Helmguard
Helmguard City Map (Click to Image to Enlarge)
Based on the World's Largest City published by AEG. All areas will be labeled with additional information by numbers and district on the map above. Some names/information has been changed to fit my world. Original names will be mentioned in italics in parentheses.
City Guilds
Apothecaries – Herbs and natural potions focused on healing when clerics cost too much
Bakers – Breads and pastries makers of the city. Invest in expeditions to faraway lands to investigate new varieties of grain and identify sources of supply in case of local drought and famine.
Blacksmith (location F33) – Includes armors and weapon smiths, as well as smiths who fashion more mundane items (has lots of political heft). City Guard will often lend political influence to this guild.
Brewer – Includes those who distill spirits as well as brewers. Rivalry with Vintners Guild (consider them snobs). Strong commercial ties with outlying farming areas.
Carpenters (location L32) – Includes all wood workers. Ties with outlying regions, especially those who supply them with wood.
Clothiers – Includes tailors, furriers, and everyone else who fashions clothes and apparel from cloth, wool, silk, and fur. Close ties with Weavers Guild, supporting them without hesitation. Disagree on importing of fabrics, as Clothiers seek wider variety of products and less control of prices by native weavers.
Cooks – Includes all those who prepare food (excluding bread).
Coopers (location N1) – Includes those who make barrels, casks and other such containers. Maintains close relationship with Brewers and Vintners Guilds, as well as the navy and shipowners.
Courtesans – Includes all who are paid to provide companionship. Brothels are less legal in the city, although they require a license from the Master of Games (see location C5) in order to set up in the Entertainment District)
Criers – Most work for the city government (own press office), though private clients may pay them for public announcements.
Entertainers (location C21) – Includes all entertainers (such as actors, musicians, jesters, bards, jugglers, tumblers, puppeteers, etc). Once many separate guilds, now one of the largest (as well as one of the most varied and flamboyant) guilds in the city.
Fishermen (location M33) – Elves do no permit commercial fishing in their district, so guild includes only coastal and ocean-going fishermen based in the rest of the city.
Gamesters – Includes those who run games of chance. Not the most reputable guild. They regulate as well as represent their members. Inspect their members games are (reasonably) honest as well as defend members against accusations of cheating.
Gravediggers – Once had larger standing in earlier history of city. Trying to incorporate dwarves who tend to the Mausoleum in the Dwarven District (location A10) but refuse stating their jobs are their racial identity rather than a mere profession.
Jewelers – Includes gemcutters, goldsmiths and silver smiths, as well as everyone who crafts gemstones and/or precious metals into luxury items. This is one of the city’s wealthier guilds.
Lamplighters – Only individual guild to have a district named after them. They organize and carry out the lighting of street lamps every night.
Lawyers – Includes small group of scholars who devote themselves to studying and parsing the laws of the city council and selling their expertise to the public.
Leatherworkers –Includes tanners and all who make goods and garments from animal hide, except for shoes. Leather and hide armor is covered by the Blacksmiths Guild.
Longshoremen (location M20) – Encompasses all those who bear loads for their daily bread. Most motley and physically intimidating guilds.
Maritime Officers (location M38) – Sailors are sailors and officers are officer, and never shall the two share the same professional association. So officers have their own guild, separate from the Sailors Guild. They have a smaller membership buy enjoy a higher standing on the dignity of rank. Quite wealthy despite small size.
Masons (location L23) – Includes bricklayers, as well as those who work with stone for construction purposes. Historically, have close ties to Sculptors Guild due to close joint ventures.
Mercenaries –Hired blades feed the demand for caravan guards, private bodyguards and the like. Humanoids are disproportionately represented in this guild.
Painters (location L14) – Small of elite artisans for portraitists and other decorative painters. Rely almost exclusively on patronage from nobles and wealth commoners for their living. Feel ill at ease around other guildsmen, except for sculptors and entertainers.
Potters – Includes all who make clay vessels for mundane or decorative purposes.
Runners –Includes all professional messengers and couriers. Private messenger firms form a primitive postal system within the city, and reputable firms will only employ guild members. Values youths and ingenuity, skews younger than most guilds.
Sailors (location M8) – Includes all ordinary seamen, as well as the crew of freshwater vessels such as those that ply the elven district (excluding ship officers, who are apart of their own guild). Guild bargains for higher pay and defends its members against accusations of mutiny and dereliction of duty. Provides bare-bones support services for families of ocean-going sailors (who are away long periods) and sells life insurance to its members.
