Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

Population:  1,200,000 (human 50%, other 35%, half elf 10%, elf 5%)

Local Language: Western Common, Elvish

Organization: Monarchy


The gorgeous seaside city of Coventine was immortalized in the words of the great bard Chi’Dar Nachos. He wrote:

 

Where the blood vine grows

And the mists fold ‘round,

My burning heart knows

Where my home is found.

 

As this verse taken from the far longer poem (it spans some thousand stanzas, some of which are in Elvish) indicates, the town is somewhat well known for its blood vines. The blood vines grow nowhere else in the entire world (despite attempts) and from them grow blood grapes which are later crushed into blood wine. Those who drink blood wine describe it as drinking in forgotten memories you never knew you had. What this exactly means, no one is sure, but the people of Coventine are not in the habit of exporting large amounts of the stuff. Occasionally collectors make a trip to the town to pick up some bottles, but short of that, few foreigners have tried or even know of the wine.

For a few reasons, most of the locals tend to lock up at night. For one, a mist often covers the city. While this happens all the time (and is caused by a peculiarity in a local waterfall), it is most frightening at night where it can reduce visibility to almost nothing. Many people have vanished in the night, never to be found.

There is also a high concentration of lycanthropes (especially werewolves) around the city and it is rumored some live in the city proper. Occasionally a careless local or an ignorant foreigner is bitten by one of the creatures and runs amok in the city. This is regular enough of an occurrence that the members of the local police force, known as the Coventine Militia, are all equipped with silver bullets and wolfsbane as standard issue. Many of the individual guards go out of their way to get other sorts of charms and herbs that ward away other types of lycanthropes or other assorted creatures of the night. Holy water and garlic, for example, are common.

The city itself is ruled by King Harrison Lukas. He is the great grandson of the founder of the town, Harkon Lukas. He appears to be human, but since the members of the Lukas bloodline tend to have extraordinarily long lives (measured in centuries), many suspect the Lukas’ to be of elven blood. Harrison’s current rule has lasted about 70 years, though he appears to be only in his 20’s. Since he is unmarried, he is currently Coventine’s most eligible bachelor, and the media is always sure to cover each of his newest love interests.

Due to an intense interest with the moon (probably due to the number of lycanthropes in the area), shadow magic is extremely popular among those who practice magic here. Many perform rituals around the phases of the moon and everyone knows the current moon phase as well as the average person might know the current day of the week.

Poets and artists are particularly active here as well. The dark city filled with dark monsters both real and imagined and the atmosphere created by the mists lend endless amounts of inspiration to the creative types here. Needless to say, ghost stories of all sorts run rampant around here. Such stories are very popular in the fall festivals, where everyone traditionally celebrates with blood wine.


Central Coventine (A rating)

                Downtown Coventine is home to the Royal Court, Royal Palace, Bloodvine Park, the Moonlight Shopping Center, the Night Mist Theater, and the Royal Hills. It is a place where celebrities and minor royalty typically gather and live. Crime is just about nonexistent thanks to the Coventine Militia which discreetly watches the streets (with sniper rifles equipped with thermographic scopes to help see through the mists).


Western Coventine (C rating)

                West of the glitz and glamor of central Coventine is the docks area. Huge tankers bring cargo in and out of Coventine here, though the perpetual mist that covers all of Coventine makes this area particularly hazardous for boats. Most ships are guided into port using matrix overlays, but occasional brownouts have been known to cause accidents. There is an active redlight district here, largely run by a local gang called the Fangs.


Southern Coventine (E rating)

                Not too long ago, southern Coventine was a nice residential area. Turf battles here between the Reds and the Fangs eventually got so bloody that the Coventine Militia pulled out to better protect the wealthier sections. The fighting has calmed down a bit and now the Reds and Fangs see this as a sort of neutral area, keeping fighting to a minimum. Several seedy bars have prospered here, catering to the two gangs as well as other criminal elements.


Eastern Coventine (B rating)

                The Coventine Falls, which create the strange mists that shroud the entire city, are located in eastern Coventine. This area has been left largely undeveloped due to local superstition and the blood vines that grow wild throughout the area. The area is well maintained, and is considered to be a natural park. Many years ago, people did live in this area, but the wooden structures have all been naturally cleared away over the years with one exception. At the base of the falls sits an old, abandoned inn. The inn has been rotting there for centuries and there are many ghost stories about it.

                At night, some criminal elements occasionally meet here, but it is somewhat rare due to local superstition and the overall creepy atmosphere the mists create. During the day, it is a popular tourist destination and at certain times of the year, the blood vines are harvested to make bloodwine, a local specialty. The bloodvines only grow in Coventine and any attempts to farm them always fail, so these wild vines are protected by the Coventine Militia, which makes this area a lot safer than it would otherwise seem.


Southeastern Coventine (D rating)

                This area is primarily home to farmers (many of whom harvest blood berries), servants of the uber rich of central Coventine, or factory workers from the docks and industrial areas. A small gang of humans and elves called the Reds is based here. While they tend to keep things quiet, they do occasionally clash with the Fangs, with those clashes often spilling into the streets.


Northwestern Coventine (A rating)

                North of the docks is the industrial section of Coventine. The various factories here are prime targets for theft and sabotage. They likely would be hit by gangs or shadowrunners on a daily basis if it were not for the fact that the Coventine Militia’s headquarters is also stationed here.

                Like many cities, Coventine tried to cut city costs by hiring a private police force like Hammer Solutions’ Guardians instead of having a state run force. It soon became apparent that foreign police forces simply weren’t equipped to handle the native lycanthrope population, and the costs of training and equipment simply made the costs too high. Since regular forces failed, Coventine had to accept that its own militia, with locals who knew what they were doing, was the only one capable of reasonably getting the job done. They are highly trained at handling various supernatural creatures (though focus is of course on lycanthropes), and their presence keeps the crime in the industrial area to almost nil.


Northeastern Coventine (B rating)

                Coventine’s middle class lives primarily in the northeastern section. While many used to live closer to central Coventine on the south side, gang fighting forced them to move and caused a flurry of development here. Most people who live here are corporate workers who work in the north, central and northwestern sections of Coventine.


Northern Coventine (B rating)

                While there are several corporate buildings throughout northern Coventine, the main thing of importance in this area is Coventine University. Coventine University has a prestigious magical program as well as a fairly famous paranormal studies program. Graduates of this university are quickly hired as corporate mages throughout the world.