Whitestone

Whitestone is a city in the Alabaster Sierras mountain range on the northeastern edge of Tal'Dorei. It is ruled from Whitestone Castle, the home of the de Rolo family after it was reclaimed from the Briarwoods. Whitestone now serves as the home and base of operations for several of the members of Vox Machina.

Formerly an independent city-state, Whitestone joined the newly reorganized Republic of Tal'Dorei following the Chroma Crisis in 811 PD.

Description


Whitestone is nestled in the valley of the Alabaster Sierras. The walls of Whitestone are closely surrounded by trees of the Parchwood Timberlands. Whitestone maintains a small amount of farmland connected by trails to the south and west of the city. On a hill to the north of the city sits Whitestone Castle. The city is roughly split into four districts, the Northern Ward, Dawnfather Square, the Common Ward, and the newly built Southern Ward.

Northern Ward

 * Whitestone Castle: The seat of government in Whitestone and the home of the De Rolo family.
 * The Heart of Whitestone: An intricate clock tower, built and designed by Percival de rolo, that was finished around 831 PD. The clock tracks the movements of the moons, stars, and spheres, and depicts famous moments and people in Whitestone history.
 * Lord Trinket's Public Park: after the Whispered one's defeat, the section of the Parchwood to the west of the city was cleared, anticipating a major expansion. However, more of the Emonian refugees left the city than was predicted, leaving these plans untenable. At the request of Vex'ahlia, the space was transformed into a public park for Trinket to play. The park also features a marble statue of the Trinket in its center.
 * Galdric's Gate: The newest eastern gate of the city, leading to the Timberland Trail.
 * Beyond the Horizon: A curiosity shop, ruined during the Briarwood's rule in the city.

Dawnfather Square
The Square surrounds a small hill and was the central district of Whitestone in 812 PD.
 * The Sun Tree: A tree sacred to Pelor, created by the sun god at the intersection of powerful ley lines. Although it was almost killed by the unholy desecration of the Briarwoods, the Sun Tree was recovering by the time Vox Machina returned to Whitestone. After it recovered, the Sun Tree grew radiant orange leaves and small white flowers at its crown.
 * Slayer's Cake: A bakery owned and partially operated by several members of Vox Machina.

Common Ward
Previously the southernmost ward of the city, it has since become the city's center.
 * House of the Lawbearer: A temple dedicated to Erathis, formerly called The Lady's Chamber.
 * Grey Hunt Manor: The estate of the Grand Mistress of the Grey Hunt. Rarely occupied, it is sometimes used as a formal meeting place for the Grey Hunt.
 * Keyleth's home: Located near Grey Hunt Manor, close to a hidden Snowdrop Memorial Trail in the Parchwood Timberlands.

Southern Ward
The Southern Ward was built after 812 PD, to accommodate Whitestone's growing population.
 * Hearth of the Everlight: Built by Pike Trickfoot following the defeat of Vecna, this humble temple dedicated to Sarenrae holds monthly celebrations as part of their worship.

Parchwood Timberlands
The timberlands surround Whitestone. The forest is dense, thick and looming and completely encompassing the exterior of the city walls. To wards the south the forest is cleared for farmlands.
 * The Greyfield: The city's graveyard, located to the east just outside of the city's walls.
 * The Zenith: A temple of Pelor.
 * Altar of the Raven
 * Snowdrop Memorial Trail: A private trail made by Keyleth through the woods connecting Grey Hunt Manor to the Altar of the Raven. Snowdrop flowers line the trail, dedicated to Vax'ildan.
 * Eastern Ruins: The first attempt at expanding Whitestone in 812 PD, these half-built ruins are the result of monstrous incursions that ended expansion of the city in this direction. Secretly, the Grey Hunt have made their base of operation in an undedicated temple in here.

Maps
836 PD= 812 PD=

Demographics
Whitestone was a small city in 812 PD with about 4,230 inhabitants. Most of the citizens are human (83%) with the rest of the population being made up of halflings (7%), dwarves (6%), and other races (4%).

Following the Chroma Crisis, Whitestone had a boom in population. By 836 PD, it has grown to 17,710 inhabitants. The majority population is still human (78%), with a notable increase in tiefling population (4%). The remaining citizens are made up of halflings (7%), dwarves (6%), and other races (5%).

Leadership
Prior to the Briarwoods, Whitestone was ruled by the de Rolo family.

During the Briarwood years, Sylas Briarwood and Delilah Briarwood installed themselves as the Lord and the Lady of the Whitestone. They granted land and titles to several of their subordinates, particularly Countess Jazna Graben, Sir Kerrion Stonefell, Duke Goran Vedmire, and Count Tylieri.

After the liberation of Whitestone and Percy's recommendation, the city adopted a council-based government rather than returning to de Rolo family rule. His initial thought was to compose the council from a notable member of each of the farming, economic, religious, trade, and citizen communities, as well as the noble one from the de Rolo family. Together, the council would make decisions with one vote from each member, and any tied votes would be resolved by the noble. Cassandra de Rolo agreed to serve on the council, as did Keeper Yennen, if the people of Whitestone consented to this new government. This ruling council is called the Chamber of Whitestone and currently includes seven members, among whom are Percival de Rolo and Vex'ahlia.

Acting on his own without consulting the council, Percy later granted Vex'ahlia a title: Lady Vex'ahlia, Baroness of the Third House of Whitestone and Grand Mistress of the Grey Hunt. Percy did not at that time mention the duties, privileges, and relationship to Whitestone's ruling council that this title might include, if any at all, nor whether the council must officially approve the granting of such titles; however, the title seems to have been supported.

