Importnt things

DISTRICTS OF KENABRES

Old Kenabres: The original town of Kenabres perched on
the edge of the cliff, looking down over the West Sellen. Many
of those buildings now form the historic central district.
The houses here are well constructed from heavy stone,
with angled tile roofs and arched windows characteristic of
architectural fashions popular hundreds of years ago.
Houses and official administrative buildings—including
the courthouse, city hall, and the garrison—make up Old
Kenabres. The houses aren’t the largest in the city and
not always home to the wealthiest citizens, but the oldest
families, who can trace their lineage back hundreds of
years, live in Old Kenabres. Hulrun Shappok lives here in
the Prelate’s Manor.

Ring District: The second tier of the city, circling Old
Kenabres, was also a part of the original town of Kenabres.
More homes and administrative buildings, including
the hall of records and the maintenance building for
monitoring the water pumps, make up the Ring District.
At the district’s eastern edge, a steep switchback road
makes the transition between the higher-elevation Ring
District and the lower-elevation districts of New Kenabres
and the Gate District. The switchback is called Davon’s
Ramp after the architect and philanthropist who designed
and paid for the structure as the town grew to a city. Heavy
iron gates safeguard the top and bottom of the switchback.
For security, these gates are locked an hour after sunset,
and a guard is posted at each. Persons wishing to use the
switchback must make their case to the guards and hope
their business is deemed important enough. Some citizens
have special, expensive passes that allow them to move
back and forth without question, and some say that the
Wallers (see entry 14) have their own methods of moving
beyond the Ring District after curfew.

New Kenabres: New Kenabres was built during the initial
f lood of refugees after the opening of the Worldwound.
Buildings in this mostly residential district are stone, but
the walls are thinner than in the older districts, and the
houses are built in a more modern style, with f lat roofs
and square windows. New Kenabres also houses most of
the city’s warehouses.
The eastern and southeastern sides of New Kenabres
hold many of the largest manors in the city. During the
construction of New Kenabres, many moneyed families
chose to build new homes in the new district, as it
offered just as much safety as the old city but without the
claustrophobic density.

Gate District: A decade after New Kenabres rose, the
Gate District followed. City officials realized that the new
housing units wouldn’t be enough to support the city’s
growth, and in response constructed the Gate District—
the largest district in Kenabres. The Gate District includes
a mix of residential and commercial buildings, as well
as wealthy family homes. Temples to Abadar, Sarenrae,
Shelyn, and Torag sit alongside smithies, stoneworks, and
woodshops. The city’s two gates, Northgate and Southgate,
lead into this district.

Truestone Quarry: Truestone Quarry lies approximately
10 miles to the east. Caravans arrive weekly to supply
Southgate with stone for constructing additional
buildings and reinforcing the city defenses. Guards are
always in high demand to protect these caravans from
coordinated demon attacks, and to ensure the deliveries
keep stone f lowing into the city.

Defender’s Heart: The largest inn in Kenabres, this
business caters to mercenary companies and crusaders
coming to the city. Inside this squat stone structure
are dozens of rooms for rent, hearty food, and a wide
selection of refreshments shipped in from across the
Inner Sea. It’s owner, Kimroth Otai (LG male human
expert 2/fighter 3) was a mercenary fighting against
the Worldwound until he lost his right arm in a clash
with demons. Now he spends his time overseeing his
staff and talking wistfully with other, more ablebodied
soldiers who spend time in his establishment
when back from the front.

Crusader Camps: The constant inf lux of
crusaders waiting for a chance to slay demons
has created logistical issues in Kenabres. For
a time, new inns opened daily to cope with
the number of crusaders clamoring for
rooms, but many of these “inns” were
merely f lophouses renting space on the
f loor for exorbitant amounts. Local law
officers had their hands full examining
and regulating these inns, and the close
proximity of so many crusaders
ready to do battle caused fights
and disturbances every night. Eventually, the city declared
that all crusaders were required to maintain their own
camps outside the city walls, and designated an area against
the city wall by Northgate for these camps. The area is now
cramped with dozens of tents, small campfires, refuse pits,
and horse pens.
Though one would expect crusaders to be able to
regulate their own behavior and get along well with
their neighbors, the unfortunate truth is that violence
and petty crime aren’t uncommon. Kenabres guards
regularly patrol the camp and encourage the crusaders to
settle small disputes before they swell into real problems.
Captain Chun Dawei (LG male human fighter 7), a Tian
soldier who moved to Kenabres more than a decade ago,
supervises guard patrols in the crusader camps and
handles any major matters personally.

Librarium of the Broken Black Wing: Thirty-six years
ago, a caravan returning to the city from Truestone Quarry
was set upon by a gang of vrocks. The caravan might have
been outmatched if not for one of the recently hired guards,
a wizard named Quednys Orlun (LG male old human
wizard 6). Orlun had spent years studying demons, and his
spellcasting turned the tide of battle in favor of the caravan.
After serving as a guardsman for another few years, Orlun
founded the Librarium of the Broken Black Wing, pinning
one of the preserved vrock wings above the entrance.
The Librarium, often called “Blackwing” by locals, has
since become the premier library for demonology and
planar travel research in Mendev. In addition to being a
library, Blackwing is a museum of demon skulls, talons,
and other grotesque trophies. An aged Orlun still oversees
the collection of tomes and scrolls and is always keen to
acquire new research material for the stacks.