Melvaunt

Melvaunt is located on the northern shores of the Moonsea, perched at a natural harbor formed by the fast moving waters at the mouth of the River Svalich. The river swiftly carries icy waters on a nearly two hundred mile journey south from the glacial Lake Vlacul in the foothills of the Balinok Mountains. At the mouth of the river, the water cuts the land into a series of rocky, muddy islands, while the land for at least three miles in every direction consists of boggy, waterlogged swamp and frozen peat bogs. The city straddles the largest of these islands, joining many of them together over time with vast amounts of rock carted downstream from the mountain quarries. Located on three major islands and three minor islands, the southwestern, western, northern, and eastern faces of the city are protected from the hostile swamp lands all about by the deep, swift moving estuary of the River Svalich, while the only harbor approach to the city is sheltered by a series of three small fortifications.

Most of the city's residences, including the upper class Lord's Hill, the Iron Council Holdfast, and the oldest and most established homes and businesses are located on the westernmost of the three large islands, Mare Insulă (Large Island). This island is attached by nearly a half dozen large bridges (and over a dozen foot bridges), to the eastern island, Afumat Insulă, the so-called "Smoke Island" due to the preponderance of the city's forges and foundries, not to mention tanneries, glaziers, and kilns being located on this low, reeking ground. This island also houses the majority of the city's working poor as well as the vast majority of the city's dwarven and non-human population. Finally, the southern-most island, Mare Piatră (Sea Stone), (itself created out of at least 5 smaller islands), houses the city's harbor, slave blocks, gallows, and vast, guarded warehouses. The low, reeking swamp land around the city is the Gunoi Oraş, or Trash Town, usually just called the "Gunoi"; a mostly unregulated collection of rickety stilt houses, throat-slit flop houses, brothels, and fire traps.

The arms of Melvaunt consist of a vertical silver sword, point uppermost, above an anvil of silver; all on a deep purple field bordered by an endless loop of silver chain. Soldiers of Melvaunt wear cloaks and armbands of purple, bearing the badge with a silver sword transfixing a silver anchor.

Pre-History

Detailing the prehistorical foundations of the city of Melvaunt is difficult, as most scholars can conclude that the islands upon which the city is founded did not exist more than 3000 years ago. At that time, the Svalich River flowed far wider and stronger than it does today, and the entire area was submerged in the current of the melting glacial ice. The little evidence of early habitation mostly clusters around the largest island, Mare Insulă, and indicates the early presence of a dwarven settlement dug into the island, most likely an offshoot of the Realm of Glittering Swords, Sarphil. In the past, it wasn't uncommon for the human inhabitants of the city to tunnel their way into a long buried chamber or tunnel carved with the exacting precision of the Stout Folk. Most such chambers have long been discovered and incorporated into the foundations and sub-foundations of the buildings built on the site since.

It is known that a small military outpost or city was constructed here by the first human inhabitants of the Moonsea, the Northenar of Northkeep. The large island surrounded by a strong, icy river provided a secure spot upon which to build a beachhead for the settlement of the lands upon the northern shore of the Sea of Dragons. The name and day-to-day lives of the inhabitants of this city are completely unknown, as it disappeared completely after the Year of the Blue Shield (400 DR), and the coming of Dark Horde of the Emperor Kursk of the Thar, which also affected the destruction of the home city of Northkeep and the first city built beneath the current foundations of Phlan.

By the time of the coalescing of the tribes of Damaran humans along the shores of Lake Vlacul to the north around 600 DR, the area along the southern coast was a swampy, dismal land haunted by the ghosts of the humans who had fallen to the ancient ravages of humanoids from the Thar, as well as the primitive descendants of the humans who had once lived there, now reduced to scattered, warlike bands of "ghost men", so called because of their habit of caking themselves in chalky white mud from the surrounding bogs. Seeing no apparent value to the resource poor land to the south, Nentas Zhengis and his Terg opted to collect tribute from the largest of the tribes of the "ghost men", the Melvas, rather than conquer them outright after their arrival in 603 DR.

