Wydmoor Free City

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Wymoor Free City is an independent city-state located at the meeting-point of Ubrekt, Odessa, and Alexia. Despite being surrounded by much larger empires, the city of Wydmoor is a highly autonomous city. This is in part due to its strategic location--the Wydmoor Swamp to the east and the Bloodmane Hills to the north and west allow for strong defensive fortifications. However, the city is also politically protected, with a powerful mercantile tradition, substantial iron mines, and strong ties to the Arch-Warden and the Church of Alexandria. Finally, Wydmoor is one of the most significant and widely recognized Tragidore Shrines in the mainland, and draws a great many pilgrims throughout the year.

It was destroyed in late 1401 by the invading army of Odessa, the end of a protracted siege and the resolution of an 18 month campaign.

History

The City of Wydmoor has been an autonomously governed city-state since it was occupied in 701 FI by Ubrekti heretics during the disunity of the Third Interregnum, who cleared much of the swamp and quickly picked up productive agriculture. When besieged by the forces of Odriss Rockheart several years later, the city was already able to hold out the six years it took Rockheart and the heretics to truce. The leader of the heretics renounced the heresy and accepted the Hadriarchy of Wydmoor Free City. In 712 FI, when Rockheart assumed the Arch-Wardenship, he granted Wydmoor its autonomy in recognition of its support.

Recent History

In the winter of 1400 FI, a massive fire destroyed over a third of the Free City, wiping out the Warrens entirely, and doing significant damage to the craft and bazaar districts. Thanks to the help of the Bog Wraiths and the City Guard, much of the city was evacuated to Onararch Landing.

In the aftermath of this fire, a great deal of political turmoil has struck the city. The evacuation left the city guard woefully undermanned, spawning an overt conflict between the Edrell Odenthorpe's remaining loyalists and his former allies in the Thieves' Guild. Additionally, in order to prevent plague, and assure the election of his allies, the mayor refused to lower or waive the entry tax, thus keeping the refugees stranded at the landing even after the beginning of the seasonal thaw.

Thanks to an agreement reached between Mayor Wydsomme and Mose & Company, the latter problem was somewhat addressed: A timetable for reentry was set up, allowing skilled artisans to return immediately to assist with rebuilding, while a staggered entry for the remaining refugees will begin in the spring. In addition, the Mayor agreed to work to release grain from the defensive siege reserves in order to alleviate hunger issues at the Onarach refugee camp and the Hadriarch agreed to dispatch some of his clerics to aid with disease and sanitation issues.

Early in the spring of 1401 FI, the seemingly random misfortunes of Wydmoor came into a frightening clarity when it was discovered that a contingent of the Odessan army - in league with Hobgoblin auxiliaries - had occupied Iros Forge, where they had wintered, and subsequently marched on Yalmrith, presumably with the long term goal of laying siege and capturing the Free City itself.

Shortly before winter in 1401 FI, the Odessan army assaulted main city, breached the walls, and razed everything except for the Cathedral. It is presently abandoned (by humans), but the Azure Geese are seeking to retake it, having enlisted the help of a group of adventurers to do so.

A post-sack map of Wydmoor, circa 1403