First I need to say that Paravail, in an of itself, is not my creation.  For those of you newer to the RPGsite, a couple of years back someone got the great idea to put a bunch of heads together and do a collaborative setting, starting from some great trade town on a mighty river. A town, a city, named Paravail.

Somewhere there is a wiki, though I suspect it is defunct. My last visit to the wiki was unproductive.  

As I had contributed a number of controversial ideas to Paravail, I lifted it whole heartedly for my setting, which originally was just an expansion of my public ideas for fantasy settings, and grew into the massive world-book that it is now. Like a great deal else, things were shaped by my players, plans to focus on areas like Paravail, the Marches, or Tenebria all fell by the wayside by the need to expand the Pepper Savannahs when the players hopped a trade caravan to the most exotic land they could find.

My memory is faulty, filled with details and tidbits of a thousand things, and I haven't revisted Paravail in years now, but I remember much of worth.  Things I will share with you now, and expand upon as we go.  While I may contradict the original wiki, it is not meant as a slight to those who made it, but merely the fault of having a head full of bad wiring.  

The original version will always be superior to me.

So, without much ado at all: Paravail, the City of Splendors


At the very tip of the Hyglaec pennisula, where the mighty river Erd, swollen fat with the waters of a thousand tributaries empties into the Sea of Gattipol, lies a sprawling city of ancient stones and golden towers.  Paravail, the river's whore, trade mistress of a hundred nations, free and independent since time immemmorial, unconqured, decadent.

There are two histories to Paravail.  There is the unwritten truth that predates the age of men, when some other name rang from the hallowed stones.   Then there is the History of Paravail, spoken in the histories of a thousand other nations. Paravail was old and fat when mighty Tenebria seiged her walls, when the Faithful of the Bronze Caste died to a man on the plains of  Mondru and yet, even in death held the line.  Even the oldest of Elves do not speak of a time before Paravail, so old is she, and tales of a golden city at the mouth of the Erd can be found in tales from the most ancient times.  Yet for all that, only a few know the stories of the Founding, of how Paravail came to be.

It is said that at one time two great tribes shared the riverbanks of the Erd, fishing its waters and harvesting bounties.  A great rivalry grew between these tribes, wars were fought over the best fishing holes.  This rivalry came to be embodied in the forms of the two cheiftans of the tribes, their hatred of one another seemed endless.  So, despite the fact that the river was mighty enough for a hundred tribes, these two tribes fought and fought, years passing.  Then the Gods, angered at their wayward children, cursed the land with a terrible winter, taking from them not only the bounty of the River, for she sent her children far from their nets, and the bounty of the land, buried under ice and snow, but also the bounty of magic, leaving only ashes.  

And the two great cheiftans looked out over their tribes, each seeing starvation, disease... seeing only death for their tribe for their selfish hatred.  Each set forth to murder the other, to end the war between the tribes alone, to bring prosperity back to their people.  The two cheiftans met on a hill on the banks of the mighty river, where land, water and sky met under the eyes of the gods, and each readied his dagger.  And each saw in the other's eyes the despair and sorrow that mirrored their own.   It is said that they understood then that in the eyes of the Gods that they were brothers, despite their differences, and the long war they had fought had cursed their peoples.

And their, under the eyes of the Gods they each begged the other for forgiveness, and turned their daggers not on their brother but upon themselves.

And when hunting parties from each tribe met at that same hill, each looking for their lost cheiftan they found instead that a mighty stone, formed from the mingled blood of the two great men in their place.  For each band also found a mighty stag drinking the waters, and a flowering tree bearing winter fruits growing nearby.  All that remained of the two cheiftans were their bloody daggers, and they marveled at how each could be fitted to the other to form a whole new blade.

Thus the two tribes did not elect new chieftans but a single cheif to rule them both, and their sons and daughters married, making them one blade.

That one tribe was human and the other orc is what makes this tale unique.  And thus it is that in all the northern lands, in all of Haven, it is in Paravail that Orcs have the most respect and authority, freely given.

