Rauviz City

The largest and wealthiest city in the Federated Nations, Rauviz City is its own city state (the Free State of Rauviz) and is the hub of commerce for the entire region. Basically all of the trade goods destined for (or coming from) the Holy Kaelthian Republic, the Duarchy of Kotimaa, the Uulan Confederacy, or Shinevog (not to mention the parts further east) flow through Rauviz City--if not in literal fact, the banking and accounting for those goods certainly does. Even much of the trade between those nations is tied to Rauviz City.

Once the second city in the Council Lands, known for its active criminal element and its loose adherence to the guild system, Rauviz is now considered by some to be the "capital of the world." Though this is presumptuous (and lacking in truth), it speaks to the attitude that Rauvians have toward their city and toward the other nations.

Red Plague

Throughout summer of 253 AC, a large amount of spores of the Red Death fungus had been seeded throughout the city, both via containers attached to industrial smokestacks and by being mixed into the granaries that feed the population and were left inactive. Manufacturers belonging to the Cheesemonger's Society had been duped into creating street lamps using Continual Flame as a source of light...but with modifications that made them emit aether especially conducive to the growth of the fungus. This plot was all conducted by the Circle of Purging Flame, aided (without the Circle's direct knowledge) by Holy Hands agents on behalf of the Prophet of Law Unveiled.

On 4 Autumn Dawning, 253 AC, the emitters were turned on and the fungus began to rapidly grow, colonizing those who had breathed in or consumed the spores. This agonizing, contagious plague killed thousands across all levels of society. But the worst part wasn't the death toll. It was the paranoia and in-fighting this caused. Especially with all of the food supplies contaminated at the beginning of the harvest...and no surety that the food would remain uncontaminated. Many blamed the corrupt merchants and grandees of being involved (which has merit, despite them not doing so knowingly, as they put money over care when approached for services and refused to do anything when warned about the street lamps), and the riots began immediately. Of course, this caused the plague to spread even more rapidly.

As of 10 Autumn Dawning, the plague is still ongoing in pockets and the surrounding areas are poised for an influx of refugees. With the abrupt cessation of trade due to the widespread attacks...the future of Rauviz is quite uncertain.

Overview

Population

Roughly 35,000.

Racial makeup

Cosmopolitan in the extreme. People from any of the Federated Nations can be found here. A slight plurality of wall-builder humans, however.

Economy

Trade and commerce, including banking and oversight as well as warehousing and transshipment.

Government

A council of burghers, elected by votes in proportion to property owned.

Map

Districts

The dark brown areas are the old money areas, often part of the old city. Light brown are the newly-wealthy. Dark yellow-orange are the prosperous merchants and commercial districts; lighter yellow are the lower-class merchants and industry. Green are the slums and industrial areas.

• Rauviz Keep: A relic of the former government, this is where the council meets as well as a public museum paid for by patronage of the wealthy. This includes the continent's only opera house.
• Old High District and Lakewatch: These two districts in the old city are home to families that trace their descent and wealth back to the early settlers. They are nobility without actual titles or authority. Young-money families often marry into the impoverished old families, infusing them with cash in exchange for the honor of the name.
• Temple District: this is where the old temple of the Seasons stood--it has been replaced with an ecumenical temple open to all.
• Highkeep: This is the highest-status of the younger districts.
• Old Halfling Quarter: This area is still home to several wealthy halfling clans--the buildings are sized for the short folk and would require almost total rebuilding to be used by others.
• Old Dockside: The old port district, this is the "high class" red light district, with inns, clubs, and brothels patronized by the wealthy.
• Inner Ring: This is where most of the new-money people strive to live.
• Riverside and Lakeside: The new high-class docks districts (Riverside being lower-status). Mainly passenger boats here, as well as couriers.
• Southbridge: The low-class docks. Rough area.
• The Stinks and the Sticks: Industrial and slum areas. The Stinks is where all the odoriferous industries congregate--tanneries, butcheries, etc. The wind from the lake pushes the stink further inland away from the city.
• Council Row, Outer Ring South, and Marketside South: Gentrifying areas--this is where those who aspire to better things (but haven't achieved them) live. The latter two are higher status than the former, with residents much more likely to own their own apartments or small houses.
• Marketside North, Kela Loran's Smile, Outer Ring North, Grainmonger's District, and Outdistrict: Commercial districts. Businesses, often with residences above them. Grainmonger's has deteriorated recently.

