A Brief History of Sanctuary
The people of Sanctuary tend to identify themselves by their arrival group. Thus, as the earliest arrivals, the First, Second, and Third Wave refugees hold a special status as the closest thing to landed nobility due to their role in founding and establishing the communities and institutions that establish culture and civil order. Sanctuary is ruled by the royal Martell family, At their head is King Danne II, an elderly human descendant of the First Wave. who is well-regarded for his kind heart, his sharp mind, and his clever wit. He has been on the throne for the past 35 years.
The First, Second, and Third Wave refugees having arrived first, staked out their claims on the natural resources (metal ore, forests, fresh water sources, and natural ports) and have built new wealth and power around their control and distribution of access to these things.
First Wave (0 to 100 CE)
The First Wavers, largely dwarves and humans who fled the collapse of an ancient North Hagan empire 400 years ago when it was overthrown by an invasion of tieflng armies, control the mines, banking, and brewery industries. Holding so much wealth, First Wavers are the financial backers of many new business enterprises, including the burgeoning Adventurers’ Guild where many newer refugees seek to earn a place in society and enough to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. The dwarves tend to live further from the shore, higher on the hills and closer to the mountainous parts of the islands. First Wave humans have live as elites in the heavily defended city core around the castle and within the greater castle walls.
Second Wave (100 CE to 200 CE)
Second Wavers were mostly elves and gnomes who came to Sanctuary after fleeing the enormous magical cataclysm on the Island of Rhust which wiped out almost all living things and left only a roaming band of Warforged behind. When they arrived, the elves and gnomes quickly established themselves as the cultural protectors of the region, seeking to record their histories and experiences in writing and art, as a means of both healing from the trauma of the war and devastation they had survived, and to recover and preserve in some measure what had been lost in the cataclysm.
Second Wavers established various magical academies, oversee the research and development of new magic and magical items, and control the purchase and distribution of magic in the region through their registration and licensing of magical vendors and shops. Second Wavers also founded The Great Archive, an enormous labyrinth of books which seeks to collect all knowledge in one central repository. Founded almost 300 years, it is enormous and rumor has it that it extends deep underground in a complex maze where the most dangerous and powerful tomes are hidden from public sight.
Other Second Wave families have returned to the forests and oversee hunting preserves, although most have chosen not to claim the deepest woods and furthest mountain parts. It is said that in the darkest and most remote reaches of the islands there still abides some few remaining creatures who are so fearsome and deadly that none dare stake a claim there. Some even say that ancient immortal vampires reside still on the highest peaks and cliffs in foreboding castles and fortresses, gazing upon the settlements far below and plotting to destroy and enslave those who wander into these realms. But who knows? No one claims to have seen a vampire in the past 300 years.
Third Wave (200 CE to 300 CE)
The Third Wave refugees fled to Sanctuary for religious reasons. Rather than forming a single migration, the Third Wave refers generally to a 100 year wave of immigration of all races from various other continents and landmasses of those whose religious beliefs and practices were no longer welcome in their home nations and previous realms. Some Third Wavers fled authoritarian regimes and bloodthirsty despots, others sought out a place where they could be free to practice their faith (all flavors of good, evil, and neutral) outside the censor of interfering governments. For the most part, King Danne II and the governing forces of Sanctuary, remain out of the religious sphere, leaving each faith and believer to manage their own affairs so long as all are free to practice in peace.
The Third Wavers thus are the founders of temples, churches, and monasteries. They also sponsor a variety of charities and orphanages. Their ministers and priests stand at the ready at the shore and port to welcome new arrivals, and offer both blankets and food, as well as sermons and a place to worship in a new faith (should the new refugee feel so inclined). Some are a bit aggressive in their approach and reprimand is sometimes required. And some Third Wavers can be too boisterous and fierce in their rivalry with other Third Wavers. Still, much of Sanctuary’s reputation as a welcome home for the homeless and downtrodden is owed to the work of Third Wavers.
The Later Waves (300 CE to 427 CE)
In the last 100 years, there have been more refugees in many different waves, too many to count. The most recent large wave of refugees fled from Kanestag from the oppressive rule of the mad gnome Yakanek Darkcog. Led by gnomish ninja, Sevan Gearthunder, this wave of immigrants has arrived in the past 20 years and starting to find their place in the weird, bustling, and always exciting islands. Other refugee movements have brought exiled criminals and former warlords, disgraced nobles, and hungry adventurers and treasure hunters.
The Present (428 CE)
Sanctuary and its neighboring environs have experienced a number of significant and troubling events in the past year. In the spring, a gigantic forest fire raged through the wilderness regions north of Sanctuary and filled the skies with thick black smoke. Within the city, there was an uptick of violent crimes, burglaries, and acts of terror perpetrated by shapeshifters and lycanthropes. It was even rumored that a doppelganger had infiltrated the court and was impersonating nobles to stir up further mayhem. More recently, the Silverblades (the king’s guard) and the City Guard were seen rushing through the streets and shutting down several popular apocatheraries and potion vendors, while confiscating their wares. The official explanation was that they were conducting a crackdown on distribution of unlicensed goods and unpermitted shops, but most find this explanation highly suspicious. There have also been talk of strange smells and noises emanating from beneath the city streets, and there has been a rise in missing persons reports.
What the Future Holds
After over 400 years of welcoming immigrants and refugees from all over the world, Sanctuary now strains at its seams, having grown far larger than its founders ever imagined. Bounded by the sea and the mountains, the city’s space is limited and Sanctuary is rapidly running out of room to accommodate all who arrive hoping to make their place here. The once vibrant Waterfront now is the dumping ground for those who lack the resources and connections to escape the slums and squalor. Crime and disease run rampant in the poorest districts. Even in the wealthier districts, criminal activity is on the rise and desperate individuals have organized into revolutionary sects and started to strike back against a largely indifferent and isolated wealthy class.
For many immigrants and refugees the city represents a failed promise. Although some find wealth and success in trade or adventuring, most are stuck at the bottom of the social ladder with little hope of escape. Still others having come to escape war and persecution, find upon arrival that the prejudices and rivalries from before can resurface even here. Not everyone succeeds in starting over with a clean slate. Nor can one fully escape being judged by one’s appearance and race.
Corruption has been festering for a long time at every level of government and power. Secret organizations, powerful cults, and hidden partnerships between unlikely allies influence much of what transpires in the city, whether in the courts and high houses of The Castle and Castleshade, or in the dark alleys of the Waterfront. Some even whisper that the vampires of old never left, but pull the strings from the shadows.
Despite all this, Sanctuary remains one of the most developed large cities in all of Avakar. To the cunning, courageous, ambitious, lucky, or wise, there are opportunities to thrive. And beyond Sanctuary, there is a whole realm to explore, ruins to delve, mighty foes to fight, and lost artifacts to claim.