1. Alodae Amphitheater. Bradra Alodae helped defend Kenabres a century ago when the Worldwound opened. After an injury left her unfit to battle demons, she served as a city adviser. Alodae wrote a half-dozen songs about the Worldwound and the demonic invasion before she died, and the Alodae Amphitheater was named for her upon its construction.
Her grandson, Nestrin Alodae, serves as the current high priest of the local church of Iomedae and the Order of Saint Clydwell.
Alodae Amphitheater stands in Truestone Park. Plays and recitals take place in the amphitheater monthly, if not more often. The citizens of Kenabres, in desperate need of entertainment and distraction, nevertheless prefer to see somber tales of sacrifice and duty. Endings where good triumphs over evil, even at great cost, are always well received.
The Chelish playwright Hatherelm Arir is widely admired by the citizens of Kenabres for his work Dawn of the Crusades.
2. Cathedral of Saint Clydwell. In the heart of Old Kenabres stands the Cathedral of Saint Clydwell. Also called the Grand Temple, the cathedral honors Saint Clydwell, a champion of Iomedae who sacrificed himself to seal a horde of demons within an inescapable prison. The cathedral is a great stone building with a green copper steeple and stained-glass windows portraying the imprisonment of various horrific demons. Wounded warriors are taken to the cathedral to be healed, and the priests of the cathedral perform blessings on crusaders about to venture forth. Although the Temple of Iomedae serves the everyday needs of the people, the cathedral is used for important services and gatherings. Adventurers looking to pledge their blades to Iomedae’s service choose this cathedral over the temple, as do adventurers wishing to purchase healing items or pay for resurrections.
3. Clydwell Plaza. This open plaza just west of the cathedral served as the town’s traditional festival grounds. Now, other areas in the city cater to the common folk, and this plaza primarily serves those living in Old Kenabres. In the city’s current dark days, festivals are rare.
4. Crusader Camps. The constant influx of crusaders waiting for a chance to slay demons has created logistical issues in Kenabres. For a time, new inns opened daily to cope with the number of crusaders clamoring for rooms, but many of these “inns” were merely flophouses renting space on the floor for exorbitant amounts. Local law officers had their hands full examining and regulating these inns, and the close proximity of so many crusaders ready to do battle caused fights and disturbances every night. Eventually, the city declared that all crusaders were required to maintain their own camps outside the city walls, and designated an area against the city wall by Northgate for these camps. The area is now cramped with dozens of tents, small campfires, refuse pits, and horse pens.
Though one would expect crusaders to be able to regulate their own behavior and get along well with their neighbors, the unfortunate truth is that violence and petty crime aren’t uncommon. Kenabres guards regularly patrol the camp and encourage the crusaders to settle small disputes before they swell into real problems.
5. Defender’s Heart. The largest inn in Kenabres, this business caters to mercenary companies and crusaders coming to the city. Inside this squat stone structure are dozens of rooms for rent, hearty food, and a wide selection of refreshments shipped in from across the Inner Sea.
6. Hall of Heroes. The people of Kenabres cling to stories of heroism and nobility to give them strength in the darkest of times. The Hall of Heroes immortalizes the most revered champions of Kenabres. Stone statues of laureled heroes line a central hallway. Behind the statues, plaques engraved with names of the dead cover the walls. The families of fallen crusaders often pay the city to display their loved ones’ plaques more prominently, and cynical types doubt whether every name in the Hall of Heroes is truly one of a hero.
7. The Kite. An engraved stone kite shield 18 feet long hangs from the end of the centermost artery protruding from the water pump, its curved surface directing the sigil of Kenabres toward the Worldwound. The city end of the artery is a two-story stone keep. Locals refer to both the stone shield and the keep as “the Kite.”
The keep hhouses the wardstone that helps keep demons from overrunning the Worldwound’s borders. The keep is heavily guarded at all times, with at least one crusader and one priest of Iomedae marshaling the forces within.
8. Blackwing Observatory. Thirty-six years ago, a caravan of Desnan pilgrims travelling to the city from Ustalav was set upon by a gang of vrocks. The caravan might have been outmatched if not for one of the recently hired guards, a wizard named Quednys Orlun. Orlun had spent years studying demons, and his spellcasting turned the tide of battle in favor of the caravan. Once they arrived the pilgrims began construction on an observatory dedicated to Desna, aided by the knowledgeable Orlun. Upon completion, they named it "Blackwing" and pinned one of the preserved vrock wings above the entrance as a reminder of their hardships.
Quednys Orlum was given a permanent residence within the observatory to honor him for his deeds, and was made the unofficial custodian of the building's secular affairs. In addition to exhaustive star charts and treatises on astronomical events, Blackwing's library also hosts an extensive collection of tomes and scrolls on demonology and planar travel; indeed, under the wizard's guidance, the observatory has since become Mendev's premier center for research into these topics. It also houses a museum of demon skulls, talons, and other grotesque trophies. An aged Orlun still oversees the care of the observatory and is always keen to acquire new research material for the stacks.