Founding of a City

Modern Melvaunt dates it's founding back to the conquest of the lower Svalich river valley by Roland Drakov, the loyal shield-man of the legendary Ral Vlacul, from the local Melvas tribesmen in 791 DR. According to local lore, the Melvas people had allied themselves with eastern sorcerers who had taken control of the countryside, adopting their degenerate ways and served as vassals in their domination of the Damaran people. After several seasons of running battles, Drakov's armies finally broke the power of the human tribesmen in battle on the highland rises of Mare Insulă. The site of this victory is commemorated by a 500 year old statue of Roland Drakov to be found in the plaza in front of the modern city's Holdfast.

After the death of Ral Vlacul, and the subsequent Noble's War of 809 DR, Roland Drakov, his family and vassals were able to consolidate their holdings and the loyalty of those noble houses who remained loyal to their fallen Voivode, including Nanther|House Nanther], Bruil|House Bruil], Padraig|House Padraig], and Bromov|House Bromov], around the strength of the island fortress he had constructed on the site of the old Melvas castle on Mare Insulă. During the entire ten years of war between the Loyalist and Coalition factions, not a single Coalition army ever set foot on the islands of Melvaunt, nor even came within arrow shot of the mouth of the Svalich River.

After the cessation of hostilities with the Great Settlement of 819 DR, the tides of power had definitively shifted southward, and the city of Melvaunt had emerged as the new power in the central Moonsea. By the time that Roland Drakov, now in his late seventies, was acclaimed Voivode and successor to his now-long dead friend Ral Vlacul in 820 DR, the city state had regained enough strength and wealth to near-effortlessly repulse a horde of orcish invaders which roared out of the Thar with the spring thaw. The now legendary warrior Drakov's disappearance in five years later did little to stem the rising tide of Melvaunt's prestige, and only served to fuel speculation as to his eventual fate, the tales of which swirl around the taverns and campfires of the Svalich Valley to this day.

Reign of the Drakovs

Unlike his friend and mentor, the Voivode Vlacul, Voivode Drakov was a man of enormous tastes and appetites for all things, and fortunately for the stability of Melvaunt, he had many sons. Thus began the (relatively) long-lived Drakov dynasty of Barovia. The next twelve decades saw the growth and prosperity of the lands along the central Moonsea as a succession of Drakovs took the reigns of the burgeoning kingdom. They saw the growth and prosperity of trade across the once-untameable Sea of Dragons, and the rise of Mulmaster in the east and years of peace and prosperous trade with the older city of Zhentil Keep to the west. In the city of Melvaunt, trade brought a burgeoning middle class of merchants and craftsmen who began to demand a share of the decisions in a princedom increasingly reliant on their coin to maintain it's far-flung outposts and fortresses built during the reign of the militarist Drakovs.

In 906, emissaries from Zhentil Keep and the Duchy of Phlan were able to come to an historic accord, codifying long disputed borders and ownership of resources with the Treaty of the Ride, signed on the deck of the newly commissioned flagship of the Barovian fleet, the Roland. Years of prosperity and growth, however, would be put in jeopardy with the ascension to the Warrior's Crown of Vigdis Drakov, the boy that would someday be called the Fey Prince, in 935 DR.

