The Citystride Nation
Drenvalis
The Urban Nation
The Citystride
“The Balancewalkers” (nickname for its citizens, especially athletes)
A land of stone and skyline, Drenvalis is a nation built upward as much as outward. Towering spires, layered walkways, and mechanical lifts span the urban landscape, making the city itself feel alive. Greenery is interwoven into the structures—rooftop gardens, ivy-covered towers, and luminescent plants bred for urban survival. The air is cool but sharp, infused with ozone from magical currentlines that pulse through the infrastructure. Rain is frequent, and when it falls, the city glows.
Drenvalis worships balance, structure, and ambition. Progress is sacred—but only when it serves the collective whole. Artificers, scholars, and spellwrights live alongside couriers and street merchants, each viewed as part of the city’s vital system. It is a culture of orderly independence: citizens are expected to think for themselves but never at the cost of harmony. In Drenvalis, flair is fine—so long as it doesn’t destabilize the machine.
Efficiency is not just admired, it is honored. Those who navigate the city’s labyrinthine rooftops, alleys, and lifts with speed and grace earn public acclaim. Architecture is considered a national art form, and even temporary scaffolding is subject to civic pride.
Drenvalis is ruled by the Assembly of Balance, a council of twelve officials—four chosen by public vote, four by merit-based examination, and four by nomination from the city’s infrastructural guilds. No member can serve more than twelve years, and each must give up all private assets while in office.
Public order is maintained not by brute enforcement, but by the city’s own design: streets that funnel crowds peacefully, staircases that slow foot traffic at dangerous crossings, and public buildings that hum with minor protective enchantments. Surveillance is subtle, embedded into the structure of the city itself.
Drenvalis’s obsession with balance occasionally tips into stagnation. Movements for reform often clash with civic traditionalists.
Whispers persist of guild disputes escalating into quiet sabotage.
Foreign nations accuse Drenvalis of hoarding knowledge under the guise of “regulatory balance.”
Drenvalis is home to the Parkour Endurance Race, a citywide competition blending speed, strategy, and stealth. Racers are tasked with navigating a sprawling urban course while collecting tokens from opponents and reaching designated finish points. The sport is fiercely competitive and highly regulated.
While outwardly framed as a test of physical and mental agility, the race has evolved into something more: a proving ground for talent, a rite of passage for citizens, and a veiled reflection of the nation’s underlying political dynamics. Winning can change your life. Cheating can end it.
Drenvalis maintains a neutral and structured approach to foreign diplomacy, favoring stability, infrastructure, and information exchange.
Tolerated:
Orvith and Orvayn – Valued for their arcane innovations but viewed as unstable due to their schism. Drenvalis maintains separate trade channels with each.
Tarsendral – Considered secretive and unpredictable. Their hardline stance on psychics troubles Drenvalis, which values open data and regulated transparency. Nonetheless, the two nations have maintained a functional, if cautious, relationship.
Allied or Friendly:
The Squirrem – Despite ideological differences, the nations collaborate on ecological magic and sustainable city planning.
Carnithal – Seen as socially chaotic but politically harmless. Drenvalis enjoys occasional cultural exchanges and theatrical exports.
At Odds With:
Kaelvira – Viewed as dangerously impulsive and reckless. Their instability is considered a risk to continental balance.
Drakhalm (The Pirates) – Engaged in ongoing trade disruption. Drenvalis sees the pirates as a national security threat, though few admit it openly.
Vaurholm – Drenvalis maintains no formal contact. The anarchy of Vaurholm is viewed as a worst-case scenario in civic planning circles.