9. Northgate. The northern city gate leads into a residential district dotted with small shops and temples, including the temples to Sarenrae and Shelyn. A large market district known as Northgate Market sits not far past the gates. Vendors hawking textiles, jewelry, housewares, art objects, fresh produce, and handmade furniture gather there. Like all entrances to the city, Northgate is heavily guarded at all times. Visitors to the city can expect to be thoroughly questioned and potentially searched.
10. Southgate. The southern city gate opens out into a residential district that’s less prosperous than Northgate. Temples to Abadar and Torag border the main thoroughfare leading from the gate to Southgate Market. Armorers, weaponsmiths, animal trainers, sellers of enchantments, pennant designers, and scribes congregate at Southgate Market. A number of smithies dot Southgate, and the tang of iron and a haze of forge-smoke hang perpetually in the air.
Caelda Halse's forge is here, an aasimar who is reputated to be the best swordsmith in the city; rumor tells that she drips an angelic tear into the molten metal of each blade, imbuing it with special powers against demonic foes.
11. Temple of Iomedae. The Temple of Iomedae is the largest temple in Kenabres except for the Cathedral of Saint Clydwell. Nestrin Alodae oversees the services at the temple, which include blessings, wedding ceremonies, and funeral services for those who pass from natural causes, accidents, or other reasons not related to the crusades. Twice-weekly services call the citizens of Kenabres to prayer.
12. Tower of Estrod. Two decades ago, a historian and researcher named Niuna Estrod came to Kenabres to write a history of the crusades. Estrod constructed a tower of pale gray stone to hold the volumes of history he wrote, as well as other tomes and scrolls acquired from traders and returning crusaders. Ever since Estrod’s death from food poisoning 2 years ago, researchers and wizards have rented the Tower of Estrod from the city for use as a temporary library or laboratory.
13. Truestone Park. The original Truestone Quarry once stood just south of the town of Kenabres, but after less than a year of operation, masons realized it was too close to the cliff’s edge. A new quarry site was struck well outside the town, to the east. As Kenabres grew into a city, the old quarry site was transformed into an artificial lake. Truestone Park is a favorite destination for crusaders who return from the front, looking for a place of peace where they can forget the horrors of war with the demons.
A local druid known only as Crocris keeps the greenery, flowerbeds, and trees surrounding the lake healthy and flourishing. A monument of granite and rose quartz stands in the park in honor of the victims of the Red Morning Massacre.
14. Waller Slum. A temporary district just outside the original city walls housed the first refugees to arrive in Kenabres. Over the years, a second wall was built to defend this district and the expanding spread of the city. Remnants of the original refugee camp still remain as a narrow slum between the central district and the outer wall of the city, overlooking the river. This slum houses the poorest and most desperate of the citizenry, those who have no option but to live on the edge of the cliff between Kenabres and the Worldwound. Individuals unlucky enough to make their homes in this district are called “Wallers” with a mix of derision and pity.
15. Warehouse Square. Kenabres’ location is strategically defensible, but makes it difficult to bring cargo into the city via the river—not to mention the fact that it takes a brave group of sailors to wind their way up a river that borders the Worldwound. A massive, winched crane stands in southwestern Kenabres at the end of Warehouse Street, and is used to lift cargo over the city walls. The largest warehouses fill up this yard, leaving plenty of open space to maneuver goods between them. Smaller warehouses sit on the sliver of land between the city walls and the docks, where they hold goods temporarily until they can be lifted up into the city.
Kenabres has access to plenty of fish, fresh water, stone, and some agricultural crops and cattle, but must import lumber, ore, and textiles. The crane is therefore one of the most important structures in the city, and soldiers continually patrol the area.
16. Water Pumps. Three spiraling contraptions of steel and wood rise from the riverbed up the side of the Kenabres cliffs. Each of the three pumps draws water to a different reservoir: one in Old Kenabres, one under Truestone Park, and one in the north Ring District. Though it costs more to maintain three reservoirs, it also ensures the safety of the city’s water supply if one reservoir becomes compromised. Each pump is sheathed in a stone column that buttresses a city wall, with wide stone avenues extending out to each column, buttressed by a series of smaller stone supports.
These avenues, called “arteries” by the locals, allow access to the pump mechanism and hold lookout posts.
17. Vale Manor. A small but exquisite manor situated in the wealthier neighborhood of the Gate District's south end. Surrounded by cultivated gardens and protected by a high wrought-iron fence, this manse has been provided by Prelate Hulrun to serve as the Vales's private residence for the past several years. Though attempts have been made to make the Vales as comfortable as possible, the constant presence of city guards on the grounds and at the fence's gate serve as a reminder that they live under the stern observation of the prelate.