Born the nephew of the childless reigning voivode, Emmerlich Drakov, at his family's summer home on the shores of Lake Vlacul, many would later blame his madness and violent eccentricities on his rustic birth and upbringing. The true cause of his derangment may never be known, but at the time of his coronation by acclaim of the Voivode's Council and the people of Barovia, there was no indication of what he would eventually become. A young man barely out of his adolescence, Vigdis was acclaimed by the people for his beauty, his intelligence, and the vibrancy of his charisma. He wasted no time after his coronation, rearranging the government to suit his tastes, importing northern advisers and friends of dubious character from the outer provinces and (some said) from beyond the northern borders, into positions of long prestige and authority. As time passed, the calls for him to take a wife grew strident, but he was never known to have shown interest in any of the women presented before him. Eventually, he announced to the nation that he was already wed to the land, and that through that, his authority became absolute. In 939, his small force of loyal bodyguards forced the Voivode's Council into recession, and, on Midwinter's night, Vigdis Drakov renounced the title of Voivode, proclaiming that he was, instead, the King-Consort of the White Queen. Most scholars have speculated that Vigdis was an ardent devotee of Auril, the Frostmaiden, and in so proclaiming, was indicating his spiritual marriage to the cause of the goddess of winter. Others, most notably the local wise women and sages, hint at a closer, and more physical union with a local immortal. Regardless, the new king outlawed, on pain of death, the worship of the "Gods of the Untouchable South", proclaiming the advent of the Court of the White, and, most bizarrely (and most ominously to the rustic inhabitants of the provinces), outlawed the use and manufacture of any item or weapon forged of iron.

Over the next year, these policies, along with the so-called "Year Without a Summer" in 940 DR, the Year of the Cold Claws, virtually ensured the near total collapse of the political and civil authority of the kingdom of Barovia and the violent end of the Drakov dynasty. Vigdis' hulking Weirmen bodyguards began scouring the city and the surrounding countryside, confiscating any item of iron that could be found and executing the owners, usually in ancient method of impalement upon wooden spikes. Starvation, misery, and chaos became the lords of the Svalich Valley and the surrounding countryside, though Vigidis proclaimed that every shipload of iron that was tossed to the bottom of the Moonsea brought the kingdom closer to the arrival of his Queen and goddess. It will never be determined if Vigidis' policies were designed to bring about a real event, or simply the ravings of a madman, as he would not live out the year. By the fall of 940 DR, the entire kingdom was convulsed in revolution. A series of minor battles were fought by the armies of weirmen personally loyal to King Vigdis against the now allied forces of Zhentil Keep and Phlan, but the true end to the Drakov dynasty was carried out in Melvaunt itself. The heads of the houses of the ousted Voivode Council returned to the city at the head of a vast army of iron wielding mercenaries from Mulmaster. They managed to reclaim the now mostly empty city relatively bloodlessly, but swore an oath to each other to never speak of what they saw in the old Voivode's palace when they stormed the battlements. Vigidis, it was claimed, threw himself from the highest tower into the unseasonable snow storm, claiming he could fly. His body, crushed against the pavement, was later dismembered, sealed in eight iron coffers, and buried at the edges of the kingdom of Barovia.

The death of the childless Vigdis Drakov, and his dissolution of the title of Voivode, was seen as an opportunity by those houses who had spent strength and gold to reclaim the land from a tyrant, as well as the merchant class who had long chafed under the yoke of an absolute despotism. It was decided that the old palace of the Voivode would be torn down to it's foundations and a new fortress raised in a new location, to commemorate the founding of a council forged by iron. The age of the oligarchs had begun.

The Council of Iron

In the wake of the deposition of the old position of the Voivode, the victorious noble and merchant families decided to adopt a system of oligarchical rulership much like their successful neighbor, Zhentil Keep, to the west. The most powerful houses remaining after the purges of Vigdis, Nanther|House Nanther], Natali|House Natali], Bruil|House Bruil], and Marsk|House Marsk] secluded themselves on their ships while the city was cleaned up with their backers among the most prominent among the wealthy merchant class to determine the new shape of the government. Ultimately, they forged the system of both inheritance and election that became the of Iron|Council of Iron], and, as their first action as the new governmental body, proclaimed the creation of the title of the Lord of Keys, created specifically for Admiral Colvis Erebos. The old admiral was honored for his actions during the reconquest of the city in ordering the defenders of Vigidis' reign to stand down and the harbor chains preventing the arrival of the liberating nobles' fleet.

