Introduction

The Free City of Griffondale is the most prominent bastion of civilization in the fictional world known as The Great Kingdoms, the setting of an ongoing, home-brew, Dungeons & Dragons fantasy, role-playing game campaign nicknamed “Points of Lightheartedness”.

As cities go, Griffondale is a quasi-magical, pseudo-medieval, semi-urban metropolis where high-fantasy routinely meets the highly-farcical . . .

Once a center for magical study, over the years Griffondale has slid towards the far end of decadence and corruption, prone to frequent episodes of rowdy hooliganism, political scandal, bureaucratic inefficiency, self-induced disaster and civil discord. And while recent changes in the local government and other developments have helped to establish a loose sense of stability. . . overall, the city remains as crazy and chaotic as ever.

It is home to the fabled Academy of Arcane Arts (a school of wizardry that has produced no fewer than three of the world's most notorious mages), The University of Griffondale (an educational institute more famous for its rowdy campus parties than its curriculum) and the Griffondale Coliseum (a place where civilized people go for barbaric entertainment).

It is also the occasional headquarters of the Academy Street Adventuring Professionals - ASAP for short - a band of unconventional oddballs who have somehow managed to have established themselves as The Great Kingdom’s premier company of swords-and-spells-for-hire.

The current lineup features ASAP's original founders - Natalie Weston, a hot female bard often mistaken for a working girl - Sciv & Scruffy, a wry goblin sorcerer and his obese rat familiar -  Tabitha - a moody gnome and former pit-fighter-turned-rogue - and Dirk Lockhart, a cleric of Pelor who's never been the brightest candle in the box . . .

History

The long version of Griffondale's history isn't worth the 5 silver pieces you'd pay the local bard to tell you. You'd probably just fall asleep and end up getting robbed anyway.

Here's the skinny: Some two-hundred years ago, a crusty old wizard by the name of Gilliam Griffonhawk arrived in the Dale, somewhere on the banks of the Highwater River with a brilliant idea: Build a school for wizards and charge people out the wahzoo to learn magic. He plopped down an Instant Fortress, and Presto! Griffondale was born!

Shortly thereafter it was sacked by Dark Orcs and then promptly rebuilt. Thus began the perpetual cycle of destruction and reclamation that has defined the Free City of Griffondale for over two centuries. Over the years countless disasters and tragedies have befallen this proud and mighty metropolis, but in the end it always boils down to the same old story . . . Griffondale falls . . . and then, for better or for worse, Griffondale rises . . . over and over and over again.

Geography:

The Free City of Griffondale is situated on the banks of the Highwater River, in a vast, fertile valley-basin know as The Dale, wedged between ancient timbers of the Old Oak Forest to the north, the barren heaths of the Deeping Reach to the south, the rugged hills and uplands of the High March to the west, and the sodden, lowland shores of Colossal Lake to the east.

In terms of climate, Griffondale is found in what would be the rough equivalent of a temperate region, albeit one that often experiences seasonal extremes.  Naturally, this area is prone to flooding, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail and heavy snowstorms, occasional seismic activity, drought, and famine.

Griffondale is meant to include both the city proper and the surrounding farmsteads, fields, plots and pastures.  Indeed, up to a quarter of Griffondale's population lives outside of the city walls.

The city proper is comprised of two principal districts divided by the Griffondale Canal. The larger, south-western portion of the city is simply called The Lower Side.  Here, most of the city's prominent landmarks, businesses, offices, shops and industry is located. The north-east section of Griffondale is erroneously known as the Upper Quarter, even though is actually much closer to a full third of the city's physical area.  

The City Proper, a work in progress, highlights the location of individual landmarks and attractions within the city limits.

Government:

Girffondale is a Free-City in that is not subject to a king or part of a larger realm or dominion. Officially, Griffondale is a "neutral City-State".

Authority supposedly rests in the hands of The Court of Nobles (a political body made up of resident nobles, landed gentry and local aristocrats) and the Governor/Governess (a noble appointed by the Court).  The Court of Nobles relies upon the The City Administration Offices and the Iron Lions to enforce laws and maintain order throughout the city.

All that being said, it is quite difficult to say with any degree of certainty who really runs the show. Guilds hold major influence over the Court of Nobles, while the Academy of Arcane Arts and the Temples remain exceptionally powerful.

People, Races & Customs:

For better or worse, a variety of People and Races call the Free City of Griffondale home.

Seeing as how the city was founded by Humans, it should come as no great surprise that Humans represent the overall majority of Griffondale's local populace. Although considered to be a relatively 'young' Race, Humans possess two innate traits that have enabled them to emerge as the dominate Race of the present age . . . the seemingly insatiable urge to conquer anything and everything in their path . . . and the ability to procreate like wild rabbits. As such, Humans are not burdened by time-honored alliances or ancient hatreds and can pretty much befriend, back-stab and betray whomever they please whenever they please. Humans pride themselves on their adaptability . . . which means they have learned how to blur the lines between “right” and “wrong” to their advantage. Despite their inherent flaws, however, Humans are still considered to be one of the “Good Guys”, even though members of the other Races will tell you that aside from the smell, Humans aren't really all that different from Orcs.

The Elves, or whatever they are calling themselves these days, are Griffondale's next most plentiful people. Truth be told, three kinds of Elves – High Elves, Wood Elves and Eladrin (or Gray Elves as they were known but a week ago) – can be found within the city proper, but good luck telling any of them apart. Sure, they will tell you that difference between their respective sub-cultures is as stark as night versus day, but to any outsider each one looks as equally fruity as the next. Essentially the medieval-fantasy version of new-age hippies, the Elves tend to concern themselves with all things artsy-fartsy . . . like song, dance, theater, fine wine, poetry and the natural environment. While Elves consider themselves to be culturally enlightened, the rest of the Races see Elves as odd, eccentric and just flamboyant enough enough to make anyone in their presence feel a tab bit uncomfortable. Typically, Elves hold some small measure of disdain for the Dwarves, probably because they aren't in the least bit eco-friendly.

