Bothelm

The Free City of Bothelm owes it's allegiance to no nation. Situated in a cove nestled in the Skycrash Mountains, Bothelm is an economic hub for Southern Byan that was resettled by refugees from the Empire-Tribes Wars.

Bothelm is the free city founded by refugees from the second Empire-Tribes war. Bothelm, once known as Duke Hold, was the site of the initial conflict between the Tribes and the Old Empire.

The Destruction of Duke Hold
The Wandering Tribes were pushing up from the south and the Empire was taking on refugees who spoke of a terrifying new people. The Empire reached out to the Tribes and offered them a chance to have treaty talks before they reached the true edge of the Empire. The Tribes were hesitant but accepted and sent a diplomatic party. The party was comprised of the Darga, the warrior chieftain of the Skull Tribe, his personal guard, the attached Skull Caster contingent, and the Skull Tribe's family heads. The young King of the Old Empire falsely assumed this to be the head of the military and nobility for all of the Tribes instead of just one. His misunderstanding caused him to order the killing of the whole diplomatic party after the first dinner together. As the spells and arrows of the Empire fell on the men and women of the Skull Tribe the Caster contingent worked together to form a curse that would damn Duke Hold until a child of the Tribes was born in Bothelm. Every Tribal warrior that fell meant another spirit to slaughter the living of Duke Hold. The spirits rampaged as the King of the Empire escaped. The remnants of the Skull Tribe party killed every citizen, guard, and beast before another dusk had past before beginning to slowly deconstruct the architecture around them. This act set off the First Empire-Tribes War.

The Founding of Bothelm
Bothelm was founded fifty years later during the Second Empire-Tribes War, by a group of refugees led by four run away soldiers from both sides of the conflict, Skral Pugslo the dwarf, Ell Audra the elf, Yulian the Coward the human, and Arilia Cast-owned the tiefling. The child born by Arilia broke the Skull-Tribe curse as the group was besieged by spirits the first night in Duke Hold. With the curse broken the group renamed Duke Hold and began to make a life there. Yulian and Arilia started a farm and a family, though once their children were older they returned to adventuring, scouring the tunnels under Bothelm. Ell explored the surrounding and created safe passageways through the mountains. Pugslo never forgot his family so he left Bothelm and ventured into the war ravaged lands and brought them back, along with many refugees, who he protected from danger. Over the next one hundred years Bothelm grew in population and prestige, protected from the Empire to the north by mountain and sea while protected from the Tribes to the south by heavy forest and swamp. Though Bothelm doesn't have a true military, between it's City Watch, Wilderness Corp, and Guild Agency, the city can fight off the Tribes or the Empire, though many doubt it could fight off both at once. Most importantly Bothelm serves as a free trading center, with no political affiliation to either side of the conflict.

Geography
Bothelm is situated on the Midesar Sea in a large valley surrounded by the Skycrash Mountains to the west and north. Directly to the east is the Koliat Mountain and past that are the Badlands. To the south-east lies the Blackheart Swamp.

Languages
Common is the most frequently heard language, though Dwarven, Elvish, and Skrel are also heard on the streets.

Population
Bothelm is a mid-sized city for Byan. Duke Hold once boasted the third highest population of the Elder Empire but Bothelm has not grown into that size yet.