From that time to this, the trajectory of the city has mostly been towards increasing wealth and independence, though this has resulted in the ever increased decentralization of power across the countryside, to the point where the "provinces" of the northern foothills can only loosely be considered to under the control of the Council of Iron far to south. Gone forever are the days where Drakov troops flew the banner of the Raven in every far-flung fortress and watchtower from the River Stojanow to the west to deep into the wastes of the Thar. The governance of the outlying villages, towns, and hamlets has mostly devolved onto the backs of minor noble families and a system of elected "Burghers" who are charged by the large owners in Melvaunt with maintaining order and keeping their trusts profitable in exchange for a free hand and little oversight.

The is period is also punctuated by two great migrations that would change the racial makeup of the city itself. The first came in the winter of 1105 DR, as several clans full of ragged and tired dwarven refugees arrived at the city's western gates. They had been walking for weeks, forced from their ancestral mines of Tethyamar by overwhelming numbers of goblins from below. They had so far met with mistrust and hostility from every city of humanity that they had approached on their journey eastward, being turned away from the rising metropolis of Zhentil Keep, and the dour and unlucky city of Phlan in quick succession. Thane Gorim Stonehammer, the most senior of the clan elders of the surving clans of Stonehammer, Steelturn, and Shatterpeak met with the Council of Iron to petition the city for sanctuary. Seeing the value in the homeless and dispirited craftsmen, the Council voted nearly unanimously to provide them with land on the Afumat Insulă to the east, where they could rebuild their clans and crafts (for the betterment of the city's industry).

The second major alteration to the racial makeup of the city occurred during the major reshuffling of political power that came to be known as the Moonsea Wars from 1306 DR to 1316 DR. Begun as an isolated trade war between the city of Mulmaster and the sister cities of Hulburg and Sulasspryn, the ascension to power of the wizards of the Brotherhood of the Cloak in the city of Mulmaster and their decisive victory over the combined forces of the two cities dramatically shifted the balance of power in the eastern Moonsea. Within a year, Mulmaster's imperial ambitions under the leadership of the Brotherhood became readily apparent, and the city soon faced an alliance of nearly all the interested powers of the region. The Alliance of Order consisted of Zhentil Keep, the Duchy of Phlan, Hillsfar, Melvaunt, and even isolated merchant concerns within Sembia. Still, despite the overwhelming numbers of her enemies, Mulmaster, under the brilliant guidance of the archmage Rundeth Ironmind and his Brotherhood of wizards, was able to not only withstand the initial, disorganized Alliance attacks against her forward forces, but was able to regroup and begin to counterattack. Rundeth realized that the magical might of the Brotherhood of the Cloak was matched only by the dangerous forces of the Zhentarim wizard cabals, and that all of the other forces were magic poor and vulnerable to infiltration, sabotage, and magical destruction. The Council of Iron of Melvaunt found itself extremely vulnerable to long range attacks from the Cloaks, suffering the destruction three major ships of the line at harbor, ravaged by conjured undead attacking from the city's canals, and even a partially successful assassination attempt against a full meeting of the Council itself which claimed the lives of the heads of Houses Nanther, Natali, and Maersk. It was into this atmosphere of chaos an impending disaster that Clan Calaudra|Calaudra] of Velprintilar arrived. Whether they were lured to the city by the call of gold or driven from their homes by some old disgrace is unknown. What is known is that this extended family of strong elven blood was rich with magical power, and under the guidance of the archmage Karathos Calaudra and his son and apprentice Andros, the half elves maneuvered themselves into extreme wealth and, eventually a seat on the Council of Iron itself for their contributions to the eventual victory of the Alliance of Order and the defense of the city of Melvaunt.

