Wheldon

Wheldon is a city on the border of the Painted Valley and the Kingdom of Ansyr. It is controlled by the Thorn Family and the Walsh Family.

Description
When approaching from the Painted Valley, past rolling hills, a massive river stretches across the valley itself, with clear blue water that flows southward out of the mountains. The river appears to be over a mile wide. Wheldon is built on massive bridge of brick above the river on the Golden Route itself - stretching across the entire width of the river, connecting both sides. The river water flows through the city's bridges, exiting through tunnels where docks extend from beneath the city itself. The surrounding areas are cultivated farmland, and a number of boats float lazily in the water. On the western bank are golden wheat fields, and across the way on the eastern bank are verdant vineyards. The town itself is tightly packed with tall, colorfully painted buildings of stone, brick, and wood (a Howl's Moving Castle aesthetic). A number of carriages are passing through, and the bustle makes the party nostalgic for the packed, busy streets of Ciniath. A clock tower rises from the center of town, beautifully crafted with metal hands that turn throughout the day. It is lit from the bottom with spiraling lights. Steam rises from large warehouses at opposite corners of town, and water wheels collect electricity from the river itself.

History
The Wheldon area has a history of extraplanar activity. Without the work of the Aquaine people, Wheldon as a city would never have existed.

Selk tells Azzurum that the Aquaine people were the indigenous people of the western coast of Aphra, where Wheldon and the Sovereignty now are. The Aquaine people are long gone, and although Selk has a bit of a connection with them (the symbols of Umberlee in her home), Astrid Downs would be their best bet for finding out more information. She also says that the separation of Wheldon between the lower and upper cities has been in place for a few hundred years, and the Ansyrian church came in maybe a century ago.

Astrid explains that the Aquaine people were forced out of their lands by the Starlight Sovereignty, but generally, this area used to be a settlement for indigenous worshipers of Umberlee. At the time, they didn't have the clocktower, but they did have the bell. Then, when Wheldon was built, the people of Wheldon moved the bell into the clocktower in "remembrance" of the Aquaine people, and they've left it up to keep up appearances even as they've shoved those people down into the undercity.

The bell originated as an artifact from the worship of Umberlee. In this area where Wheldon now stands was one of the Vandric trees - a tree planted by one of the primordial gods - and left in that tree was a bell. The tree itself was said to be gorgeous, with vibrant leaves in hues of blue, and the fruit was full of juice, or a water of life, that sustained the Aquaine people. They would ring the bell to give thanks to Umberlee and ask for her protection. When the Aquaine people were forced out, the tree wilted, and Wheldon was built on top of it.

Astrid's group has been trying to figure out how to get the bell back. It stopped working over a year ago, and there was no evidence that it had been moved. Following invoices, it seems that the town was trying to find a worker to repair it or forge a new bell. Vincent extrapolates that the bell was on the right frequency to keep everything in balance, and since it hasn't been ringing for a year, the planar rift happened.

The drug Elysian Lily is said to have originated in Wheldon.

Wheldon Arc
WIP