Hyvern

Hyvern City, from the elven words Hyven and Verna (Cold Mountain), Otherwise known as The Stronghold of the Borderlands, is located east of the Highback Mountains and north-west of The Jewel of Hyvern in the heart of the kingdom of Londar. Hyvern City is the capital city of Londar and is one of the largest human cities in the world.

Despite the fact that the city of Rylera is larger in both size and population, Hyvern is legendary within the Northern Borderlands for commanding the indomitable force of the Mistborne High Guard.

History
When the elves originally built the city in the early years of Y3A-360, their care and delicate touches, along with no small amount of magic, allowed the city to bloom in colours unimaginable. Astounding decorations and intricate statues were featured prominently for all to wonder at, plants and trees were at every corner and climbed every wall, greens against the white stone that made the foundations of the city. Flowers sprouted from every nook and in every cranny, life bursting out from within the stone of the mountainside. Gigantic glass domes of a thousand different shades of blue and gold roofed the citadel, a great tree flourishing within, a canopy of vibrant blue with glowing teardrops of crystalline fruits hanging from its branches.

When the humans and elves fought during The Londaran War, all of that was lost. The once pristine city lay in ruins with fire and smoke trailing from every rooftop. The glass domes were shattered and the trees left to burn in the desolation. When the war was finally over and the armies dispersed, the human victors rebuilt the city, repairing the damage wrought and replanting any plant life that could be saved. Remarkable deeds were accomplished in order to restore the city but the damage that had been dealt was ultimately too severe and the city would never again be as it once was. Though the original elven beauty of the city had diminished greatly, perhaps not all of the beauty had vanished, for in the elven absence, humans had added their own touch of beauty to their work, rebuilding and reshaping to create something new.

Outer City (Outside)
Due to the limited space found within the confines of the city walls and the need for more homes and workspace, farms and mills have spread outward from the city for miles in every direction. Hundreds of small buildings are dotted around with winding pathways that wind through the fields that surround them.

Lower City (Ground level)
Hyvern City is made up of three distinct levels with the largest area being that of the Lower City located at the base of the cliffs of the Highback Mountains and stretching out to the east. The Lower City is bordered by great white walls that come level with two buttes that act as a natural barrier. Most, if not all trade and business occurs in the Lower City.

Renoveld Square + Anvel Square (Centre)
Found in the centre of the city, Renoveld Square is named after the marble statue of King Renoveld that sits atop his steed in the centre, the hero who fought back against the elven force of Night Hunters during The Londaran War and who sacrificed himself in order to save the inhabitants of the city. In one hand, he wields a stone replica of the long sword 'Greyfang' over his shoulder, a legendary sword that currently rests in the great hall of the citadel, and in the other is a banner with the symbol of the Borean house. The great destrier he sits atop has two legs held high in the air, signifying the death of the King during battle.

Renoveld Square is a large open area that is regularly filled with carriages and mobile storefronts that surround the statue. Banners and flags designed to catch the eye litter the square in a kaleidoscope of colourful streaks. Ears are often assaulted from every angle as merchants cry out the prices of their various wares of trinkets and other miscellaneous items.

Surrounding the square are buildings of all shapes and sizes with permanent stores ranging from steel weapons and armour to jewellery and clothes.

Adjoining the main square of the Trade District is a second, smaller area named Anvel Square, named after the King's son who was also killed during the battle. Though no statue of him exists, a small fountain features prominently, the water emerging from the mouth of a stone Skyfish. This square is dedicated solely to food, mostly of various fish and crops, though occasionally exotic fruits and meats are also sold here.

During The Blue Moon Celebrations each year, it is required by law that all wagons and wares must have cleared the squares by nightfall at the latest, to allow room for the gathering citizens to watch the spectacles that light the sky.

Dockside (South)
On the southern bank of the city, in a bay protected from the currents formed by the colossal waterfall from above is the district known as Dockside. Many years ago, the dockside had been a bustling place with hundreds of small ships coming and going, causing havoc as each tried to pass the other in and out of the city on a daily basis. A system of allocated time windows was utilised to restrict the flow of traffic during certain times of the day, limiting the amount of congestion and reducing many accidental blockages. By and large, the system was a mess but it successfully worked for a time. A much larger port, Bayton, was created on the western bank of The Jewel of Hyvern where cargo can be quickly unloaded and ferried up to the city at a later date without having to wait around. Due to the Jewel being at least a days travel on foot, only three ferries make the journey every day with each arriving around six hours apart.

With the advent of airships, trade with the city became far more manageable, though waterborne ships are still the cheaper and more commonly used method by which to trade.

