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Capital: Valkurl Dioceses Population: 76,700 – Oeridians 37,600, Flan 12,400, Suloise 11,300, Rhennee 400, Other 300, Gnomes 6,000, Elves 5,000, Dwarves 2,300, Halflings 1,200, Half Orcs >200 Ruler: Baron Stephon Nital (Rao) Bishop: Aniel Morlin |
he Diocese of Valkurl is a pie shaped region
that starts on the Velverdyva river and widens as it heads south towards the Lortmils. Its present ruler is Baron Stephon Nital and he
has been in power for a mere 3 years. The Baron was a prominent member of the High Roads Trading Company and never thought the mantle
of rulership would fall to him as he was the 3rd son in the family. Misfortune struck in the wars though and he is adapting as best as
he can to his current situation. A large portion of the Lortmils fall within the boundaries of this region giving it the second largest
demi-human population after the Diocese of Lorrish. The city of Valkurl sits in the south central part of the diocese and is primarily
a merchant driven city. Many roads lead south out of Valkurl to dozens of small and large mining camps. This brings in large amounts of
precious metals and stones into the town and most major merchant houses maintain a presence here. The town of Tempon sits on the
Velverdyva river on the northern boundary of the diocese. It acts as the stopping point and major port for Veluna City and points west.
This is the only sizable port on the Velverdyva that is friendly towards the Rhennee and it’s common for several dozen of their barges
to be moored here at night and their festivals on the banks of the river can be heard all the way across town. The Baron’s representative
to the Celestial Order is Joshua Borrington. He is the Baron’s cousin from his mother’s side and a long time friend.
The Baron is a young man of 27 years and has been well received by the locals so far. Many of the merchant houses in Valkurl are raising a huge fuss over him though. They believe his past ties to the High Roads Trading Company gives that merchant company an unfair advantage over the others. They have about exhausted their supply of people willing to listen to their complaints though and have been quiet as of late. The Baron is single, although rumors of an affair with a noble’s daughter from another diocese have been spreading through town lately.
Bishop Aniel is a well-loved figure in Valkurl. She is in her late 60's and has been the Bishop to Valkurl for over 30 years now. She has passed up several promotions to remain here and some say she was even a candidate for the Archbishop of Veluna's position and did not take it. The Baron views her as a member of the family and she is one of his most trusted advisors.
Norken is the head of the local guildhouse for the High Roads Trading Company. He is an old friend of Baron Nital and can be found at his mansion outside of town most weekends. Norken looks exactly like what you would expect a gnome guildleader to look like. Short height, plump around the middle and likes his beer and the ladies. The Baron has had to step-in on a few occasions and pull his butt out from the frying pan with the local officials.
Valkurl is unlike most towns in Veluna. Half the town is warehouses and loading areas. The other half is bars, taverns, and large boarding houses. It started as a stopping point for caravans heading to Devarnish and the rest of the town grew up around it. Valkurl is known for having a bar on every corner and a guardsman on every other. The Baron runs a very tight ship in Valkurl and the crime rate here is very low. Some say its due to an agreement with the local thieves organization, but they are quickly told to stop blaming ghosts and give credit where credit is due.
The city of Tempon is known as the city of festivals. It seems like anytime you stop there they are celebrating something. Half the townsfolk here are Rhennee bargefolk. They are not permanent residents, but with their comings and goings there is always a few hundred of them in town. They have a small compound outside of town and wild tales of what goes on at night out there circle around town. The town consists of 4 stone docks and several warehouses. Most trade flows here from the Diocese of Grayington and consists of foodstuffs bound for the lands to the east.
Though not technically a part of Veluna, this clan of dwarves has very strong ties to the city of Valkurl. The settlement consists of a large warren of tunnels in the side of a mountain about 2 days travel into the Lortmils mountains south of Valkurl. They have an exclusive trade arrangement with the High Roads Trading Company and the two have made each other very rich over the last 10 years. Most dwarves in the Valkurl area hail from this clan and they take their clan name very serious. It’s a common saying in Valkurl that you only cross a Rockhammer dwarf once.