The Dawn Republic is a country created for the Lightfall campaign of the Dungeons & Dragons series, High Rollers D&D. It is visited in the series from Sessions 1-20, 25-30 and 39-40.
Description[]
Dawn Republic is a mercantile country located on the eastern regions of Arrak. It is the second largest country on the continent. It borders Troubled Lands to the north, Bresseras to the west and the Unbroken Empire to the south, all demarcated by the Grasping Peaks mountain range. Its eastern edge border the seas. Dawn Republic is also a culturally diverse and democratic country.
Structure of the Government of the Dawn Republic
The Government of the Dawn Republic is a mega-faction that governs the entire country. Its seat of government is in Talis'Val. The government, headed by the Champion, comprises of various factions that govern different aspects of the Republic. The factions are Council of Guilds, Council of Wizards, Head of Security and the Marshal Society.
Dawn Republic is also home to two evil-aligned major factions: the Broken Sky and the Burning King. Both factions are known to terrorise the local population, though the Broken Sky did so in an organised manner, while the Burning King causes random destruction.
History[]
Magocracy[]
At its start the territory that would encompass Dawn Republic was a country ruled by mages. Firstlight is the country's capital.
Lightfall[]
A huge chunk of Pelor's Light decimates Firstlight. Screenshot from "The Story So Far".
When the Lighfall happened several shards of Pelor's Light crashed down into the land and killed thousands. Firstlight got the biggest shard and was subsequently destroyed.
Founding of the new Republic[]
Korak the champion, a dragonborn warrior from Bresseras, came to the remaining cities in the region and united them to form a republic under his rule, founding a new capital in the ruins of the religious city of Talis'Val. He united the merchant guilds and made the country prosper under his rule.
Broken Sky[]
Demographics & Culture[]
Demographic[]
Races[]
Income Level[]
Culture[]
Religion[]
Major Holidays[]
Geography & Climate[]
Grasping Peaks is a mountain range that stretch across the entire continent of Arrak and also serves as international borders for the countries and regions.
There are four rivers within the Dawn Republic. A lone river is located in the south and flows through two marshes, one located near the source of the river, where Aramount is, and the second is located further downstream near the mouth of the river, where Downford is. Two rivers are located in the north. Both rivers flow into the Shardlake (sometimes referred to as Cloudlake) as tributaries, which then flows into the ocean via a larger river serving as a distributary; its river mouth is located near Talis'Val.[1]
There are two forests within the Dawn Republic. The larger one is located in the north, with the settlement of Firstlight bordering it. Longwood Forest is a smaller forest located near the eastern shores of the country, with the settlements of Fallcliff and Feyden bordering it. The forest contains the Spire of Eternal Autumn and the Temple of Melora.
Relations & Military[]
Friendly
Hostile
Economy[]
Resources[]
Currency[]
Coins are used as currency across Arrak, including the Dawn Republic. The value of the coins are determined by the type of metal it is made of: copper, silver, gold and platinum. Each platinum piece is worth 10 gold pieces. Gold piece is the most common coin in circulation, worth 10 silver pieces each. Each silver piece is worth 10 copper pieces.
Transport and Infrastructure[]
Paved roads are common in major towns and along major trade routes. Apart from walking, horses and carts are used by the people to travel between places. Caravan services are available in major towns to provide mass transportation for people travelling between towns. In Talis'Val, carriage services are available for private transportation within the city for 10 gold.[2]
List of Populated Areas[]
Listed below are populated areas mentioned in the Lightfall campaign. It may also include events and locations under the respective populated areas.
Aramount[]
Map correct as of Session 26.
Aramount is a town located west of Briarcrest. It is also located within the Grasping Peaks mountain range. The town is known for its specialisation in ore production and also serves as one of the passageway into the Underdark. Its inhabitants are mainly drows and dwarves, most of them live below the surface in the shallower depths of the Underdark. The Aramount Mining Facility is located here.
Undead Invasion of Aramount[]
Prior to the Lightfall, the undead were put into an eternal slumber deep underneath the Underdark. When the Lightfall happened, these undead awoke and invade the shallower depths of the Underdark, wrecking havoc on the drow and dwarven settlements. Many homes and keeps were abandoned as the inhabitants had to flee to the surface.
The two race were forced into an alliance. They join the Aramount forces, lead by a captain (Dulgrim's brother), to fight back the invasion. The captain fought alongside the generals to push back the invading forces. The battle is still ongoing today and they have successfully reclaimed back some dwarven territories. However, the Aramount forces have yet to penetrate into the deeper depths of the Underdark.
Burkley[]
Burkley is a small coastal fishing village located north-east of Shard Lake and Talis'Val. Fredrika is its marshal and de facto leader. An attempted raid by the Burning King in Session 29 was thwarted with the help of the adventurers.
Briarcrest[]
Map correct as of Session 26.
Briarcrest is a town located east of Aramount, north of Tallfield and west of Feyden. After Denin, a Broken Sky loyalist, became elected as the town's mayor, Briarcrest denounce their allegiance to the Republic. The town also serves as a rival trading port, with nearby settlements trading with Briarcrest rather than Talis'Val. Briarcrest is also known for a very expensive cheese called Briarcrest Brie.