The Hove (South East)
During The Londaran War, most of the south-eastern area of the city was flooded after the destruction of war dropped the buildings into the river. After the city had been reclaimed, digging out the old buildings proved to be too much effort so they resigned to simply board over the remains of the old buildings and simply build new ones on top. These new, wooden buildings were erected quickly and without much care, intended for temporary housing while the citizens rebuilt the rest of the city. Unfortunately, rebuilding the city took far longer than anticipated and the temporary housing became more permanent.

Since space is at a premium, the houses are packed tightly together with only small alleyways winding their way through the spaces in between and thanks to the flooded old-city below, mould and rats are a constant threat to the people who live there. Wooden boards bend with the moisture absorbed and crack under the strain of supporting the weight above, resulting in buildings having more and more patches over time as it slowly sinks into the depths.

The smell is extremely offputting at first and the damp seeps into the bones over time, often causing illnesses known as Bone Rot and Creeping Damp; painful and aching joints that feel as though the bones can snap under just small amounts of pressure. Many lower-end street gangs have set up bases in this district due to the clustered buildings combined with the many hidden areas located beneath the city. It is also the residential area for most of the poorer folk of the city as even this dank and squalid district is better than being out on the streets at night. During the winter, the temperatures can quickly drop to below freezing and night-guards and their hounds regularly patrol the city, threatening a week or longer in the cells.

In recent years, more and more people have taken to risk the streets in preference to sleeping in The Hove as even the cells are considerably warmer during certain times of the year and there is far less risk of disease.

On the outskirts of The Hove, on more stable ground and not at risk of the creeping damp, a select few squalid taverns and brothels offer cheap drink and entertainment for the night.

Lower Airship Landing Yard (South West)
A large portion of the city on the western end of Dockside has been walled off and converted from the old, unused docks and piers to be a designated as a landing area for merchant's vessels and passing airships looking to dock. Wooden gantries and walkways tower over the lower city as they rise up to meet the decks of each airship, allowing workers to easily board the vessels without having to climb boarding ropes and ladders. Each towering platform is made from four to five levels of walkways with ramps and stairs crossing between each, a maze of interconnecting pathways that seem to defy all logic, a network of junctions that even somebody who has worked there for many years would find difficult to navigate without error.

Carts and wagons travel up and down on tracks that crisscross around the yard and wooden platforms, all timed perfectly to travel along their various paths without colliding into another cart and all ending at a massive junction warehouse used for unloading and storing the goods before moving off again to collect more cargo. Every cart is tethered to the track using a rope system that is sunk into the ground and is connected to a watermill on the bank of the canal that runs through the Smitheries. So long as there is running water, the carts are able to move.

Cranes and pullies can be found on every level of the wooden walkways and gantries, enabling cargo to be lifted out of the cargo holds of each ship. Almost every square space is littered with raw supplies such as wood and coils of rope that workers have left off to the side after a busy day of work, too eager for the evening drink to be bothered enough to stow away their tools.

The Smitheries (North West)
Smog and a thick stench of smoke encompasses the eastern and northern corner of the city as the forges of the smitheries pump out a continuous stream of belching, black smoke. From weaponsmiths and armoursmiths to farriers and other metalworkers of tools, hundreds of blacksmiths, goldsmiths and silversmiths spend their days at the furnaces and forges, crafting the very best of items to sell.

The sound of hammers banging against the iron of anvils ring out across the city in a cacophony of shrill clangs that dissuade many of the inhabitants of the city from coming near unless required to do so.

A wide road with a small canal of fresh water runs down the main street of the smithery district, allowing wagons of raw resources such as ores, metals and timber to easily reach the buildings that require them. The canal runs down the centre of the street with small bridges that cross regularly and is often used to quickly transport heavy goods down to dockside.

Behind the buildings along the main street, tracks for the carts from the lower airship landing yard are laid out for rapid transport of goods down to the airships. When the need for it should arise, weapons and armour can be dispatched in bulk and shipped off to neighbouring cities. This system is also used for moving large machines which are often too cumbersome to manoeuvre through the narrow streets found further down in the city.

Aside from the furnaces and forges, other shops border the district with each selling a mixture of all manner of crafted goods from artwork to the more niche tools and furnishings needed by citizens.

Residential District (North East)
The remaining bulk of the lower city, the north-eastern area, is largely residential with hundreds of homes and inns scattered throughout. Brothels and taverns are a common sight with every corner having somewhere to spend the night either drinking or being entertained.

Unlike The Hove, the buildings in the residential district were largely untouched by the razing of the city during The Londaran War and as a result, still features some of the distinctly elven architecture.

There are two main gates into the city, one at the north and one to the east, meaning that the residential district sits nicely between both and a long road winds down through the centre of the district. Stables and guard-houses are located at both the north and eastern entrances to the city.

