| Kostry Kopec | |
|---|---|
| (City) | |
| Region | The Inner Sea, Heth |
| Size | Small City (base GP 4000) |
| Population | 9,200 |
| Demographics | 82% human, 5% halfling, 4% half-orc, 4% gnome, 3%
dwarf, 2% other |
| Government | Standard (mayor, city watch "Crows") |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| Leader | Verrick Yrehgg, mayor |
Situated in Heth, on the southernmost point of the stagnant lower bay of The Inner Sea, Kostry Kopec rises up a long slope out of its otherwise murky surroundings. Land travel to the Kopec is arduous due to the miles of swampland on all sides, and so the primary means of both travel and trade is via the Inner Sea.
The city itself is merely the latest in a long line of attempts at governance, each city built atop the ruins of the one before it, corresponding roughly to the many eras of Hethian ruler-ship, though recent events suggest the city may go back further than many even realize.
Social structure in Kostry Kopec is roughly geographical. Those with money and influence settle at the top of the large hill, literally above their inferiors and subordinates (and, more importantly, above the putrid smells which tend to waft out of the swamps and factories). The middle class makes its way among the tangle of streets on the slope of the hill, while the downtrodden are condemned to life in the mire and filth at the hill's foot, their lives filled with dirt, muck, and industrial castoffs. No one, regardless of height, can escape the nigh-constant rain which characterizes the city's weather pattern.
Given its geographical location, the Kopec has little in the way of natural resources. Hethians have been known to joke that Kostry Kopec is only good for excrement and carrion roaches. The latter are a deep maroon cockroach which thrives in the nasty conditions within which the lower classes of Kostry Kopec struggle to survive.
As it turns out, however, carrion roaches ARE an exportable commodity, though as neither livestock nor edible. The engineers of the Kopec discovered that the pulverized bodies of carrion roaches, when mixed in the right proportions with various other ingredients wastes prevalent in the area, can produce a fire-resistant building material: middenstone. Not quite as resilient as proper stone, the midden- variety does come in at a substantially lower price, which has made it popular in the local and semi-local construction market.
After a fire scare in the midst of Venza, middenstone has even started making a play in local construction in the far northern City of Glass. House Gabbiano recently succeeded in securing exclusive trade rights with Kostry Kopec for middenstone importing, much to the consternation of House Boraga, whose hold over the local construction guilds may now be at risk with a new, fire-resistant building material on the market.
Recently, Kostry Kopec was the victim of a secret plot to awaken spawns of long-forgotten gods of the Dark Tapestry. While several citizens and pieces of real estate were destroyed during the horror, a group of adventurers, aided by local Crow(1) Rylidak Kel, managed to destroy the conspirators and the otherworldly spawn.
(1)"Crow" is the designation for local law enforcement in Kostry Kopec
Notable Residents:
Verrick Yrehgg, mayor
Rylidak Kel, Crow commander, half-orc law enforcement (paladin)
Danae Golthia, Notary and local witch
Cecili Syrianna, Crow commander, killed in the recent troubles
Locations:
- The Mayor's Manse rests at the top of the hill, and though rich by local standards, it is still relatively plain.
- Mirtev Spat is a local Inn.