Swansing
Swansing (formally the Duchy of Swansing) is a city in the Fairweather Vale.
Contents
Geography
Swansing lies roughly in the center of the Vale, on the shore of Lake Toncor. It is surrounded by several hills, including Nophica's Hill (which now lies entirely within the walls of the city), Brand's Hill, and The Twins. The hills are riddled with natural caves and underground waterways, which provides access to wells to the farmland surrounding the hills.
Originally just a small keep on the lakeshore, the city has grown by adding new walls around itself. This has resulted in the creation of fifteen walled districts, listed below. Each district is generally named after the Duke who built it, with a few exceptions. The Old Keep, the original castle at the heart of the city, is the smallest, while the largest district, Gienno, encircles the entirety of Nophica's Hill.
Like most cities in the Vale, Swansing is built around or near intersections of various ley lines. Unusually, most of these intersecting points lie around Swansing, not within the borders of the city proper.
Districts
The fifteen districts, in the order they were built, are as follows:
- The Old Keep
- Rorgerry
- Pithi
- Yenshir
- Peliquo
- Ayver
- Brand’s Hill
- Niccolai
- Nicolaus
- Maerquel
- Nichell
- Cauls
- Gienno
- Nallabe
- The Hill
Because nearly every district formed part of the outer walls of the city at one time or another, there are gates between most districts. The gates are sometimes referred to by a district's name, e.g., the Maerquel Gate or the Cauls Gate, although this is more true for some than others.
Leadership
The current ruler is Duke Athtar, who has been in power for 172 years. High elf nobles typically abdicate in favor of their heir or tanist at some point to seek other pursuits, as elf culture values change and a diversity of experiences. This makes Athtar's long reign - the longest in the Vale's history by almost 63 years - extremely unusual.
History
While Swansing is the second major city to have been founded, it is not the second-oldest. As mentioned above, it was originally a small keep by Lake Toncor, hidden in the hills; the city has expanded considerably over the following millennium.
The coronet is one of, if not the most tightly held throughout the Vale's history. Nearly all of the title's holders have been dukes; there have only ever been one dux and two duchesses, and of those, but one duchess (Nallabe) gave her name to a district. A direct line can be traced, through heir or tanist, from the first duke to today. The title has never reverted to the crown or the grand duchy.
Locations and People
The Ducal Palace
Unlike the other duchies and most of the marquisates, there is no Castle Swansing. The Duke's residence was originally the Old Keep, referred to in contemporary sources simply as Swansing Keep. Exact dates are unclear, but by the time Yenshir was constructed, the duke had moved residence to a palace constructed in Rorgerry, currently in its third iteration.
The Mage's Guild
Swansing is home to a famously insular mage's guild, which is run quite differently than the academic organizations or master/student relationships found in other cities. Although it provides many of the same services, such as research assistance through libraries and credentialing, it is not welcoming to spellcasters who have studied in other traditions. The mage's guild has several locations, although its guildhouse is located in Yenshir.
Temple of the Matron
At the top of Nophica's Hill stands a temple dedicated to Nophica, the goddess of the harvest. Until the construction of Gienno's Wall, and the Gienno district, it was not actually part of the city. Tensions generated by the annexation have never truly subsided, and the temple has often found itself as a fierce counterbalance to the politics of the city. The only path to the top begins at the base of the Hill district, the most recent district to be constructed and the latest source of conflict between the city and the temple, who don't agree with its construction on the sacred hill.
Other Temples
Other temples in Swansing include: Bifelgan, Draefendi, Nald and Thal, and Byregot.
Images
[File:swansing-districts.png]