Modern Melvaunt

The final coda to the Moonsea Wars occurred in 1317 DR as the death of Rundeth Ironmind; under the combined assault of Manshoon of Zhentil Keep, the mercenary wizard Farouq Al'Hazred, Karathos Calaudra of Melvaunt, and his own apprentice, Thurndan Tallwand of Mulmaster, plunged the city of Mulmaster into chaos. It came to light that the ancient House Bromov of Melvaunt, a long respected but long decayed house dating back to the time of Roland Drakov, had been essentially leveraged beyond their means. House Bromov was dissolved and replaced in the city by their creditors, Leiyraghon|House Leiyraghon] of Mulmaster. The Leiyraghons were a "Blade House" of Mulmaster who opted to flee the collapse of the city's government and relocate to Melvaunt. Their wealth was enormous, and many of the most venerable and well respected houses of Melvaunt soon found that many of the debts they had accrued over the years tied back to the crafty Leiyraghons, not the least of which were the Houses Marsk and Natali. The collapse of House Bromov, the arrival of House Leiyraghon, and the unrelenting strain of debt and war came close to plunging the city into civil strife in the early 1320s.

House Leiyraghon moved swiftly to consolidate its power, toppling House Natali from its seat on the Council of Iron in 1329. The unexpected collapse of the ancient House Natali so soon after the fall of House Bromov came close to igniting armed conflict with Houses Nanther and Bruil, when the young Dornig Leiyraghon, leader of House Leiyraghon, proposed a compromise. A change in the structure of the Council of Iron was affected, and a new executive position was created to be both an arbiter of inter-house conflict and a liaison with foreign powers. The first title of Lord Envoy was bestowed upon Vanth Bruil by vote of the Council, a position often called the Despot. The position was to consist of five year, non-repeating terms and to rotate through the heads of the major families of the city. The title has seen been rotated to its current holder, Peuter Marsk

The Council of Iron

As laid down by the Iron Compact in 941 DR, the structure and operations of the Council of Iron have changed little over the centuries, adapting as circumstances have changed. Eight council members rule Melvaunt: the lords of the four Great Houses (currently Woarsten Nanther, Dornig Leiyraghon, Andros Calaudra, and Vanth Bruil), the rotating guild leaders (currently the Armorers' Guild Master, the Weavers' Guild Master, and the Smiths' Guild Master), and the elected Lord Envoy (currently Peuter Marsk). In the event of a tied vote, the Lord of Keys may cast his own vote.

The Lord of Keys

Though originally created as a ceremonial position for the largely retired Admiral Colvis Erebos in 941 DR, the powers of the Lord of Keys have grown and shrunk with the demands of time. The Lord of Keys is the lord-commander of the city watch, and is ostensibly the supreme commander of Melvaunt's military forces at land and sea in time of crisis or war. The Lord of Keys is a lifetime position that can only be revoked by the full vote of the Council of Iron. The current Lord of Keys is Halmuth Bruil.

The city of Melvaunt is home to four major houses and nearly a dozen minor houses. The nobility of Melvaunt is an open system, though recognition is notoriously difficult to arrange. In order to be considered for the peerage, the prospective noble/his family:

• Must never have been implicated in the death of a current or former noble of Melvaunt.
• Must not be, or ever have been, allied with the enemies of the state (Mulmaster, Zhentil Keep, etc.)
• Must maintain residence in the city for no less than 5 years uninterrupted.
• Must have two-thirds approval of the Council of Iron.
• Must make a cash payment to the city coffers of no less than 100,000 gp in trade bars as a sign of good faith.

House Bruil

• Motto: "Vice avenged"
• Rank: Major
• Badge: A face-on, snarling golden lion's head (with long mane outflowing, all around), above a stout and crenellated silver stone tower, on a circle of royal blue.
• Home: Bruilhaven, Blacktrees

The Bruils have always been disciplined military commanders and monster-hunters. The troops of old Lord Basil Bruil formed a good third of the first army to march under the banner of Roland Drakov at the founding of the city. Most of their investments come from domination of mining interests in the Galen and Balinok Mountains. The Bruil mines are justly famous for their production of Ravenar; they hold a near worldwide monopoly on its production. They are also remarkable for their domination of Melvaunt's merchant marine, holding shipping interests from Hillsfar to Telflamm to Suzail. The Bruils rule their merchant empire from two major estates. Bruilhaven, within the city walls, is a massive, unlovely fortress built in the early days of the city as a redoubt. It's dark-paneled walls are festooned with the captured weapons and banners of fallen enemies long dead. Their newer home, Blacktrees, is a massive, three hundred acre walled estate which boasts three small keeps, a fortified mansion, a huge cattle farming operation, and a garrison of 600 highly trained, well-equipped elite warriors.