Scribes (location I11) – Represents clerks who transcribe documents. Government largest employer.
Sculptors (location L20) – Elite artisans guild but not as snobbish as painters because they often work alongside mason guild. Rely heavily on private commissions from aristocrats and the wealthy.
Shipwrights (location O3) – Includes those who design and construct ships, boats, barges and other water-borne vessels. Close ties with Navy. Elven shipwrights, who build barges and gondolas for use in the Elven District, do not belong to this guild.
Teamsters (location N6) – Includes hostlers, as well as those who drive carts, wagons, carriages and other animal-drawn conveyances. Regards Runners Guild with some suspicion, fearing that messenger companies will start employing giants and other large humanoids to steal business from them. Worried about entrepreneur Norman Corbisher (location N8) from Warehouse District using ogres as cargo carriers could be a problem.
Thieves (location G3) – Largest and most influential of the city’s trade guilds. Has hands in illicit activity in almost every district, and aggressively tries to clamp down on any “freelancers” who try thieving without their permission.
Tinkers – Represents all shoemakers, whether they serve wealthy or humble customers. They cooperate with the Leatherworkers Guild when it comes to matter concerning the supply of leather and hides.
Vintners – Includes those who distill spirits from fruits, as well as winemakers. Regard beer and ale only fit for boors and slobs. They prefer to have nothing to do with brewers and so insist on maintaining their own guild.
Weavers (location N12) – Includes everyone who creates cloth from raw fiber, whether it be wool, silk or plant fiber. Maintains friendly relationship with Clothiers Guild but resents the use of fabrics imported from outside the city (and therefore woven by someone else). Petitions Governing Council for high tariffs on imported fabrics. Long history in Warehouse district.
Religions of Importance
Children of the Creator (location J2) – Symbol: Triangle - Main human religion (Benyar, gawd of Empires). Has the most political influence of all the religions. Believe that when Benyar left the world, the spire was left in his wake for humans to settle all lands. Original settlers respected the other good Aldrazargawds, so a few of them have shrine areas dedicated them though Benyar continues to be the dominate gawd. Once originally hostile towards all races, now preaches tolerance of most races (save humanoids and the like). Often has break off groups, though only the True Children has ever lasted. While Benyar is lawful good, the mix clerics has made it Neutral Good in politics. As a racial religion, the order often have worshipers and clerics of different faiths in their ranks. Priests of other gawds who are a part of the temple still respect Benyar as their creator gawd. Other faiths with altars here include but not limited to, other than Benyar, are Luvia, Zues, Shona, Thrain, Deneir, Lathander, Nudor, Camaxtli, Hokalas, Oghma, Thor, Zelaur, and Odin.
Stone God Fellowship (location J11) – Main dwarf religion (Moradin, gawd of dwarves)who fought for control of the Spire. These dwarves once settled the mountains to the north before fleeing their mountains after a great loss to duergar dwarves. They saw the spire as a sign from their gawds of a new home and have never left. These dwarves worship Moradin and other good and neutral dwarvengawds, though Moradin is the most important. Unlike their cousins in Mount Stone, they do not revere any Norse gawds. The center of their faith is located in the Hall of the Ancestors in the dwarven district. Similar to the other religions, they believe the Spire was created below by their racial gawd Moradin. They believe it is proof they are the chosen people, as dwarves are at home with the earth more than any other race. Like the other races, a majority of the xenophobia has mellowed as time has gone on. There are still a few who wish to remove the other races than to coexist.Other dwarven faiths respected here are BerronarTruesilver, ClangeddinSilverbeard, DugmarenBrightmantle, Dumothoin, GormGuithyn, HaelaBrightaxe, Marthammor Duin, Sharindlar, ThardHarr, Vergadain, and Yurgain.
Lady of the Heavens (location P25/J10) – Main elven religion (SehamineMoonbow) of the elves who first settled the area before other elves came during the Year of the Long Shadow. They contested the humans for this land. When the other elves came, eventually the ones who lost their homes to the south came to the city and joined with their cousins. They revere other good elven gawds, in addition to Sehamine. As with the humans and dwarves of the land, they believe they are the chosen of the creator deity. Like the other races, their xenophobic ways have calmed in order to work with the other races. This has caused the elven priests at the Temple of the Sky to be much friendlier with other races then those who live only in the Elven District. While chaotic good by nature, many followers of the Lady have gravitated towards neutral good. Other elven faiths respected here are AerdrieFaenya, Angharradh, CorellonLarethian, HanaliCelanil, LabelasEnoreth, Shevarash, and SolonorThelandira.