Due to the fear of magical espionage, the council began meeting within the anti-magic field underneath Whitestone around the Ziggurat.

Houses
There are three great houses in Whitestone that belong to the de Rolo family. Each one of them has an individual title that can be granted by the lord or lady to whomever they wish, although with the approval of the council:


 * First House of Whitestone: The original title which goes to the head of the family and their consort
 * Second House of Whitestone: Acquired by the de Rolos between 612 PD and 730 PD
 * Third House of Whitestone: It originally belonged to the von Musel family, but after the conflict between Lady Melanie and her husband, Lord de Rolo, the house passed to his family.

Defense
Illusory Barrier Hastily constructed during the Chroma Crisis to hide the city from spies and roving wyverns of the Chroma Conclave, surrounding the city and Whitestone Castle are five obelisks carved from whitestone. When each obelisk is charged by a spellcaster, an illusion is cast over the city to make it appear as uninhabited Timberland, as well as mask any sounds created from within the city. The barrier hasn't been used since the Chroma Crisis, and becoming overgrown with plants and graffitied.



The Pale Guard The Pale Guard is a combat unit in Whitestone, meant more for local law enforcement than as a standing army. Nevertheless, the Pale Guard remains important to the defense of Whitestone. With the fall of Emon to the Chroma Conclave and the withdrawal of Syngorn into the Feywild, Whitestone became one of the last military powers in Tal'Dorei capable of conventionally fighting the dragons. Jarett Howarth became an officer in this unit during the Chroma Crisis.

The Whitestone Rifle Corps After the defeat of the Chroma Conclave, Lord Percival de Rolo decided to improve Whitestone's defenses by creating a special guard unit: the Whitestone Rifle Corps. Upon its founding in 811 PD, it was placed under the command of Kynan Leore who seems to have greatly appreciated the opportunity for redemption that being given such a responsible post implies.

 Grey Hunt The Grey Hunt is a cadre of hunters led by the Grand Mistress. The Grand Mistress, along with rest of the hunt, is tasked with protecting Whitestone from threats emanating from the surrounding Parchwood. The unit had become disorganized during the years when there was no holder of the office, but Lady Vex'ahlia has had a couple of decades to rebuild it.

Whitestone rock
The city gets its name from the this rock quarried in the nearby Alabaster Sierras. The rock can be refined to a green, glass-like substance called residuum. Although not inherently magical, this substance is particularly receptive to arcane energies and therefore may be used to create objects that retain more powerful enchantments, perhaps for longer periods of time.

Technology
After Delilah Briarwood had created an anti-magic field below Whitestone Castle, Percy began to worry about what a magical blackout could do to the city. As a precaution, he began modernizing Whitestone with non-magical technology. His first major project was a subterranean network of steam pipes underneath all of Whitestone's roads. The result would be heated roads that never needed to be cleared of snow or ice.

It is Percy's dream that Whitestone become "a shining beacon on the hill of what mankind's future could be."

Background
Beneath Whitestone lies an ancient underground ziggurat, a temple to the goddess Ioun. During the Calamity, Ioun baited the rampaging Tharizdun to her central temple there, but Tharizdun badly wounded her and nearly consumed her, causing her temple to sink underground in her sorrow. Pelor then defeated Tharizdun in a climactic battle that transformed the nearby region in its violence, and after chasing and banishing Tharizdun elsewhere, Pelor returned to the site of Ioun's wounding and blessed the land with his own Sun Tree directly over the site of her sunken temple. The land has been under his protection ever since.

The city of Whitestone was founded around the year 612 PD, when a shipwrecked expedition from Port Damali, led by the de Rolo family, stumbled across Pelor's divine tree and decided to build their home around it. Though the city was geographically isolated from most of Tal'Dorei, it managed to flourish on exports of whitestone ore.

In 805 PD, Whitestone was overtaken by the evil Lord and Lady Briarwood, known as the occupation of Whitestone. All members of its ruling family, the de Rolos, were killed except for Percival de Rolo, who escaped, and Cassandra de Rolo, who was captured. Due to the city's remoteness and isolation, the citizens of Whitestone suffered without external aid for six years under the oppression and necromantic horrors of the Briarwoods as they enacted a plan set forth by their master, the lich Vecna.

Campaign One
In Cuersaar of 810 PD, Vox Machina encountered the Briarwoods at a banquet with Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei II in Emon, from which they escaped. Percival de Rolo then spearheaded a return to his home city, where upon arrival Vox Machina instigated the Whitestone Rebellion and fatally deposed the Briarwoods, beginning a slow return to prosperity for the city.

Shortly after the rebellion's conclusion, the Chroma Conclave attacked and devastated many cities around the Tal'Dorei Empire in the Chroma Crisis. Whitestone was spared and became a haven for refugees fleeing the ruins of Emon and other ruined cities. The refugees—ranging from peasants and farmers to merchants and nobles—bolstered the city's population and workforce, both of which had been decimated throughout the Briarwoods' reign. Whitestone became the base of resistance against the Conclave, as Vox Machina gathered allies and brought them to the city.

After Campaign One
Whitestone joined the newly reorganized Tal'Dorei Republic, to the benefit of both the city and republic, and by 836 PD, has become a major center of economic, cultural, and political power. Trade caravans running to Kymal, Westruun, and ultimately Emon are common, and the city has a new skyport that handles the most expensive goods.