The City of Rampart
The city of Rampart is the only known settlement on the isle of Veran's Stead. Protected by robust magical defenses from an ancient time, Rampart is cut off from much of the isle as those same defenses also keep the people of Rampart trapped within its walls. Several massive towers - the Wardens - sit along the cliff edges. These towers, sealed from access, keep the city of Rampart safe and closed. They repel any who would attempt to enter or leave with a variety of magical spells.
The City Layout
Resting on a plateau, Rampart is divided into several sections and districts:
The Lower Quarter
- The lower sections of the city, where most people live.
- Dense, tight, and uncomfortable, the Northern and Western sections of the Lower Quarter are a mess of buildings - homes, businesses, tenements, seedy taverns, and twisting alleyways.
- Fort Eamon stands as a former defense post, but is now home to the City Guard, the Shattered, the Headhunters, and the Rampart Expeditionary Force.
- The Southern and Eastern sections of the Lower Quarter are more open and comfortable. Artisans and crafters keep their shops here, homes are more spacious, and the taverns more inviting.
- The Gates are the only safe way in and out of Rampart - provided they are open. While closed, they are massive and imposing slabs of stone.
The Walden
- The agricultural center of the city.
- The fields and forests are dense and tight to accommodate for the limited space on the plateau. The Selesnya Conclave magically enriches the earth and crops, cultivates the forests and wildlife, and maintain the fish and seaweed stocks in the cove.
- The Watcher Tree is a massive tree that is the home of the Conclave and the symbol of Rampart's endurance.
The Upper Quarter
- The wealthier and more specialized sections of the city.
- The Upper Quarter is home to the wealthiest and most powerful of Rampart's citizens, including government officials, mages, and artists.
The Citadel
- The governing and academic center of Rampart
- The Citadel is a large complex of buildings where the Council meets, courts are held, and students and researchers conduct their work.
The Cloister
- The religious center of the city.
- The Cloister is a section of the city that is home to the Grand Temple, which houses shrines to every accepted deity and faith, homes the clergy of those religions, and provides lodging to the Knights of the city.
The Garrison
- The military section of the city.
- The Garrison is home of the majority of the City Guard, the city dungeons, and training arenas.
Life in Rampart
Daily life in Rampart is largely uneventful for most people. Undead thralls and constructs walk the street with their masters, performing menial tasks and manual labor alongside Rampart's citizens. Most people wake, work, eat, relax, and sleep in a consistent but unchanging cycle.
Rampart is home to a wide array of humanoid races: humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, orcs, genasi, tieflings, aasimar, changelings, dragonborn, firbolgs, goliaths, tabaxi, and tortles.
The culture of Rampart is utilitarian and merit-based. Undead are used as cheap labor, most people are economically stable, and social rank is generally increased through great merit or contribution. In ideal conditions, people flourish and there are great advances and contributions. However, in most areas there is an implicit culture of sabotage - preventing contemporaries from ever presenting their ideas. Combined with limited resources, the city has reached a point of stasis.
Crime is common in the Northern and Western Lower Quarter, where the population and infrastructure are dense and patrols can be difficult. In other parts of the city, crimes are less frequent.
Most people, even longer-lived races like elves, have no concept of the Dynasty or what life was like at Rampart's height. There are none living who lived during the time of the Dynasty, but there some records of that age that have survived.
Magic in Rampart
Magic is commonplace in the city, though it is usually very simple due to limitations on material components and opportunities for experimentation.
Wondrous magical items are popular amongst the citizens of Rampart: cleansing stones, enchanted taverns and flasks, cloaks, clothing, and foodstuffs are all relatively easier to find in most parts of the city.
Magical weapons and armor are exceedingly rare, usually wielded only by the most powerful citizens of Rampart. If any new magic items are discovered, they are immediately confiscated by the city and placed in storage.
