A city of elven egalitarianism, freedom, and frivolity. Quistria is the last big city with an elven majority, and it represents a fine blend of ancient heritage and wild partying. The people, architecture, and even the surrounding forest can be described best as “quirky”, though “absurdist” would be a good second choice.
Most of Quistria’s buildings are made of carefully woven trees and vines, so the city blends seamlessly with the surrounding woods. Even the twisting spires and mushroom-shaped turrets that rise from the city’s center are covered in (if not made from) trees and vines. Visitors are drawn to the fine shopping, alien forest-city vista, and intense, uninhibited nightlife. The local elves are friendly toward human visitors, but encourage them not to try to settle down in the city. (There is a nearby city nicknamed “Humantown” for the human inhabitants of the Quistral Forest.)
Quistrali Heritage: Elven (0th-1st Wave, and homeland-seeking elven migrants from the 2nd Wave through today.) Also some human minorities (mostly 4th wave colonizers and 5th wave immigrants) who are mostly sequestered in nearby “Humantown”. (Note: humans are discouraged from claiming Quistrali heritage, even if they’ve lived in the Quistrali forest for generations.)
Population: 3 (50x)
Cultural Influence: 16. Whether it’s a ten thousand year old song, luxurious tree-grown dress or modern poetry duel, Elven culture never ceases to fascinate and amuse. Humans frequently lack respect for elves, and yet they can’t get enough of elven music, dance, and fashion. A significant percentage of the humans in Quistria (and the Quistral forest in general) are talent scouts and design students.
Economic Influence: 12. Quistria isn’t a huge city, yet it has an outsized economic influence. It’s lucky; its people can live off the incredible bounty of the forest, not to mention the platinum choking its streams. The Quistrali Elves aren’t particularly materialistic – but the humans who trade with them are. Quistria has the highest per-capita trade surplus of any nation in Terra Trema; they export many highly valued goods (fabulous designer dresses, constructor vines, beautifully packaged ancient lore, platinum statuettes, etc.) and import little.
Military Influence: 3. Though there are some elven mercenaries and adventurers, the Quistrali do not maintain an active military. Even the defense of their homeland has no central organization – though little formal organization is needed, for elven defenders.
Quistria’s lack of a powerful military force is curious, given the reputation of Quistrali as incredibly skilled, lightning-fast fighters. Individual elves can kill hundreds of unprepared troops. And yet, they never do so, except occasionally in defense of their forests. An army has not issued forth from Quistria in over a thousand years.
Arguably, there is one exception: a significant percentage of the Green Crusade, currently headquartered in Niloash, hail from Quistria. But these are renegades and zealots from outside the Quistrali mainstream.
Defense: 8. The elves of the Quistral forest have no discernible defensive structures. And yet, they’re still here, the only elven holdout after thousands of years of dwarven and human encroachment throughout Terra Trema.
It’s fair to say that their defenses are indeed poor, in the traditional sense . The forest (including the urban forest) provides some cover and vantage points, but ultimately succumbs to axes and fire in the event of a siege or brutal conquest. And yet, conquerors don’t stay long here. They plant a flag or two, do a bit of plundering, and then get the hell out. Or what remains of them gets out. The very trees of the forest, it seems, are allied with the elves. They regrow freakishly fast, and they hold grudges...
Quistrali strategy has frequently been this: let their enemies win. Win or lose, the forest will drive interlopers away soon enough. Some elves still prefer to win, of course, since it means less plundered treasures and murdered elves. But even in defeat, Quistria suffers far less than a typical sacked city: its people scatter to the forest and its buildings can be regrown.
Quistria Cultural Stats: (Statistics are for the elves, not the human minority or visitors)
Government: The Divine Martyr: when she dies at 18, the birthmark reappears on another pubescent girl. Her entire family rules.
Most Common Criminal Acts: desecrating nature, arson, burglary, plagiarism (a more recent crime, driven by the popularity of poetry duels)
Justice: Justice is swift but light. Most severe punishment is exile. Shaming is common.
Climate: warm, mild, wet, temperate/subtropical but with occasional snow.
Nights: low magical lighting sufficient for elves. Active nightlife, but very odd.
Food: Truly strange. Mostly fruit – including many fruit poisonous to humans.
Clothing: elaborate, colorful, and mostly grown rather than made. Grown clothes are not meant to last long; the wealthy often re-grow their gowns from private clothes-gardens. (The less-well-off tend to buy “permanent” clothes, or harvest their gowns from co-op gardens. This is the only meaningful class distinction / privilege in an otherwise egalitarian city.)
Festivals & Holidays: Diverse and many. Quistria preserves the ancient Elven festivals – but many have been updated for modern tastes, or merged with human holidays. (For example, ancient festivals celebrating the enslavement and sacrifice of humans have been... reimagined.)
City Appearance & Architecture: Everything is trees and vines – even the buildings constructed from cut wood are revitalized and made alive. The city is saturated with fruit and flowers – some of which double as night-lights. (Though not very bright, since elves don't need much light to see.)
Common Sounds & Smells: A pervasive sweet, fruity-perfume smell pervades the city, mixed with something pleasantly earthy. Meat and animals are rare, all industry is garden / plant based, and fruit and flowers abound. The result is the most pleasant-smelling city in the world (though some would argue that it's sickeningly pleasant).
Governance Building, Iconic Structures & Landmarks: Crowntree, The Spinnery, The Old Swing, Nursetree, Poet's Dueling Ring, Quistral College of Design, College of Herbology, Temple of Memes, Tree of Heritage, Tree of Lore, Tree of Appeasement (once named the Tree of Sacrifice; in a bygone era, it grew strong by feeding on human blood).
Districts, Sectors, Zones, Regions, Wards, and other big places: The Old Trees, the Stone Trees, the Home Trees (North and South), the Port, the “Factory District” (actually sprawling gardens, mostly garment-growing co-ops), the Dancer's Clearing, the Roots (underground tunnels), the Swing Trees (party district), the Twisty Trees (art/fashion district), The Loan-Trees (“loaned” to foreigners; mostly hotels and dormitories for humans. Better lighting at night.)
Produces, Exports: herbs, berries, wine, platinum, lorebooks, bows, grown gowns, music, constructor plants, nature magics
Demands, Imports: steel, stone, cold-weather & arid foods, flowers, feathers, dyes, art, exotic plants
Satellite Cities & Towns: The entire Quistral forest is a continuous village, with Quistria its primary nucleus.
Highly optional game-related or story-related material:
Important People: xxxx
Plot Hooks:
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