Upper City (Mid Level)
To the west of the Lower City, roughly ten metres up the sheer cliff face of the western wall is a jutting plateau known as the Upper City. Three passages allow access to the Upper City with two being steps located at either end of the smitheries. A longer ramp winds its way around the lower airship landing yard to the south and ends at the warehouse junction building used to sort out trade goods.

Barracks (North)
At the north end of the plateau, taking up almost half of the available area are the barracks. Warehouses of foodstuffs, armour, weapons and siege machines are kept here for emergencies as well as housing for the five hundred or so members of the standing army.

At the far northern end of the district, a wide space is left open for the training grounds. Dummies, targets and racks of weapons line the free space with a fenced area in the centre for combatants to train against one another.

From the barracks, through one of the many guardhouses, access is granted to the great walls of the city that surround the perimeter. These are patrolled at all times in order to protect the city. During special training days, they are converted into a circuit for the more advanced recruits to train on.

The walls of the city are separated by two buttes that come level with the walkways and provide more open spaces for recruits to train in more rugged terrain. Gravel and loose stones are scattered on the first while a small pond and muddied ground is on the second.

Highborn Residential District (South)
While not strictly for exclusively highborn citizens, the district is known for being a place only for the extremely wealthy and is often looked down on by the people who live beneath them.

High stature visitors from neighbouring kingdoms are often housed in a special section of the Highborn Residential District reserved exclusively for visitors and are typically a little more flush than the other houses.

Water features and exotic plant life are far more common here than it is in the lower city, making the area appear cleaner and more luscious.

Citadel (Top Level)
High above both the Lower and Upper City, another plateau juts out. Only accessible via an elevator that hangs over the side of the cliff or a spiral staircase cut into the cliff itself, the Citadel is the most inaccessible and well-defended part of the entire city.

The Citadel
The largest building in all of the city, the Citadel rises above like a great beacon into the heavens. Glass domes cover the roof like great crystal mirrors that split the white light of the sun into a kaleidoscope of a thousand colours and dazzle all those that gaze upwards. A spherical tower with a glass dome at its peak rises into the sky and at night, the Grand Astrolabe within shines with a brilliance of sparkling lights, revealing the hidden star charts of the night sky. The light of the two moons illuminating the secrets of the heavens.

It is here in the citadel that the entire royal family lives and where King Raxis governs over the goings-on of the city. From his perch atop the balcony of his quarters, his view of the kingdom stretches away in every direction for miles before finally vanishing into the horizon. Far to the left on the bank of the Oxlow River, a small patch of brown signifies the location of the small town of Skarhorn. Following the thin blue line to the right through the patch of scarlet trees that is the Red Woods, the vast expanse turquoise of The Jewel of Hyvern stretches far off into the distance. On the closest bank of the lake, past the patches of trees that grow in the foothills beneath the city, Bayton and the ships that frequently dock there go about their business. Finally, only just visible on the far bank of the lake, far to the right is a tiny trail of persistent smoke that marks the position of the town Claybank.

Gardens surround the building with beautiful flowers and trees that captivate those that are granted access to view them. Decorations adorn the walls of the building and statues rise in imposing positions, one cannot help but feel in awe when looking at the sheer magnificence of the Citadel.

High Council
A second building to the side of the Citadel is the High Council building where matters regarding the fate of the kingdom are regularly discussed. While the king almost always has the final say to what happens, the High Council of Twelve largely act as his advisors and if a matter should arise that does not require the king's input, the council will often deal with it themselves.

The High Council building is largely made up of three main chambers, the entrance chamber which acts as a lobby of sorts for those awaiting their meeting with the council, the theatre room, and the library. The theatre room is by far the most important and features a great curved table at the far end, with the king's seat in the centre, and a small plinth in the middle of the room for people to stand upon when speaking to the council. The library at the very rear of the building has an extremely valuable collection of rare and valuable books and scrolls dating back almost to The Londaran War. Following a hall around the left side of the theatre chamber are many smaller rooms used for smaller meetings of less importance that don't require an audience with the full council and to the right of the building is living space for the council members.

Highlake + Shimmering Falls
Gathered from many smaller streams that flow from above, Highlake is a crystal clear spring on the south end of the plateau that drops almost a thousand feet into the river that rushes below. At certain times of day, the cascading waterfalls transform their appearance into that of millions of shimmering diamonds raining from the sky.

Sleek, white Snowhunters regularly make their home in the rushes that surround Highlake, feeding off tiny Silver Sprites that dart around in the water.

Upper Airship Landing Yard
Similar to the Lower Airship Landing Yard below it, a great area of the plateau has been designated as being a landing yard for airships, though only for those belonging to the council members, the royal family and guests. Unlike the lower yard, however, there is no network of platforms or cranes with which to remove cargo. As these ships are largely for transport only and not merchandise, each landing pad has only a single walkway with which to disembark.

Points of Interest
There are many points of interest and buildings of note scattered throughout the city: