Whitestone

Whitestone is a city-state in the Alabaster Sierras mountain range on the northeastern edge of Tal'Dorei's continent. 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.

Lore
Beneath the castle of Whitestone lies an ancient underground ziggurat, a temple to the goddess Ioun. Some 800 years ago, the land around that ziggurat was the site of a divine battle, in which Ioun and the god Pelor sought to banish the Chained Oblivion. Ioun was badly wounded in that battle, and Pelor blessed the land with his own Sun Tree to watch over and protect her hidden temple. The land has been under his protection ever since.

Founding
The actual city of Whitestone was founded some 200 years ago, when a shipwrecked family from Port Damali -- the original de Rolos -- 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.

The Briarwood Coup
Five years prior to the events of Critical Role, Whitestone was overtaken by the evil Lord and Lady Briarwood. The members of its ruling family, the de Rolos, were expelled, killed, or enthralled. Due to the city's remoteness and isolation, the citizens of Whitestone then suffered without external aid for five years under the oppression and necromantic horrors of the Briarwoods.

Recent events
After Vox Machina encountered the Briarwoods in Emon, Percival de Rolo spearheaded a return to his home city. On their arrival in the city, Vox Machina instigated a rebellion and fatally deposed the Briarwoods, beginning a slow return to prosperity for the city.

Shortly thereafter, the Chroma Conclave attacked and devastated many cities around Exandria. 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 Castle
Whitestone Castle is a structure to the north of the city. Originally owned by the de Rolo family, the Briarwoods claimed the castle for themselves once the city fell under their rule. After the success of the Whitestone Rebellion, Cassandra de Rolo and (in absentia) Percival de Rolo regained ownership.

There are dungeons beneath Whitestone Castle, as well as an undercroft where the bodies of previous rulers were entombed. Beyond this is an ancient subterranean ziggurat, formerly a temple to Ioun.

At one point, there was a circle of teleportation in the castle; however, it appeared to have been destroyed by the Briarwoods in their efforts to further isolate Whitestone from the rest of the world.

Ore
The city gets its name from the whitestone ore quarried in the nearby Alabaster Sierras. The ore 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.

Demographics
Whitestone is a small city 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%).

Crest
The Crest of Whitestone is divided into three parts: top, middle, and bottom.

The top part has the sun on a field of blue. This represents the daytime sky and Whitestone's patron god, Pelor, who watches the city from above. The middle part has a tree -- specifically, the Sun Tree -- on a field of white. This represents Whitestone itself: life amidst the cold snow of the Alabaster Sierras. The bottom part has five stars on a field of purple, representing each Champion of Pelor that has served Whitestone.

When Baroness Vex'ahlia of the Third House completed the trial of Pelor, Percival noted that the Crest would need to be updated with a sixth star.

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 Lord and Lady. They granted land and titles to several of their subordinates, particularly Countess Jazna Grebin, Sir Kerrion Stonefell, Duke Goran Vedmire, and Count Tylieri.

After the liberation of Whitestone, and on Percy's recommendation, the city adopted a council-based form of 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 a noble from the de Rolo family. Together, the council would make decisions by vote, 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 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.

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 Conclave arc.

The Whitestone Riflemen
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 Riflemen. Though the Riflemen lacked the numbers of other armies in Tal'Dorei, they made up for it with their technological advantage: as the name implies, they use firearms as their primary weapons. Upon its founding, during the events of Campaign 1, 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.

The 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 seems to have withered away during the years when there was no holder of the office, but Lady Vex'ahlia has had a couple of decades to rebuild it.



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."

Holidays
Prior to the Briarwoods, the people of Whitestone celebrated Winter's Crest with an annual festival, like other cities in Tal'Dorei. When Vox Machina liberated the city, the heroes joined the citizens in celebrating Whitestone's first Winter's Crest Festival in years.

Notable People
Since not all surnames are known, the following table is sorted by first name.