The faith has good relations with druid orders, having groves in elven district for non-elven druids.
True Children (location J3) – Symbol: Thick vertical line with crossed swords - Broke off from Children of the Creator, believing they betrayed their core beliefs (namely by growing too friendly with other races). Are now the fourth largest religion, their sphere of influence can be felt throughout the cities human population. Believe their Creator left the world for humans alone, and one day will rise up to continue their war on the other races their ancestors started. Over time message has soften, now trying to demonstrate human superiority though virtuous deeds are favored by the gawds. This has pushed the alignment as a whole towards lawful good, though alignments in the faith mostly good and neutral. No evil humans are even allowed in their temples. A few pro-human groups are gaining influence within the True Children, possibly pushing for a future of a human only monarchy ruling the city. They respect the all the same faiths as the Children of the Creator, except with a more militant view.
Priests of Calamity (location J5) – Symbol: Spiral Chaos Sigil – This group worships a group of five gawds collectively known as the Lords of Chaos. Accepting all races into their fold, they care nothing for the racial claims of the spire. Many disreputable and criminal elements feel at home with the cult. They believe the spire represents theirgawds primal force of chaos and destruction. All things fail and die but their gawds endure eternally. They believe the Lords of Chaos created the spire to remind mortals of their insignificance. They must embrace chaos, something that does not make them popular in the peaceful city. They are a chaotic bunch, with strong evil leanings.
Guardians of the Spire (location J4) – Symbol: T-Shaped symbol of a vertical cylinder with a horizontal ellipse on top - Monk order dedicated to protection of the spire. Allows many races. Brothers(5th level+) andSisters(5th level+) serve as the main fighting for while Prefects(2nd level to 4h level) were once clerics who gave up their priesthood to dedicate their faith to protecting the spire. They keep the order in the area around the spire and for the major temples. They are very secretive about their inner workings. A Lawful group of militaristic monks only, though some are sent for priest training before becoming full monks, such as the Prefects.
Order of the Grove (location J9) - A small sect of druids who worship the Spire as a gawd of all nature who has, for reasons unknown, remained on the material plane. It represents the divine in all things natural to the world. This sect is known to be a little off from the rest of the Circle of the land due to their chaotic tendencies. A few druid circle members suspect that some of the sect members may be a part of the shadow circle. They worship nature as a force, seeing any named nature gawds, such as IkkaPataang or Silvanus, as a way for small minds perceive the raw potential of nature.
The Luck Goddess (location J16) – A small religion dedicated to the goddess Kishijoten. The Luck Goddess’ temple has been in the city almost as long as the three major religions. A secondary religion by most humans, it has a large patronage of halflings. Anyone seeking luck comes to this temple hoping for a blessing from the goddess.
Districts
District A – Dwarven District
Notes:
A1 – The – The
District B – Humanoid District
Notes:
B1 – The – The
District C – Entertainment District
Notes:
C1 – The – The
District D – Bazaar District
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D1 – Main Gate - Large gate to main town. Strongly built. Great brazier about door lit at all time lights the way. Large amount of guards at gate.
D3 - Main Road - Most important road in the city. Wide enough for several large wagons. Packed down tight dirt, very little dust. No building are built within 10 feet of road.
D4 - Marketplace - Enormous three story tent, 10 feet tall on edges, full of stands. Locations inside tent: 1. Blood Zone (Northeast Quadrant) has armor, weapons, and etc. 2. Garment District (Southeast Quadrant) has apparel and accessories. 3. Farmer’s Market (NorthWest) has fresh food. 4. The Jumble (Southwest Quadrant) has miscellaneous wares not found in the others.
D5 - The Crossing - Heart of the Marketplace. No booths. Just a single table in the center of the ten.
D6 - Fleetfoot Station - Will carry items from one city to another for a cost. Restrictions include 1. Able to carry by one person. 2. Not illegal in city and destination city. 3. Not pose danger to individual or require special care. Full backpack to city 3 weeks away is 10-30 gp.
D7 - Denny’s Deals - Pawnshop where almost anything can be pawned.
D8 - Esmerilda’s - Cloth merchant stand. Will buy any clothing of decent quality and reasonable shape. Tears are not an issue but not frayed or worn.
