Cities and Towns

Brindol
====The primary settlement of the Vale, established approx 200 years ago. Originally a trading hub along the Elisr river, the relatively stable climate and bountiful growing fields of the surronding countryside helped the community grow into the walled city it is today. ==== Population: 30,000 (swells to between 37,000 - 40,000) during the Meislertrunk festival

Diversity: 81% human, 8% halfling, 5% dwarf, 3% gnome, 2% half-elf, 1% half-orc, and presently 2 full elves (Sondra and Katy)

Authority Figures

 * Lord Simon Jarmaath (human) - a lean man with a short-well trimmed beard whose graying hair and small wrinkles make him appear much older than his 35 years. He is the titled head of Brindol, and Defender in Chief of the city. He makes his residence in Brindol Keep, going against the tradition of previous lords to hold court in more lavish mansions. Indeed, in his short reign he has reinstituted several old traditions of Brindol, not the least of which has been reopening the long closed down satellite campus of Denovar's Unseen University (UU). He is regarded as a well-meaning and fair ruler. Which frankly makes him rather dull to the more senior citizens of the city, who remember the "Good Old Days" when Brindol was ruled by Lord Jarmaath's ancestor, Lord Reginald "Bloody Stupid" Johnson.
 * Lady Verrasa Kaal - Regal, stately, patrician, cultured, and above all utterly ruthless when it comes to financial matters, Lady Kaal is consider by many to be the defacto ruler of Brindol, in large part due to the tremendous amount of debt her mercantile house owns over many citizens and institutions. Indeed, the matriarch of one of Brindol's oldest noble families could easiily stage a coup simple by calling in the immeasurable IOU's owed to her. However, overt rule has never been her style, so Lady Kaal instead pulls strings from her enormous mansion. Morally enigmatic, Lady Kaal has employed thieves and assassins while simultaneously donating massive sums of money to various institutions across the city. She and Lord Jarmaath are constantly at odds with each other, the later resenting the former's influence while secretly begrudgingly accepting the very real fact that Lady Kaal is a necessary evil for Brindol.

Notable Places

 * The Brindol Academy - The center of Brindol academia, the large building houses numerous lecture halls, engineering and alchemical labs, and of course, The Library. The Academy is not to be confused with the Unseen University (UU), located in Brindol's sister city Denovar, as the Academy's pursuits are (mostly) non-magical in nature.
 * The Library - Housed within the Brindol Academy, the Library is both knowledge treasure trove and nighmarish death trap, depending on the nature of the book you seek. The tomes, volumes, pamplets, and scrolls somehow create a magical resonance that among others things can occasional animate books (one prevalent theory on the magical nature of the Library states that the very act of writing knowledge down on paper transfers a miniscule piece of one's essence/soul/WAAAGH!*. With enough books in one place, these pieces of soulstuff generate magic. Others simply believe this proves books are in fact tools of demonkind and should be all burned). Another interesting feature of the Library is its flagrant disregard for spacial conformity; the number of halls, bookshelves, and study rooms are far larger than a building the size of the Academy has any right to hold. Wise students of the Academy going into the Library alone tell their friends to come find them if their not back by a certain hour. Wiser students just don't go alone. The Library is run by Assistant Gelbin, and the enigmatic Librarian.

*The names of one's incorporeal specialness as prescribed by Chauntea, Goddess of Life/Pelor, God of the Sun/Grumsh, God of Orcs, Goblins, Bugbears, Minotaurs, Ogres, Trolls, Particularly Stupid Giants, and Other Non-Incorporated Monstrosities.


 * J.R, Toote McGoot's - HEY Y'ALLLLLLL!!!! IT'S ME, J.R. TOOTE McGOOT!!!! NOW I KNOW WHAT SOME OF YOU ARE THINKING: "YEAH, THIS ESTABLISHMENT IS THE GREATEST RESTAURANT IN THE VALE! YEAH, THIS ESTABLISHMENT MAKES ME RE-ANALYZE MY ENTIRE LIFE! YEAH, THIS ESTABLISHMENT IS LIKE MY SECOND HOME! YEAH, THIS ESTABLISHMENT IS MY HOME!!!" BUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THIS: THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO HAVE NOT TASTED J.R.'S SESAME JACK CHICKEN LASAGNA, NOR MAMA McGOOT'S SWEETFIRE APPLE PIE!!! SO TO ALL MY LOYAL CUSTOMERS, AND TO ALL MY LOYAL EMPLOYEES, I SAY THIS: LET NOTHING STAND IN THE WAY OF DELIVERING GOOD FOOD, FUN TIMES, AND HEALING! BY THE WAY, I MIGHT BE GOD!!!! what?