Ivy District

Ivy District

(City district)

Nation

Absalom

Population

1,500

Demographics

79% human, 9% halfling, 5% elf, 3% dwarf, 2% gnome, 1% aiuvarin, l% dromaar

Government

Conventional (Ivy District Council)

Leader

Nomarch Alain Always

Images of Ivy District

Source: Gallery of Evil, pg(s). 23 (1E)
Absalom, City of Lost Omens, pg(s). 163–177 (2E)

Absalom's Ivy District is considered the capital of the arts in the Inner Sea region. It is by far the smallest of Absalom's city's districts. It derives its name from its tree-lined streets, which attract a wealthier and more aristocratic demographic than the seedier parts of town located down the bluff toward the harbor. Filled with manor homes, gardens, theaters, galleries, and discrete parlor houses, the Ivy District draws an eclectic array of artists, minor nobles, and famous actors. It is also one of the safer parts of Absalom, relatively free from the violent crimes one would expect in The Puddles or The Coins. The Ivy District is home to a large percentage of Absalom's elven and aiuvarin populations, perhaps because of its natural beauty.

Light-hearted rivalries have become the staple relationship between local performers, with many works mocking and belittling other artists and their creations. These bardic feuds have given rise to the district's most famous celebrities.

Geography

Ivy District is packed full of narrow streets filled with performers, breathtaking architecture and gardens, and the finest artistic venues and attractions. Students and artists flock here to study in one of the Inner Sea region's most famous musical academies, the White Grotto, although it is not the only place here for artists to develop their skills—a handful of formal schools scatter the Ivy District, and working experts offer private lessons for anyone willing to pay for them.

Other notable places of interest in the Ivy District include the Vault of Abadar, one of the god's most holy churches; and a gnomish-run magic shop known as the Laughing Sword.

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Organizations

Ivy District Council

The Ivy District Council is the local district council, led by Nomarch Alain Always. The council is quite corrupt and biased toward tourists and the Street Performers and Actors' Guild, which is also led by Always.

The Thistleguard

The Thistleguard is the local district watch and is led by captain Zharep Apul. The guard is infamous for its lackluster enforcement of the district's policies and habit of turning a blind eye to crimes committed by tourists.

Brotherhood of Abadar

The Brotherhood of Abadar is a vigilante committee that often does what the corrupt guards will not. They are favored by locals and often hired as private guards for various events.

Criminals and criminal organizations

The Ivy District is one of the safest places in Absalom, and local crime is often petty and almost never violent. The district's popularity among tourists and its famous entertainment venues mean that small-time criminals, such as prostitutes and drug dealers, thrive among the hedonistic residents and visitors. A small number of street gangs engage in counter-cultural art, usually using illusions to create magical temporary graffiti (which also caused a demand for immediate dispelling services among impatient nobility) and host performances on temporary stages that can easily be dismissed by the time the guard arrives. The district's major criminals are ambitious thieves drawn here by priceless works of art and the local nobles' riches.

The district's active criminal groups include the Bloody Barbers, the Brattlebunch, the Crowsworn, the Forthright, the Silkenhand, and the Smoke Knights.

History

Over the last century, nobles attracted by district's first-class entertainment have bought land in the district for personal villas and gardens, leaving little space for artists and students. Nowadays, small dorms that once offered comfortable and affordable living are overflowing with people in desperate need of housing, and survival here is impossible without the favor of the district's nobles.

People

The Ivy District boasts the largest population of leshies in Absalom. Most of them consider the entire district their home and sleep among trees and plants in the streets or local gardens. The district's nobles sometimes hire leshies as temporary and eccentric movable landscape decorations for their garden parties and outdoor events.

Places of interest

Places of interest in the Ivy District include:

• Alyssia's
• Arbor Ward
• Archerus Manor
• Bloom Cabaret
• The Chamber Grove
• Crystal Creations
• Dacilane Manor
• District Courthouse
• Embrey's Armory
• Flower Street Market
• The Golden Serpent
• The Gutless Griffon
• House of Healing
• It Sparkles!
• Ivy District Park
• Ivy Playhouse
• Kyonin Embassy
• The Laughing Sword
• The Northman's Woodworks Galleria
• Ravounel Consulate
• Shrine of Shelyn
• Starspine Manor
• Sundown Street
• Tempest
• Thistleguard Station
• Vault of Abadar
• The Wandering Monster
• White Grotto

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.