The Citystates: Hanali

The Citystates, an overview

Lying on the banks of the Rhane River is the remains of the largest city that has ever been seen of the world of Eave.  A massive city the size of current day LA or Tokyo, that covers hundreds of square miles and estimates put it holding over four million people though that number is still contested.  Now a days the whole thing is collectively and commonly known and The Citystates.  Most of the city are overrun with ruins and monsters and is the largest cemetery in known Eave.  The Citystates have been here continually building for millennia.  During the Bael Turath Empire, the tieflings expanded their power and the city expanded to its current size.  Great buildings were erected and massive parks where planned.  The Plains of Marro were one such park, the greatest in all the lands of Eave.  It was after the great war between Turath and Arkhosia that the great city fell to conflict, civil war and saw its eventual downfall.

There are miles upon miles of monster-infested ruins, but that does not mean that people have left, though it makes life a little hard.  Some settlements in the ruins are completely walled off, like Hanali and Caelix.  Life inside the walls are goes on and are good.  Life outside the walls can be quite short, filled with monsters and bandits and worse.  Under the city, a vast cave system that lies miles upon miles runs under The Citystates and goes very deep.  The city was built upon continuously and some archaeological teams have discovered that there are fifteen different cities that lie beneath the streets in certain areas.  Powerful thieves guilds that have claimed great stretches of tunnels and chambers in a maze of trap filled death.

It has been many more millennia since the war and only a dozen cities remain, walled off from the rest of the ruins.  A dozen citystates now claim rulership over the districts that once made up the city.  Slowly, the city is being set to right.

Hanali

Hanali is a large city run by Daecis Half-Elven.  Daecis, also known as the Glass Wizard, is a powerful spellcaster, a cleric of Corellon and warrior of great skill.  He has ruled over Hanali ever since Nerath fell, over a hundred years ago.  He does not look that old even with white hair and goatee that he keeps neatly trimmed.  He has a small Magic Conservatory and over the years has trained many great and powerful spellcasters (examples).  He is a skilled tactician and has ruled over his city and strengthened it to not to be trifled with.  Deacis does has not taken another wife since the death of his first well over a hundred years ago, but that has not stopped him from taking mistresses from time to time.  He has a number of progeny though, though none from his mistresses, all from his wife.  Currently, at home, he is watching some six great-grandchildren  The oldest is Daelia Stormfrost, a 16-year old magical prodigy with the families noted white hair.  Daelia has somewhat of a rebellious streak in her, but is generally a good kid.

Hanali is walled off and continually manned.  The General of the Guard is a half-orc warrior name Gualar Glaivestrike, a huge man, almost seven feet tall who uses a glaive in combat with great skill.  Because he is so large and he has a ill-mannered bearing, many think of Gualar to be a brute, but that is far from the truth as he is glib and very convincing with his incredibly deep voice.  The city is a cosmopolitan city.  All races are welcome within their walls, and as long as they obey the laws of the city.  Besides Gualar, the laws of the city are overseen by the red-robed and staff armed Justicars.  They are a small order of guardsmen of many races, that bring law and order to the people of Hanali.  These minor judges are set up in every quarter of the city and people bring to them their disputes from grievances of merchants to thieves caught by the guard.  Higher offences are taken care of by one of the three High Justicars who handle the big cases such treason and murder.  Mylon Highscale (dragonborn male), Hydee Wiseacre (halfling female) and Jordaan Spree (human male) are the current High Justicars.  The army of Hanali isnt a true army.  Part of the city guard, the army is several Stands (100 men) of beings trained in city fighting and guerilla tactics.  With one Stand divided into Fists (5 men teams, so 20) of specialists that include mages, priests and specialized warriors.  The army usually guards merchant caravans and takes out large gangs of monsters that have taken up residence near Hanali.  Many great heroes of Hanali have come from the many Fists that make up the Specialist Cadre.

People often grow their own food in small gardens that they have, a practice that has gone on to many of the other cities.  Food is one of the many items that the people will have stored and many people in a particular quarters in the city store any extra food in communal storehouses that the Justicars have in their offices.  Merchants can make money growing and bring in food.  The Rhane River splits into three tributaries within the area that Hanali controls.  The northern tributary is known at the Eiker River, and flows out to the Adarac Ocean and the rest of the Shattered Coast.  It is the only tributary that doesn't flow through Restenford, a colony city of the Emaan Empire.  The Empire has a very strong navy and due to a variety of contracts, the Empire doesn't blockade The Eiker.  They have a seriously guarded highway that goes south to The Plains of Marro, where it skirts the dangerous plains and continues south and out of The Citystates.  Hanali controls four Roadside Stations that act as mini strongholds to protect the many travelers that pass through The Citystates.  The largest one crosses the river to the south that splits off the Rhane at the Cathedral of Erathis, The Pretkel River.  Called Griffonstone, it host a large stable of hippogriffs (and a smaller number of actual griffons) that are used to scout the highway through the other three castles as well as all the way back to Hanali.  A full Stand and two Fists of specialists guard Griffonstone at all times.  Ten Fists of the army guard each of the other Roadside Stations. 

Other cities to come

• Jurkenfell is a martial city that lies in the western part of the Citystates.  It is ruled by Hydankol the , a powerful hobgoglin warlord.
• Restenford is a colony city that is claimed by the Emaan Empire.  Restenford was the sight of Nerath's expansion into the area.
• Caelix is a city run by teiflings seeking the greater glories of Bael Turath.  It is run by a cruel and evil Emperor Caelix IV for whom the city is named for. 
• The Grand Cathedral of Erathis lies in the center of The Citystates.  They are very powerful and seek to return The Citystates to their full status.
• Osgath controls the Rhane River in and out if The Citystates to the east.
• Burkan is a poor citystate being ruled by The Islands as a buffer state to combat the growing shadow of Jurkenfell.
• The Islands is a large section of the North River tributary of the Rhane.  A vastly rich citystate.
• The Tower of Zarphan.  A small city ruled by wizard of considerable skill who conjured demons to do his bidding.  Controls the entrance to the North River.
• Nhepru is a city that is controlled by an aberration of great power, the real evil of The Citystates.
• Corduha is a partially sunken city that is ruled by a cabal of sahaugin.
• The Curse, originally known as Highmount is a leper colony.

Notes

• Make the Urban Ranger for the specialist cadre.