It is thus that the City of Paravail has never sent forth its armies to conquer other nations, seeing all tribes as one in the eyes of the Gods, such wars as blaspheme, though they are not shy about defending their own.  Any man may become a citizen of Paravail simply by swearing the Rites of Blood at the Covenant Stone, and thus have a say in her governance.  

Only a few members of the Old Guard, the old Castes remember the ancient legend. It doesn't matter, the people remember the Covenant, swear the Rites, and the Gods are happy, Paravail prospers even still.  

That there are scholars that would disagree with the tale, pointing to the stones and sewers found in the ever sinking city that predate the Banality, that could not have been formed by the primatives spoken of in the tale doesn't matter.  The legends of ancient curses and slumbering dragons dreaming men into existance do not matter. Only that the Covenant is kept.


But what of the City itself? Leave aside the legends of olde, of arguments and bickering over things long dead.  What is Paravail like?

Like most cities in the modern age it is a massive sprawling mass, surrounded by high stone walls. It straddles the Erd, which cuts from east to south to empty into the sea. At one time the entire region was a giant marsh, the 'river mouth' swallowing all the land.  For millenia, however, a channel has been dredged, wide enough for even the great galleons of Nornsa to sail up the river's mouth, the swamplands paved over with stones.  And for millenia the city and been built and rebuilt over the generations as it continues to sink endlessly into the swamp it was built upon, layers upon layers of abandoned buildings exist underground, and underwater.   Careful observation will note that the Covenant Stone, found in the Forum of Old Town seems to be an exception to the sinkage, though a few wags would suggest that the stone itself is but the tip of a much larger stone that has, in fact, sunk deep over the years.

Not unlike a great number of walled throughout Haven, Paravail has an expansive suburbs of shanty towns outside its walls, further surrounded by farmlands and orchards of exotic fruits, though unlike most, the richest and most powerful citizens rarely have estates outside the city itself.  

Old Town, the spiritual heart of Paravail is the small parcel of land in the crook of the river, south and east.  In the heart of it is the wide plaza known as the Forum, and in the center of that is the stellea carven with ancient script, and stained with blood, known as the Covenant Stone.


To be continued...

To understand the importance of the Forum in discussing Paravail it must be first established what makes Paravail truly unique amongst cities.  Paravail has never had a king, nor in fact does it have a proper ruling body.  By the Oath of the Covenant that binds the city, all men have an equal say in the goings on of the City itself.  Thus, on any given day there can be found half a dozen orator's trying to sway the people around them to a particular topic of some importance to the speaker, be it integral to the city as a whole or as trivial as a noise ordinance for a single neighborhood.  Only the laws of the Gods, as set in the Covenant itself, are beyond such discussion.

At one time the Forum was the true heart of the city, where matters of governance were established, where business was conducted, and where the Gods were worshipped.  In time the permanent businesses were replaced, as were many public offices with more or grander temples, guild or Caste halls, and the only public office of note remaining is the Rhtoria, the great hall where the public gathers to vote.  Of course, not all the citizens of Paravail can still fit in the Rhtoria itself, and it has long been an accepted practice to hand ones voice to another, in the form of a personal token, to speak on ones behalf. This is how the guilds, Castes and Leagues that make up the various power blocs in the city maintain their power.  

It is certainly possible to cheat, to claim to speak for another, but as any citizen is entitled to speak on their own behalf at any time it is rarely done as a single contradiction can destroy a reputation and ruin a proposed bill. It is not uncommon for hot debates to render the often solemn legal proceedings into a racuous madhouse where little can be accomplished.  

It is a point of some interest that only a vote in the Rhtoria may allow for one citizen to kill another without violating the Covenant, thus capitol punishments are exceedingly rare in Paravail.   Far from unheard of, but rare. Exile is truly impossible, as citizenship is by grace of the Gods, not men.  

