Cities of Thardferr (beginning discussion)

[kluu]

I'd like to open discussoin on a format to be used to describe the basics of each city and town in Thardferr. Later after the format is defined and agreed upon I would suggest a board be made to allow for specific discussion of each city as it is being worked on and perhaps include any URL to a site that gives information on the city or town.

[DMGralbor]

Now, I know this may seem preemptive, but I would like to see a compiled list of URLs for city information as discussion goes along that way it will be easier in the long-run to track site listings.

[blehguy]

I had done alot of work on Sorrowtown when I was a DM there, as well as Willowwind Keep and Silverstown

it's all in Hesperian but Sorrowtown can also be found at www.geocities.com/kryp_01

[kluu]

http://home.att.net/~navelorn/NavelornDescription.html

Navelorn, link to map and description for hesparian which was never cleaned up or used, also on this page

[Heretic]

I've got some decent information on Coops just from all the time my character spends there.  I've also got some detailed descriptions of a few small villages in the Icy mountains

[kluu]

Thardferr City Description Format

Name: (City name with any sobriquets.)
Size: (Metropolis, Capital City, City, Large Town, Small Town, Village, Hamlet, Thorp, Semi permanant camp, etc...)
Location: (State river, goegraphical area, main roads, realm on or in which it is located.)
Afilliation: (Confederation, none, which Duke, Baron, tribe, clan or Lord, etc...)
Population:
Racial Makeup: (Percentage of racial makeup of the population and any racial prejudice or tension in the city.)

"Qoute" - By who (Quote associated with the city, trying to give its feel or how it is generally known to others)

Physical Description: (Briefly state the outward appearance of the city, how it is layed out, general look and feel of the city on entering.)

Leader: (Who or what is the leader of the community.)
Defenses: (What is the physical defenses and forces that patrol and potect the city?)

Religious Contacts: (Which god has a shrine, temple or other establishment in or near the city? Describe them in brief. Which is the dominant Church in the city? Who are the leaders and what is the level of competency of each church?)

Guild Contacts: (Which guilds have a representative; what type, size and level of aid are they able to provide and who is the person or leaders of the guild in the city? )

Detailed Description: (Specific description of anything that gives the city character and its own unique look or feel.)

History: (Give the history of the founding, build up, notable events and most recent happenings in the city. This can be done in the form of a timline if you wish.)

City Sectors: (How many, if any; with brief description of how the city is divided.)
  Sector 1: Name, Location and Description of Sector
    Places to Stay: (Describe any known Inn or Tavern where an adventurer may stay.)
    Special Vendors: (Describe any special merchandise and those that provide it found here.)
    Neighborhood Characters: (Describe any specific NPC found in the sector.)
    Special Encounters: (Story hooks or posible special encounters to the sector.)
  Sector 2:
  Etc...
 
Main Imports/Exports: (Describe the main trade or craft associated with the city, What it provides and trades to others and what it needs.)
 
Places of Note: (Describe any places that distinguish this city from others or are unique to it.)
 
People of Note: (Describe any NPC that are associated with the city.)
 
Encounters: (List any specific or special encounters and story ideas associated with and unique to the city.)

[blehguy]

Name: Sorrowtown
Size Designation: Capital City (approx 15,500)
Location: Foot of Durloch's Mountains- Khardfee- Thardferr
Affiliation: Khardfee

Quote:

Physical Desc: Upper City - The Upper city is built in a Diamond shape with three major gates, an east, a west and south gate.  The south gate is now considered to be named Scorched Gate and radiates heat.  Four other towers are at the center of each wall with the towers for a gate to the north built, however this is named Closed Gate, as it is nover to be open, it is solid stone.  This is because of a catwalk problem, that the catwalk fell killing 20 workers during building, after a third fall the King proclaimed that wall would be built instead.

The street pattern in the upper city was first planned so that many people could move through the city, in an almost circular pattern.  Miners Street was originally built to house the miners of the city, having them head west directly for the mountains and mines.  As such they would reenter the city and move onto Smiths’ Street, using the cart rail that runs the length to bring ore into the smelters near the east gate.  These would then be filled with produced iron ore and moved west on Golden Street (was named Iron Road), towards the Smiths'.  From here the carts would go back to the gate while the miners had only brought the cart to the smelters.

