Roothold

Overview: Roothold
This is a small historically disputed city, halfway between Emerald Keep and Bru'Donu. Before it was a city, Roothold existed a quarry among the giant trees of this part of the forest.



Geography and climate
The giant trees which surround the city of Roothold protect the city from direct contact with the frequent, nearly weekly, rain and snow. This area, though, is impacted by the large amount of precipitation. The rain and snow melt wash the waste of the city to a central pool, which is remnant of stone quarry which was once here. Despite the cold, this pool nearly never freezes because of the toxic blend of substances it is made up of.

History
The city of Roothold has only existed for about 50 years, but it has years of history preceding that.

In 4536, a group of Dwarf and Mul miners from Emerald Keep were exploring the east most part of the kingdom for opportunity mines. That is, natural shafts and rock outcroppings with veins of minerals in them. Jin Vorunt, their leader began began searching the grove of ancient, enormous trees, which marked the boundary between the Duchy of Coterii and the Province of Tilbury. It was here he discovered a giant piece of pure white stone clutched in the roots of the forest. This, the Roothold outcropping became the first stone to be mined in what would become a respectable quarry.

For the next 100 years the Roothold Outcropping become the Roothold Quarry, producing white stone blocks for the Province of Tilbury, Duchy of Coterii and Barony of Liefen. Around this work site grew a mining town, known for hard liquor and abundant gambling. The miners worked and played hard. By 4603 the Astigani make this mining town a regular part of their route.

One of the more unique features of the town at this time, was the Trunk Tavern, an establishment which still exists today. This establishment exists in the hollowed out portion of a giant tree. It was established by Jin Vorunt as a business for him to own at his retirement. The main floor houses the bar counter and a few table. The stairs down take you to a much larger gaming area. From its establishment, in 4576, this has been the main gathering place for the community.

In 4651, the Duchy of Coterii made a proclamation that Roothold and the Astigani lands were part of their kingdom. They claimed this was a right because the Astigani, being of human decent, and Roothold, have been founded by a mining party from Emerald Keep, both derived from Duchy of Coterii Lands. Roothold and the Astigani bound together to violently resist this proclamation. By the end of the war, in 4652, Roothold was recognized as a city independent of both the Duchy of Coterii and the Province of Tilbury, the two regions it bordered.

This newly formed independent city became a safe haven to all kinds of unwanted who had fled or had been exiled from nearby regions. Additionally, the rules of this city were so light, it became a destination for all kind of illegal and immoral activities. The principle powers of the city became the Dolan and Zuul gangs. It featured such places as the Lenora Slave Market, Lucky's Dragon Den, Heat and Hammer, an Arena. Eventually Freer Frizzenbee settled there, outside of the restriction he might have face in other principalities, and opened the store Curiosities.

In 4714, after Domgee's Coronation and after Curiosities was leveled in a mysterious explosion, Roothold joined the Duchy of Coterii. This has caused a shift int he workings of the city, as they try to adapt to the rule of a lawful leader. The slave market was closed, although former slaves often work for their masters in much the same way. The gangs have tried to put on the appearance of legitimate guilds. The Arena and Tu'Lang's Ladies still operates in pretty much the same way it did before. The appearance may look better, but Roothold still has a dark underbelly.

Government
The mayer of Roothold is Tresha Dolan. She is also the current leader of the Dolan gang, so much of the city business is handled by this gang. This has resulted in some surprise fines on unsuspecting citizens and rough handling of relatively small civil infractions. Additionally, because the leadership of the local military is controlled by the Andron Zuul of the Zuul gang, the checks and balances to restrict the mayor's power are out of place. When the Zuul and Dolan are at war it can feel like there is not legitimate authority in town, the military setting law the mayor's office says to ignore and visa versa. On the other hand, when they are working collectively, they are working together to milk the citizens and any visitors who wonder in, without drawing too much unwanted attention from Julian Domgee.

Police and military
The policing of Roothold is handled by the Duchy of Coterii military. The city commander is Andron Zuul, the former leader of the Zuul gang. He was elected by the people, in spite of protests by some of the more law abiding citizens. The morale of the troops in the city is low, as they are either the enemy of every crooked citizen, or distrusted by the law abiding citizens because of their leader.

Economy and trade
The stone quarry on which Roothold was built is long closed. Roothold is a city that survives on tourists and trade. The Arena draws competitors and spectators and gamblers from all the nearby cities. Tu'Lang's Ladies offers famously sinful delights which, if the story's are correct, could ruin a man for the rest of his life. Lucky's and the other gambling halls offer a seeming unlimited and always changing variety of games of chance.

Society and culture
Roothold society is not derived from any one race or culture.

Religion
There are only two recognized centers of worship in this mostly anti-religious city. There is a permanent tent church in the tent city quadrant if the city. It is devoted to Hoofshaw, the god of travel and freedom, the virtues those in the tent city easily ascribe to. As with most of the churches of Hoofsaw, the leader changes every month or less, when the head cleric is called to travel. The second recognized center of worship is a shrine to Charese, the goddess of good fortune. This shrine is at the south end of the Bazaar, where the store Curiousities once was. At the shrine worshipers leave game pieces from games of chance, if they loose and a small portion of their winnings if they win. A single priest, the Three Quarterling Stick Dorly, remains at the shrine, offering blessings to those who come and playing games of chance with anyone interested.

Education and magic
The education which is cared about here is street knowledge. It is easy in Roothold to get into a bad situation quickly. Scams are being run constantly and if they can make a bookish person look stupid, so they slink out rather than challenge, they will. The public nature if this has been somewhat reduced since the joining of Duchy of Coterii and assignment of a military unit.

Until the explosive destruction of Curriosities, Roothold had one of the magical highlights of the area. Freer Frizzenbee, the owner of this shop, was a collector of all things magical, including some of the most powerful artifacts in the land. Additionally, he was one of the most talented ritualists. He did have a few employees, but only rarely was he known to educate anyone on his magical knowledge. With the destruction of his shop and his disappearance, Roothold has not had much in the way of magical presence. There are rumors of items in town disappearing for days only to reappear and murmurs of some individuals in town having some of The artifacts for the shop.