It is not to say murders do not occur in Paravail. All the evils that men do can be found here, as anywhere. It is held, however, that such violations of the Covenant are not mere crimes but actual blaspheme against the Gods, and the guilty are punished by curses from the heavens.  Of course, that only applies to Citizens, a shockingly large number of people living in Paravail, including many born there, never swear upon the Covenant. Nevertheless, many a man has avoided a fatal encounter by 'Showing the Palm', and proving his citizenship to another.  

The act of showing the ritual scar upon the hand, from the Rites of Blood, has led to the Paravailo to claim it is their home that invented such traditions as the salute and the hand shake, though with little evidence to prove it.  It is true, however, that sworn oaths of public office must be conducted whilst displaying one's palm to all witnesses, for example while voting.  The right hand is considered holy, and things conducted 'by hand' hold special meaning for Paravailo.




Note: I may just lift whole articles from the wiki and repost them in this thread rather than just muddle them up as I am now.

At one time, Old Town was all there was to Paravail, for centuries the city was defended on three sides by water.  The docks of Old Town were long wooden tracks over the river silt out to open water where the ships could draft, and the major river traffic were flat bottomed barges.  To cross the river channel (less a 'river' in those days than a deeper part of the swamps) they used a drawbridge, the Old Gate Bridge marks that location.

During the Banality, and afterwards, Dwarven merchant caravans were the lifeblood of many communities and the primary form of trade. As Paravail was the furthest south of any land based trade, they were among the farthest from the Dwarven Clanhalls far to the north, and were among the last to benefit from the trade.  

The Coming of the Dwarves is, consequently an important event in Paravailo history.  When the Dwarves arrived, as their own carefully kept ledgers reveal, Paravail was a thriving community of Orc and Human fishermen, swamp folk and little more. Though they lived peacefully, and even richly off the bounty of the Erd, their city was isolated and crude.  However, years of travel meant that many dwarves on the caravans were tired of travel and willing to settle down, while the dwarven peoples needed a stable stop at the apogee of their trade arc. Paravail was ideal in many ways for this, a place to stop and rest, to restock their goods and replace worn shoes.  So it was that a few dozen Dwarves from any given Caravan might stay, swearing the Covenant and becoming citizens.  There is no shortage of good stone on the Hygleac, and so the Dwarves who stayed formed the first League, combining their votes Rhtoria to convince their new neighbors to replace their wood stilt and mud huts for more permanent, durable stone, paving over the swamp and, eventually, dredging the river.  This led, incidentally, to the rise in power of the then lowly Orc 'Mud' caste, as their labors in dredging provided them a measure of respect, and self respect, that led to increasing political power, though they tended to combine their voices with the Dwarves over their fellow Orcs, eventually joining the Dwarven Leagues as full members and disappearing from the Orcish Castes forever.  It is this reason why Caste Orcs remain clean shaven at all times, while an Orc with a fulsome beard is typically a member of a Dwarven League, and may even speak a dwarvish tongue as his native language... though Paravaijo would remain for business and public works.

Dwarves from outside Paravail, those who have never sworn the Covenant, often refuse to deal with League Orcs, though over time this has become such a slight that to refuse means failing to do business with any dwarves in Paravail at all...  

The Dwarves, never a populous species, did not drive Paravail out of its corner of the Hygleac.  While Orcs and Humans both tend to breed quickly, the Castes, by and large, tended to self regulate.  However, with the dredging of the river and harbor, and the expansion of the city proper, trade began to flourish in the area, and Paravail began prospering from trade with Reve and the southern cities such as Urtesh... few ship captains wished to bother rounding the Hygleac horn (as they referred to it) just to trade with the Western Coast. Often sailors would start families in Paravail, and some Reve, not wishing to make the long journey home, would settle in Paravail... and the city grew.

However, not everyone who settled wished to swear the Covenant. By the Covenant itself, no man could be made to swear it, putting the Paravailo in a hard position.  While, at the time, there was still plenty of room in the city proper, they hardly wanted permanent settlements of non-citizens clogging their streets.  It was then that the first Sumptory Law was passed, nearly unanimously, banning non-citizens from staying in Paravail proper (now, Old Town) for more than an hour of each day.  The exact timing was a matter of some debate, but it was felt then by the Kukoi Caste (Human 'Law bringer' caste, small, powerful but mostly antiquated now, their primary duties are the maintenance of the Rhtoria, their power comes from the fact that they attend every vote to a man as a religious duty) that to create provisions for hiring non-citizens, say as laborers or household servants, would eventually create a situation where the Covenant would be broken in spirit, if not in deeds.)

