Denveris

Denveris is a vertical marvel, a metropolis divided by altitude and ambition. While the working classes toil in the shadow of the cliffs, the nobility reside in marble districts that float thousands of feet above the plateau floor. These islands of stone are tethered by massive mithral chains and powered by pulsing Zenith Crystals. It is the political heart of the province, acting as a gateway between the northern wilds and the southern trade hubs.

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Metropolis

Denveris

A city of ascending marble and golden light built upon a foundation of ancient, whispering glass.

TypeMetropolis

Population85,000

WealthExtreme Inequality

GovernmentPlutocratic Autocracy

ReadinessHigh

“Vibrant but vibrating with a low-frequency hum that sets teeth on edge and keeps the dogs howling at night. The air smells of ozone and expensive perfume in the high districts, while the lower city is thick with the dust of constant construction and the damp scent of the plateau caves.”

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Connections

Geography

RegionThe High Valance

ClimateTemperate but windy, with frequent mist rising from the lowlands.

TerrainA sheer-sided limestone plateau overlooking fertile river valleys.

Travel Links

The Great Sky-RoadThe Wind-Vane DocksThe Iron-Pulley Lift

Culture

Status is determined by elevation; those who live higher are seen as more spiritually and socially refined.

Races

HumansHalf-ElvesGnomes

Religions

The Order of the ZenithThe Earth-MotherThe Silent Weaver

Arts & Entertainment

Cloud-racing on griffonback and choral concerts designed to harmonize with the city's natural hum.

History

Denveris was founded upon the ruins of the Sky-Walker civilization following the War of the Marrow. The city was built to exploit the unique levitation properties of the local crystal deposits.

First AgeThe Desecration of the VaultsThe first settlers broke into the sacred plateau caves, discovering the crystals. They claimed the vaults were empty, but rumors of mass graves persist in local folklore.

Second AgeThe First AscentArtificers successfully used a massive crystal cluster to lift the district of High-Aerie. The celebration was marred by a series of localized earthquakes.

Modern AgeThe QuickeningTen years ago, every crystal in the city began to pulse in unison for three minutes. Many citizens reported hearing their names called by the stones.

Government

LeaderLord Julian Vance

Plutocratic Autocracy

Key Laws

The Levitation TaxProhibition of Private Crystal RefiningMandatory Silence during the Night-Bell

Problems

The Humming Sickness

Resonance from the floating districts causes citizens to suffer from auditory hallucinations and violent mania. It is worsening as the crystals grow brighter.

Economy

Industries

Crystal ArtificeAeronautical EngineeringGovernment Administration

Scarcity

Fresh water and fertile soil are almost non-existent on the high plateau.

Wealth LevelExtreme Inequality

Exports

Refined Zenith ShardsLevitation PotionsFine Jewelry

Imports

Fresh WaterTimberLivestock

Defenses

ReadinessHigh

Fortifications

The Bastion of CloudsMithral Lift-ChainsThe Great Lead Gate

The Shield Guard(5,000 active personnel)

A well-funded force equipped with alchemical crossbows and lead-lined plate armor to resist magical interference.

Law & Order

crime Level: Moderate in slums, low in High-Aerie
enforcement: The Shield Guard
typical Punishment: Exile from the plateau or hard labor in the lower crystal mines.

Lord Julian Vance

NPC

Provincial Governor

A tall man with a silver-streaked beard, Julian wears robes of heavy brocade that shimmer like oil on water.

High Artificer Elara

NPC

Chief of Works

Elara constantly wears heavy silver gloves and has goggles pushed up onto her forehead at all times.

Captain Marcus Thorne

NPC

Guard Captain

A scarred veteran who smells of leather and cold steel, he never leaves his post without his enchanted halberd.

Silas Vane

NPC

Antiquities Dealer

Silas dresses in dark silks and speaks in a low rasp that sounds like shifting sand.

Sister Martha

NPC

Head Medic

A stout woman with grey-braided hair, Martha's hands are permanently stained with medicinal herbs.

The Glassworks

Shop

Jeweler and Enchanter

A crystalline structure where the sunlight is refracted into a thousand tiny rainbows across the velvet display cases.

The Cooper's Rest

Tavern

Laborers, miners, and occasional undercover guards.

A low-ceilinged, smoky tavern popular with the lift-workers and laborers of the Ground-Side.

The Sky Council

Faction

Ruling Aristocracy

A collective of wealthy nobles and artificers who believe the crystals are a limitless gift and the key to divinity.

The Grounded

Faction

Revolutionary Labor Union

A secret society of laborers and families affected by the Humming Sickness who believe the crystals are cursed.

The Echoing Plaza

Point of Interest

The center of the floating district where the resonance is loudest and the stones glow with an eerie, rhythmic purple light.

The Bottomless Well

Point of Interest

A natural fissure in the plateau that goes down so far that nothing dropped into it has ever been heard to hit the bottom.

Calendar of Events

14th of Summer

The Day of Ascension

A festival celebrating the lifting of the first district with mass griffon flights and light shows.

The ritual used to ignite the festival's crystals actually increases the severity of the Humming Sickness for the next week.

Secrets

The crystals are the fossilized souls of the original Sky-Walker civilization.

The entire city. If revealed, the Grounded will likely resort to mass sabotage to free the 'spirits' within the stone.Old journals in the Vaults describe the process of 'transcendence' as a desperate measure against an ancient plague.

Rumors

The Governor hasn't slept in three weeks because he hears his father's voice in the walls.

A giant creature lives at the bottom of the Plateau Well and feeds on discarded crystal dust.

High Artificer Elara is building a secret airship to escape when the city finally falls.

Plot Hooks

The Silent Stone

High Artificer Elara hires the party to investigate why a massive power crystal in the central plaza has stopped vibrating.

InvestigationHigh Artificer ElaraAn enchanted crystal shard that grants temporary levitation.

The Echo's Map

Silas Vane offers the party a map to a hidden 'Soul-Forge' deep within the plateau that could cure the sickness.

ExplorationSilas Vane1,000 gp and an introduction to the Sky Council.

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