Organizations

The following are significant players in Rauviz City.

Criminal Orgs

1. The Dockside Mutual Assistance organization. The DMA's (Deemas as they're frequently called) are the high-class, nearly-legitimate underground. They provide much of the security for the in-wall sector via their legitimate arm, which also does quiet money-lending and most of the entertainment (both salacious and otherwise) for the rich, famous, or otherwise big spenders. Their illegitimate arm provides drugs, unsavory pleasures, and extortion (often including kidnapping) for the high-class citizens. Several of the burghers are well-known to be members of the DMA. Their members wear a red armband with an anchor on it.
2. Greystreet Boys. Contrary to their name, the Boys are led by a tiny, foul-mouthed kliba halfling known as Lady Sugar. They grew out of a youth gang and have come to dominate the northern part of the out-wall of Rauviz (north of Market Road, but with influence in Marketside South. They specialize in commercial "insurance" (although they do provide actual policing for that area as well, making it one of the safer zones) and have regulated theft--residents and merchants buy theft insurance, which means that if more than a certain value of goods are stolen or the thieves use unnecessary force, the Boys will hunt them down and break their legs or worse. They also do a lot of smuggling and fencing of illicit goods, although not much in the way of drugs (at least to be sold within their area). Their members wear genteel clothes--a particular plaid pocket hanky is their recognition symbol.
3. Riverside Shadows. The Shadows are the least cultured of the three main criminal organizations in Rauviz. They control the slums south of Market Street by force and ruthless violence. They're especially known for using the youth gangs as a training ground. The only reason they haven't been crushed by the other groups is that they've made deals with the owners of the factories and the slumlords to bust up any worker's rights demonstrations or other impediments to exploitation. Their calling card is a black scarf tied around the head or neck.

Other Groups

Much of the slums (the green areas in the map) are terrorized by youth gangs, each controlling a few blocks. The Shadows use them as foot soldiers when they're not setting them against each other. Those that grow up on the streets learn to evade them...or join them.

One other group of significance is the enigmatic Bluejays, so-called because they leave behind a blue origami bird at the scene of each of their heists. This small group of thieves prides themselves on hitting only the most exclusive, well-guarded targets. The goods usually re-appear, sometimes in the same place they were stolen from within a few days, but sometimes appear when and where it would be least convenient--stolen jewelry around the neck or in the home of a political rival, stolen secrets plastered on the walls of buildings in broadsheets, etc.

Merchant Houses

1. Cheesemonger's Society. This group is less of a merchant house and more of a cross between a legitimate shipping company, a smuggling ring, and a merchant coalition. Formed by four of the oldest merchant houses of Rauviz reaching an agreement with the smugglers from Rabbiton and monied interests from Crisial City and named something innocuous, it has its hooks into most of the trade between all the cities of Lake Coy'in. There are rumors that it has established a city/plantation somewhere in uncontrolled territory along the lakeshore, but those are unconfirmed. Their flag is that of a wheel of cheese with a slice taken from it, gold on a blue background.
2. Spode's Landholding. The dominant landowner/slumlord (owning outright or in part about half of the Sticks and Southbridge and having substantial fingers in most of the Stinks as well as even as far north as Marketside South is Roderick Spode. He and his organization (Spode's Landholding, headquartered in the Inner Ring near Market Road) hire large numbers of muscle and are known to have a strong working relationship (if strained at times) with the Riverside Shadows. Roderick is a prominent member of the Cheesemonger's Society.