Cities In-Depth: Dolvan Keep, Din

Another new article series! Cities In-Depth will profile a specific major settlement and provide details about its architecture, culture, politics, and history. I'll also include a complete city stat block for use with Pathfinder.

Map

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Location

Dolvan Keep is a large city located the United Republic of Din's northeast, approximately 10 miles south of the Crimson Marsh and 70 miles from the coast, where Copper River empties out into the Dinwash River. This region of Din is mostly forested hills and rolling farmland. The city's namesake keep is located at the northern terminus of an escarpment that runs for several miles southwards towards the foothills of the Torran Spine, roughly following the course of the Copper River. The region's climate is temperate, experiencing all four seasons and the occasional coastal storm that wracks the region with rain or snow.

Architecture

The city of Dolvan Keep grew organically around its eponymous fortress. Most houses and businesses are built of river stones and timber with steeply pitched, shingled roofs. In the lower districts they are built very close together with numerous dark, narrow alleys running between them. The largest buildings outside of the keep and church are three stories tall including their roofs.

Boxtown district gets its name for the large, flat-roofed factories and warehouses built from quarried stone and heavy timber. Many of these buildings have blank, windowless facades giving the district the dull appearance of rows of boxes. Mill street is similarly industrial, with several prominent factories along the copper river's waterfront using water-wheels driven by the river. 

Highwatch and Iron Hill are upper-class districts with several very large houses and numerous small parks. Bywater and Westridge are working-class neighbourhoods of small-but-orderly houses along small-but-orderly streets. The Lower Ward and Keeptown are both low-class districts. These districts are densely built, heavily populated, tight and dark. These districts are considered to be an extreme fire-hazard.

The keep is built from quarried stone blocks and river stones. It was built by mountain dwarves after the The Occupation. It has seen battle only once (during The Revolution when Din's citizenry overthrew the ruling vampire cult) and was relatively undamaged during that conflict. Most of the original dwarven stonework remains in good condition.

Culture

There are three prominent cultural centres: Temple Square in Bywater, the Central Market at the foot of iron hill, and The Keep. Dolvan Keep's culture is a mixing-pot of human and dwarven traditions that revolves around these centres. Social stratification is very prominent outside of the centres, with various classes keeping to their own districts.

Piety plays a big role in Dolvan Keep's culture. It was paladins in the service of The Dawnbringer led by local legend Aurus Pyrite who freed the area the grasp of an immortal cult of vampires. Now The Church of The Dawnbringer stands as the second-largest building in the city and its bells ring across the city at dawn every morning.

Unlike many cities on Teredahar, Dolvan Keep actually has a civilian police force separate from the city's guard.

Politics

Dolvan Keep is the seat of the parliament of the United Republic of Din. Political leaders and party members from around the nation mostly live in Highwatch and keep to themselves. The city itself is run by an elected autocrat with the purely-traditional title of Prince and a council of advisors. The populace are generally satisfied with this leadership.

Stat Block (Pathfinder)

Dolvan Keep, United Republic of Din

NG Large City
Corruption +0; Crime +3; Economy +3, Law +1, Lore +3, Society +3
Qualities holy site, notorious, racist, strategic location, pious
Danger +20

Demographics

Government Autocracy (Prince-Elect)
Population 19,500 (50% humans, 20% mountain dwarves, 10% syldarri(elves), 8% plains dwarves, 4% kurudari(halflings), 8% assorted other races)

Notable NPCs

Prince-Elect Ado Augite (mountain dwarf, male, NG, Aristocrat 7, age 161)
Lord Deacon Aurus Pyrite (mountain dwarf, male, LG, Paladin of The Dawnbringer 14, age 128)
Crime Boss "Red Hand" Anders (human male, NE, Rogue 8, age 31)

Marketplace

Base Value 11,200 gp; Purchase Limit 75,000 gp; Spellcasting divine 9th / arcane 7th
Minor/Medium/Major items: 4d4 / 3d4 / 2d4
Racism cost +150% if not human or dwarf, +150% if openly not Good-aligned, merchants refuse to deal with undead necromancers of any kind or obvious necromancers.

Next Time

Next week's article will be a Factions article covering The Ashram Academy, Teredahar's largest mage school and paramilitary force.