Great Forks

General Overview

Great Forks is a prosperous River Province city-state famous for its dense Temple District, constant festivals, thriving trade in intoxicants, and reputation as a haven for scholars and the God-Blooded. Despite enjoying refined pleasures and religious tolerance, the city lives with a persistent edge of danger following the catastrophic losses at Mishaka, which left its military rebuilding and its people acutely aware of their vulnerability.

Brief History

Great Forks was founded after three guardian spirits drove away a Deathlord and raised a new city upon the burial plains. Dayshield shaped its defenses, Dreamweaver united the people in a shared dream of the future, and Talespinner drew upon legends of ancient cities to guide its creation. Lesser gods, elementals, spirits, and God-Bloods were invited to assist in building the city and were promised shelter in return for service.

In its early centuries, Great Forks forged strong ties with the Guild, expanded slave-worked agriculture, and established powerful export networks for drugs, wine, and tobacco. It later became a charter member of the Confederation of Rivers and supported regional defense primarily through logistics, medical supplies, and jade financing rather than large standing armies.

The defining modern tragedy was the Battle of Mishaka, in which fewer than one hundred of the city’s three thousand soldiers survived. Though its military has been rebuilt on paper, the loss of veteran leadership continues to shape policy, culture, and diplomacy.

Districts and Notable Sites

The Temple District

The heart of Great Forks is a dense maze of temples, shrines, and sanctuaries dedicated to hundreds of gods and spirits. Large temples compete with smaller shrines for worshippers through frequent festivals, public rituals, and processions. Many temples also provide basic education, contributing to the city’s unusually literate population.

The district is crowded day and night with pilgrims, diplomats, scholars, and merchants. It is also the center of the city’s street-level crime: pickpockets, burglars, assassins, and foreign spies operate constantly among the crowds.

• Palace of the Three — The largest temple in the district and the symbolic seat of the city’s divine rulers.

The East Quarter

Traditionally the military quarter, the East Quarter holds barracks, parade grounds, and soldiers’ entertainments. Since the Battle of Mishaka it has taken on a somber tone, filled with new recruits and mourning families. It is also known for its healers and surgeons, who serve both the army and visiting scholars of medicine.

The South Quarter

A warehouse and labor district, the south houses dockworkers, clerks, and artisans. Enforcers and private guards patrol heavily at night, making it one of the safer quarters of the city. Roads are kept clear for constant movement of goods between the docks and the western industrial zones.

The West Quarter

The industrial heart of Great Forks, the West Quarter processes the city’s lucrative drug exports. Drying houses, refineries, distilleries, and packaging facilities operate day and night, filling the air with the scent of herbs, tobacco, and opium. Warehouses dominate the skyline, and fires are a constant danger.

The Docks

Great Forks’ docks handle a steady flow of imports and exports, from food and raw materials to luxury goods and narcotics. There are few restrictions on drug trade, though visitors must declare dangerous artifacts and sorcerous devices. Solar, Lunar, and Abyssal Exalted who arrive openly are escorted directly to the Palace of the Three for immediate interview.

Government and Law

Great Forks is ruled by the Three guardian spirits, but daily governance is carried out by a merit-based mortal bureaucracy led by a Council of nine Ministers. Each Minister oversees a portfolio and is supported by a Deputy. Appointments are made directly by the Three, and removal from office is often swift and unforgiving.

The city is policed by Enforcers who patrol major districts, especially the Temple District and the industrial west. While the South Quarter enjoys heavy guard presence, crime remains common in the crowded temple streets and along the docks.

People of Import

The Three (Ruling Gods)

• Dayshield — God of protection and foresight; patron of the military and civic defense.
• Dreamweaver — God of ambition, hope, and collective destiny.
• Talespinner — God of stories, travelers, and history.

The Council of Ministers

Dayshield’s Sphere

• General Blood Linnet — Minister of the Military.
• Colonel Devarth — Deputy Minister of the Military.
• Maheka Aydahj — Minister of Residency; Terrestrial Exalt from Lookshy.
• Marikus Straightarm — Deputy Minister of Residency.
• Lady Jozakura — Minister of Research.
• Second Wing — Deputy Minister of Research.

Dreamweaver’s Sphere

• Constantly Smiling — Minister of Trade.
• Marble Hands — Deputy Minister of Trade.
• Fountain of Virtue — Minister of Worship.
• Pillar of Duty — Deputy Minister of Worship.
• Sari Heartknot — Minister of Logistics.
• Luthia Redbird — Deputy Minister of Logistics.

Talespinner’s Sphere

• Karreth Doublegift — Minister of Lore.
• Chiming Bells — Deputy Minister of Lore.
• Silver Dove — Minister of Diplomacy.
• Devishen Latoth — Deputy Minister of Diplomacy.
• Vandereth Senzak — Minister of Other Matters.
• Erika Rednails — Deputy Minister of Other Matters.

Civic Figures

• Captain Sword-Betrothed — Enforcer commander of the West Quarter.
• Glowing Morning Radiance — Renowned healer of the East Quarter.
• Knife Jackal — Surgeon and covert agent.

Criminal Underworld

• Old Mother Raiton — Broker for illegal work.
• Savage Wraith — Infamous master thief.

External Powers

• Mask of Winters — Deathlord ruler of Thorns.
• Princess Magnificent with Lips of Coral and Robes of Black Feathers — Deathlord driven away before the city’s founding.

Culture and Life in the City

Great Forks is a city of pleasure and devotion. Festivals, public rituals, athletic competitions, and theatrical performances fill the calendar year-round. Education is widely accessible through temple schools, and God-Blooded heritage is a source of civic pride rather than stigma.

Beneath the color and spectacle lies an awareness of danger. The memory of Mishaka and the presence of Deathlords nearby ensure that even the grandest celebrations carry an undercurrent of tension.

Relationships with Other Cities

Great Forks maintains friendly relations with most members of the Confederation of Rivers and is especially close to Lookshy, trading luxuries and medical supplies in exchange for military cooperation. The Three believe the city’s fate is closely tied to the Seventh Legion’s survival.

Relations with Sijan are strained due to conflicting religious doctrine, while Thorns is treated with extreme caution following its fall to the Mask of Winters. Great Forks relies heavily on diplomacy and alliances rather than raw military power.