The city has had a growing population of persons that are not of dwarven race, as such they have been placed in a place all near to each other.  This is on Legends Street and the surrounding area, the other races take up almost a quarter of the upper city.  The southern edge, south of Durloch’s Holme is a desolate area, no houses have been built here yet, as when the walls were built they were built 1 and a half times the size the needed to be, the city was built from the northeast towards the south, then west.

At the four towers are the lifts to the undercity, these are protected by the dwarves tenaciously.  The only way to the under city is on a cable lift, these lifts are run by pulleys and run by 4 dwarves to lower and raise the system

Lower City- The underrcity is built as a chaotic jumble of Caverns, or so it would seem to those that can't find thier way through them.  Every main street runs from an entrance to an entrace (or very close to it) with the exception of Thorola Street, which is the exception for both rules for the main streets.

Also most of the main streets enter into one of the squares, eastern or western square.  There are three major areas of public activity.  One is the Theatre of Rulership, which is the assembly of politics in Sorrowtown and Khardfee, however both are known to take residence in the Theatre of Kaldinsky in the Upper City; Eastern and Western Square.  These large squares are vast in size, with vaulting cielings.

The main streets are all six (6) foot to the cieling and approximately 17 feet wide.  The floors are smooth, not only by craftsmanship but by use.  Timbers are not used in the older parts of the city, but instead pillars, carved to depict something or someone.  Anything from trees (with the tallest branches holding the roof up) to slaves and gods.  

There are 5 entrances into the Undercity 4 of which are the lifts to the uppercity.  The fifth is through a small set of caverns that lead into Durloch's Mountains and come up in a small cave.  This entrance is blocked by a stone plug and opened only in emergency.  

City Leader:
City Defenses: 3 main Gates, 4 balistas per tower- 2 towers per gate- 1 tower at the center of each main wall- 2 towers at Closed Gate- heavy steel porticulis- detachable lifts- blocking way into under city, extremely large garrison at all times
Racial Makeup: Human population- approximately 1000
Gnome population- approximately 700
Halfling population- approximately 380
Goblin population- approximately 350
Dwarven population- approximately 13,070
---Hill dwarf population- approximately 8,000
---Mountain Dwarf Population- approximately 5,070

Religous Contacts: All religons have small areas within the city, however larger temples to Thr, Terrerie and Fyree all border on Hero's Square

Guild Contacts: Order of the Golden Hammer  ((not sure of recent events, but all confederation guilds were destroyed in the city when the orcs took the city, the dwarves hadn't rebuilt them when I had left))

Detailed Desc: see http://www.geocities.com/kryp_01/Cities_sorrowtown.html

[kluu]

The format I posted is open to discussoni, I just put down the things I felt should be baase knowledge. It can be added to changed or rearranged.

Thanks fo the Sorrotown info, it gives a really good start to a complete write up of the city. Hopefuly you or others will fill in the blanks and once the main cities are written up, a place for them can be found on the reworked site.

In Sorrowtown, the Inconnu was given the use of the Scorched Gate as a guild house, they also have a renovated tavern near there. The Watchers never rebuilt their guild hall but have a trade post that serves as such. The one and only surface temple to Thr "The Temple of Peaks," a white marble, step pyramid, is located in Sorrowtown. I don't know anything more about Sorrowtown.

[DM Rithas]

what about racial tensions? You have the racial make up, but now how a particular race might be treated...just a thought.

[kluu]

good thought, that should be added. it can be inthe same place, I'll try and edit it in.

Racial Makeup: (Percentage of racial makeup of the population and any racil prejudice or tensoins held in the city.)

[Colgere]

http://tanninshire.tripod.com/

Tanninshire - Citadel of the Blades of Justice

Size: Small-Large town currently (pop. 1200 right now), can support a City-sized population of 10,000
Location: 60 miles east of Sorrowtown, located in the Thorn Woods in Khardfee

Afilliation: Rule by the Lords (Counts) of Tanninshire, who answer to King Corun Hammertongue (Tannin) of Khardee. The town of Wiltshire is also under the Lords of Tanninshire's rule.

Population: 1200 currently, can support up to 10,000

Racial Makeup:
Above ground - 70% dwarven, 15% gnome, 10% human, 5% halfling.
Underground - 90% dwarven, 5% gnome, 3% human, 2% halfing.