Recent political events have driven a deep seated wedge between the current Lord Patriarch of the House, Vanth Bruil, and his eldest and only son, the Lord of Keys, Halmuth Bruil. Old Lord Vanth has passed over his son in favor of his bastard grandson, Argens Bruil

House Calaudra

• Motto: "Endure in patience, for the patient endure"
• Rank: Major
• Badge: A green leaf upon a circle of sky blue.
• Home: Ethenios

This clan of elven blooded humans arrived in Melvaunt only recently, during the Moonsea Wars of the early 1300s. They hold a virtual monopoly on the city's magical might and defenses, renting their skill at wand and spell to the wealthy middle class and their peers in the nobility for outrageous sums. They specialize in magics of convenience, subtlety, and misdirection. All noble houses pay the Calaudras quite well, not only for their services, but also for their silence and discretion. From the outset, they have adopted (at least in public) human ways and customs, even to the extent of living within the city. The only forest they own is a massive courtyard at the center of their city mansion, an open-air cathedral of trees transplanted from the ancient Yuirwood surrounding a placid central pool.

The main branch of the family, descended from the great (now deceased) wizard Karathros Calaudra is headed by his son and apprentice, Andros Calaudra and his wife Jhavasspeira. They have eight children. From the eldest on down, they are Lord Emlaer, Lord Imbrel, Lady Kara, Lady Aeone, Lord Amaerst, Lady Sarrauda, Lord Rahlerael, and Lady Silver.

House Leiyraghon

• Motto: "My hand holds my heart, honor, and the future of my land"
• Rank: Major
• Badge: An upright human right hand (sometimes in black silhouette) with fingers and thumb spread, and an irregular white star or spark floating above each fingertip, on a circle of royal blue.
• Home: Daltabria, High Seraeda, Saprindon

Despite being the newest noble family in Melvaunt, they posess no less than three grand estates: High Seraeda (a walled estate of over eight hundred acres, with forests, farms, and two fortified manor houses - Croemarth Hall and Tylathia's Towers), Saprindon (a walled compound with manor house on the Svalich Road between Melvaunt and Vallaki, and Daltabria (a walled compound with gardens, rambling manor house, and tournament arena in the Lord's district of the city). Their garrisons and bodyguards total more than 2800 armsmen. They are egregiously wealthy, owning much property within the city and silent partner investments in dozens upon dozens of businesses run by others, even to the extent of underwriting the expenses of the Builder's Guild and the Cartman's Guild, not to mention controlling interest in the holdings of House Natali and the vast fruit plantations of fallen House Bromov. The Leiyraghons maintain a dangerous reputation, much like sharks gliding smoothly through the waters of their peers in the nobility.

Since the Leiyraghons arrived from Mulmaster, they have been under the domination of the handsome but ice-hearted Lord Dornig Leiyraghon and his beautiful but deadly sisters Esmel and Niune. These three made a pact long ago to never act against each other, by poison, intrigue, magic, betrayal, or outright attack. All three are shrewd and ruthless. Lord Dornig is unmarried, but has two sons: Kalman Leiyraghon and Bremen Leiyraghon.