Thus the first communities on the other side of the river came about.  Many citizens moved across the river to be closer to their businesses, or their families, or simply because it was easier to build an expansive estate on the sparsely populated 'New Town'.  Naturally, the Dwarven Leagues sold their services as stoneworkers to pave and wall off a 'city boundary', and eventually even build more permanent bridges, though they fought with the mostly Orcish laborer castes who also wanted to be responsible for those things.

Eventually, Paravail proper surrounded the entire harbor, now fully dredged, and was fully walled, though at the time fairly sparsely populated.  Cemetaries and graveyards were common within the city limits, due to space available, though by the modern era, only the truly wealthy can afford burial in the city, the rest make do with cremation or exterior necropoli.

It should be noted that the term 'dwarven league' is still in use in Paravail, though it is no longer accurate. There are many 'all dwarf' groups in Paravail, but the traditional Leagues have, over millenia, become heavily populated by Orcs, humans and even stray elves, and many purely 'dwarven' customs have disappeared (Though, as a point of pride, League Orcs still grow beards and speak dwarvish tongues, among other things... though in truth, most League Orcs were long ago adopted into the Paravailo Dwarven 'clan'... making them legally Dwarves.)

Next up we will deal with Castes, Leagues and other groups...

To the outsider, or the newcomer, Paravail has a bewildering array of social structures. There are the Castes, the Leagues, the Guilds, even Clans and Tribes...not to mention Gangs and other presumably less savory elements.

This is, to some extent, a natural outgrowth of the peculiar nature of Paravailo politics, where everyone who has sworn the Covenant has, by holy law, the same voice in law.  

Of course, the two mythic tribes that supposedly founded the city both shared a similar social structure to the existing Castes, or at least had evolved a caste structure in common by the arrival of the first Dwarves. With their example, it was only common sense that led later arrivals to adopt a similar method for collecting voting blocs.

The Castes are the original social group, and their form and nature is well preserved by ancient custom and sumptary laws preventing others from calling themselves 'castes'.   Most members, with very few exceptions, are born to their caste, thus there is a strong racial divide.  There are three 'racial' caste-groups. Human, Orc and 'hybrid'... or as some say 'half-orc'.  The Human only Castes are the smallest and, theoretically weakest of the Caste Groups, though they possess a great deal of political power and wealth in comparison.  Most visible is the Kukoi, one of the few Castes to preserve their ancient name, though the language it is from is only preserved on the Covenant Stone itself.  The Kukoi are the arbiters of Law, traditionally the keepers of the Covenant itself.  When the Rites of Blood are performed as part of an official ceremony, it is a Kukoi who oversees and administers them. It is a Kukoi who makes official pronouncements regarding Oathbreakers and those who forge their citizenship scars.  It is also the Kukoi who oversee the few rituals of the Rhtoria, and all adult Kukoi are expected to spend the greater part of their waking hours in that house to ensure they are present for even the most impromptu vote... it may be said that even if a single neighborhood gathers for an informal vote to settle a dispute between a single property line, the entire Kukoi will weigh  in as 'the Voice of the City'.... if for no other reason than to ensure their own power is maintained.  

Other human only castes include such luminaries as the money changers and fish preservers.. the later have since expanded to take all food stocks under their wing.

The orcish Castes, including the Iron Caste, the traditional defenders of the city, are much more rigidly planned than that, though they tend to call the hybrid castes 'orcish castes' as well.  A detailed breakdown of teh orcish and hybrid castes is available on the wiki and will be reposted eventuallly.

