it's masquerades hosted by the many merchant houses, a special form of banquet, which most likely has its origins in this region. The population of Amarias is at hundred and fifteen thousand.
Amarias is a free city, led by a council of merchant princes and nobles, albeit the Valneari king usually makes sure that a strong and loyal governor is also present.

Grierfhol (Fallar)

  Grierfhol is an industrous city on the southern verges of the Fallarian Highlands. It was one of the first to be conquered by the empire, and one of the few settlements that remained under imperial authority even after the wave of Fallarian rebellions which followed the Mage Wars. Truth be told, Grierfhol had become a Valneari city at heart over the years proceeding those events, as opposing to most other territories of the highlands. The city is most famous for its many skilled metalsmiths and mechanics workshops.
Grierfhol is a free city ruled by guilds, with roughly fifty thousand inhabitants.

Ferandar (Fallar)

Ferandar is one of the oldest cities in Fallar, and home to the largest temple deticated of the god Raed. The city of sixty thousand people fills the whole valley of the river Arn. It is not far away from the current border between independent Fallar and the Empire, and it's more or less clear that Ferandar is going to be the next significant target of the Valneari conquest. Although, it looks like the imperial generals are biding their time for now.
The current lord of Ferandar is Hargon aen Andar.

Prail Hall (Fallar)

  Prail Hall had been the capital of the first, and longest existing kingdom of Fallar, under the rule of the aen Prail family. The city of forty thousand is built high up on the edges of the World's End Mountains, while the citadel of Prail Hall is a nigh impenetrable fortress built directly into the mountain, consisting of wide underground halls and extensive corridor systems. It's one of the few territories which had never been conquered by Valnear.
The city is currently under the rule of the aen Zadravick noble family.

Hishen (Niaen)

Hishen is the capital city of a small duchy in Niaen falling under imperial rule. It was mostly "acquired" via diplomacy, the lord of Hishen first being an ally, then later a vassall to the Valneari king. Originally the duchy was meant to be a potential bridgehead for future conquests in Niaen, though none of those followed thus far.