poilbrun said:
Hello all!
I'm trying to find good city guides for my next campaign world. I'm mainly looking for a metropolis, and would like a lot of details (ala Waterdeep boxed set for 2e, but I couldn't use it, since my players know Waterdeep quite well). I know of Freeport, but this wouldn't fit well.
Depends what you're looking for, but the city of Geanavue (or the companion book for its port town of Loona - new review on ENWorld today) might work. Here's some really quick and dirty details on Geanavue itself.
Population: 8,400, a thorough mixture of humans, dwarves, gnomes, and half-elves, in that order.
At a Glance: Castle Geana is one of the crafted marvels of Tellene. The massive stone castle is built of marble blocks that weigh up to thirty tons each. Other than the castle, most buildings are of light-colored or whitewashed wood. The people are friendly and welcome strangers, although they prefer that those who wish to trade do so at Loona, the dockside town of 2,200 through which all of Geanavue’s trade moves.
Economy: The economy bustles to the tune of hammers, chisels, and sanding papers. Stone giants from the Counais, dwarves, and gnomes make items of basalt, marble, obsidian, jet, and small semi-precious stones such as malachite, beryl, and tourmaline. The locals raise sheep, goats and pigs for food and clothing; their surplus provides the stone giants with the same. Additionally, Geanavue is one of the few places on Tellene where prospective buyers may find clocks or devices operated by clockwork.
Military: The military of Geanavue includes just under 300 sturdy gnomish crossbowmen in leather cuirasses, mounted humans and half-elves armed with lance and composite bow, and 40 dwarven footmen with chainmail, axe, and shield. They share duties with a band of eight to ten stone giants, armed only with throwing boulders and stone clubs.
Principal enemies include fire giants from the Sotai Gagalia Headlands and a recent rash of attendant creatures - hell hounds and salamanders, especially. The dwarves from the region bring back stories of a hydra, or possibly a pyrohydra, that has taken up residence in one of the mountains as well.
Underworld: Rogues looking for an easy mark often hope that Geanavue is the place to be. The city’s reputation for pacifism is well-known, and thieves hope that the feeling extends to the law enforcement arm as well.
They are wrong.
The police are eager to keep the peace and they are quite proactive. They do not hesitate to approach strangers and introduce themselves, then offer a quiet warning about which taverns to avoid, or which merchants might try to rip off the newcomers. Constables are armed only with stout clubs, but they wear padded armor and travel in patrols of six to ten, so they do not fear a lone thief or even a small gang.
Interesting Sites: Besides large-scale construction and artistically rendered stonework, the city has a reputation for fine clockwork devices. Amidst all the stone stands a five-story wooden clock tower (rising from a stone base, of course).
