Welcome to the Riva Town Information Office. My Name is Dhana Ghune, I am here to answer your questions.
Now, what would you like to know?
How is Riva’s relationship with the orcs?
We are at peace with the surrounding orc tribes. There is even some trade. The orcs pay mainly in raw materials, as they don’t have much else to offer.
A lot of people in Riva are afraid of an orc offensive.
It’s true that the orcs of the Svellt Vale are in uprising, but you don’t notice much of that here in Riva.
Can you tell us something about the Holberkians?
The Gulek clan has been living in Riva for decades. They are quiet and unassuming, and so far they have given no cause for complaint. They are the ones trading with the orcs.
What’s there to know about the sewers?
The city sewer system was completely renovated and expanded ten years ago. The city corporation has even hired a rat-catcher to prevent vermin from spreading. Since then, there have been hardly any rats in town.
Can you tell us something about the pirates?
As a sea port of the Svellt League, Riva is obviously heavily fortified. No pirates dare attack here. There are a few incidents on the high seas, but on the other hand, there are a high number of imperial war vessels around to prevent piracy.
We’ve heard the guild is active down the sewers.
In a city of this size the presence of some unsavoury elements is inevitable. They sometimes band together, only to be quickly rounded up by the guards. The guild is just a tall tale that resurfaces every time a few criminals organize their activities.
Do you know anything about the monster said to haunt the sewers?
That monster is just as much a fiction as the guild is. Every few months the rumors surface again, but the guards always conduct an investigation. Every time they do, they find the same thing: no monster.
Do you want to:
Find out about the town’s history
Ask about city sights and institutions
Inquire about available services
Centuries before the official foundation of our city, a Thorwalian settlement by the name of Hjalmefjord existed at the Kvill estuary. Riva was founded in the year 432 after the Fall of Bosparan.
Riva’s first citizens were peasants and tradesmen from Albernia and Salza, who came here to find their fortune on the deserted northern plains.
From the beginning, relations with the Nivese and elves coming into the newly founded village to trade were good. The trade goods were sold on to ships anchoring in the Estuary to freshen up their water supply. In 870, after the Fall of Bosparan, Riva became a member of the Svellt League, with the League gaining a sea port in the bargain and Riva securing greatly expanded trade volume.
These days, Riva is a proper city, and every trading house in Arkania worthy of the name has an office in town. In peacetime, Riva manages without an army of her own. Since the orcs started to ravage the Svellt valley, the corporation maintains a force, which is three companies in size at the moment.
There are six temples in town, which are dedicated to Firun, Efferd, Phex, Tsa, Travia, and Rahja. The first sight greeting those arriving by sea is the castle at the harbour entrance. Public buildings include city hall, the court building, the public baths, and the schoolhouse. Every Tsa, the market halls house the annual Riva Trade Fair.
Beside Riva Castle, sights include the Nivilaukaju, a stone monument. Legend tells of how Liska, the Celestial Wolf’s daughter, enticed a young huntsman at that location, who was stabbed to death by his bride, the Nivese girl Nivilaukaju, while making love to Liska. Nivilaukaju was then hit by a bolt from Liska’s eyes that turned her into solid rock. To this very day, the Nivese gather at the momument to sacrifice a karen every new moon, though by now it’s a purely symbolic ceremony.
Then there’s the Rupert Knorre Fountain.
Rupert Knorre was a Riva brewer providing beer for the council meetings. But his porter was flat and thin, and for this affront the mayor ordered Knorre to finance a public fountain, being, as he was, such an expert on serving water. The fountain can be found at the river bank just across from city hall. It’s shaped like a beer barrel.
There are three taverns in town, with a widely differing clientele. The ‘Harbour Maid’ is a sailors’ hangout, whereas the rest of the populace frequents the ‘Fox Fur’ and ‘The Laughing Prickear’. There are also four inns available, two of which, ‘Blue Kvill’ and ‘Riva Parlour’, provide for higher standards, but with prices to match.
In a manor outside of town, there’s the Stoerrebrandt College. Attendance is limited to 49 students at a time. The college students are highly regarded and in the habit of aiding the local merchants in small ways while still in training, giving them a chance to get hands-on experience of the trading life. Stover Regolan Stoerrebrandt himself opened the academy in the 15th year of Hal.
I must attend to my other duties now. Have a nice day!