Port Valor

Port Valor was a town on the northern coast of the Falassian Empire. Once a bustling seaport, most of its residents were rendered soulless and many of its buildings were destroyed after it was subjected to the Fireaxe Clan's anti-life magic. It also served as the first meeting place for the group of adventurers who would become the Pog Champions.

Description
Before its devastation, Port Valor was a thriving port town. Several people have referred to Port Valor as a town of new beginnings and many possibilities. Many sailors, merchants, and adventurers frequented Port Valor. The population was very diverse, including humans, elves, half-elves, dwarves, halflings, half-orcs, and at least one dragonborn (and, for a time, one triton). Many sailors and fishermen called the port their home. There were also many shops in Port Valor, ranging from butcher shops to jewelry stores to temporary stalls hawking magical wares. Despite an abundance of economic activity, there was stark wealth inequality in the town, with the slums comprising a significant portion of the town while great wealth was on display in the Upper District. Port Valor also had a criminal underbelly, with the most prominent gang being a group called the Broken Crown. However, the Broken Crown was forced to disband a few months before the devastation of Port Valor. While there was a city guard that patrolled the town and its surrounding area, its attentions were unevenly applied, with much more effort put into guarding the richer areas of the town. Guards assigned to the slums were known (to residents of the slums, at least) to be much more likely to be corrupt. Port Valor was, and technically still is, governed by a count, who typically has a number of advisors assisting them in decision-making. The current ruler is Count Corvus, an uncle of Emperor Eurystheos XIV.

Portside District
The Portside District was a largely residential area located in the northeastern part of the city. Bellevue's family lived there before the devastation.

The Docks
The Docks were the center of Port Valor's thriving economy. Many ships and sailors moved through the port proper. There were also many traveling merchants who set up temporary shop along the docks, as well as more permanent shops, such as Needlepoint's body modification shop, the Inked Anchor. During the days of the Broken Crown's activity, the Siren operated out of the docks as well. The docks of Port Valor were also where Reides first arrived on the land of the surface.

Town Square
At the center of Port Valor is an open town square with a fountain and greenery. Dillan's family lived near here. During the devastation, several members of the Fireaxe Clan brought Count Corvus here to torture him.

Upper District
The Upper District is located in the southeastern part of Port Valor. The city's nobility lived there, and the district tended to have a heavier town guard presence than many of the poorer areas of the town. The Count's Palace was located near the southeastern end of the Upper District, surrounded by a large fence and a garden tended by the Count's servants. The palace's interior was minimally but finely decorated, and the building served as Count Corvus's residence and workplace. It also contained a vault which, unbeknownst to the Count, housed one of the Abyssal Crests until it was taken by Thorak. A small corner of the Upper District was outside of the anti-life field, allowing Count Corvus's survival. At least one jewelry shop was also located in the Upper District.

The Slums
The slums were where Port Valor's poor lived and worked. It tended to have a lighter guard presence than the rest of the town, and the guards who did work there tended to be more corrupt. There also seemed to be a heavy Broken Crown presence in the slums with their main recruitment hub, a tavern called the Twisted Nail, located there. It was also the location of Kargath the Butcher and Nivex the Poisoner's bases of operations. Kargath's butcher shop, where he lived with his daughter Zenine, was also located there.

Temple of Alethus
Port Valor's Temple of Alethus is technically outside of the city, on a hill to the southeast. It is also the location of the town's graveyard, which had an undead problem a few months before Thorak's attack. It was outside the radius of the anti-life field and became a refuge for survivors of the destruction. It is currently overseen by Lathendria.

Map
(We can delete this section if there's no map to post- I am simply basing this on the CritRole wiki's layout lol)

History
It is unknown when Port Valor was formally established. The author of The Great Storm described a small fishing village that boasted of one of its villagers, a skilled sailor named Garo. When the village had fallen on harsher times, Garo was challenged to sail into a large storm by a mysterious traveler, who promised a gift to the village if Garo succeeded. The storm was more potent than Garo expected, and the traveler revealed himself to be Eadro, here to punish Garo and the village for their hubris in claiming mastery of the seas. Eadro summoned a great wave, intended to drown Garo, but Garo managed to sail through the wave and survive. Eadro admitted defeat but advised Garo to ensure that his fellow villagers abandoned their arrogance. When Garo return to his village and told the people what had transpired, he told them that they must abandon their arrogance and become a port of valor. It is unknown if this is a historically accurate account of the founding of Port Valor, especially as The Great Storm is considered fiction, but may explain the meaning behind the town's name. While it was likely rebuilt after the Age of Dragons, the fact that an Abyssal Crest is associated with Port Valor may indicate that the area has been populated for millennia. Count Corvus has ruled over Port Valor for some time, his reign beginning years before 598. In 588, he was entrusted with a blue robe by the royal family in Falas. Corvus asked few questions, but placed the robe in his personal vault for protection. This robe was secretly one of the Abyssal Crests.