By ancient law, only Caste members may wear bronze as an adornment, something that causes friction among non-castes.  Note that in no case has any Caste managed to get a legal monopoly on their services, as the Covenant prohibits such bannings, though the Kukoi are closest in their role as 'priests of the Covenant'... but that is cultural rather than legal.   While the Caste moneychangers may be the most trusted and respected, there are other moneychangers to be found in the city proper.  

All the Castes maintain significant holdings in Old Town, and indeed a great deal of the weakness of their dominance of the city is the proud refusal to 'work' in the newer parts of the city.  While the Iron Caste Orcs may attempt to block all creation of town guardsmen in New Town, their refusal to protect that part of the city means they can not gain any popular support for their party, though they do remain the only force actually paid by the city proper for their service.

The Leagues, still referred to by many as 'Dwarven Leagues' are nearly as old as the Castes, but not nearly as inflexible.  The Leagues see their various duties as primarily business related, and tend to absorb, or try to absorb, those whose interests coincide. While many of the oldest Leagues still are dominated by Dwarves, there are entire leagues who could barely claim even a single dwarf as a member.  Leagues tend to be somewhat less unified in their voting than Castes outside of their business interests, but they tend to be more able to sway outsiders to their cause.  Membership in a league is very prestigious, as it tends to mean one is well educated, wealthy, and highly respected in the community.  

The Clans, another old dwarven import, run parallel to the Leagues.  There is traditionally, a single Dwarven Clan of Paravail, though its members were originally drawn from members of other clans that had settled locally.  Originally every new dwarf in Paravail was adopted into this new clan, and typically joined the league as well. The Paravail Clanhold is unique on all of Haven, a massive stone fortress in Newtown, along the outer wall far from the river itself, and having a very powerful orc presence among its 'clan-mates', and a few adopted human families for good measure.   Not every member of the Clan wished to join the League, as generations went by, and the two groups drifted somewhat appart.

Likewise, a number of newcomer dwarves had no intention of joining this new Clan, and formed minor clans, or sattalite clans of their parent clan locally, often keeping their old traditions.

Unlike the Leagues, the Clans tend to vote strongly on manners of import to their families, rather than business.  There is often a rousing debate on how a clan should vote that preceeded Rhtoria debates and votes, and there is little shame in dissenting, which among the leagues is viewed as little short of sabotage.

Guilds are a later import, groups of craftsmen sharing a profession, and often compete with Castes or Leagues that share interests.  They are rather mixed as voting goes, only unifying on matters the directly affect their craft or their members.  However, there are many many guilds, and their membership is drawn from all walks of Paravailo life, including some Castemen.  A notable attempt centuries ago to disband the guilds in favor of Castes was demolished by the guilds pulling together as a unified front, an event that has only been repeated a few times since, usually in response to equally outrageous attempts to destroy them.  It is little noted that many Leagues joined forces with the Guilds on that vote, of course as there is a great deal of cross pollination between the groups its not surprising.  Guilds tend to focus more on the certification of craftsmen and the teaching of same, and less on business as a guild, making it an excellent structure for non-competion.

Occasionally groups of people will immigrate as one to Paravail, and remain grouped together for generations.  While not always considered proper, they are generally referred to as tribes, and often display similar attributes... elder members of the community hold a great deal of respect and informal power, and will often bring the entire immigrant community voice to the Rhtoria on matters.  Often the 'elder' will perform the Rites of Blood on behalf of his entire tribe, though by law eventually all must swear on teh Covenant individually in order to be counted. The Kukoi have been known to have long debates on the legality of the proxy swearing, its been seen as a practical matter of having the individual perform the rites, and thus be scarred a Citizen, rather than a spiritual matter.  Then too there is the tradition of 'no cheifs' that makes the entire issue one of some import to the Kukoi...



The primary purpose of discussing the various social groups is of course that groups may, more or less, be counted as a single bloc of votes in the Rhtoria on a great number of issues. Of course, as there are no laws preventing one from being a member of multiple groups, and there are laws preventing the compelling of votes this is much less clear than it might otherwise be.  


