Page 83 - Critical Role: Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting

tal’dorei campaign guide

knowledge is respected and encouraged, and some training geography and climate
in refined martial techniques are culturally expected. The
The perpetual shade of the thick, green canopy of the
idea of trade between other cities and nations is under-
forest maintains cooler weather throughout the summer
stood to be both healthy and beneficial, but most foreign
months, while the ice and snow of the winter is present
trade and travel is relegated to outer areas of the city. Few
but minimal this far south.
foreigners ever see the inner city. Delicate crafts by Syngor-
nian hands are sought after by collectors around the world,
the memory ward
so many take up the trade for both profit and honor.
The Memory Ward is the mind of Syngorn, and is contained
Being a populace of people who live extraordinarily
within a ring of marble walls in Syngorn’s northeast reaches.
long lives, having children is a rare, and largely regulated
A winding stair, the One Thousand Steps, leads up to its
process. Prospective parents must gain approval from
lofty gate. Standing in the center of its grand court is the
the office of the Voice of Memory to procreate, and any
mystical Sequoia of Remembrance, a three hundred-foot-tall
unapproved children are sent out of the city to be raised in
redwood within which are stored the lives and memories
outposts or foreign cities.
of every elf in Tal’Dorei. Wisps of violet light flit about the
preJudice sequoia’s ancient boughs, and those who look closely into
their centers have been known to catch glimpses of eras
While wary of outsiders from the beginning, it wasn’t
past, troubles present, and things that yet may be. The great
until the historic betrayal of Drassig that the elves of redwood and its spirits are watched and tended to by the
Syngorn adopted a severe prejudice against humans and
Dreamweavers, elves who have dedicated their waking and
their outsider allies. This rift was mostly mended through sleeping lives to the protection of their heritage. About five
the alliance with Zan Tal’Dorei following the Scattered
hundred Dreamweavers and five thousand scholars, mer-
War and the centuries of good faith that followed, but chants, and other elves call this district their home.
humans are still respectfully kept at arm’s length. The The elves are a culture obsessed with tradition and the
prideful dwarves of Kraghammer, however, have never
past. As such, the Dreamweavers are among the most
made amends for their support of Drassig in those days. well-respected factions within Syngorn. Their leader Oues-
No trade passes between Syngorn and Kraghammer, and
tra, the Voice of Memory, is likewise the most revered and
dwarves who swear fealty to the Ironspeaker are barred socially powerful of the Wardens. Ouestra rarely descends
entrance from the city.
from her tower of moonlight in the south of the Memory
It’s extremely rare for a non-elf to be granted citi- Ward, but when she does, all of Syngorn pays heed.
zenship within Syngorn, and usually only by decree of
the High Warden herself. Many that reside here do so beryl keep
under the banner of “temporary lodging,” and are firmly
Beryl Keep is the fortress-district that houses the might
prompted to leave should they overstay their welcome.
of Syngorn. Situated on a hill in the northwest of the
Half-elf children are considered flawed and an embar-
city, thick walls of leaf-green beryl separate the district
rassment to not only the family that bore them, but to
from the rest of Syngorn. Within these walls are rows of
the cultural purity of Syngorn. They are tolerated within
barracks, archery ranges, trance chambers, forges, mess
the city, but rarely with respect or companionship.
halls, and all the other necessities of training an army of
crime long-living, magical elves. At the far northwest of the dis-
trict is the Beryl Keep itself. The near-unassailable fortress
If Syngorn appears free of crime, it is because elven criminals proves the saying that even the most utilitarian of elven
have hundreds of years of experience lurking in the shadows. things are beautiful to mortal eyes. Six ancient eucalyptus
A thriving market for illegal goods runs invisibly through trees mark the boundaries of the keep, but between them
the Linens Guild. Running a private trade line to and from grows a thick curtain of ironbark, and a dense canopy of
Kymal, small shipments of suude, stolen goods, and dwarven impenetrable steelfern forms its roof. Legend says that
trinkets are brought in for interested parties and collectors. when Syngorn’s need is greatest, the six ancient eucalyptus
The few pockets of poverty that are largely swept into the trees that guard the keep will uproot and march as mighty
shadows of the walls serve as a haven for pickpockets and treants to defend the bastion of the elves.
swindlers that avoid the gaze of the Verdant Guard. Beryl Keep is commanded by Verdant Lord Celindar.
Syngorn’s master strategist uses a seeing crystal within his
war room to view all of the Verdant Expanse. From this
vantage point, he commands his forces like a chessmaster,
always one step ahead of the savage threats within the
enchanted forest. So far, Syngorn remains safe because its
enemies are wild and disorganized. Were they to unify, the
might of the Verdant Guard would truly be put to the test.
“Syngorn is a city of wonders and beauty of the like
The armies of Syngorn are about five thousand elves
rarely seen anywhere on Exandria. Towers and
bowers, cloisters and arches so graceful and fine strong, though only about three thousand are within dis-
they make your heart ache—and yet, for all of these trict at any time. The rest are stationed at outposts within
works, the most precious treasure in our city is the the Verdant Expanse and the Feywild.
innocent laughter of children.”
—Ouestra, the Voice of Memory