> [!infobox|wikipedia] > # Val Miriel > [![[Val_Miriel_small.webp|cover hsmall]]](Val_Miriel.webp) > ###### Location Information > Attribute | Details | > ---|---| > Type | City | > Region | [[Gulf of Miriel]] | > Defining Feature | The continent's greatest trade port and religious heart | > Population | Hundreds of thousands | > Government | Imperial governorship under House Miriel | > Imperial Presence | Heavy — the Red Bastion garrison | > ###### Status > Attribute | Details | > ---|---| > Status | Active | **Val Miriel** is the greatest port on the continent of [[Valtorra]] and the religious heart of the realm — a vast walled city built around the mouth of the [[Luminor River]] where it empties into the [[Gulf of Miriel]]. One of the six ancient human Kingdoms of Old, it has stood for well over a thousand years, and though it was brought under the [[Valtorran Empire]] roughly a century ago, it is still ruled in its own name by the surrendered royal line of House Miriel. Every order and cargo bound for the Imperial capital of [[Val Luminor]] passes up the Luminor through Val Miriel, and that single fact makes the city both immensely rich and tightly held: its law is kept by the garrison of the [[Red Bastion]], and its faith by the great cathedral of the [[High Sept]]. ## Geography & Layout Val Miriel sits in the north-west of the [[Gulf of Miriel]], on the south-eastern coast of [[Valtorra]], at the point where the [[Luminor River]] reaches the sea. It is the seaward gate of the Empire's central river artery — the bottleneck through which the continent's southern shipping must pass on its way upriver to the capital. The city is huge: it takes the better part of a day to walk from one side to the other, and roughly half an hour to cross between any two of its great avenues. Old grey curtain walls ring the city, pierced by three land gatehouses — one to the north-west, one to the south-west, and the eastern gate — and, where the [[Luminor River]] runs in through the northern wall, by Valena's Portal: a great portcullis that can be lowered across the water to seal the river entrance. A single broad causeway runs the width of the city from west to east, entering at the north-west gate and crossing the river at [[Valena's Bridge]] before climbing to the eastern gate. The [[Luminor River]] itself cuts north-west to south-east through the heart of the city, dividing it into a western bank and an eastern bank joined at that one great span. Four further causeways — **the Ways** — run the length of the city, north to south, perpendicular to the main road. Each begins at a monumental building on the high northern ground and runs down toward the water, and each gives its quarter of the city its character: - The [[Military Way]] descends from the [[Red Bastion]] down the western bank to the rough **Grey Docks**. - The [[Royal Way]] runs from the [[Miriel Keep|Governor's Keep]] through the city's old money on the western bank. - The [[Divine Way]] falls from the [[High Sept]] down the eastern bank to the cleaner **Green Docks**. - The [[Artisan Way]] runs from the [[Theatre of Dreams]] through the city's wealth and craft on the eastern bank. Where the Luminor meets the gulf lie the docks, and they keep a clear social gradient: the **Grey Docks** to the west are the rough, working, dangerous edge of the city, while the **Green Docks** to the east are cleaner and more reputable, with **Mawbreakers Hold** standing out among them. ## History Val Miriel was one of the six human Kingdoms of Old — alongside [[Val Noren]], [[Val Luminor]], [[Val Solis]], [[Val Aran]], and [[Val Aerie]] — the ancient realms raised as civilisation rebuilt itself in the long aftermath of the [[Chaos Wars]]. It predates the [[Valtorran Empire]] by roughly a thousand years. Of the six, the Miriel line were the sea-facing people: their city grew into the continent's great port and the key gateway up the [[Luminor River]] to [[Val Luminor]], and their wealth and power came from the ocean and the trade it carried. When the Empire rose around a century ago, it brought the old kingdoms under its control without erasing them. The Empress offered each ruling king or queen the same choice: be executed, or go on ruling — as a *governor*, subservient to the Empire. It was a deliberate strategy