Gnomes are common to Griffondale as well, perhaps almost as much so as the Elves. As a People, Gnomes are often misunderstood, especially by their own. There is great debate and confusion as to the origins of the Gnome . . . while they would prefer to believe that they are close cousins to the Elves, there is some evidence that they could be in fact be the bastard step-child of the Dwarves. Secretly, everyone involved is just hoping and praying that the Gnome is not some wholly unnatural crossbreed of both! Most Gnomes seem to have a natural inclination to invent, explore and experiment, often with alchemical solutions, mechanical devices and explosive compounds . . . something that has managed to keep their population in check over the years.

The Dwarves suffer from the ill-founded reputation that they are moody, grumpy and perpetually miserable. The truth is that Dwarves are a rather merry and mirthful people . . .it's just that most of the time they are either drunk or hungover. While often criticized for being unimaginative, the fact of the matter is that Dwarves are obsessively practical. They stubbornly refuse to engage in anything the might be seen as a waste of time, like goofing off . . . or shaving. To Dwarves, if it doesn't serve a tangible purpose, it isn't worth doing. The byproduct of this cultural attitude is that Dwarves tend to do produce the most durable of goods and products. Take Dwarven armor for example. Sure, it may not be as fancy as Elven mail, but ask any adventurer and he or she will tell you that they'd rather be alive and unstylish than fashionably dead.

Halflings are short. They like to eat. A lot. They are also very energetic, exceptionally curious and usually end up touching all sorts of things that don't belong to them. Come to think of it, Halflings are a lot like children . . . on sugar. Sure they're little and cute but they quickly grow irritating. Most people are okay with babysitting them every once and while, but they wouldn't want to have Halflings of their own.

Red Goblins are relatively new to Griffondale, and most folk really aren't sure what to make of them. Most Red Goblins stake their claim as “neutral” merchants, trading commodities they themselves did not produce in order to make a profit. And by all accounts, Red Goblins seem to enjoy exceptionally large profits. Some would say that this is because Red Goblins are the world's finest swindlers and cheats. Red Goblins will tell you that they are simply shrewd and astute businessmen. Either way, when dealing with these vagabond peddlers . . . both the buyer and seller best beware!

The Great Kingdoms:

Unfortunately, but somewhat predictably, the Great Kingdoms are now anything but. Once upon upon a time, realms and nations stood united, forming a grand 'Sovereign Alliance' the likes of which none dared to challenge. Of course this united empire was doomed to fail, largely because even the closest of allies will eventually end up bickering over the trivial and the frivolous, much the same as sibling children. After decades of decay and decline, the Sovereign Alliance was dissolved, and mercifully, the humanoids saw their opportunity and sacked the land. Few bastions of civilization remain today . . . while Griffondale features most prominently, several others are worthy of mention.

Other Points of Lightheartedness:

Brionne: A very large Human town located far the east of Griffondale, across the waters of Colossal Lake. The last of three “principalities” that once comprised the realm of Froncanny, Brionne is reminiscent of medieval/renaissance France. You see a lot of floppy hats and colorful garb here. Pastries are a big hit here as well.

Evermere: Although Evermere is perhaps the oldest and largest Human city ever built, it presently sits at less than 1/3 capacity. Years of war with Hordelanders have taken their toll on the Evermerians, leaving the population in serious decline. A city forged from marble and stone, Evermere closely resembles ancient Rome, albeit without all the togas and rampant venereal diseases.

Ironhelm: Ironhelm is the home of the Dwarf Lords, and so you would think there would be a lot of low ceilings. Not so. Carved into core of the Ironhelm Mountains, this Dwarven masterpiece is both city and stronghold, and features loads of spacious, vast chambers and massive halls. It's almost as if the Dwarves were trying to make up for something. If you are a Dwarf, chances are either you or your forefather hail from Ironhelm.

Silver Mountain: Legends maintain that all Elves can trace their origins back to Silver Mountain, where an ancient, enchanted valley lies safely nestled behind a impregnable curtain-wall of soaring rock. Therein, shrouded in mist and overlooking a pristine lake, stands the majestic White Citadel, home of the great and aged Elf-King, Eladrius. It's a shame it's builders went a bit overboard on the esthetics. Leave it to the Elves to design something so beautiful that it's depressing. As of late, the Elves, who have historically been extremely reclusive, have opened the gates to Silver Mountain, encouraging trade and cooperation among the rest of the world. Better late than never.

Inspirations:

Although Griffondale began as an original creation, the present version of the Big Peanut draws on many sources.

Ankh-Morpork, as featured in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels is perhaps the most obvious. Chuck Whelan's fictional city "Spirekassel" from the web-comic "Pewfells Porfingles" is another. Of course, J.K. Rowlings world of Harry Potter (particularly Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardy and the village of Hog's Mead) has also influenced Griffondale.

The Free City of Griffondale (Common High-speech)

Motto: Res Could Exsisto Peior (Old Draconic: Things Could be Worse)

Nicknames: The Big Peanut, The City of Wizards, The City of Paperwork, The City that Never Eats

Coat of Arms: A Griffon rampant clutching a lightning bolt behind a bronze shield emblazoned with an upper case 'G'.

Official Languages: Common High-speech, Old Draconic, and random non-nonsensical drunken slurrings.

Current Authority: High-Governess Aleaha Sparklegem

Area: Approximately 13 square miles including outlaying farmsteads and pasture-lands

Population: Approximately 11 000, 4000 of which live outside the city proper