Veekz

(Ulmese Kas, Ulm)

Veekz is the lone city of the Ulmhorde on the Tragekian continent, and despite its precarious military position, finds itself growing year after year as disaffected Hordish flock there year after year--some disaffected with the United Hordes, some disaffected with the leadership of the Ulmhorde, and some just disaffected with life in general. It is a dark, violent, nearly-lawless city, yet so long as both Tragekia and Ulm find it useful, neither party wishes to see it change its status quo.

Population: 17,000 (Humans: 2,500, Firstborn: 1,700, Created: 2,500, Hordish: 11,000)

Citadel. An ancient citadel stands within Veekz's city limits, but currently is all but abandoned, having fallen into disrepair after the Ninth Siege a few decades ago, and still needing extensive (and expensive) repairs. Lord Veekz has been promising to repair the citadel for several years now, but keeps running into obstacles in doing so (including his own greed).

Geography

Latitude: -16.57, Longitude: 25.23

City Elevation: 11ft above sea level

The Veekz-Crild Road travels east out of the city for about twenty miles before it wends southeast to Dobtong; the road is so named because it used to have a branch that ran to Crild, but a major battle at that intersection three hundred years ago rendered the Crild branch unusable, and fell into disuse.

Veekz is set back from the coast by about ten miles or so as a military precaution, to make it more difficult for coastal raiders to have immediate access to the city. Several towns and villages dot the coastline instead, and any seaborn mercantile traffic flows through them before reaching Veekz.

Prominent Figures

TODO, Lord Veekz

TODO, Fighter 5, Captain of the Town Guard

TODO, Fighter 12, Captain - Scythe Cavaliers

TODO, Guildmaster - Compact of the Kaze Clan

TODO, Guildmaster - Slayer Conclave

TODO, Master of the Crimson Sunrise Tower

TODO, Master of the Midnight Shadow Tower

Military Units

Town Guard. TODO The regular town guard, charged with maintaining some semblance of law and order within the city. Cynical and jaded, the Town Guards are well-known for being easily bribed, and often highly selective in their enforcement of the various laws. Many guards are openly loyal to other prominent figures in the town, and routinely ignore the orders of the Captain of the Town Guard. Composition: 15xFighter (Brute) 4, 170xFighter2

Militia. Mustered on demand, in theory reporting to the Captain of the Town Guard when called. In practice, the last five times the militia have been called out, they have become auxiliaries of the Scythe Cavaliers until the crisis was past. When called, the militia will comprise roughly of 1500xFighter1, 150xFighter2 (Total: ~1650)

Bardic Colleges

Two bardic colleges operate here, each with wildly differing aims. Periodically other performance troupes will operate within city limits for a while, and independent bards are always welcome to perform at inns and taverns, but any bard or troupe remaining within the city for longer than a year are subtly (and sometimes violently) encouraged to either join one of the two colleges' activities, or find new means of employment.

College of Valor

The Valor college operates a theater here, the Theater of the Bold, reprising stories of the Nine Sieges of Veekz and keeping alive the "heroes" (by local definition, at least) that ensured the continued liberation of the city. Made up of approximately 50 or so bards, the Theater of the Bold isn't the only source of entertainment in the city, but certainly is the most popular, and its shows often serve as a social hub for all different socioeconomic levels within the city limits.

College of Whispers

The Whispers college is represented by four different, smaller, theaters, each run by a master bard nominally spying for one of the different powers affected Veekz.

Theater of the Sea

Master TODO (Bard (Whispers) 8, chaotic neutral) runs a theater perched on a bluff overlooking the sea, and reports to Dradehalia about the city's goings-on.

Lirian Opera House

Master TODO (Bard (Whispers) 10, neutral good) runs an opera house located near the center of the city. Supposedly the city's oldest theater, it is well-positioned to observe activity in and around the Court, which is sent to Tragekia for further review.

Theater Zinntarak

Master TODO (Bard (Whispers) 5, neutral evil) specializes in Hordish three-act tragedies, and periodically undertakes assassination attempts on behalf of Liria.

Theater of Eternal Delights

Master TODO (Bard (Whispers) 9, neutral evil) runs plays and musicals of lascivious nature, making for a steady stream of both working-class and upper-class customers. Information gathered here--and the deals brokered here--are on behalf of Ulm.

Dueling Colleges

Veekz is filled with different dueling colleges, many of which are outright gladiatorial pits filled with slaves: prisoners taken on raids, the politically inconvenient, lawbreakers, the pitmasters generally aren't picky.

Great Houses

Veekz's connection to nobility is tenuous and thin--a single House maintains its presence here, and its influence on the city is limited solely to its "old money" wealth and holdings.

Mage Schools

Veekz has a number of mage schools here, many of which would be illegal or forced to operate in secret in other cities.

Mercenary Companies

Scythe Cavaliers The three infantry sections rotate duties--two remain on station within the city while one rests, recuperates, trains, and recruits from their billet south of the city--while the cavalry section routinely ride patrols in the surrounding forest.

Merchant Guilds

Almost no legitimate guild will trade here, as the proximity to battle lines between the United Hordes and the Ulmhorde puts any consistant mercantile traffic under deep threat: both the Ulm and Tragekian navies are prone to seize merchants' cargos and crew on a whim.

Compact of the Kaze Clan

It would make a great deal of sense, given the general nature of Veekzi commerce, that one of the few merchant guilds that can operate safely in and out of the city is that of the Kaze Clan, particularly its foodstuffs and alcoholic beverages. The Kaze Clan also deals with much of the agricultural traffic in and around Veekz, and makes a great show of treating farmers and innkeepers with fairness and transparency, earning tremendous goodwill from the working class of Veekz. (It does not hurt that the Kaze Clan also has a security force equal--or larger--than that of the Veekz Town Guard, as well as the open backing of the Scythe Cavaliers.)

Slayer Conclave

Given all the tensions between the national powers around Veekz, as well as the deep forest and wildnerness surrounding it, it's no wonder the Slayer Conclave finds a consistent enough market for their stock in trade to maintain a permanent garrison here. Typically, no fewer than two dozen Slayers (and the necessary support staff) are available at any given time, and many new Slayers find themselves here, apprenticed to a more experienced one.

Religions

Most of the temples here are Pantheonic, with heavy emphasis on traditional Hordish gods and "the old ways". Most will not openly practice blood sacrifice, but many rituals performed in the temples often have "questionable" elements to them, and participants' perspectives or motivations are never examined too closely.

Rogues' Guilds

Veekz is rumored to be ruled directly by rogues' guilds, that each of the five figures in power are secretly (or not-so-secretly) members of a guild. Anyone who speaks openly about this within the city boundaries has a tendency to disappear, however.