to keep familiar faces on the thrones and blunt the conquered peoples' resentment. Val Miriel's crown became a governorship under that arrangement. Its last heir, Vallarra Miriel, governed the city under the Empire and married [[Governor Tarlis Evandron]], who came to power through that marriage; Vallarra died delivering their daughter, [[Vallania Miriel|Vallania]], and Tarlis has governed the city — and through it the gulf — in the Miriel name ever since. ## Government & Imperial Presence Val Miriel is ruled as an Imperial governorship held by House Miriel, with [[Governor Tarlis Evandron]] on the seat and his daughter [[Vallania Miriel]] beside him. The arrangement is the Empire's velvet glove — a beloved old name ruling a proud old city, so that the people see one of their own rather than a conqueror's appointee. The iron beneath the glove is the [[Red Bastion]]. Because the city is the supply port for [[Val Luminor]] and the place from which the Empire holds the law of the whole [[Gulf of Miriel]], the Imperial garrison here is no token presence but a real and watchful military weight. The city's loyalties run deeper than its walls suggest, and beneath the ordinary business of trade and worship there is a current of resentment that the garrison exists to keep in check. ## The People Hundreds of thousands of souls live within Val Miriel's walls. At its heart it remains a human city — one of the old human kingdoms — but a port of this size draws every kind of people, and its streets, markets, and dockside are as cosmopolitan and crowded as anywhere on the continent. For nearly all of them, daily life turns on the river: the trade it carries, the work of the docks, and the great market that has grown along its banks. ## Culture & Faith Val Miriel is the religious centre of the continent. The [[High Sept]] — the vast circular cathedral of the Seven that crowns the Divine Way — draws clergy and pilgrims from across the realm, and the worship of the Seven is the city's civic faith. (See [[The Pantheon]].) If faith is the city's crown, the river is its identity. The [[Luminor River]] is more than the thing the city is built around; it is the shared artery of everyone's life, and nothing expresses that better than the market grown along its banks. ### The River Market The [[Val Miriel River Market|River Market]] is a permanent fixture spanning a long stretch of the [[Luminor River]] on both banks near [[Valena's Bridge]] — the **River Market (West)** and **River Market (East)**. Because the river touches everyone's life and nearly the whole city passes through at one time or another, the market has grown to hold something for every purse and every need, from dockside staples to luxuries off the ships. For most citizens, a visit is an ordinary part of the week. ## Districts The city reads naturally as its four Ways and the riverfront that joins them. Each Way takes its character from the great building at its head. ### Military Way The soldier's quarter, running from the [[Red Bastion]] down the western bank to the rough Grey Docks. Drill yards, barracks, mercenary trade, and — toward the water — the hardest, most dangerous end of the city. #### Green Gryphons *(mercenary guild hall)* The Val Miriel hall of the [[Green Gryphons|Green Gryphons]] mercenary guild — a clearing-house for contracts, muscle, and the city's quieter problems. A practical place that gets jobs done before they reach anyone's front door. - [[Porta Hale|Captain Porta Hale]] — burly, iron-grey, and blunt; head of the Val Miriel branch. - [[Teresa Martari|Teresa "T" Martari]] — purple-skinned tiefling who carries a greatsword everywhere and is rumoured to wrestle bears for sport. - Vira "Goldfinger" Loris — a shrewd halfling who keeps the guild's coffers full and its members equipped. - Rina "Hawkeye" Talon — a young half-elf, the hall's finest scout and archer. #### The Coal *(smithy — working-grade)* A messy, unglamorous forge that knows its trade. A keen eye will see the arms and armour here far outclass the showpieces of Silverforge — this is where people who actually fight come to buy. - [[Ingrid]] — a large, no-nonsense master smith with a heavy accent and no patience for fools. #### Fur and Fang *(exotic goods)* A dim, rustic shop of cured hides, rare furs, claws, horns, and