The Free City of Tanyth
Nestled in the sun-warmed lowlands south of the Dragonspine Mountains, the Free City of Tanyth sprawls across the river-delta plains like a jeweled serpent basking in the sun. Its spires catch the light of day, its bazaars hum with the music of a hundred tongues, and its gates are open to all. Tanyth is, at least on parchment and proclamation, a sanctuary for all the peoples of Tymora,a place where no king reigns, no duke commands, and no race or creed claims dominion.
A City of Illusions
To outsiders, Tanyth is the dream of unity made real. Dworn craft wonders in forge and fire, beside Scion enchanters. Highwall scholars debate Tengri Khan philosophers. Goblins peddle wares to Kiriko travelers while Fae performers draw crowds from every corner of the continent. This is the image Tanyth sells, a thriving Free City where all can find their place and fortune.
But beneath its glittering mask, Tanyth is a city of half-truths and careful control.
The Hidden Powers
Though no monarch sits on its throne, Tanyth is far from leaderless. On the surface, the city is governed by The Rule of Three: the Regent, who commands the city’s official guard and enforces its laws; the Seer, who interprets omens and advises on foreign policy and arcane threats; and the Oracle, who speaks for the spirit of the city itself, often delivering cryptic proclamations believed to be divinely inspired. Together, they present a facade of unity and structured governance, a triumvirate said to balance military strength, arcane foresight, and spiritual wisdom.
But these are merely the visible gears in a machine far more complex.
In truth, power flows in whispers and gold. The city’s lifeblood is pumped through the Veiled Syndicate, an ancient network of crime families and merchant princes who operate behind layers of shell organizations and secret oaths. Trade guilds hold veto power in council chambers, assassin cults enforce political will in the shadows, and forbidden magical cabals shape policy through manipulation and blackmail.
The so-called freedom of Tanyth is regulated with careful intent. Markets thrive, but tariffs, taxes, and bribes are expected at every tier. Laws exist, but their enforcement bends with the weight of coin and favor. Justice is dispensed by The Veil, a faceless tribunal said to be impartial but suspected to be handpicked by the powers they pretend to restrain. Few know their identities. Fewer still survive challenging them.
The People of Tanyth
Tanythians are shaped not by shared ancestry, but by shared ambition. They are cunning, charismatic, and endlessly adaptable. Most are not born here, they arrive by caravan, ship, or secret paths, bringing with them old wounds and new schemes. Some seek reinvention. Others seek escape. All seek something they believe Tanyth can offer.
The city is a tapestry of cultures stitched along fault lines. Each district is a world unto itself, and while the city boasts a banner of unity, integration is surface-deep. Tensions simmer in alleyways. Fistfights become arson. Petty rivalries bloom into full-blown turf wars. The Watch turns a blind eye or, more often than not, closes both of them for the right price.
A Haven and a Trap
Tanyth is a sanctuary only for those who know how to survive it. Outlaws find anonymity. Refugees find opportunity. Exiles find space to rebuild. But every safe harbor comes with strings, and in Tanyth, those strings are often one step away from being a noose.
The city offers endless potential, but at a cost few understand. The longer one stays, the deeper the roots of obligation grow, to a guild, a patron, a cartel, a cause. Favors are currency, and debt is more binding than chains. What seems like freedom is often just the space between one leash and the next.
Those who rise too fast attract envy. Those who trust too easily disappear. And those who try to change the system from within are swallowed by it, repurposed or erased.
Tanyth is a city of paradox. It is free, yet shackled. Welcoming, yet wary. A paradise for those who know how to play its game, and a graveyard for those who do not.
Other free cities of Tymora.
Tanyth is not the only Free City in Tymora. Scattered across the continent are several others, each presenting its own unique face to the world, shaped by different cultures, landscapes, and histories. Their façades may differ, and their surroundings may vary, but beneath it all, the same gears turn. Behind their banners of freedom and independence lie familiar patterns of manipulation, hidden powers, and shadowed deals. Though each city tells a different story, their core machinery of influence, ambition, and control operates in much the same way.
Two of the more well-known among these are:
Vireaux
The City of Masks and Marble
Perched atop coastal cliffs and built from gleaming white stone, Vireaux presents itself as a center of enlightenment and refined culture. It is celebrated for its grand theatres, respected philosophers, and endless festivals that draw travelers from across Tymora. Yet beneath this beauty lies a ruthless society shaped by espionage, social control, and hidden debts. Noble houses and artistic guilds wage silent wars behind painted masks, using charm and scandal as weapons in a never-ending game of status and survival.
Kaer’Shaad
The City of Stone and Silence
Carved deep into the western badlands, Kaer’Shaad is a city of silence, shadows, and secrets. Its towering temples and rune-carved halls are home to stoic monks and scholars of the old ways. To outsiders, it seems a place of peace and reflection, but beneath that calm exterior, dark forces stir. Relic-hunters, blood cults, and power-hungry archivists vie for dominance in the buried ruins below. Order is maintained through ancient oaths and the silent enforcement of robed assassins, whose names are never spoken.