"Hands":  The Kukoi, as of about 50 years ago, developed a specific token, called a Hand, which is bonded to a single citizen and represents their voice in the Rhtoria, as a manner of clearing up approved votes. A represntative brings in the 'Hands' of all he speaks for and votes on their behalf.  As the tokens are magically bonded to the citizen, they only work if the citizen has willingly given up his Hand, or if he is not present in the Rhtoria to contradict it.   Any citizen may willingly 'negate' his Hand... removing the bond and rendering it inert at any time, though he must then either vote in person or purchace a new 'Hand' from the Kukoi at significant cost from thence on.

It is traditional for children of Citizens to have their Oath Ceremony as a very public, lavish affair in the Forum, often as soon as possible. It does vary, the only requirement is that the child must be able to speak the words clearly, as it is said that the Gods will impart understanding if the child is too young to grasp the meaning.  This is important, because a parent may hold his child's Hand for votes for many years, there have been cases of less astute citizens never reclaiming their Hands from their parents until those worthies had died of advanced age.   However, some citizens... particularly Dwarves, hold that one must understand the responsibility of a citizen before one swears the Oath, and among those families it is viewed as a passage to Adulthood.  It is not uncommon for young Dwarves to perform the 'Midnight Rites' themselves in order to earn freedom from childhood, and respect among their clans, though many will later go through a symbolic public ritual as a means of proving they have been accepted by their people.

There is some debate in the Rhtoria, but as yet no proper vote concerning the very ancient tradition of the Midnight Rites.  A goblin, one of the few races that all hold as irredeemably barbaric, managed to gain citizenship for himself by this method, the first of his kind.  While still rapicious and cruel, like all of his kind, he is now officially a citizen and may not be slain by another citizen, or allowed to be slain. The Iron Caste, strangely enough, has taken to providing bodyguards to prevent a blasphemeous murder from resolving the situation, and there is talk of putting guards upon the stone at all hours to prevent other goblins from joining him... which the Kukoi oppose as an affront to the Gods.   It is a strange turnabout in the city, where the hidebound and often relentlessly traditional Castes find themselves defending the most undesirable of outcomes... Goblin Citizens.  The Gods themselves gave the Paravailo the commandment that all sentient creatures were equal in their eyes.  Even the Goblins.

G'ko Hunnav: the first, and currently only Goblin citizen of Paravail, a figure much loathed by the population.  By the standards of most people, G'ko is insane. Like all goblins, he is consumed by a terrible hunger that can never be saited, and his mind is somewhat fractured, meaning his personality shifts frequently, though again like all goblins he tends to be cruel, even sadistic.  G'ko thinks the entire citizenship thing is a great laugh, and a great gig, though he frequently leaves the city on 'business'.... what business a Goblin can have is best left to the speculation of more lurid minds.   G'ko is quite old for a Goblin, and actually appears old to even casual inspection, though he is quite healthy and hale, if thin and starving looking nonetheless.

Esua Y'kominyethi: The oldest citizen of Paravail, predating the foundation of the Dwarven Leagues during the Banality. An elf, obviously, and some claim the originator of the Midnight Rites. With good reason, Esua is Dealiryth (editors note:CHeck spelling!), trapped on the surface world during the Banality.  By becoming a citizen, Esua was able to find sanctuary and even a measure of comfort in a world sworn to war with his kind (in his own mind anyway... few remember them now), while stripped of the powers that had protected him.  During the Banality, Esua could not hide his (its?) true appearance, and thus nature.  While the original Paravailo only reluctantly allowed him to live amongst them, even sheltering him from the Dwarves who first arrived, later generations have grown so used to him that his presence and nature is accepted, if something of an open secret.  Were Esua's nature widly known it is probable that the Siti Elves would march to war against the city.  Sometime in the last thousand years, Esua joined the Kukoi Caste and rarely leaves the Forum, where he maintains a modest tower near the Rhtoria.  Time amongst the 'lesser beasts' has mellowed his nature some, though he still maintains an arrogant aloofness.  Oddly, by swearing the Covenant, he may have forfeited a great deal of his power... the Dealiryth are forsaken of the Gods, and Esua is not.  It may be that he no longer can take sanctuary among the Demons, though he is still among the most powerful of magi in the world, being privy to both Demon-magic and the ancient sorceries of the Titans... such as they remain.  As a millenia old being (at least ten thousand years, if not older), his plans are deep and obscure, impenetrable to lesser minds.  Recently he has taken an interest in the Warlords Sepulchure, though he will not admit he is more interested in the Sword of the Three than the Warlord.