mounted trophies, its iron-banded door carved with snarling wolves and coiled snakes. A fire crackles behind the counter beneath trophies too large to shelve. - [[Gaara]] — a grizzled former hunter who lost a leg to a dire wolf; stern, and deeply versed in the beasts of the wild. - [[Kira]] — Gara's daughter and assistant; quiet, watchful, and the more personable of the two with customers. #### The Rusty Anchor *(tavern — low-end)* A rough dockside tavern down by the Grey Docks: creaking floors, dim light, stale ale, and a clientele of sailors, mercenaries, and dubious sorts. The place to buy a cheap drink and a cheaper rumour from the city's underbelly. - Old Man Corwin *(bartender)* — a grizzled veteran of few words and long memory, fiercely protective of his tavern. - Finn the Fence *(regular)* — a smooth-talking rogue and information broker, well-connected and dangerous to underestimate. ### Royal Way The seat of rule and old money, running from the [[Miriel Keep]] through the western bank. Nobility, administration, and the city's well-heeled. #### Miriel's Rest *(royal cemetery)* [[Miriel's Rest]] is the royal graveyard of House Miriel, where the city's old rulers lie among quiet monuments and the family crypt. A solemn place near the heart of the Royal Way. #### The Alchemist's Retreat *(alchemy shop — high-end)* A well-regarded alchemy house where the nobility come for their tonics and elixirs. - Alchemist Lysander — a brilliant but eccentric alchemist with a fondness for risky experiments. ### Divine Way The quarter of faith and learning, running from the [[High Sept]] down the eastern bank to the cleaner Green Docks. Clergy, scholars, and pilgrims — and, at the river's edge near the sea, some of the city's pleasanter waterfront. #### Librarium Valoris *(great library)* A grand old library of thousands of ancient texts and scrolls, drawing scholars from across the realm to study among its stacks. - Librarian Anselm — an elderly scholar with an encyclopaedic command of the city's history. #### River's Watch *(tavern — refined)* [[River's Watch]] is a handsome stone-and-timber tavern on the Divine Way side of the [[Luminor River]], near the river mouth, its big windows looking out over the water toward the sea. Not noble-class, but a clear cut above the dockside houses — polished floors, a warm hearth, and a welcoming, sophisticated air. - Aric Laris *(owner)* — tall, well-mannered, and warm; he inherited the tavern and knows his regulars by name. - [[Lila Spring|Barmaid Lila Spring]] — spirited and quick-witted, with a sharp tongue and a warm heart; she dreams of owning her own tavern one day. - Chef Isolde *(cook)* — cheerful and generous, blending old recipes with her own twists and treating her kitchen staff like family. ### Artisan Way The quarter of craft, wealth, and culture, running from the [[Theatre of Dreams]] down the eastern bank. The finest shops, the high-end trade, and the city's cultural life. #### Silverforge *(armoury — ornamental)* A fancy armoury beloved of the city's nobles, turning out beautiful, ornate weapons and armour better suited to a gallery than a battlefield. - Arsumas Ellighten — a half-elf of long silver hair and perfect makeup who finds used gear distasteful; his three assistants do most of the real work. #### The Gilded Crow *(tavern — high-end)* A luxurious tavern in the heart of the Artisan Way: golden accents, velvet seating, tapestries, a grand chandelier, live classical music, and the finest food and wine in the city. - Lady Marielle *(proprietor)* — a former noblewoman, graceful and sharp; she trades discreetly in the gossip of the city's elite. - Head Chef Tomas — a culinary genius from a distant land, friendly and fond of sharing his travels. #### The Bridge of Stars *(curio shop)* A mysterious shop of magical artifacts and curiosities — a place of wonder and intrigue where the right item has a way of finding the right customer. - [[Felix]] *(proprietor)* — a charming, enigmatic shopkeeper with a knack for procuring exactly what's needed. ### Riverfront & Docks The shared centre of the city — the [[Luminor River]], [[Valena's Bridge]], and the [[Val Miriel River Market|River Market]] — and the seaward docks where the river meets the gulf. - **[[Serenity Plaza]]** — a great public square off