VOLOTHAMP: THE GEM CITY (Patreon)

THE GEM CITY: A PLACE TO FLOURISH (THE CITY VOLO IS NAMED FOR [AND WHY])

Welcome to an overview of a city in the Realms that for years has been little more than a name. So it can be a new setting for your own Realmsplay, at the gaming table, or another bit of lore finally filled in, or a look at how to summarize a place, to spur you to thinking: for YOU, and the style you play, what have I left out? If you are the DM preparing this place for tonight’s adventure, what do you have to add?

Volothamp is known as the Gem City because many gemcutters and jewelers live and work here, transforming raw stones to rings, earrings, tiaras, decorative forearms bracers, sandals, and (in particular) pectorals. This community developed thanks to rich veins of rubies, red spinels, and blue sapphires which were under the current city, but were long ago worked out (and the mining tunnels turned into storage cellars for city dwellings). In the last century, some specialized caravan merchant companies (employing formidable escort guards) perfected efficient shipping of gems and gold from elsewere (mainly mines in the mountains north of the Lake of Steam), so many jewelers and goldsmiths of great skill still dwell in the city, notably two rival families of fine wiremakers (for jewelry settings; alloy wires, many gold-plated), the Raelvelyns [“RAY-vell-linn”] and the Yularhmar [“Yoo-LARR-huh-mar”]. The tiefling gemcutting mage...

*Please find the full transcript attached to the end of this post in *.txt and *.docx formats

NOTE: We are trying something a little new, in that we experimented with bedding music throughout the duration of these Realmslore drops. Please comment below with your thoughts on this. Do you find that it adds to the atmosphere? Do you find it distracting? We are curious to know whether or not you prefer a silent background or low-bedded mood music during this readings.