Westruun

City: Population 51,980 (61% humans, 10% gnomes, 7% tieflings, 5% orcs, 4% half-giants, 1% gnolls, 12% other races)

The city of Westruun is the center of Tal’Dorei, a crossroads of culture along the Silvercut Roadway that welcomes adventurers, traders, and vagabonds of all kinds. Despite its name, Westruun is more east than west, and was in fact named after Palest Westruun, the trader and philosopher who founded the city. Westruun suffered under the rule of the goliath tyrant Kevdak’s Herd of Storms. Worse, its outlying towns and great stone buildings were ravaged by the acidic breath of Umbrasyl the Hope Devourer, an ancient black dragon of the Chroma Conclave who exacted tribute from her lair in the eerie mountain of Gatshadow. Despite the damage inflicted by its evil rulers, Westruun was one of the first cities in Tal’Dorei to recover from the Conclave. Though its government is deeply in debt to both the League of Miracles and a number of adventuring parties, the city has long since reclaimed its place of importance as an economic, academic, and political power within Tal’Dorei.

Government

Westruun underwent a political revolution in the wake of the Chroma Conclave’s defeat. The former margrave, Brandon Zimmerset, was a tyrant who claimed absolute power for himself following Kevdak’s defeat at the hands of Vox Machina. The title of margrave is a holdover from the authoritarian rule of Warren Drassig centuries ago, and those who hold that office are appointed for life by the council. A group of local idealists called the Retrievers banded with adventurers and mercenaries to overthrow Zimmerset a decade after he took power, and instated their leader as the lord mayor instead. Elections for the position of Lord Mayor of Westruun are held every five years, with no term limits. All adult citizens of the city who have lived there for at least five years have a vote, though only a fraction of the people actually use it.

The Retrievers continue to be a political force in Westruun, and several of Westruun’s delegates to the Tal’Dorei Council are members of this faction. They are campaigning to abolish the office of margrave from all settlements in Tal’Dorei. Though they have broad support in the council, the council doesn’t have the authority to unilaterally demand its constituent city-states to change their system of government. The revolution-minded Retrievers are somewhat stifled by the need to compromise with other cities.

Lord Mayor Lysandra Kallos is a middle-aged goliath and former leader of the Retrievers. She has never lost a vote for reelection, and holds executive power over the city’s defenses, along with the ability to dissolve any business or guild, and to exile any person or group of up to ten people from the city at her discretion. She rules Westruun with the aid of a council of ten advisors.