Location Overview: "Bridge City" - Lavan
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Lavan - The Bridge City of Aaval - Map Icon (19)
Situated between the Gloomspire Mountains to the West, the Eldertop Peaks to the East/South-East, and Bolvorge Lake to the East/North-East, is the valley-city of Lavan. Sprawling across the entire valley floor and its steep sides, the city of Lavan is both a trade hub and the site of a Wonder of the World. It is one of two main land-based trade routes into the kingdom, with hundreds of caravans passing over The Great Span - which bridges the six-mile wide steeply-sided valley. It's massive one-mile wide surface is large enough to easily allow for some specifically sanctioned shops and inns to be built upon the bridge itself. A winding river cuts through the valley from west to east, which eventually feeds into Bolvorge Lake at the lowest east-north-eastern point of the valley.
It is well known that the massive ancient bridge spanning the valley predates the city, though records since prior to the Empire's Founding all confirm that there has been a settlement in this location for thousands of years. Who built the bridge is something of a hotly debated mystery within scholarly circles of Aavalian society. The most common belief is that it is the work of a lost and incredibly ancient dwarven society. The size and complexity of the engineering feat as well as the artistry of the bridge does somewhat support that idea. There are architectural similarities to modern (and even ancient) dwarven stonework, but if dwarves were the bridge-builders, they were a vastly more ancient people than even dwarven records recount.
One thing is certain - the bridge is enchanted with an unknown form of primitive yet potent magic, which causes the structure to be self-healing. So long as there is stone nearby to a crack or broken section, the bridge itself will absorb the material and return to its pre-damaged state. Mages have studied this magic for decades, and those who have dedicated such time and energy to the study have been able to make impressive strides beyond the typical restrictions of mending-style spells.
Because of this interest in the bridge itself and it's magic, as well as the proximity to neighboring kingdoms, Lavan is a hub of study and trade. It boasts one of Aaval's largest schools as well as one of the kingdom's largest dedicated libraries, which specializes in both mundane and arcane works. The School is the Bandyhand Institute of Learning, and the library branch is the Bandyhand Library. Among the scholars of Aaval, those who've graduated from Bandyhand are accorded a certain level of respect purely due to the reputation of the school.
Districts of Lavan
Lavan is split into five distinct districts:
The Peaks
The Brights
The Shades
The Depths
The Drownings
These districts are directly related to both the wealth and the amount of daylight that section of the city receives.
The Peaks
The Peaks is technically exclusively a shop and services district, and is the highly sought-after limited space on the Great Span. While the city refuses to allow residential buildings and has banned anyone residing permanently on the Great Span, industrious and well-connected shopkeepers have managed to circumvent this by having 'always available' or particularly dangerous or valuable businesses. Some examples include inns that never close, food-services businesses that are always open, apothecaries that deal with volatile reagents, and other such businesses. Some owners in such situations have been able to make a case that they should be allowed to live within or on top of their business so as to keep it safe and active, and have been given special dispensation to do so.
The Brights
The highest ring of land at the top of the valley and along the top rim of the descent is known as The Brights. This district is predominantly the domain of wealthy and powerful individuals, organizations, and guilds. The Bandyhand Institute is within this district, as well as the headquarters for several guilds of prominence in the region (merchant, adventurer, mercenary guilds). This district is defined by large, well maintained roads and large sprawling buildings. Patrols of local guards and city-owned mercenaries are plentiful. Throughout the day this district enjoys the most sunlight.
The Shades
Set slightly deeper into the valley along what would be considered the second ring is the Shades. This is a more middle-class district. Buildings here are more modest, though still generally nice and well-made/well-kept. Guards/Mercenaries patrol fairly frequently, and while they do get some shade from The Great Span over the course of the day, the Shades still enjoy a decent amount of daylight. The streets here are slightly thinner, with carriages and wide carts being rarer on this level though still able to be accommodated.
The Depths
Technically speaking, The Depths is the lowest area of the valley, and covers much of the valley floor. This district is predominantly low-income labourers, miners, and other workers. Streets are cramped and not well-kept, and patrols of guards/mercenaries are less frequent. Because of the depth of the valley and the Great Span above, shadow dominates this district. The Depths is a hub of illicit trade and crime.
The Drownings
Situated directly below the Great Span and cluttered around the massive support pillars is The Drownings. The banks of the Shadow-veil River are cluttered with ramshackle slums and makeshift hovels. The homeless, addicts, and other unfortunates call this area home. It is nearly permanently cast in darkness or shadow, and is largely ignored. The name of this district comes from the all-too-common result of the dire situation faced by the people calling this district their unfortunate home. In recent years, community outreach via several prominent families has become a focus.
Don't look too closely at the AI-Generated image for the city - the closer you look the less it makes sense lol. It's not a perfect representation of what the city looks like in my head (of course), but is a good frame of reference for my players and is pretty good for a quick bit of AI prompting. If I ever make more of this location I'll probably provide this as a reference to a traditional artist so they can make something like this but better.
This is another 'living document' for my world. It will likely get updated further as we play more in this location and as I build out details. I currently haven't included many notable specific locations, but I will expand that once we complete the next session or two.
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