knowledge is respected and encouraged, and some training
in refined martial techniques is culturally expected. The
idea of trade between other cities and nations is under-
stood to be both healthy and beneficial, but most foreign
trade and travel is relegated to outer areas of the city. Few
foreigners ever see the inner city. Delicate crafts by Syngor-
nian hands are sought after by collectors around the world,
so many take up the trade for both profit and honor.
Being a populace of people who live extraordinarily
long lives, having children is a rare, and largely regulated
process. Prospective parents must gain approval from
the office of the Voice of Memory to procreate, and any
unapproved children are sent out of the city to be raised in
outposts or foreign cities.pre JuDiCe
While wary of outsiders from the beginning, it wasn’t
until the historic betrayal of Drassig that the elves of
Syngorn adopted a severe prejudice against humans and
their outsider allies. This rift was mostly mended through
the alliance with Zan Tal’Dorei following the Scattered
War and the centuries of good faith that followed, but
humans are still respectfully kept at arm’s length. The
prideful dwarves of Kraghammer, however, have never
made amends for their support of Drassig in those days.
No trade passes between Syngorn and Kraghammer, and
dwarves who swear fealty to the Ironspeaker are barred
entrance from the city.
It’s extremely rare for a non-elf to be granted citi-
zenship within Syngorn, and usually only by decree of
the High Warden herself. Many that reside here do so
under the banner of “temporary lodging,” and are firmly
prompted to leave should they overstay their welcome.
Half-elf children are considered flawed and an embar-
rassment to not only the family that bore them, but to
the cultural purity of Syngorn. They are tolerated within
the city, but rarely with respect or companionship.Crime
If Syngorn appears free of crime, it is because elven criminals
have hundreds of years of experience lurking in the shadows.
A thriving market for illegal goods runs invisibly through
the Linens Guild. Running a private trade line to and from
Kymal, small shipments of suude, stolen goods, and dwarven
trinkets are brought in for interested parties and collectors.
The few pockets of poverty that are largely swept into the
shadows of the walls serve as a haven for pickpockets and
swindlers that avoid the gaze of the Verdant Guard.Geo Graphy anD Climate
The perpetual shade of the thick, green canopy of the
forest maintains cooler weather throughout the summer
months, while the ice and snow of the winter is present
but minimal this far south.the MeMory WarD
The Memory Ward is the mind of Syngorn, and is contained
within a ring of marble walls in Syngorn’s northeast reaches.
A winding stair, the One Thousand Steps, leads up to its
lofty gate. Standing in the center of its grand court is the
mystical Sequoia of Remembrance, a three hundred-foot-tall
redwood within which are stored the lives and memories
of every elf in Tal’Dorei. Wisps of violet light flit about the
sequoia’s ancient boughs, and those who look closely into
their centers have been known to catch glimpses of eras
past, troubles present, and things that yet may be. The great
redwood and its spirits are watched and tended to by the
Dreamweavers, elves who have dedicated their waking and
sleeping lives to the protection of their heritage. About five
hundred Dreamweavers and five thousand scholars, mer-
chants, and other elves call this district their home.
The elves are a culture obsessed with tradition and the
past. As such, the Dreamweavers are among the most
well-respected factions within Syngorn. Their leader Oues-
tra, the Voice of Memory, is likewise the most revered and
socially powerful of the Wardens. Ouestra rarely descends
from her tower of moonlight in the south of the Memory
Ward, but when she does, all of Syngorn pays heed.bery l Keep
Beryl Keep is the fortress-district that houses the might
of Syngorn. Situated on a hill in the northwest of the
city, thick walls of leaf-green beryl separate the district
from the rest of Syngorn. Within these walls are rows of
barracks, archery ranges, trance chambers, forges, mess
halls, and all the other necessities of training an army of
long-living, magical elves. At the far northwest of the dis-
trict is the Beryl Keep itself. The near-unassailable fortress
proves the saying that even the most utilitarian of elven
things are beautiful to mortal eyes. Six ancient eucalyptus
trees mark the boundaries of the keep, but between them
grows a thick curtain of ironbark, and a dense canopy of
impenetrable steelfern forms its roof. Legend says that
when Syngorn’s need is greatest, the six ancient eucalyptus
trees that guard the keep will uproot and march as mighty
treants to defend the bastion of the elves.
Beryl Keep is commanded by Verdant Lord Celindar.
Syngorn’s master strategist uses a seeing crystal within his
war room to view all of the Verdant Expanse. From this
vantage point, he commands his forces like a chessmaster,
always one step ahead of the savage threats within the
enchanted forest. So far, Syngorn remains safe because its
enemies are wild and disorganized. Were they to unify, the
might of the Verdant Guard would truly be put to the test.
The armies of Syngorn are about five thousand elves
strong, though only about three thousand are within dis-
trict at any time. The rest are stationed at outposts within
the Verdant Expanse and the Feywild.“Syngorn is a city of wonders and beauty of the like
rarely seen anywhere on Exandria. Towers and
bowers, cloisters and arches so graceful and fine
they make your heart ache—and yet, for all of these
works, the most precious treasure in our city is the
innocent laughter of children.”
—Ouestra, the Voice of Memory