House Nanther

• Motto: "See the dawn, and ride beyond"
• Rank: Major
• Badge: A leaping stag with a saddle on its back, on a field of emerald green (the pose and facing of the stag change often).
• Home: Nanther Keep, Crowncrag Hall

This influential family has a reputation for being level-headed, far-sighted, and dispassionate in matters of trade. Their long-standing investments in lumber, quarrying, and stone cutting serve not merely Melvaunt but also Hillsfar and the cities of Sembia and the Vast, providing a lucrative and stable source of income. That building expertise is showcased most notably in their country estate, Crowncrag Hall, a sprawling, palatial mansion at the center of floral gardens surrounded by a ring of trees. A ring-road encircles the trees, and a ring of farms beyond that complete the estate, the whole encompassing some eighty acres worked by seventy-six retainers and a garrison of two hundred guards. Within the city of Melvaunt, House Nanther maintains Nanther Keep, a black walled fortress draped in crawling ivy. Nanther Keep is well known across the Moonsea for its exotic gardens that feature specimens from all across Faerun, from the humid jungles of Chult to the arid flowering cacti of the Calim Desert.

Tragedy has stalked the Nanther family in recent years. The current Lord Patriarch, Woarsten Nanther, is a quiet, dignified man whose joy in life seems to have been dimmed since the death of his wife Vivian in the winter of 1345, and his younger brother the following spring. He is fiercely protective of his children, his son Oreal Nanther, and his daughter Lorimel.

Minor Houses

House Marsk

• Motto: "Endure always, rise ever"
• Rank: Minor
• Badge: An upright silver double-bladed axe (a labys) on a crimson circle.
• Home: Blackboughs, Sarpenter House, Curthyrn Hall

Another of the oldest houses of Melvaunt, the Marsks are known for quiet, calm hauteur and inflexible views regarding social changes and the "rightful place" of such underlings as merchants and common laborers. They possess great wealth that grows greater with passing years. ONe source is the holding of many a mortgage in both Melvaunt and the upper provinces - loans to merchants and laborers that are secured by collateral and carry a stiff rate of interest. Those who can't make their payments lose their collateral (usually their house or shop) and wind up as Marsk employees or tenants in what was once their own property. Those unable to pay rents or without valuable skills tend to end their days working in the plum groves and picking mushrooms and herbs at Blackboughs, a Marsk hunting lodge surrounded by seventy two acres of mostly dense forest that is home to twelve groundskeepers and a garrison of 200 guards (whose main duties are to keep poachers off of Lord Peuter's prize hunting grounds north of Lake Vlacul).

The Marsks have two other estates: Sarpentar House and Churthyrn Hall. Sarpentar House is a palatial, sprawling castle that entered the family when the current Lord Marsk married the last of the Sarpentars and it became her dowry; he had it lovingly restored and then presented it to her as an anniversary present. Today it stands on three hundred and forty acres of farms, formal gardens, and woodlands, with a staff of two hundred and seventy six (mostly old Sarpentar retainers, supplemented by a fair number of bankrupt debtors), protected by a garrison of two hundred. Churthryn Hall is a quite different matter, a country mansion whose modest grounds are protected by a high wall. The Marsks seized it for debt from its former owner and now run it as a private madhouse for noble families, adventurers, and others who have the gold to pay the stiff monthly fees that ensure a comfortable home for difficult or embarrassing relatives or friends. The facility has a staff of sixty who oversee eighty-six patients, each of whom has a private room. A garrison of twenty veterans keep the patients under control and the curious at bay.

The current Lord Patriarch of House Marsk, Peuter Marsk, is a bland, efficient adminstrator with a passion for civic improvement. His heir is the smiling and witty Elaint Marsk.

House Natali

• Motto: "Patience tempers the sword of fury"
• Rank: Minor
• Badge: A boar's head, couped at the neck, facing sinister with jaws agape.
• Home: Sevencrown Keep

Once far too haughty to pay any attention to commerce, the Natali family was reduced to a penniless state some twenty years back and much of their prestige and power was seized by House Leiyraghon. When old Lord Thuldas died at the funeral of his wife Lady Aglamme, his prim and cruel son August became ruler of the house and plunged into a whirlwind of shady deals, bargains with adventurers, and currency speculation that ended in the first three farm purchases not underwritten by the Leiyraghon family in close to two dozen years. The family maintains Sevencrown Keep , a castle with thirty acres of land protected by its walls and placed at the center of eight farms that together total 18,430 acres. The Keep and each farm officially have a garrison of twenty guards apiece, but neighbors say at least another 400 of the staff or laborers on each property are fully armed, watching over a sea of slave laborers likely illegally imported from Zhentil Keep.

