Gilder
The seven towers of Gilder stand glimmering in the summer sun. From the tops of them you can see all the way across the Slice. The towers radiate out from the central hub of the royal palace, where the Ever-young Prince resides, a place no ordinary civilians are permitted to enter.
Once every seven years the Prince emerges from the palace to greet his people. From the perspective of the people, his highness, standing atop his balcony, never seems to age. The Prince himself is young looking, maybe thirty years old, though he has been ruling for centuries. The magic that keeps him young is unknown to the people of Fenrayne and must be powerful.
Few are allowed beyond the palace walls and those who are only see a few rooms and are sworn to secrecy. But people talk, and those who do speak of vast gardens, innumerable servants, extravagant balls and feasts, and a mysterious cadre of magicians standing in corners or whispering in the Prince’s ear.
The palace covers five square miles in the center of Gilder and it would take days to explore its thousands of rooms. In the middle lies the central tower of Gilder’s Seven Towers. The white marble of the tower can be seen for miles around. The Seven Towers were originally built as lighthouses to help boats make safe harbor among The Slice’s jagged stones. As the local waters became more and more well-mapped and portions even cleared of hazards, the towers became less and less useful. They fell into disrepair two centuries ago but with the rise of the Ever-Young Prince and the prosperity of Gilder, they were restored to their original state. Finally finished three decades ago, the towers stand as a symbol of light in a world skirting dangerously close to the darkness.
Gilder is crisscrossed by numerous canals and rivers which neatly separate the city into districts. These canals have been home to the Wodr since before Gilder was Gilder.
Dozens of communities have built up around the city over the centuries and people from across the continent come to start their lives within its boundaries.
The Brewer’s District is run primarily by the Hutchen though others have moved in over time. Known for their experimental takes on beers, meads, and distilled alcohol in addition to all varieties of alchemical arts.
The Stoneworks are run by Stonefolk and serve the Iron Tower. The Paladins have a central hub to the north of the Stoneworks that acts as their home base in the southwest corner of Gildland. From there, they ship out the stone via road and water to towers all over the country. In the center of the Stoneworks, the local Paladin Masons teach their craft to Initiates and Builders before sending them off as well to maintain and build new towers around the country.
Bantamburg lies on the south side of town. Years ago, a pair of Helblings started their tavern, The Salted Grave at a crossroads on the outskirts of town. Since then, those of below average height have flocked to the area, bringing their own businesses, services, and trade. Bantamburg is welcoming to all but you have to be a certain height to fit in the buildings.
Like any big city, Gilder has its underworld. Smugglers use the canals to move illicit goods like grave dirt, haunted relics, and magical protections not approved by the Fellowship. They say there’s a place called The Silver Spriggan somewhere in Bantamburg where you can go to find so-called “acquisition experts” who can get you anything you need from all manner of secure places including Fellowship towers.
Despite the desires of the Fellowship of the Seven Rivers, the people of Gildland celebrate Saints’ Days to honor the bravery of Saints long past.
For the people of Gilder, this means parades and festivals, like Saint Igmaleon’s Day. In life, Igmaleon was a Graentfolk of unremarkable size. Stories say his scales shined like silver and his sleeves were lined with bells that he used to send the Dead back to Death. In Gilder he single-handedly faced a massive bone construct; a creature comprised of hundreds of bones and dozens of dead spirits imbued with magic and forced into life by a Necromancer.
People now parade the streets, dancing an elaborate costumed pageant called The Dance of Death.
The Iron Tower
The Iron Tower is not just a single tower; most cities in Gildland have a tower or two of their own. These smaller towers typically house one or two dozen Fellowship members who maintain it and protect the lands surrounding it. Gilder has no less than twelve towers within its city limits. But these small towers pale in comparison to the Iron Tower.
The Iron Tower has been built upon for centuries. Its spires jut from the side of the Eastern Spine Mountains and contain a multitude of barracks, armories, stone masons, and libraries filled to the brim with books on everything from the mundane arts to forbidden knowledge.
The ranks of the Fellowship are made up of every type of person you could meet in Gildland but the majority of Fellowship members are human.
The Iron Tower stands as a bastion of peace and the light on the northern border of Gildland. Using spells, sunlamps and steel, the Fellowship of the Seven Rivers patrol the forests and roadways, keeping the peace and the dead in their graves. The dead have been rising within the southlands at an alarming rate. There have been rumors that the Fellowship has had to burn entire towns down to send the recently risen back to death.