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Ravenhelm

General Info

  • Government : Stochocracy
  • Population : 35,000
  • Region : Old Province
  • Ethics:
    • Collectivist
    • Democratic

Society

Government

Ravenhelm was previously under martial law under the occupation of the Republic Expeditionary Forces, commanded by Allyhnk Noohnysh. The city was in the midst of a previous imposition of martial law by the Dusk Templars, following an outbreak of Mormal Marasmus and a siege by a Gnoll Warband.

Prior to the siege and occupation, Ravenhelm was ruled by a City Council, composed of the members of the Dohlaran peerage. Wealthy commoners, typically members of the major merchant houses, were granted an advisory position, but possessed no real power within the Council. Unlike it's counterpart in Blackpoint, the Ravenhelm City Council was not beholden to millenia of tradition and compromise between the Council and the individual nobles. As a result, the Council had far greater authority and power over the city's operations.

Since the majority of the city's nobles fled with the Dusk Templars, and the subsequent annexation of the city by the Republic, the REF has transferred governance of the city to a Citizen's Assembly, chosen by sortition.

While the Assembly itself currently serves at the pleasure of the Expedition Commander, it enjoys modest popular support and is expected to reorganize itself into a more permanent institution, complete with Gendarmerie and the accompanying ranks of civil and military service it entails.

Notable Locations

  • Basilica of the Eclipse (Ravenhelm) :

    One of the most recently constructed temples, the Ravenhelm Basilica is unique in that it eschews the traditional First Age aesthetic of many Second Age temples in favor of a radical new design that prominently features rib vaults and flying buttresses, and incorporates beautiful stained glass mosaics behind the main altar.

Prominent Figures and Organizations

City Watch

The Ravenhelm City Watch continues exercising its duties throughout the city, having preserved their independent status during the Republic occupation. The Watch took heavy losses during the siege and the epidemic, but there has been a recent surge of recruits, likely due to the collapse of the city's economy and the stability afforded by the Republic's backing.

Citizen's Assembly

A 250-member unicameral body, the Citizen's Assembly is charged with transitioning the city to self-governance, in compliance with the laws of the Republic. Due to the nobility's exodus from the city, the Assembly primarily represents the merchant and laborer population, and has taken a strong anti-monarchical tone.

Culture

Ravenhelm was once an independent settlement, founded a scant 100 years after the Great Sack. Due to the settlement's proximity to Blackpoint, the city's culture and society quickly became a watered-down reflection of Blackpoint's own, culminating in the Treaty of 381 where the Dohlaran Crown formally accepted oaths of fealty from the city's nobility in exchange for official recognition and representation in the Dohlaran peerage.

Unlike Blackpoint however, the majority of the city's population is composed of freemen. In many ways, Ravenhelm's lack of tradition made it easier for the population to adapt to new ideas trickling in from the Republic to the East. Manufactories and commerce became the city's lifeblood, while the estates surrounding the city remained firmly entrenched in the feudal system favored by the Dohlaran Crown.

History

Timeline

Date Name Event
570Y 3M Siege, Epidemic, and Annexation A Gnoll Warband lays siege to the City. Following an outbreak of Mormal Marrasmus and the exodus of Templars and nobles from the city, the REF liberates the city and formally annexes it for the Republic.