Zshazzaku: There are lizardfolk living in the sewers of Paravail, mostly squatters and viewed as vermin who steal and eat babies (actually, that's the Kobolds, whom the Lizardfolk actually prey upon (finding the Kobolds tasty and filling...).  Zshazzaku is the leader of one of the tribes living there, though they have not sworn the covenant, he is watching the events with G'ko with great curiousity.  Of course, Zshazzaku may just want to eat the obnoxious Goblin... Zshazzaku has eaten Goblins in the past, as have many of his kin from the Amal, and they find them somewhat tastier than they do Kobolds.  The lizard may be found lounging upon the banks of the Erd during the heat of the day, finding great sport in taunting the Iron Caste Orcs who have sworn to slay him... his dry chuckle as he deftly avoids their spears has made him something of a legend to those who maintain trade along HIS river...

Thane Jukarl Krukshank: The leader of a Clanhold as marvelous as the Paravailo Clan is normally a high king, but Jukarl (whose name, it should be noted, is much bastardized from traditional dwarvish naming conventions...) is forbidden from using that term by the Covenant. No King, or holder of any similar title, may set foot in Paravail without forswearing his title and becoming a citizen.   That doesn't stop Jukarl from sitting upon a great stone throne in the heart of his Clanhold.... which is actually the deepest sub basement of the ever sinking (and being built upon!) artificial mountain.  The dwarves are too stubborn to move their grand hall, and frankly, Jukarl's position is largely symbolic anyway.  He's a terrible 'Thane', though a likeable enough fellow. His portly bulk may be found in the Rhtoria as often as not, peering around myopically for 'friends'. He holds, by matter of tradition, the Hands of all his Clan Dwarves (which, it must be noted, includes a large number of Orcs, including his closest 'advisor'... Hern Defthand, who keeps the bumbling thane from serious harm), and votes regularly with all of them.  He's yet to do anything out of sorts with the responsibility given to him... though many think Hern may have something to do with that.... and he long ago decreed that if any Dwarf revoked his Hand, that he'd personally pay to replace it for them. How, exactly is unclear. While the Clanhold is quite wealthy, Jukarl is essentially broke... living off the goodwill of his clan. Of course, he did it to himself by decreeing when he first took his seat that he would never touch the treasury for his own sake.  Like a good dwarf, he's never gone back on his word.    As far as the Dwarves are concerned, Jukarl's doing a fine job. Even if they don't agree with every vote, his greatest attribute as Thane is his remarkable stubbornness, his inability to play politics means he refuses to accept deals. Jukarl votes his heart (or stomach as the case may be) and damn anyone who tries to convince him otherwise.   It may not be wise politics, but its kept them from harm.   Jukarl's bumbling benevolence has made him a figure of some scorn outside of the Clanholds, but he is greatly beloved of the children of Paravail, and the annual festival he puts on with the help of the Clan has made him almost legendary as 'Grandpa Dwarf' to the young.   Despite his harmlessness, his lack of political accumen has made him the target of several assassination attempts over his long life (nearing the three century mark!). Powerful forces seem to protect him, however... or he's the luckiest Dwarf to ever live.

Hern Defthand is an old Orc, a deft administrator and an old soldier. He's far too old, actually, having been Jukarl's right hand for nearly the dwarf's entire reign. People wishing to do business with the Clanhold turn to him first, though he has never abused his position, making it a dicy move.  Unbeknownst to all however, is that Hern long ago swore a pact, linking his life to Jukarl's.  He gave something of note to Esua in return for the ritual. When the old Thane dies, so does Hern.  The ancient Orc has taken blades and poison meant for the thane many times, and he lost children to other attempts.  Hern does not fear death, though he fears for the future of the Clan once Jukarl dies. There are ambitious dwarves, and men, who would love to open the treasury once more.  Hern is not the only one who remembers what lies beyond those stone doors, sealed these three hundred years.  