The Rampart Council
The Rampart Council is a group of 9 individuals who each oversee a specific area of logistics in running the city. It is both representative of the people and the executive branch of government. Its current members are:
- Loreena Serpentwind, Minister of Arcana
- elder, female aasimar
- oversees the study of magic, training of magic users, and the maintenance and creation of magical items
- Fira Wardson, Minister of Arms
- young adult, female human
- oversees the training and regulation of the city guard and knights
- Javin Benthey, Minister of Coin
- young adult, male human
- oversees the city budget, trade, merchant disputes, and supply lines
- Elgas Edoran, Minister of Courts
- middle-aged, male elf
- oversees the legal code, legal disputes, and legal sentencing
- Peronell Serpentwind, Minister of Faiths
- middle-aged, female human
- oversees the operations of the Grand Temple and the faiths within
- Adelaide Commonbrook, Minister of Hearths
- middle-aged, female human
- oversees cultivation, processing, and distribution of foodstuffs, and regulates social programs
- Bargak Ironfury, Minister of Scrolls
- middle-aged, male orc
- oversees the keeping of records, research, and preservation of texts, scrolls, and books
- Raffolk Enser, Minister of Stables
- adult, male halfling
- oversees transportation, logistics, road maintenance, and the courier network
- Nelwyth Indrel, Minster of Stones
- adult, female half-elf
- oversees the construction and maintenance of buildings, and regulates the mines
Political Factions
For the most part, Rampart is united in its overall perspectives - the survival of the city is the first priority. However, that does not prevent upstarts from banding together to espouse a shared ideology that challenges the current city rulings. These are some of the latest groups to emerge and gain attention:
Undead Liberation Front
A group that holds anti-undead sentiment, wishing to end the use of undead as labor and fertilizer
Free Rampart Society
A group that wants to permanently open the Gates, believing that the Council is keeping the city trapped deliberately
The Cultivators
A group that wants to put the Selesyna Conclave in power by using food production as leverage
Faiths in Rampart
The Grand Temple of Rampart is home to a multitude of shrines dedicated to the faiths of several deities. The deities acknowledged within Rampart are divided into two groups: the Anointers and the Divestors. The Anointers are seen as benevolent gods that bless their followers and keep the balance of creation in check, allowing all created things to thrive and endure. The Divestors are viewed as forces of contention and strive, destructive gods that seek to disrupt the forces of creation. While they are acknowledged by the Grand Temple, the Divestors have no shrines and the worship of any of their number is outlawed.
The Anointers
| Deity | Alignment | Domain(s) | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andil, god of coasts and seas | CN | Tempest, Nature | A fish pierced by a spear |
| Araxae, goddess of law and order | LN | Order | Pair of crossing hammers |
| Bahamut, god of justice | LN | Life, Order, War | Silver dragon wing on a blue field |
| Candran, god of the moon | CG | Arcana, Trickery | Downward-facing crescent moon |
| Cotia, goddess of the stars | CN | Trickery, Knowledge | Three four-pointed stars in triangle formation |
| Dagris, god of combat | CN | War | Bloody fist wrapped in bandages |
| Edos, goddess of the sun | CG | Light, Life | Yellow sun rising from a black horizon |
| Kaevala, goddess of rituals | LN | Arcana | Circle with an eye in the center |
| Kelemvor, god of death | N | Death, Grave | Skull haloed by a broken chain |
| Kyr, god of crafts and arts | NG | Knowledge, Forge | Anvil wreathed in flame |
| Lomos, god of storms and tempests | CN | Tempest | Four bolts radiating from a grey cloud |
| Mavros, god of magic | CN | Arcana, Knowledge | Open tome with blank pages |
| Nalrene, goddess of nature, plants, and animals | CN | Nature | Sickle bisecting a sheaf of wheat |
| Suren, god of birth and fertility | NG | Life, Nature | Five-petaled flower with five green leaves |
The Divestors
| Deity | Alignment | Domains | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorandus, god of bonds | LE | Order | Crossed chains of fivelinks each |
| Dovmos, god of destruction | CE | War | Flaming double-bladed axe |
| Ixim, god of magic | NE | Arcana, Knowledge, Trickery | Open eye with five-pointed star pupil |
| Ishan, god of lies and deceit | LE | Knowledge, Trickery | Mouth bound by leather cross |
| Isuna, goddess of tyranny and oppression | LE | Order, War | Fist holding wreath of thorns |
| Kretix, goddess of secrets | NE | Knowledge | Four white beams radiating from a bound tome |
| Matris, goddess of death | LE | Death, Grave | Skull haloed by a complete chain |
| Zadmera, goddess of disasters and luck | CE | Nature, Trickery | Black bolt splitting a dead tree |
Major Organizations
There are a number of groups and organizations that operate in Rampart. Some, like the City Guard are an extension of the Council. Others are officially recognized or sanctioned (like the Shattered). Others still are known, but publicly denounced or otherwise ignored.
The City Guard
The City guard is the law enforcement of Rampart as a whole. Men and women serve in the Guard as keepers of the law within the city. They patrol the streets, apprehend criminals, and resolve minor disputes between citizens. They do not act with impunity, but they are given much leeway to respond to situations as they deem necessary. The City Guard is currently led by Knight-Captain Aveline Stannard.
The Guard is divided into sections that are led by Inquisitors. Below them are Commanders and their groups of Guardsmen.
Knights of the Arm
Within the City Guard are the Knights of the Arm. They are considered to be the best of the Guard who have proven themselves deserving of highest status and renown.
