This article is about the city. For the state, see Free City of Viswall
Viswall, nicknamed the "City of Colors" for its dyeworks and diverse population, is a walled city located on both banks of the Widderoy at the westernmost edge of the Small Country. An economic, political, and cultural center for the halfling people, it stands at the crossroads of trade between Lencenor, the Alenic Frontier, the Dragon Coast, and the Dameshead.
History[]
Founding and the Small Kingdom[]
Viswall was founded in antiquity during the days of the Gnomish Hierarchy as a Hillfoot barrow-town that grew in importance for its strategic position. It was fortified as part of the Hierachy's eastern defenses, and over the various Wars of Dominion would provide safety and stability for the halflings. After the start of the Dragonwake and the foundation of the Small Kingdom in 478, it was the natural choice for the relocation of the capital once the kingdom's needs outgrew the old capital of Barrowshire. Gnomish refugees fleeing the Kobold Rising settled in the city, founding its first dyery and starting the industry that Viswall would become renowned for.
Though the Small Kingdom fell in 979, its walls made it a strategic border holding for Lorent and Gawed and was frequently fought over. These defenses were tested and fell in the Siege of Viswall (993-994) during the invasion of Lencenor, and the city was occupied by Black Castanorian forces. In 1001, Mafalda the Mad was assassinated in the city by Taranath Seerslayer, sparking the liberation of the city under Lorentish protection and striking blow to Black Castanorian hopes of re-invading Lencenor.
The Kingdom of Viswall[]
In the aftermath of the Sorceror-King's defeat in 1021, the Hillfoot Halflings were guaranteed their own lands under the new Kingdom of Viswall with the eponymous city as its capital. The hero Finnic Shadowhand, a lowborn resident of the city, was elected king and would be later known as Finnic síl Vis. Its expanded city walls and status as capital would draw in migrants from all over the Small Country; this coupled with halfling fertility would lead to Viswall quickly rivaling Beepeck as the most populous and preeminent city in the region.
City politics during the era was dominated by the push-and-pull relationship between the King's Court on the south bank of the Widderoy and the City Hall directly opposite it on the north. The feud would lead to one enterprising king linking the two buildings in the construction of the Rainbow Hall, a governmental complex built atop an arched bridge from which the city and the Kingdom were governed.
Despite the initial period of prosperity, Viswall's fate was tied to the rapid decline of its kingdom. Its political weakness would be used by Gawed and Lorent to foment secessionist movements and break away smaller states who would then fall under their vassalage. As these outer provinces fell away to hostile powers, trade and immigration to Viswall stagnated while its rival Beepeck had no compunctions dealing with the two great powers, allowing the latter city to surpass it in wealth and size.
The Free City of Viswall[]
The loss of their last hinterland in the Fifth Tall War in 1067 would push the city council of Viswall to coup against the ruling house, resulting in the fall of the Kingdom and the creation of the Free City of Viswall. While culturally remaining open, the free city declared itself permanently neutral and thus was politically isolated. The effect was the continued decline of the city during the Interregnum despite the Council's efforts to revitalize trade and local industry; only Viswall's continued near-monopoly on dyes and pigments for Cannor kept it from falling into irrelevance. The isolation from its once-hinterlands would also cause its denizens' culture to diverge, resulting in the emergence of the Visfoots as a distinct people.
The city's fortunes would only begin to turn around following the First Lilac War in 1350. Viswall's neutrality made it a sanctuary for halfling refugees fleeing the war from both Bluefoot and Redfoot sides of the Small Country. Rumors of Gawedi and Lorentish weakness combined with Viswall's continued existence as a state independent of the Empire made notions of halfling nationalism popular in the city among commoners and nobles alike. Additional immigrants during the Second and Third Lilac Wars revitalized the local economy, and new recruits to the city's Rainbow Guard due to the growing Viswaller pride added to the city's sense of security.
The Viswall Rebellion of 1421 began with the King of Viswall rallying the halflings of the Small Country to overthrow their oppressors and reunite once more. In 1422 the city was put to siege by joint Lorentish and Gawedi forces, ending with the city's sacking in 1423. The Rainbow Hall was destroyed, with the last síl Vis king deposed. Gawed and Lorent partitioned the city into North Viswall and South Viswall, appointing loyalist rulers to govern in their stead.
Areas of the City[]
North Viswall[]
The northern side of the city under Gawedi rule. Finished lumber from Norley and the Approach would be stored in warehouses here for shipment or worked into halfling-sized furniture, the latter stained vividly with locally-produced pigments. The dyers here preferred cooler colors: verdant greens and earthy browns, deep blues and violets, and somber greys and blacks—just as the Gawedi prefer.
South Viswall[]
The southern side of the city under Lorentish rule. Fine Elven silks from the Redglades and Coppertown metalwork would be taken here to be dyed and painted, often in the warmer colors so desired by Lorentish: rich reds, sunny oranges and yellows, pale silvers and whites, and lovely pinks. The influence of the nobility was felt more strongly here with more gardens and former courtyards-turned-public parks dotting the city.
The Rainbow Hall Ruins[]
Destroyed in the Sack of Viswall, the north and south piers of Viswall's oldest government building remained standing, if in ruins. The remnant buildings on either side—the King's Court in the south and the City Hall in the north—were still in use as the respective government buildings for South Viswall and North Viswall. In its heyday, the building was painted in all the colors of the rainbow with balcony gardens adding splashes of greenery amidst the stone.