Garl Godeeper: Another dwarf, recent citizen. If Hern has an enemy in the city it is Garl, who views the orc as an affront to Dwarves the world over. Garl has been mudering League orcs, and has recruited a number of likeminded souls to his cause.  The Covenant has given him greater access to his victims, but also kept him from pursuing his agenda personally.  That's fine with Garl, it was never about the blood staining his hands but about removing as many Orc filth from Dwarven 'clans' as possible.  Garl's political ambitions align nicely with Caste Orcs and a great deal of Dwarvish citizens, making him a force in the Rhtoria as well.

First Gate:  Crossing the Erd near where it enters the City to the East is a high arched bridge, like all the bridges of Paravail it is tall enough to let fairly substantial sailing vessels pass beneath on their way up the river... which until it passes the Kek's mountains to the north is deep enough to allow smaller Galleons to draft. This bridge, while old and relatively minor in relation to the city is notable for the massive Gatehouse of truly antique design on the Old Town side of the river.  The east tower of the Gatehouse is still in use by the Iron Caste as a minor garrison, housing a dozen full time soldiers within, but the west tower is long closed, and said to be haunted.  Given the ever sinking nature of the city, it is said the towers are but the tip of the originals, the bridge connecting them long sunk underground. If true what secrets could possibly found within?

Clanhold Paravail:  At the northwestern corner of the city, built even as a part of the exterior wall is a massive artificial mountain, by far the largest construct in all of Haven.  Near the ground level it is sculped in the form of a massive head of a Dwarf, the rest of the monumental statue long since submerged.   Here live a large percentage of the dwarven population of Paravail, along with a significant number of orcs and human families, though the surrounding neighborhoods are not, surprisingly, dominated by the Dwarves themselves.  Indeed, due to longstanding hostilities between the Clanhold Dwarves and the more traditional dwarven communities, the 'Dwarf Ghetto' is as far from the clanhold as one can get.   It is long rumored that the Clanhold Dwarves have secret tunnels in and out of the city they use for smuggling, though to what purpose is anyone's guess.  Every year the plaza in front of the hold is cleared of the normal bazaar held there for a great festival, where all citizens may come and feast, and the young are enthralled with gifts and amusements.  While this tradition only dates back to the beginning of Thane Jukarl's enthronement, in the last two centuries it has been marked at the beginning of the New Year for all Paravailo, and was marked as law by the Rhtoria over a century ago.  


Yrtbi Necropolis: The oldest graveyard left in the city proper, marked by a simple stone dolmen in its center.  The very rich are buried here, in family plots. If one digs down, under each coffin is another, older one, going back to the mythical founding of the city.  In actual dimensions the Necropolis is rather small, and densely packed.  While it is rumored, as such places always are, to be haunted it is still a favorite site for young lovers or disaffected youth to gather, hiding among the stones and markers.  Who, or what, the dolmen represents is unknown, though once a decade the Kukoi hold a midnight mass around it, lifting it out of the ground and filling in underneath it.

Dockside:  The docks and warehouses of Paravail are not built on land, but on great piers thrust out into the harbor.   A great number of transients, sailors mostly, occupy this artificial land, and there are businesses that cater to them, many on boats permanently moored under the piers.  An entire floating city exists under Dockside, and it is said that citizens are not welcome there.  The UnderDock has its own Mayor, said to be Bertholo Four-Fingers, who either claims, or is rumored to actually be, a famous pirate in his younger days. Gossip and tales about who Bertholo 'used' to be are great sport in UnderDock.  Asking to see a man's palm is a great insult here, equivilent of saying you don't trust him.  Naturally when things are stolen from the warehouses above the Underdockers are blamed, though little is ever proven.