the markets, large enough to hold a crowd; a place for trade, gatherings, and, when the city's mood turns, for rallies. - **Grey Docks** — the rough, working, dangerous waterfront on the western side. - **Green Docks** — the cleaner, more reputable docks on the eastern side, where Mawbreakers Hold stands. ## Landmarks The four great buildings at the heads of the Ways, and the network beneath the streets, are landmarks in their own right — each with its own history and character. ### Red Bastion The [[Red Bastion]] is the red-walled fortress at the head of the Military Way, seat of the Imperial garrison that holds the law of the gulf. ### Governor's Keep The [[Miriel Keep|Governor's Keep]] is the sprawling fortress at the head of the Royal Way, overlooking the [[Gulf of Miriel]] — ancient Miriel walls blended with newer Imperial fortifications, and seat of [[Governor Tarlis Evandron]]. Once known as Miriel Castle. ### High Sept The [[High Sept]] is the vast circular cathedral of the Seven crowning the Divine Way, and the religious centre of the continent; overseen by [[High Priest Oldir]]. ### Theater of Dreams The [[Theatre of Dreams]] is the grand, ornate theatre at the head of the Artisan Way, the cultural centrepiece of the city. ### Underrun The [[Underrun]] is the city's vast underground network of tunnels and reservoirs, fed by the [[Luminor River]], that carries Val Miriel's waste out beyond the walls. ## Factions ### Green Gryphons The [[Green Gryphons|Green Gryphons]] mercenary guild keeps a busy hall on the Military Way, and is the usual first stop for honest, dangerous work. ### Order of Ravens The [[Order of Ravens - Val Miriel|Order of Ravens]] maintains a nest in the city, led by Nest Father [[Thaddeus Karr]], with operatives including [[Trak Aeris]] and [[Gideon Blackthorn]]. Its full structure is detailed on the Order's own page. ## [[The Bloody Nails|Campaign: The Bloody Nails]] #### [[Session 20 - The Streets of Val Miriel]] The party made the city their base, lodging at [[River's Watch]] and learning the lay of the streets from the barmaid [[Lila Spring]]. They outfitted themselves across the city — sparring with the pretensions of Silverforge before finding honest steel at The Coal under [[Ingrid]] — and took on contracts from the [[Green Gryphons|Green Gryphons]] through [[Porta Hale]]. That night, a private audience with [[High Priest Oldir]] at the [[High Sept]] shook [[Kai]] to the core. #### [[Session 21 - The Governor's Daughter]] A midnight summons drew the party to [[Miriel's Rest]], where [[Vallania Miriel]] led them through her family crypt to a secret audience with her father, [[Governor Tarlis Evandron]]. What passed between them set the party on a road far wider than the city's walls. #### [[Session 22 - Inferno at Serenity Plaza]] While preparing to leave — calling at The Bridge of Stars and Fur and Fang, and pressing [[Lord Norak Vara]] about a silent goldmine — the party was caught up in an anti-Empire rally at [[Serenity Plaza]]. An explosion tore through the square and birthed two fire elementals, which the party put down amid the burning market stalls. #### [[Session 26 - A Midnight Romp]] With the city locked down under curfew after the unrest, [[Kai]] and [[Dondar]] made a reckless night-crossing to the [[High Sept]] — a wild chase down the Military Way and a headlong leap from [[Valena's Bridge]] into the [[Luminor River]] to shake their pursuers. Inside the Sept, [[High Priest Oldir]] revealed the prophecy of Selûne's Chosen and the three moonstones. #### [[Session 28 - The Underrun]] The party left Val Miriel for good through the [[Underrun]], guided by [[Trak Aeris]] of the [[Order of Ravens - Val Miriel|Order of Ravens]]. After a gruelling passage through flooded tunnels, heat-hungry brown mould, and corrosive black puddings, they surfaced in the wintry grasslands north of the city. ## Trivia - The river-gate and the river-crossing — Valena's Portal and [[Valena's Bridge]] — are named for Valena, a founding-era ancestor of House Miriel, forebear of [[Vallania Miriel]] and her late mother Vallarra. - The Empire is sometimes called the Crimson Empire, and the red walls of the [[Red Bastion]] fly its colours over the old grey stone of the Kingdoms of Old — a visual reminder of who now holds the city.