The city of Tolenice was founded 200 years ago by a rich landlady known as Marie Bochelevaut. She was granted the land by a rich noble from far away in Rougtero. This move was meant to serve as competition to the nearby Port Haven. Thirty years later, the small colony eventually gained enough money and power to declare itself its own city state. Marie Bochelevaut was declared queen of the island, with her daughter serving as crowned princess. Their line continued for another 120 years. At this time, the people underwent a revolution due to economic conditions so poor that the common worker couldn’t afford food. The people attempted to install a democracy, however, this fell apart just two years later when a small regime from the previous monarchy took over as dictators. This dictatorship lasted for 10 years, at which point another revolution threw the country into anarchy for 15 years. This anarchy then shifted into a more libertarian form of ruling over the next 3 years, before finally becoming the modern openly oligarchical republic.

Tolenice is a very secular city, it always has been. Not many of the people who live there are religious in any form. There is a moderately sized Orusian Sanctum, though it is the only major temple in the city, and is not as politically important as many other temples are in similarly sized cities.

Tolenice’s government is all over the place. In the city’s 200 year history, it’s shifted from monarchy, to democracy, to dictatorship, to anarchism, back to monarchy, becoming a libertarian paradise temporarily, before peacefully reverting into a slightly oligarchical republic about 35 years ago.

The families in charge of the oligarchy were all initially business owners that rose out of the libertarian days, using their money and influence to establish official policies meant to keep them in power. There are some rumors that smaller groups have been gathering to revolt against this government.

In the meantime, the current republic is led by Baron Tholomes Dominic of House Dominic. The family owns many forms of raw material production, including offshore mines and lumber mills. The Baron frequently gives people sums of purchased land in other areas of Lojem in order to expand his businesses. Many accuse him of attempting to do what Rougtero did 200 years ago.

Tolenice’s primary language is Ferric. Most of the population can speak and read Paroli, and many shops provide translations for shop names or names for items, but day to day conversation is usually in Ferric. Most plays and operas there are written in Ferric, most people speak Ferric in public, even most government documents are in Ferric.

Tolenice is on one of the larger islands in the southeast of Lojem. The one consistency between the forms of government is the large amount of funding sent towards the creation of art and study of history, usually for propaganda purposes. As such, several museums, concert halls, and theaters exist in the town. Even the common architecture of the city is a bit superfluous, but always beautiful. A leader in the art world, many of the artists there despise the rest of the world despite using their techniques quite a bit. Tolenice is to France what New Alimar is to Germany. Many of the composers there wish to strike out on their own and be the next big thing, but most of them are stuck on ideas already perfected by the musicians of New Alimar. A few stand out, but those who do are the ones that tend to break from tradition and establish their own thing rather than trying to grasp at fame where it already lies.

The Sacrum Theatrum - The Sacrum Theatrum was built not long after the city was founded. While it was originally intended as a temple to Orus, the second owner of the place disconnected it from the religion. Now, many think the name is simply meant to catch the eye of tourists. The theater has been temporarily condemned as it is cleared out of both traps and bodies. It was the site of a number of recent kidnappings. The previous owners have been placed in jail, though both continue to plead innocent. The theater itself is quite fanciful, decked out with secret rooms and passages. One of these passages leads into an underground catacomb that the theater is built on.

The Tolenician Museum of Art and History but Mostly Art - This very gothic building of brick and mortar was initially built to be a fortress for the Tolenician military in the country’s brief time as a dictatorship. It was meant to serve as an inner-city barracks for soldiers. It was abandoned after the governments changed over, only recently being repaired and refurbished to serve a new purpose. This building houses hundreds of historical artworks from decades and even centuries prior. Most are made by Tolenician citizens, meant to serve as displays of Tolenician culture and “pride”. A few paintings from famous artists across the rest of Lojem and even Jaern are displayed there. One or two are said to be from Cahyali.

The Statue of the Collective - This structure is a large fountain in the main square of the city. Statues of the founders of the current government are placed atop the fountain. Originally, these statues depicted the founding nobility of the city, with the statues being replaced just a few years ago. Some say that a member of the nobility once hid a large sum of gold here during the revolution days, though no one has found proof to back up this claim. Attempts to dig below the fountain have been stopped by the government for fear of destruction of the fountain. To this day, no one knows if the tale is true.

Café d'or et d'argent - This quaint coffee shop is an unlikely part of history. Originally called Le Café du Peuple, this coffee shop was the meeting place for many of the citizens who overthrew the original nobility with the intention of installing democracy. Since then, many of the governments have endorsed the small place with the intention of garnering a level of respect and camaraderie with the people. Siding with the place that inspired and inadvertently founded the modern city looks good for any ruler. As such, the coffee shop is now lined with the finest silver and gold money can buy, from floor to ceiling. Nowadays, the refreshments are generally too expensive for the common person to drink, though rich nobles and adventurers find the coffee to be affordable. Five gold for a cup of coffee seems like pennies to them.

Baron Tholomes Dominic - Tholomes Dominic is a half-orc man of the Dominic family. His eyes match his medium green skin. His mother was an orc who married into the predominantly human Dominic household. He’s a full blown capitalist, owning multiple mines and lumber mills for raw material production. None of these are on mainland Tolenice. Instead, they are spread across Lojem and even slightly into Ageron. His main competition for mining prospects are the people running New Alimar. Meanwhile, he controls almost all production of wood products across Jaern.

M. Batreaux and M. Gillorno - These two gentlemen are the current owners of the Sacrum Theatrum. M. Batreaux is a spindly elvish man with long silvery hair and a thin goatee. M. Gillorno, meanwhile, is a Spheniscine covered in white feathers. The pair are business partners who hoped to renovate the old theater in order to rejuvenate interest in opera in that part of the city. They were arrested soon after buying the theater due to a string of disappearances in the theater. Both were convicted without much evidence. M. Gillorno was bailed out by his rich family, but M. Batreaux remains in jail to this day. M. Gillorno is attempting to repair the theater’s structure and reputation with the hopes that he will earn enough money to bail his partner out. Both men are natives to the city, being a rare example of a native non-human citizen.

Madame Bernadette Lasreuax - Madame Bernadette is a green haired human woman. Her skin is a much darker tone than most of the city’s residents, and she has piercing green eyes. Some say her eyes can see into one’s very soul, seeing every one of your sins and vices in a single glance. This is untrue, she is merely good at reading people and slightly intimidating. Madam Bernadette is very uptight in both appearance and demeanor. She is the head of the Tolenician Museum of Art. She would prefer it to fully be an art institute, but the city mandates she teach the history of the paintings as well. Madame Bernadette runs a tight ship with her employees, wanting to ensure everything is in pristine condition for those choosing to visit the museum. She is very passionate about art, knowing the names and backgrounds of every individual piece in the museum. Madame Bernadette strives to be a painter in her own right. For now though, her current position suits her well.