Korovia - The Free License Fantasy World

Weyvin
Population: 14,000 (Human + Half-Elves)
Terrain: Hills and forests
Economy: Strong, port city
Military: Strong (militia 700)
Leadership: City Council of 7 Lords.

Weyvin has two fortified keeps and a surrounding wall that protects the city. Its harbour is farther inland and has several islands and cliffs around a large bay. The bay is fairly deep and thus is excellent for shipping. A large number of wrecks are at the bottom of the bay, destroyed in storms or battle. The walls of the city are currently being extended and rebuilt to add extra fortifications. The two keeps are on the cliffs above the harbour entrance. A third keep is now being built on the western edge of the city.

A council of seven local lords controls Weyvin, which includes Maximilian the Conjurer (the lord of the Weyvin Point lighthouse). The council makes decisions and has a bureaucracy to carry out its orders. The bureaucrats in Weyvin are pushing for a form of elected government (with themselves being those running in elections), believing that they could more effective as leaders. Doubts about elected democracies are deep however as Weyvin’s people have historically tried democracy once before (it failed due to corruption) when they elected a mayor. For the time being most of the people in Weyvin are happy with their leadership.

One of the Lords of Weyvin (Lord Rylbane, 11th Paladin/Archaic Knight) is building a museum to contain many of the treasures he has found. He has contracted adventuring groups to seek out ancient books and objects (especially artwork) on various aspects of Korovian history. He also has an interest in other cultures and has sent expeditions to Al-Kazar and the Azagolian Empire to bring back items of interest. While the items may be magical, it should be noted he is more interested in books, artwork and old weapons (even rusty ones). Since Lord Rylbane is an Archaic Korovian Knight he also knows the authentic pieces when he sees them.

Weyvin has a growing industry in fine quality glass. The sand near the city is excellent for making glass products. There is very little clay in the ground near Weyvin, so normal pottery is rarity. Instead most of the tankards, plates, glasses, etc in Weyvin are made from glass. Glass sculptures and water fountains are also common in the city. Magnifying glasses and telescopes are sold in Weyvin at discount prices, popular items for wizards, sailors and adventurers.

A group of gnomes and half-elves have created an Astronomy Guild and built Korovia’s first astronomical tower, complete with a large telescope for viewing the stars and the two moons. Several of the gnomes claim to have “discovered other planets”, but this is dismissed as typical gnome nonsense according to non-scholars. The guild’s members often sell high-quality telescopes.

Hand-crossbows are illegal in Weyvin. People caught with one will have it confiscated and must work in a publicly owned silver mine for 5 days as penalty for ignoring the law. Being caught with multiple hand-crossbows means a much longer sentence. Selling or attempting to buy hand-crossbows is especially frowned upon, and the sentence is 50 days. Hand-crossbows are a popular weapon with pirates and assassins, and thus this law is in place to hamper piracy.

Weyvin has strict rules about pets within the city. Wolves and anything larger than a wolf (horses and griffins excluded) are not allowed. This includes medium size hunting or guard dogs. There are kennels near the gates of the city where people must store the animals. Ships entering the city with such animals aboard must make sure the animals stay on the ship. If the animals escape from the ship, there is a large fine and depending on the situation (if the animal does any damage within the city) the judge may even decide to confiscate the ship. These laws are in place due to past problems with worshippers of Lazriak the Wicked.

Sharks sometimes swim into Weyvin’s harbour, but they are shot with special boats equipped with harpoons. If a whole school of sharks swims into the harbour the city will hire adventurers to help deal with the problem. Whales can sometimes enter the harbour as well, in which case the city prefers to hire a druid to convince the whale to leave.