Nowhere is the Rostlandic spirit more alive than in the Free City of Restov. The city owes its allegiance to the Brevic crown, and Lord Mayor Ioseph Sellemius must bend his knee before the Dragonscale Throne like any other lord. But otherwise Restov belongs to no House, making it a haven for the lost glories of the Aldori swordlords and those who look back to the old days before the coming of the Conqueror.

Restov is a city of both refinement and rough-and-tumble manners, as only a colony can be in fondly recalling and imitating its motherland. Home to transplants from all over Avistan come to learn the ways of Aldori dueling, Restov is remarkably cosmopolitan. The gentry of Restov consider themselves sophisticates, although a Taldan visitor might consider their ways quaint and touched with no small amount of northern barbarism.

The city is a bustling trade center along the border. Restov’s relative wealth supports no small number of idle and titled lordlings and merchants’ sons. They frequent the various Aldori and Taldan dueling schools as well as the alehouses, and fight each other in street corner challenges at dawn and dusk. The schools, salons, and taprooms of Restov are also hotbeds of rebellious talk against the reign of King Noleski Surtova, with young firebrands in search of a leader to rally them to the cause.

The Swordlords
To be a Swordlord in Restov is to be a full citizen, with all the rights and responsibilities thereof- primarily the right to participate in elections, the right to trial by jury or combat, the right to hold a position in the city government, and the responsibilities of paying taxes, serving on a jury if called, and serving in the militia in times of unrest or war.

There are three ranks of Swordlord- citizen, prefect, and councillor.

• Citizens are the middle class of Restov- the junior officers, business owners, officers of the city watch, and day to day officials of the city’s bureaucracy. Generally, swordlords gain this rank on demonstrating mastery of their school’s dueling style. However, non-duelists such as merchants, artisans, and the clergy can attain this rank by being appointed by the Lord Mayor or via acclamation of the Council.
• Prefects are the upper middle class and lower nobility- those who have some level of authority over others. They are the heads of smaller dueling academies, magistrates, senior officers and city administrators, minor aristocrats, and the wealthy working class. The head of every academy is responsible for providing for the safety and well being of their neighbors- the head of every school is the first line of city services for their neighbors. They are the heads of local civic organizations and neighborhood watches.
• Councillors are the city’s true nobility- the heads of the major dueling academies and others voted in to office by the general electorate. These are the men and women most people think of when they refer to the Swordlords of Restov. The Council is in charge of crafting Restov’s laws and elects the Lord Mayor. The Lord Mayor sits in chambers with the High Councillors- the heads of the largest dueling academies and a small number of elected representatives- as a privy council.

Restov
Government Autocracy
Population 18,670 (15,240 humans, 1,220 dwarves, 950 gnomes, 820 halflings, 240 half-elves, 130 elves, 70 other)

Notable NPCs
The Council of Swordlords
Lord Mayor Ioseph Sellemius
Tirole Shoham, high priest of Abadar
Prophet of Kalistrade Anerin Sayer
Captain-General Vadim Korotya, chief of the city militsya
Chief Minister Marina Semiragia, head of Restov’s bureaucracy
First Swordlord Jamandi Aldori, headmistress of the fabled Liechtenauer Academy
Second Swordlord Georges Eleder, swordmaster The School of Aldori Combat
Third Swordlord Elena Belova, mistress of the Society for the Promotion of Aldori Fencing
Swordlord Stilicho de Cervantes, creator of the Lion’s Blade buckler and sword style
Swordlord Julia Jacob, daughter of and proxy for the Jacobin School
Swordlord Viktor Sidyak, originator of the modern “one-and-a-half tempo” style

Other Notables
High Priest Evanki Keegh, high priest of Erastil
Karina Dusana, resident factor of House Dusana, Medvyed banner-house. Parin’s cousin
Keene, the woman who introduced Glain to the Rainbow Room.
Royce Lythewyl, head of former Rogarvia banner-house Lythewyl. Asher’s adopted father

Places of Interest
The Rainbow Room

Credit for the map I repurposed for Restov goes to Blaidd—Drwg at http://blaidd—drwg.deviantart.com/art/City-of-Maisandras-coloured-263204740.