D9 - Battered Blades - Serviceable but not high quality weapons and armor. Buys/sells used items.
Services: 1. Determine weapon/armor where it came from, quality, & how much it is worth. 2. Repairs: Armor - 1 sp for minor, 2 sp for major, Weapons - 5 cp for minor weapon and 1 sp for major repairs) 3. Sharpen blades 2 cp each
D10 - The Yard - Rope squared off area for testing weapons and armor. Wooden posts and mannequins (wood, cloth and hay) are in the yard.
D11 - The Stands - Auction house. Sell anything not illegal and worth at least 2 gp. No chairs to sit, must “stand”.
Services: 1. Estimates value, description, quantity, condition and estimated value. Gets sellers name and minimum bid, if any. Item goes to highest bidder. House takes 15% of value.
D12 - Crematorium - Cremates dead bodies due to lack of city space &/or money.
Services: 2 sp for prepared urns.
D13 - Scribner’s - A read and writing service.
Services - 1. 1 sp per page written. 2 sp for dead/obscure languages. 2. Reading pages 5 cp per page
D14 - The Compass Point - Provides information on the city.
D15 - Indenture Hall - Indentured Servants can be bought here.
Services: 1. Become an indentured servant for 1 gp/year service if healthy but unskilled, 2 gp/year w/good craft skills or 3 gp/good combat skills, 6 gp/year for spellcaster.
D18 - The Silken Veil - Lady Anda the fortune teller.
D19 - Lovelorn - Deeda determines your soulmate and sets up meetings for cash.
D20 - Stockyards - Animal holding area for visitors.
Services: 1. Allows storage of other animals 1 gp/day per enclosure.
D21 - Slaughterhouse - Slaughters animals here. Sells horns and other parts customers don’t collect.
D22 - Exotic Delights - Spice store.
D23 - Blessed Things - Sells divine artifacts. Sells icons of every religion imaginable and other religious artifacts.
D24 - Remedies - Sells herbs, flowers, chemicals and remedies. Apothecary.
D25 - Land of Tonics - Sells tonics for all your needs.
D26 - Inks - Carries ink, writing implements, paper/parchment imaginable and does tattoos.
Services: 1. Writing materials (excellent quality).
2. Tattoos. 5 gp small or 15 gp large tats.
D27 - Midway - Booths with games of chance (like a fair). Examples: 3 cp to throw three small darts at an apple bobbing in water, guess number pair of dice will roll, several knots tied in string that people try to untie before hourglass runs out, etc.
D28 - Patchworks - Creates prosthetics limbs.
D29 - Teren’s Surgery - Healer and surgeon. Ran by Teren.
Services: 1. Herbal remedies and surgery work.
D30 - Coin Exchange - Money changer. Ran by Crezig the dwarf.
Services: 1. Moneychanging at 5% fee and pay in choice of coins, bars or gems.
2. Appraise gems, bars of metal, carved bones and anything handheld.
3. Currency expert. Will ID origin, name, content & value for 1 sp per fact.
D31 - Tandy’s Tables - Junk shop.
D32 - The Stalls - Sells wide range of food, fair style.
D33 - Hazard Stables - Holds trained and broken horses people wish to trade or sell.
D34 - Squats - Cheap place with tents to stay the night. “Campgrounds”.
Services: 1. 1 cp per night for enough space for 2 people tent. 3 cp rent for already setup tent.
D35 – A Farm
D36 - Rotburn Imports - Rare and foreign items sold here.
Services: 1. Buy and sell rare/foreign items.
D37 - Blue Moon Inn - A quite little inn on the outskirts of the district. Good food and entertainment are found here. Generally favored by those seeking to get away from the noise of the district.
Services - 1. Room/Board. 2. Food. 3. Musical entertainment.
D38 - Lockout - Locksmith shop. Run by Hawkin.
Services - 1. Open boxes/locks. 2. Sell locksmith tools.
D39 - The Night’s Rose - Bordello that caters to all, for a price. Run by a middle-aged but stunning beautiful Madame Haleis the tiefling.
D40 - The Evil Eye Magic Shop - An all-inclusive magic item shop. Run by Tiglin the wizard. Most stop here for convenience or those who can’t enter the city.
Services - 1. Sells magic items of lower power. 2. Buys magic items but at low cost.
D41 - Corliss Guild House - An inn that was renovated for personal use by Corliss Snow.