As there are only 20 Knights at one time, a Guard can become a Knight only when another Knight perishes, and they must have proven themselves to be exemplary of character. Knights are given the power to take life, and thus must possess exceptional powers of discernment and certainty.
The Knights of the Arm are led by the Knight-Captain (who also leads the City Guard). Members are Knights, and those seeking out knighthood are Pages.
The Nalrene Conclave
The Nalrene Conclave Conclave is a group of druids and nature mages that maintain the Walden. They are responsible for the growth of crops and the maintenance of animal populations within the Walden's forests.
Crucial to the functioning of Rampart, the members of the Nalrene Conclave have their own internal judicial process, independent of the Council or the Guard. The Conclave is currently led by Treemother Gidrulen.
The Shattered
The Shattered is guild of gladiatorial pit fighters who provide entertainment for the city. They have fighting pits throughout the city, run by the Pitmasters. The entire organization is led by the Panel - a council of four who occasionally participate in public fights.
The current members of the Panel are Azoth, Drezog, Droke, and Raj.
The Priesthood of Kelemvor
The Priesthood of Kelemvor is both a religious group of followers of Kelemor (the god of death), and practitioners of necromancy. They are responsible for maintaining the undead labor force and for ensuring that the use of necromancy is kept lawful.
The group is led by a Deathlord and consists of Priors: members who have learned necromancy and have taken is mantle of responsibility; and Acolytes, who have not yet taken to using necromantic magic. The current Deathlord is Thromgar Radclyf.
The Artificers
The Artificers are a guild of crafters and tinkerers who build and maintain magical items and constructs. Though the ability to create new magic items and constructs is limited, the Artificers attempt to do their best to keep magic items sustained and operational.
They are currently led by Tinker Bremar.
The Headhunters
The Headhunters are a group of bounty hunters that mostly operate in the Lower Quarter. They have a tenuous relationship with the guard as they are not officially endorsed, but they are often hired to work in the worst parts of the lower quarter where most guards would rather avoid going.
The group is currently led by Huntmaster Isrand
The Rampart Expeditionary Force
The Rampart Expeditionary Force is a group of seasonal adventurers who explore the isle twice a year when the Gates open. The Force is a selection of citizens who are either exceptionally skilled or exceptionally desperate.
During the off-season, the Expeditionary Force spends its time training and recruiting, operating out of Fort Eamon. The selection process is considered more difficult that that to become a Knight of the Arm or a Pitmaster.
During the Opening, the Expeditionary Force ventures out into Veran's Stead to seek out treasure and resources, and to scout as much of the Isle as possible.
The Expeditionary Force is currently led by Captain Zakaria
The Cutcoins
The Cutcoins are a loosely organized group of criminals that operate mostly within the Lower Quarter. Little is known of them other than their name and sign (a dagger embossed on a coin).
As far as what most people know, there seems to be no hierarchy or rank system within the group. Members consist of petty thieves, cutpurses, information brokers, and wetworkers.
Currently, they only ranked position is that of Gaffer, the "boss" of the organization. This individual's identity is publicly known, and no steps are taken to obscure their information or position. The current Gaffer is Zothmur.
The Opening
The city is closed to the rest of the isle for most of the year. Twice a year, for a period of one week, the Gates open and the Wardens allow passage into and out of the city, an event know as The Opening.
During this time, the Rampart Expeditionary Force convenes and sets out to explore the isle in hopes of finding new resources, settlements, lost knowledge, or magic artifacts. The Knights and City Guard also take position at the Gates to repel any potential threats that would take advantage of the open gates.
Those who do not return to the city after the Gates close are unable to enter the city and are either killed by the defenses or disappear into the wilds of the isle and are never seen again.
The returning members of the Rampart Expeditionary Force are welcomed back with celebration and renown, returning to their off-season lives of privilege and training for the next Opening.
It is widely accepted that there are no other settlements on the isle, nor any other signs of civilization outside of the ancient remnants of the Dynasty.
The Dangers of the Isle
Though uncommon, the city is occasionally set upon by ferocious creatures and magic-infused weather. The city defenses - the Towers - have succeeded in repelling every assault against the city for the last millennium-and-a-half.
Even with these defenses in place, the fact that there are such threats just outside of the city serves to keep most people within afraid of the outside world. Roving flocks of wyverns, manastorms, gargantuan worms, and other monstrosities are painful reminders of the dangers of the isle.
Most people have no concept of the Isle beyond the Gates. They only stories come from those passed down from the time before Rampart was isolated or from explorers from the Expeditionary Force. All of the tales are similar - the Isle is a deadly place, filled with horrors and bizarre creations.
