The Guildhall Podcast - Fantasy Campaign Setting

Cassius

While Rodania is the larger of the two cities, Cassius is much more alive. Cassius is arguably the largest trade hub in the world and because of this it has been able to maintain its independence from all parties. Walking along the docks you will find ships from Rodania, Deepscale, Kingdom of Airenfall, Empire of a Thousand Isles as well as the occasional traveler from beyond the oceans. The city is run informally by a committee who places everything to a vote between the different parties, the Cassian Adventurer's Guild, the Dock Masters, College of the Nine Arts, the military, and the people. Most of the time the individual powers in the city run things.

Cassius is surrounded in the north by a thick forest and to the east by Baken Ridge Mountain. Baken Ridge Mountain is what kept Segmus Hartrider out of Cassius. In many ways, Cassius would not be the city it is if it wasn’t for Segmus Hartrider. When the Elven armies descended upon the settlements in Anglon, the survivors were forced to move either East over the Baken Ridge Mountains or much further West to Helmsland.

The Committee of Nine

Cassius is run by committee with no single leader of the city. The heads of various organizations all have an equal say about what happens in the city.

• The Dockmasters: The dockmasters concern is the shipping between all the other cities, as well as the political position Cassius is in. The war with Rodania has been hard on the Dockmasters, as their ships are the lead target for Rodania’s navy. Their leader is Tanane Saltbride, the Grand Dockmaster.
• The Artisan Guilds: While Obsidian Steel is the strongest member of the Artisan Guilds, there are a number of other guilds in the city who fall into this jurisdiction. Their current representative is Hilda Grayiron, the leader of Obsidian Steel.
  
• The Traders: Behind every deal, every trade ship are the Neutral United Association of Traders. Joane the Elf is the current leader. I'm not sure why her nickname is the Elf, she is an Elf, but it seems to lack a degree of creativity.
• The Clergy: While the clergy in Cassius has a formal seat on the committee, they have no official leader. Instead the heads of the churches usually will send a representative to oversee the discussions and raise any common objections. Since Nobian has come to power in Cassius the clergy has objected strongly to his influence. Father Rhest is the head of the Lady of Light's temple and goes to more meetings than other temples.
• Nobian: Nobian has positioned himself as a person of great importance to Cassius. He has ensured the safety of most of Cassius’ ships to the Rodanian navy, as well aiding in the restoration of the High Elf City. There are a few in town who will warn that his influence in the city could become disastrous if he uses us as leverage against other Elemental Lords, but only time will tell if those fears are warranted. An acolyte of Nobian is always present in the committee. Uldair Rainfallen is the current acolyte appointed by Nobian to serve on the council.
• The College of the Nine Arts: The academy serves many roles in Cassius. It is one of the larger Arcane schools and offers a well rounded education. It also used to solve issues facing the city that could be aided by an arcane touch.
• The Guildhall: Most of the time the seat for the Guildhall remains empty. When it does not Edwin Renderal is the one who usually speaks for the Guildhall. They represent the interest of the various adventuring parties that come and go through Cassius regularly.
• The Guardsman: Head of protection and law-enforcement is done by Elite Guard.
• The People: Lastly, the people of the city are given a single chair on the council. Elections are held every other year for their seat. This “mayor” raises any objection and advocates for “the little people” of the city. The current mayor is Caesar Oldwin.

Trading District

As the name implies, the Trading District is the area where the most trades happen in the city. It is also the home to most of the Inns and Taverns that visitors will be staying at. Most travelers will head here to restock on supplies or attempt to find exotic wares. The area is heavily patrolled to prevent thieves as well as ensure the transactions are above board. While most wares are available, slavery is expressly forbidden in Cassius.

• The Angry Dwarf Tavern: In the southwest near the Adventurer's District lies the Angry Dwarf Tavern. Inside you will find Onis Ogrebane an old dwarf who has been running the establishment for around 30 years.
• Red Oak Tavern: One of only a handful Elven establishments. While calling itself a tavern, it is mainly a winery. The best wine on this continent can be found here. Celia and Malin Evergreen run the establishment.
• Holin's Leatherwork: Inside this shop you will find some of the most intricate and finely crafted leather armor and gear in the region. The owner Alfin Silverleaf (don’t call him Alf) a Half-Elf who bought the shop at least 20 years ago has never bothered to change the name. He is a master at his craft and trades for exotic leather to continue making his armors and clothes.
• The Iron Sword: While not a blacksmith, the Iron Sword sells a wide assortment of armaments, from weapons to armor. All of their equipment is bought from local blacksmiths as well as from the traders who come into the city. If you're looking for an exotic weapon, speak with Caldwin.
• Weston Firearms: Featuring a mix between alchemy and blacksmithing are the firearms traders. Their weapons while expensive, do provide a bit more power than your average bow. Horace Weston is the owner and creator of most of the weapons.
• The Lumpy Gnome: Ah, the Lumpy Gnome. The largest chain of Inns that I know of. They say there is a Lumpy Gnome in every city, on every corner of the world. They all appear to be all the same, 4 floors, 8 rooms per floor (top floor has 2 large rooms). Breakfast is served every morning to anyone staying there. Some fear that the Lumpy Gnome is an evil organism bent on world domination, but those fears are completely unfounded.
• The Open Market: If you can’t find what you are looking for in one of the shops, there is always The Open Market. This market is assembled almost every day as traveling merchants arrive on ship and create the marketplace in the region closest to the docks. I recommend speaking with Sibylla whenever she is around, since she always have some of the most exotic items in all of the world.

