I used this as a write up for a 3.5E campaign I started, I needed to find a creative way of having no high-level NPCs (max 9th level). I started the players at fifth level, and their first act was to accidentally release Romish.
Velmora is both a new city and an ancient one. Ten years ago sections of various cities from other planes along with their populations instantly appeared where Velmora now stands. By the most thorough accounts, populations and structures were taken from almost a hundred different locations and merged together to form one city. To this day new people continue to arrive, but at a much slower rate. About 90 percent of the original arrivals were of Human stock, and there was a scattering of Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Halflings, Reptilians, Goblinoids and Sylvans, as they were mixed in with human society.
Initially what was to become a united city was thrown into utter chaos. Tens of thousands of people suddenly found their entire communities moved to a new location, interwoven with various other communities they had never seen before. However what was missing from each community was any leadership structure, as all leaders were left behind in the relocation. Left without leadership and in a strange location amongst strangers, each community formed its own militia, followed by religions and deities to pay homage to, and then mercantile guilds.
With no central government to arbitrate conflicts, the city was thrown into tribal warfare. Over time some of the communities started banding together, usually out of reverence for a common deity. In the third year a meeting was held with the leaders of nine of the most powerful groups, and they formed what became known as the Council of Nine. Over the next three years the militias of the Council of Nine united to pick off every other rival group, one or two at a time, and absorb them into their fold. After most all opposition was eliminated, the Council of Nine became the defacto rulership body for the city.
Unfortunately all was not calm and everyone was not happy. Each of the nine officially sanctioned religions created their own guard units to form out of the various militias and vigilante groups that supported it. To complicate matters none of the nine groups were concentrated in any one area, but widely distributed throughout the entire city. Anyone who was not a member of one of the nine groups was not protected by the law, and was subject to harassment by the nine militias. Those that chose to remain loyal to their old ways were either killed, went underground, or fled the city. Because of this very few non-Humans are part of Velmoran society.
With order brought to the city for the first time, several mercantile organizations emerged. Unlike the religious groups that were scattered throughout the city, these groups were localized. In the sixth year the Council of Nine declared any mercantile group not directly affiliated with one of the nine temples to be illegal, and a new round of violence broke out between the local guilds and the militias who supported the temple based guilds. The militias eventually won out, with most legitimate enterprises (farms, shops, artisans, etc) choosing to go along with the winning side. Those that refused to join the new guilds again went underground, and along with those that refused to join the nine temples formed rogue gangs of thieves, thugs and assassins.
A charismatic leader by the name of Romish was able to unite the most powerful underground gangs, and along with one of the nine temples tried to seize power for herself. Romish declared herself to be the Empress of Emerald City, and disbanded the Council of Nine. After four years of civil war Romish was finally captured by a Tiefling priestess who betrayed her. The various gangs were defeated, and went underground again. The Council of Nine was restored, and the city has returned to relative calm. Emerald City was renamed Velmora in her honor.
Velmora is located on a great plain and is build between two great rivers at their closest point. The city's original name, Emerald City, got its name from the Emerald River, whose deep green waters run through the city. Velmora proper forms a ten mile by ten mile square, with the Emerald River running through its eastern half and the Sathu River running through its western half. The city's defenses are very formidable, with walls rising 100 feet high with several defensive castle-like structures built into them.
The architecture is varied from locale to locale, as the city is a blend of many different cultures thrown together. There are not many new buildings, however most temples have been either modified for a new religion or enlarged to include a militia base. Several main avenues run north/south and east/west, and they are dominated by either temples, businesses, or coliseums. Off the main avenues are the residential areas, most of which are mixed by race and religion. The city is relatively safe during daylight hours, as the various militias patrol the entire city. At night is a different story. While local militia irregulars are not likely to attack a resident of their community who belongs to a different temple, they will in all likelihood attack a stranger. At night only the main avenues are patrolled.
The center quarter of the city is the land between the two rivers, and that makes up three quarters of the walled area. The Eastern Quarter and Western Quarter are both narrow strips, and they are both off-limits to common folk unless they have the proper papers to be there. Both strips are dominated by the estates of the wealthier residents of Velmora. At one time these two exclusive quarters were populated similarly to the center, but the poor were driven out soon after the Council of Nine came to power. Even during the civil war started by Romish, these quarters were not effected by the conflict. Common class folk who can not live in either of the exclusive strips have gravitated toward the river's edge, and many have businesses involving shipping, warehousing or construction.
Beneath the city is a complex network of sewers, aqueducts and tunnels. The sewer system in the central quarter is not one system, but network of about 50 to 100 individual systems each about a square mile. Inside each sewer system reside several oozes, slimes, puddings, fungal growths and other disgusting creatures that consume the waste and other trash. Unfortunately at times some have escaped and caused havoc on the surface. Occasionally those brave enough to risk attack by the denizens of the sewers can move around beneath the city unseen. Each estate in the east and west has their own sewer system. Below the sewers is a network of fresh water aqueducts that deliver drinking water to the city's residents via strategically placed common wells. Travel via the aqueducts is very difficult for humanoids since they are filled with water.
Along side and beneath the sewers and aqueducts are a series of tunnels designed with no purpose in mind other than to create a city beneath a city. This is where many of those who chose not to join the nine temples fled to. After Romish's civil war some of the survivors on the losing side were suspected to have escaped back to. Because of the dangers below, there is nothing resembling a map. However several entrances have been located and sealed off by the militias. Entering the undercity is a crime punishable by death, as is associating with any of the groups who lost the civil war. The three most wanted villains known to reside in the undercity are the Goblin Assassin known as Fujan the Rat, the Elf Sorceress known as Calomena, and the Githzerai Monk Taigrel, who had been Romish's concubine.
Despite its short but violent history, the population of Velmora has grown to almost 100,000 people. During the initial bloodbath and subsequent civil war, it is estimated that more than half of its population was either killed, exiled, or driven underground. Humans made up about 90% of the initial population, and despite that more humans were killed than any other race during the initial bloodbath and the civil war that followed, they now make up more than 99% of the surface population. The Council of Nine governs the city, maintains the peace, and preserves the status quo. But not all people are as happy with the council as appears on the surface.