The city of Melvaunt has never been particularly demanding as regards the religion of its inhabitants, short of the briefly lived Cult of Winter formed by the Fey Prince, Vigdis Drakov, nearly four centuries ago. The only religion to be forbidden with the walls of the city is the worship of Bane, as the Council of Iron is determined to not get caught in the heresy war between the traditionalist Banites in Mulmaster and the expansionist faction under the leadership of Fzoul Chembryl in Zhentil Keep, both long-standing enemies of the merchant princes of Melvaunt.

Loviatar

The largest temple in Melvaunt belongs to the Mistress of Pain and is called The Resting Place of the Whip, or, more commonly, the "House of Cold Comforts". The temple is a labrynthine manor house on Mare Insulă surrounded by the finest noble estates in the city. The complex is a massive, rambling structure of precise lines set within formal gardens that wouldn't be out of place in the ancient cities of Chessenta and the Vilhon Reach. Elegant fountains and beautiful marble statues decorate the crushed, white stone paths the guide the visitor through the estate. The temple has an extensive outreach operation, gathering up the unwanted children of the dockworkers and nobility alike into the waiting arms of the priesthood of Loviatar. The majority of the Loviatar's priests here are women however, and they are guided in their faith by the stunning and elegant High Whipmistress Suzildara Sharanen.

Gond

The Wonderbringer's temple in Melvaunt is a hub of activity. Known as the "Purple Portals", it attracts pilgrims (many of them gnomes) who come here to see and utilize the impressive lab and workshop facilities within its walls. Initiates of Gond witness the creation and modification of a diverse array of specialized machinery and can even take part in classes on techniques developed by the High Artificer and his acolytes. The High Artificer is a quirky man named Hlessen Muragh who traveled here from Tilverton more than two decades ago to witness the spectacle of metalsmithing that pervades the city. Eight priests help him full time, and a number of worshipers act as helpers and apprentices.

Tyr

The knights of the Justice Bringer rescued the old Abbey of Mercy, a temple and hospital dedicated to Ilmater, from penury and default nearly a dozen years ago. The Tyrrans now hold their court in the bleak and forbidding monastery on the rugged cliffs along the eastern banks of the Svalich River just outside of the city proper, above the "Gunoi" district. The "Court of the Solemn Vow" is a dour, windswept fortress ably administered by High Lord Abbott Jens Galt. The Court has set aside much of the room of the old Abbey for their brothers in the priesthood of Ilmater to continue their good works administering to the poor and downtrodden of the city. The hospital and monks of Ilmater are led by Revered Father Gerhardt Holtz.

The Morndinsamman

Since the emigration of many of the survivors of the fall of Tethyamar in 1104 DR to the city, the Stout Folk have only grown in number and prestige within the walls of Melvaunt. Having been driven from the homes long ago, the exiled clans clung tightly to their faith in the gods. The Smiths Guild of Melvaunt has long been dominated by the superior metalworkers and craftsman of the fallen dwarven kingdom, so much so that when an ancient vault of the millenia old kingdom of Sarphil was discovered within the bedrock of the Afumat Insulă, it was swiftly reconsecrated as a temple to the Morndinsamman, the "Vault of the All-Father", and now does double duty as the seat of the Smiths Guild. The underground vault is a lovingly restored series of underground passages that spiderweb through Melvaunt's island of industry, at the heart of which is an octagonal stone vault of forges and anvils, in the center of which is the eternally burning "Soulfire", brought undimmed from the depths of Tethyamar's fallen halls. The temple is overseen by the dour Craftsman of Runes Halagard Stonehammer, grandson of the legendary Thane Gorim Stonehammer who led the dwarven refugees to their new home over two centuries ago.