Once the Players have chosen their characters and gotten a bit familiar with them, you can begin to explain the setting to them. In the land of Wynne, the Greater and the Lesser Wynne rivers flow from the mountains and the swamps in the west and northwest, across the fertile meadowland. At one point, they merge into a single waterway, and finish the path to the sea.
At the point of the merging is the city of Twynne Rivers. This city has a long and troubled history. It began primarily as a human settlement, but as it has grown from village to the hub of a great kingdom, it has absorbed and traded with many other peoples and races. Even though it is still predominantly human, it’s not surprising to see Wood Elves and High Elves, or Pixies and Giants. The latter are especially common on the riverfront, since they are commonly the ones that drive the barges up and down the rivers to trade with the villages and towns in the mountains or the Umbramire Swamp.
The city of Twynne Rivers is a large metropolis, divided into five sections, commonly known as “Quarters”. First is the CentreTown. This is the wealthiest and most beautiful part of the city. Parks, plazas, and great buildings fill the CentreTown. At the hub are the King’s palace, the Ministry (the government offices), and the Cathedral of the Church of Three Lights. All three buildings are lavish and extensive, with gardens and surrounded by walls and gates. The poor are not allowed to walk these streets, and if they must go to the offices in the Ministry, they must either be accompanied by a representative, or enter through a back alley. In CentreTown the streets are wide and always swept clean. Many nobles and those of the King’s court make their homes in CentreTown.
To the south, on the other side of the Wynne River, and the north, is the second quarter, known as South Town and NorthTowne. Together, this is a section of the city with hundreds of shops and inns on meandering streets. This is where the merchants live and trade, and where the most successful guild halls stand. Most of the buildings are of wood and stone and are two to three levels high. Working animals haul wagons of goods up and down the streets, making pickups and deliveries.
In between these two is the Riverfront. This divides the city, on either side of the rivers. These are the docking facilities for the shipping barges that carry goods and people up and and down the waterways. The buildings are smaller, except for the larger warehouses. There are lots of pubs and inns that cater to the dock workers and travellers. Aside from the dockway that runs along the river, there are fewer streets, but rather, lots of alleyways. It’s not usually a very safe place to be after dark.
The fourth quarter of the city is called The InnerWall. This is the large circle of the city that borders the two Towns and surrounds the riverfront but is, itself, surrounded by the great city wall. The wall was built many years ago to protect the city from an oncoming invasion. It is still patrolled by the city army to this day. The InnerWall city inside of it is a dirty, congested, and twisted mass of homes, bazaars, shops, and streets. With the exception of a few main thoroughfares, the streets, alleys, stairways and pathways are known only by the people living there. And they only know their way around a close proximity. There are occasional outposts of the city army and magistrates, which does help maintain some order, but there is still a lot of crime. There are many working craft and trade guilds in the Innerwall, as well as adventuring guilds.
The last section is not technically a quarter of the city. This is the OuterWall. These are the hovels and homes that have built up over many, many years outside the walls of the city. There are a lot of people, mostly impoverished, that live this way, but since they are not within the walls of the city, the King’s Minister claims no responsibility to protect them. Crime is rampant, and the area is very dangerous. The City army only patrols if there is a faction getting out of control, or to maintain the safety of the rivers and trade roads that connect Twynne Rivers to others.
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