Fallcliff[]
Fallcliff is a town located south-west of Talis'Val and north-east of Damrick's Rest. It is also located by the eastern border of Longwood forest. It is one of the few settlements that switched trading partner from Talis'Val to Briarcrest, now a Broken Sky settlement. The other is Greybell.
Feyden[]
Map correct as of Session 26.
Feyden is a village of Dawn Republic, located west of Talis'Val and east of Briarcrest. It is also located by the northern border of Longwood forest. The town is known for its specialisation in lumber production. Rika Flamewind is the de facto leader of the town.
Feyden appears in Sessions 9 to 11, where the adventurers solved the case of the missing lumber.
Firstlight[]
Map correct as of Session 26.
Firstlight is the capital of the magocracy country that precedes the Dawn Republic, located north of Newlight. It is also located by the western shore of Shard Lake.
From the Lightfall event, the largest chunk that broke off lands on Firstlight, which decimates the entire city. It is now part of Dawn Republic as a ruined city. It is not known if there inhabitants living in Firstlight today.
Greybell[]
Map correct as of Session 26.
Greybell is a town located south-west of Tallfield. The Bucklands made a pit-stop at this town prior to the events in Session 1. It is also one of the few settlements that switched trading partner from Talis'Val to Briarcrest, now a Broken Sky settlement. The other is Fallcliff.
Murder of Mirela Buckland[]
Greybell is known for the murder of Mirela. Cam is accused of murder after one of his daggers was found at the scene of crime covered in blood. Details of the events that happened before and during the murder is unclear, although it is known that both Cam and Keran were present at the scene of crime.[3] However, the town's leaders could not determine if Cam was responsible for her death due to lack of witnesses, so they decided to banish Cam from the town.
Amelia, Mirela's sister, suspects that Cam murdered Mirela out of jealousy, believing that he dislikes Mirela marrying Keran as Cam may have liked Mirela, since the two have spent their childhood together.
Melody[]
Melody is a ruined town located north of Redcrop. It now serves as a stronghold for the Burning King. It appeared in Sessions 30 to 32, where Nalistri and the adventurers made a successful attempt to rescue the captured citizens of Redcrop and guards hired by Nalistri.
Merlow[]
Merlow[spelling?] is a village located within the Northern region of the Republic. Its location is somewhere between Melody, Redcrop and Velderbann. It appears in Session 49.
New Light[]
New Light is a ramshackle village located south of Firstlight. It appeared in Episode 53.
Redcrop[]
Redcrop[spelling?] is a village located north of both Shard Lake and Talis'Val. It got raided by the Burning King in Session 30, resulting in the destruction of the village. All able-bodied men and women, save for two adults, were either captured or killed. The other survivors, mostly the elderly and children, were hiding in a wine cellar underneath a tavern.
Talis'Val[]
Map correct as of Session 26.
Talis'Val is the capital city located east of Feyden and north-east of Fallcliff. It is also located along the right bank of Shard Lake's only distributary. The city serves as the seat of government of the Republic, housing both Council of Guilds and Council of Wizards. The Marshal Society is also headquartered in this city.
Talis'Val appears in Sessions 11 to 20, then later in Sessions 25 to 27, 29 to 30 and 39 to 40. In these sessions, the adventurers mainly infiltrated the Black Black Valley, solved the case of the kidnapped tieflings, performed at the Feast of Stone, cleared Whisper's Walk off the undead, visited the Summer Festival, encountered the the spirit of Dimitriv, meet with the several members of the Council of Elves and weaken House Relliv.
Tallfield[]
Map correct as of Session 26.
Tallfield is a village located south of Briarcrest and north-east of Greybell. It is surrounded mainly by wheat plantations.
Tallfield appears in Sessions 2 to 6, where the village is under attacked by an unknown entity that is killing off a citizen each night.
Velderbann[]
Map correct as of Session 41.
Velderbann is a hill dwarven town located north of Firstlight. The Grasping Peaks mountain range is located north of the town.
Velderbann appears in Session 41 and 42, where the adventurers investigate suspected Broken Sky activities that plague the town.
Other Locations[]
Elven Barrow[]
  Left: Map correct as of Session 26. Right: Map re-creation of Elven Barrow, originally drawn by Mark Hulmes. |
The Elven Barrow is an underground abandoned barrow that worships Corellon Larethian and houses the body of Dehal, daugther of Ayandris. The barrow is connected to a cave system that leads out into the glades near Tallfield.
Being abandoned, it is used by Gulthia to conduct her sacrifices. This is also the location where the adventurers first met one another in Sessions 1 and 2.
Necromancer's Tower[]
The Necromancer's Tower is a tower believed to belong to the Master Wizard of Necromancy. It was briefly mentioned in Session 27 as an option for Cam to get rid of the revenant.
Ruined Watchtower[]
About four hours west of Talis'Val is the ruins of a watchtower. It serves as a meeting point for Broken Sky's Talis'Val Cell after the raid of their original hold in Black Valley Brewery. It appeared in Sessions 25 and 26, where the adventurers, Commander Durmont and his men, including Lieutenant Barris, ambushed their meeting, resulting in the death of Varesh, leader of the Talis'Val Cell, and Irathax, a young green dragon. It also lead to the capture of one of the Broken Sky member.