Sidebar: The Artisan Guilds

Most of the major institutions in Cassius have formed guilds. The guilds mostly work together to maintain prices on products and increase profits for all of their members. Below are a few examples of a guild who oversees some form of trade in the city.

• Obsidian Steel: Obsidian Steel is the leading Blacksmith Guild in the city. Most blacksmiths are apprenticed to members of the Guild and join the Guild when they reach adulthood. Their crest is a black shield and that can be found in the guild members establishment, as well as on the item. They were also the first guild to form and hold the strongest monopoly on their artisan’s abilities.
• Dockworkers Guild: The Dockworkers are the lifeblood of shipping in Cassius. Traders can make their fortune by simply making good friends to the Dockworkers. This ensures there products get to market faster, with less damage and loss. There have been rumors of unscrupulous sorts paying to have the Dockworkers lost competitors goods, but I’m sure those are overestimates.
• The Marble Guild: The Mason's of the city have formed a collective after the raising of the Eladrin City brought out far more work than any had before. The association has been kept up through the years as the repairs to the city were widespread and Nobian has spared no expense to design the city to his needs. Rumors that the Mason's Guild are a military collective bent on world subjugation are completely unfounded.

Sellswords District

Cassius’s standing army is little more than a militia that has grown out of the cities police. It was never meant to fight a large scale war, but when Rodania declared war on Cassius, all of that needed to change. Cassius called upon its allies to provide some military support, but the bulk of its armies came from mercenaries. Cassius has always been home to adventurers, skilled individuals who throw themselves at danger for fun and profit, but in order to win a war with Rodania, Cassius wouldn’t just need a few, they would need an army. Building upon The Guildhall in Cassius, the council re-purposed many buildings in the areas to house, feed and entertain the many mercenaries that have come to Cassius’s aid. As such, Cassius is now seen as the home for many mercenary companies, as well as the prime location for adventurers looking for things to do and while Cassius continues to have the money to spend on their services, the Adventurers will continue to aid the city.

• Black Fang Company: While their main forces are in Deepscale, the Black Fang Company maintain a residence in Cassius. While some are former military forces of the Draconian Council, most of them hold anonymity to the council due to the action of Dashere. See Dashere in the Fall of the Gods section.
• The Cassian Opera House: While now located in the sellsword district, the Cassian Opera house is one of the oldest buildings in Anglon. It is the starting point for the Last Tour, a traditional tour that all the Bards and Entertainers perform in their life, at least those who follow tradition. The inside is enormous, owing back to an older time when this district held hundreds of theaters all to the performing arts, while now only a handful still survive.

The Guildhall

It takes a special kind of person who ignores a simple life, who throws themselves into danger in order to get a bit of coin. If you are that kind of person, then you should stop at the Guildhall.

• Prince Edwin Renderal: Edwin Renderal traveled to Cassius in order to have an adventure. He read books on knights and gallantry all of his life and wanted to experience that...so he hired a group of adventurers to give it to him. Unfortunately for him however, someone wanted him dead. Members of the Guildhall saved Edwin’s life that day and also started a war with Rodania. Since then Edwin has been given asylum in Cassius and he has remained here ever since.
• Wilgrim Pilgram: The Guildhall's resident expert on Necromancy and the Wizarding arts.

See Also: The Guildhall - Episode 2 - Prince Rendarel

The Docks

Few cities in the world have a docks as busy as Cassius. All trade in the northern world goes through Cassius. Even ships sailing from as close as Rodania will make a stop in Cassius before heading to their destination. Walking the docks you will see ships sailing from across the known world (and sometimes even beyond our world). During the war with Rodania, a blockade was formed isolating the city. Cassian leadership made a deal with a Elemental Lord Nobian to protect the waters around Cassius. After this Rodania was forced to end all naval efforts against the city, otherwise they risked their ships being torn apart by the tides.

Since then Nobian has been both a boon and a curse for sailors. Ships traveling around Cassius always have fair wind and never have trouble with storms on the sea, but Nobian has imposed a tax on any trade from the seas. In order to keep most of the other cities happy, Cassius has taken the tax internally and not raised tarifs on their trade partners.

• Tanane Saltbride, Dockmaster: Few people in Cassius are as important as the dockmaster, but it is not an easy job. It is the kind of job that grinds you to death quickly. Most of the figures who held such a pretentious title as Grand Dockmaster have ended their careers in a few short years, the lucky retired with a good amount of savings, the unlucky to the bottle or to the sea. Tanane Saltbride is one of the few who have been able to hold the title for over a decade. She has been an able diplomat, keeping many vying interests, while maybe not happy, but content enough to keep doing business with her. If you need something shipped, she is one to talk to.

College of the Nine Arts

College of the Nine Arts is one of the finest schools that you will find. I might be a bit biased since I started the Nethermancy department there. It is a generalist school, one where you can find instructions on any of the Orders of Magic. The truly focused students will usually find themselves traveling to one of the corners of the world in order to refine their art, but if you want a strong foundation for your education there is no better place to start than this college.

Head Professors:

• Alchemy: Nabe Longbow is the current head of the Alchemy department. She is also the reason why Cassius has firearms merchants. Nabe is far traveled and brought back many secrets from the Kingdom of Enlightenment.
• Nethermancy: Is headed by Wilgrim Pilgram. He is the founder of the department (for some reason it was still called the College of the Nine Arts, it hadn't had a Nethermancy or even the forbidden Necromancy school in it).