A criminal organization called the Broken Crown also operated in Port Valor for at least several decades prior to 598. It was led by Tyrian Vordt, a half-elven man who was also involved with the town's nobility and legitimate political landscape. Tyrian became closer to the count, becoming one of his top advisors in 598. He learned of the Abyssal Crests from books in the count's library and made the connection between the story of the Crests and the robe in the Count's vault. Tyrian made a pact with a demon named the Burning Knight and plotted to assassinate Corvus by poisoning his tea in order to take over his position. At the same time, he commanded members of the Broken Crown to stage riots throughout Port Valor. Fortunately, Count Corvus was apprised of the plot by the Pog Champions, a party of adventurers first formed in Port Valor roughly a week before the coup attempt, who also confronted and killed Tyrian. The riots were also dispersed, but caused destruction throughout the town, especially in the slums. Efforts to repair the damage caused by the Broken Crown riots were quickly initiated, drawing supply merchants and construction works to the town.

At roughly the same time that Tyrian was planning his coup, an orc clan called the Fireaxe Clan became more active in the area surrounding Port Valor. They ambushed travelers and seemed to be interested in collecting magical items. Once the threat of the Broken Crown was handled, rumors of the Fireaxe Clan's activities and their leader, Thorak Fireaxe, became a cause for concern for Count Corvus and his remaining advisors. Count Corvus sent a missive to the Emperor in the capital, seeking assistance with the orcs. Upon receiving his letter, Emperor Eurystheos XIV sent a contingent of the royal guard to Port Valor to assist in ending the attacks. In the meantime, the Fireaxe Clan's activities continued to escalate, and some Valorians left their homes for Hwen and Davenport, fearing a direct attack on the town. Once the guards from Falas arrived, a combined force of Port Valor and Falas guards tracked the Fireaxe Clan back to their mountain abbey base and routed the clan's fighters. The downfall of the Fireaxe Clan was celebrated in town and its residents began to feel at ease once more. However, in early Sunpeak 598, a large magical blast erupted from the center of the town, seeming to sunder the souls from the bodies of most of the town's remaining population. Their souls seem to have been stored within a purple orb, kept by those serving Alzrius. Count Corvus survived the blast, only to witness the orcs taking the Abyssal Crest from his vault and to be taken to the town square where he was tortured by a group of orcs and half-ogres. The surviving orcs of the Fireaxe Clan invaded the city, bringing magical constructs with them that were sure to cause further destruction and capturing the few survivors they found to bring back to their abbey to use as sacrifices to the Burning Knight, who had also made a pact with Thorak Fireaxe. Cooking fires throughout the town, suddenly left unattended as a result of the sudden mass death, quickly began to spread, burning down many of the (largely wooden) buildings of Port Valor. Although Thorak was killed a fight with the Pog Champions (who had returned to the town soon after the anti-life field took effect), the devastation had a total of eleven confirmed survivors, one of whom was killed as an offering to the Burning Knight before he could be rescued. The physical structures of the town were also heavily damaged before the fires burned themselves out. Help from the capital arrived via teleportation the next day, although there was little that could be done immediately. However, plans were made to rebuild the town in order to serve as a seaport once more, with assistance from Falassian construction workers and a small contingent of former Fireaxe Clan members who wished to atone for their clan's crime before leaving for Gron-Gammar for judgment. Clerics were also teleported in from Falas to attempt to preserve the bodies of the dead in hopes that the sundering of their souls could possibly be reversed somehow. Teleportation to Falas was also offered to the survivors who no longer wished to remain in Port Valor. While some decided to accept this offer and start new lives in the capital, others chose to remain and help rebuild their home.

After several months of the soulless people being kept in a state of suspended decay, a number of them suddenly fell into a state of regular death. This was because the orb was being used by a mind-controlled Slumberjack to cast spells, consuming the souls within the orb in the process.

Known Residents

 * Alexandrius (formerly or deceased)
 * Allura (formerly)
 * Andrew
 * Anna (formerly)
 * Bai (formerly or deceased)
 * Balgrus (formerly or deceased)
 * Bel (formerly or deceased)
 * Bellevue
 * Count Corvus
 * Dillan
 * Finnan (formerly or deceased)
 * Fortus (formerly or deceased)
 * Harvella
 * Javier (formerly or deceased)
 * Kargath the Butcher
 * Lathendria
 * Monka
 * Needlepoint (deceased)
 * Nivex the Poisoner (deceased)
 * Reides (formerly)
 * The Siren (deceased)
 * Tyrian Vordt (formerly)
 * William (unknown)
 * Zenine