District E – Noble District
Notes:
E1 – The – The
District F – Guards District
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F1 – The – The
District G – Travelers District
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G1 – The – The
District H – Lamplighters District
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H1 – The – The
District I – Government District
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I1 – The – The
District J – Spire District
Notes: Home of the Spire. Best place to receive clerical spells and magic items that can be made by priests.
J1 – The Spire – The Spire is a thin needle-like pillar of stone that rises 300 feet straight up into the air from an unnaturally narrow base. From a distance it looks like a strong wind could blow it over. The spire is what the city built up around, fought over by many races until an uneasy truce. Many come to see the spire. It is lit up at night. It is always roped off along triangle pathways of the 3 temples. Guarded by Guardians of the Spire at all times. Crowds often well behaved when visiting but beware pick pockets and arguments. Monks smack anyone down who gets too out of line, especially when approaching the spire.
J2 –Children of the Creator Temple – Dedicated to Benyar and other “human” religions. Largest of the 3 temples with over 200 clerics. Sells most curative items in city. Dedicated to Benyar and othergawd of the original human settlers.
J3 – True Children Temple – Home of the breakoff group that left the Children of the Creator.
J4 – Guardians of the Spire Temple – Home of the monk order that protects the spire and enforces order in the park (J7).
J5 – Priests of Calamity (Lords of Chaos) Temple – Home of the chaos worshiping cult. The building was once an abandoned tavern. The symbol of chaos adorns the door, it is not an obvious temple as with other faiths.
J6 –Humanoids Temple –This temple serves as a consolation to the humanoids after the other races were unable to remove them. The building is in disrepair and unkempt. The few humanoids who live here are unorganized, as the many humanoid races all worship their own gawd. The few humanoids allowed outside the Humanoid District often have their clerical needs tended by the priests of this temple. There are no guards provided by the Guardians of the Spire for the humanoids.
J7 – Park of the Divine Vista – A park area with 25 gazebos that may be used for preaching ones faith and beliefs, as other locations in the park prohibit this action. Common preaching place for Pireth the Mad, Otto Stouthead the halfing Paladin, Gudmun the half-orc, and Tegra the Storm Giant.
J8 - Children of the Creator Pilgrim Hostel – A hostel used for Children of the Creator pilgrims who come to visit the Spire. The pilgrims stay for free but it is nothing more than and bed in an unfurnished room with shared rooms. Proof of holy symbol is required.
J9 – Order of the Grove Temple – Home to a small order of 20 druids. The building looks made of natural stone in similar shape to the spire.
J10 – Temple of the Sky – This temple is dedicated to the elven religious sect, Lady of the Heavens. The temple houses around 150 priests. While the main religious ceremonies are done in the elven district, this temple is politically important to the elves claim of the spire. Non-elves wishing to enter the Elven District must petition here at the temple first.
J11 – Stone God Fellowship Temple – The main dwarven temple by the Spire. Like the elves, this temple represents their political ties and claims for the spire; it is not their key religious center.
J12 – The Dancing Pilgrim Inn – Looking more like a mansion than an inn, the Dancing Pilgrim is the best inn in the Spire District for the pilgrim who can afford it’s luxuries on their faithful journey. The wealthy and noble visiting the city to see the spire find this place fits all their needs.
J13 – The Ferocious Angel Inn – A small, hidden away, inn that is a tidy place for pilgrims to stay. Due to its location, it does not get the amount of pilgrims as others do but rumors say there are always people staying at this inn and sometimes impossible to get a room. The inn is ran by retired adventurers.
J14 –Hazdrubal’s Holy Symbols – A shop ran by a duergar dwarf who makes holy symbols. It is rumored he came to the city from the far north long ago.
J15 – The Freelance House of Worship and Congregation Hall – This building is rented out to the small religious groups who wish to use the building as a place of worship. Many small groups without official religions in the city will rent the place for a duration to conduct ceremonies in the shadow of the spire.
J16 –Temple of the Luck Goddess (Kishijoten) – A temple dedicated to the goddess of luck, Kishijoten. Being so close to the spire indicates the religion has been around long enough to be considered a secondary religion. While popular with many folk, halflings make up a good portion of its priests. All are welcome who seeks the goddess.
District K – Academy District
Notes:
K1 – The – The
District L – Artisans District
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L1 – The – The
District M – Docks District
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M1 – The – The
District N – Warehouse District
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N1 – The – The
District O – Naval Yards District
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O1 – The – The
District P – Elven (Wetlands) District
Notes:
P1 – The – The