Riverguard



Riverguard is the name given by warpers to the ancient city in which they awoke and found themselves in. For many transported there, Riverguard is largest city they've ever seen; it's walls stretching for miles and miles. Its name refers to the city’s relationship with the Deepwater River, which crosses right through its center. The Deepwater provides Riverguard with food, fresh water, and a reliable means to easily transport lumber and other raw materials from north to south along the current, making it an ideal place for settlement.

Riverguard is characterized by its unknown construction, estimated to be over 600 years old, and build by a mysterious race. The walls, buildings, and even cobblestone streets, are made of a strange green stone. This mysterious material is very plain, but very resilient. The stones themselves have weathered the test of time quite admirably; the mortar holding the bricked stones together, however, has not. Many buildings are in severe disrepair, especially in the Overstep and the Scuzz Alley sections of Lower City.

Founding
Riverguard has been around for centuries, but it was completely abandoned up until the first group of warpers arrived there two years ago. This first group that woke in the Calling Yard was faced with ruins, not an active city. This first group included many power members, but all except one were reluctant to grab the mantle of leadership. Led by the Dwarven fighter Terry Honorsworn, the warpers began to clear and settle the ruins, and formed the Construction Guild to organize their efforts.

The guild saw to the restoration of buildings and the securing of the city's walls. More warpers continued to arrive, and as the population grew, their restoration efforts became more ambitious. If not for the dedicated efforts of the Dwarves in the original Construction Guild, the city wouldn't be half as grand as it currently is.

North of Riverguard, an Orc warlord named Grimrosh had been terrorizing the hills and grasslands, attacking any sentient groups he could find that would not bend the knee to him and his horde. When word spread that there was activity in the "Green Ruins," as most of the natives referred to it, all peoples fearful of Orcish raids migrated to Riverguard. The Construction Guild made sure that the area they had put the most effort into, what is currently known as Warptown, was reserved for warpers only. However, they did not object to the settling of the rest of Riverguard, thinking more people would mean more trade and more workers to advance their plans... even if some of these potential workers were undesirables like goblins.

When Grimrosh got word of a city building up in the old Green Ruins, his lust for blood grew greater than ever. He called back all of his raiding parties, stoked the fires of his forges, and began forming an army for the assault on Riverguard.

The Battle of Four and One Thousand
A single elf scout, Duderous (a founding member of the Ranger's Guild), far north on a simple mapping expedition, discovered the massing horde just as they were preparing to march. He raced back to the city as fast as he could, and informed Honorsworn and the first arrivals.

When he heard Duderous' descrition of the size of the army, Honorsworn came up with a plan to send those living in lower city out to fight as the first wave, while the construction guild reinforced the defenses of Warptown alone. The idea of sending a regiment of frightened goblins out against on Orcish horde was repugnant to the other first arrivals, and the four most powerful promised they would die themselves before sending hundreds of civilians to certain death, even if they were goblins. These four were the human wizard Thundalor Shieldheart, the elf ranger Cyrrath Waystalker, the dragonborn barbarian Charirkesauraj, and the halfling cleric Nayme.

With Honorsworn and his most loyal cohorts fleeing the city altogether, these four stood against the entire horde as it approached the northern entrance to the city. Thundalor and Cyrrath bombarded the orcs will devastating spells and showers of arrows while Charirkesauraj and Nayme tore through their ranks like a tornado. They were supported by other formidable warpers, but these four led the charge and fought for hours without rest. The blood of orcs turned the fields red where the battle took place. When Grimrosh realized that his mighty army was broken by only four champions, he killed all of his war council in a blood rage before issuing the command to retreat.

Democracy and the Lord Mayorship
The four were heralded as heroes by the people of the city; the people called them the "Battlemasters" in acclamation of the prowess (even though they all hated the title, especially Thundalor). They were asked to take charge of the city as its ruling council. None of the Battlemasters were particularly interested in dominion over the city; the council held one meeting only, and made only once decree: the people would elect a person to be their lord, and that person would hold the position for one year before facing reelection.

Honorsworn returned to Riverguard, and despite his abandonment of the city in its time of need, ended up winning the first election, primarily due to goodwill he had garnered with the Construction Guild. The Battlemasters, though annoyed, did not interfere, and went on to pursue their own private interests. Honorsworn lost the next election, however, to current Lord Mayor, Statley Quoster. Terry again departed the city with a contingent of followers, vowing to start a "New Warp Order."

Districts
The city is divided into several smaller districts, each vastly different.

Warptown
The most restored and orderly district, Warptown houses the Calling Yard, and is the initial home to all of the warpers transported through it.

Lower City
The sprawl stretching through the heart of Riverguard is broadly referred to as Lower City, a name referring to its position at the bottom of the huge retaining walls supporting Warptown and the Keep. Lower city has a diverse population of races with a wide range of alignments, but it’s lax law enforcement allows those that lean chaotic to particularly thrive.

Tinkertown
Bordering Lower City lies what remains of Tinkertown. It's ruins, deemed impassable by even the most intrepid explorers, are cordoned off by a large fissure. After its destruction during the battle of Four and One Thousand, Tinkertown was classified as a disaster zone, and its inhabitants were written off as a casualties of war. However, recent events have led to rumors that the smoldering remains of Tinkertown are not all that they seem.

Fishbowl
Built on a natural incline, Riverguard’s west end is significantly lower than its eastern side. Because of this design, and ages of neglect and disrepair, a huge section of the city has been completely flooded by the unrelenting waters of the Deepwater. Known as “the fishbowl,” whole blocks of ancient buildings sit lying in wait to be rediscovered in this accidental lake. Three researchers from the Historical Society once attempted to explore the ruins sleeping at the bottom… they were never heard from again!

Overstep
The ancient southwestern wall of Riverguard appears to have… melted? How this happened is unknown, but research is difficult, because the wilderness is encroaching into the city via this weak point in its armor. The citizens refer to this encroachment as “the Overstep.” Plants, fueled with water and sedimentary nutrients from the Deepwater, have been growing aggressively into the city’s limits for centuries, overtaking parks, roads, and even buildings themselves. Animal life is also present, with predator attacks being reported more and more frequently. The Ranger’s Guild has taken it upon themselves to protect the residents from the wilds, and have set up a permanent camp along the edge of the Overstep.

The Keep
The Keep is a raised district, similar to warptown, but different in that there are no stairs leading up to it, and no obvious way those intended to occupy it are supposed to access it. It is not impossible to get to; but it requires either a very competent climber, or flying magic. Though full of mysteries, exploring the Keep has not been a high priority for Riverguard’s residents, mostly due to the dangers there, and the fact that other parts of the city, such as the Overstep, present a more pressing problem.

Sprawl
Riverguard is a massive city, and city life is certainly not for everyone. But just because one finds a metropolis distasteful, one must not abandon civilization altogether! There are several small towns and villages that are peppered throughout the city's surrounding area. Some are mapped and swear fealty to the governance of the city, while others have no loyalties at all, or remain hidden from rangers and explorers.

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