"So tell me again.... how EXACTLY are we supposed to get in there?"
- Colgere Algion, High Mountainlord of Thr. Said this when he and the other members of the Blades of Justice rediscovered the city in the year 729.

Physical Description: The city is set up in a structured manner, with 3 seperate districts or quaters: The Residential Quarter, the Merchant Quarter, and the Farming Quarter.

Leader: The Lords of Tanninshire, day to day affairs currently being run by Hammen Silvermaul.

Defenses: Wall of Tanninshire, Approx 400 dwarvens soldiers garrisoned here, presence of various members of the Blades of Justice at various times.

Religious Contacts: Shrine to Loralis(on the surface), Temple to Thr (underground, minor), Temple to Sembral(underground, minor), Temple to Telk(underground, minor), Temple to Terrarie(underground, minor), Temple to Loralis(underground, major, dominant). (Maps of each individual temple will be put up on the site soon)

Guild Contacts: New Order of the Ages has a small outpost here. By decree of King Corun and the Lords of Tanninshire, no other guild may have an official prescence in the city.

Description:

An ancient underground city once thought lost forever after the dwarves retreated to the surface realm hundreds of years ago; the adventuring group known as the Blades of Justice has rediscovered Tanninshire within just the past 3 years. The city is what you’d expect of a dwarven citadel: stony, beautifully crafted, and strong. A 400+ ft tower called Tanninshire Tower dominates the city’s “skyline”, and serves as the primary garrison for military forces stationed here. Much of Tanninshire is still unknown outside of King Corun and the Blades of Justice, and those working on the rebuilding/repopulating process are warned to stay together, and to stay away from the lower catacombs of Tanninshire Tower. Many dwarves on the surface, particularly in Sorrowtown, speculate on what could in these catacombs, but so far, King Corun and the Blades of Justice have remained silent beyond their warning.

History:

The origins of Tanninshire itself have been lost to rumor and legend for centuries. Not even the dwarves remember its origin. It is known however, that for centuries, the dwarven race inhabited the citadel of Tanninshire, using it as one of their main defense points against the evil denizens, particularly the Deep Magi, of the Deep Dark. For reasons that are unknown though, the dwarves abandoned their underground cities, including Tanninshire, and moved to the surface. And so Tanninshire sat abandoned and forgotten for centuries. In the meantime, various creatures made Tanninshire their home, most of them not of the friendly sort. And thus, Tanninshire seemingly faded out of history, and into obscurity…until…

In the year 729, the adventuring party known as the Blades of Justice was on a mission for Lord Robert and King Adetralien Le Petit of Alderd, searching for the Tablets of Loralis needed to strengthen the Seal at Lichenwood. Their quest led them down to the ancient citadel of Tanninshire, where they found the last Tablet of Loralis and the legendary Axe of Tannin.

Tanninshire would still likely have remained forgotten except that when the Blades found the Axe of Tannin, they met the spirit of Doruk Tannin, one of the former rulers of Khardfee. He told the Blades that Loralis had sent them to Tanninshire to fulfill a quest, the restoration of the Tannin bloodline, and that of the Blood King, to the throne of Khardfee, and that the Axe of Tannin was the means by which to accomplish this.

After a long arduous quest, the Blades found the rightful king of Khardfee, a young dwarven lad named Corun Hammertongue (he later changed his name to Tannin). With the Axe of Tanninshire recognizing Corun as the true king, the Blades took Corun to Sorrowtown and presented him to the acting king, Drarrel Lorkin, who recognized Corun claim to the throne. For their service to Corun and the kingdom of Khardfee, the Blades were named the Lords of Tanninshire and given the city of Tanninshire to rule, answering only to Corun and Drarrel.

After the recent dwarven civil war, many dwarves feel a desire for a more secure home and a chance to return to their roots, and Tanninshire appears to offer both. Currently, Hammen Silvermaul, one of the Lords of Tanninshire, is in the city, overseeing the reconstruction of the ancient citadel.

City Sectors: 3 sectors, the Residential Quarter, the Merchant Quarter, and the Farming Quarter.

Sector 1: Residential Quarter, located in the western part of the city, primary location of residences in Tanninshire

Neighborhood Characters: None currently

Sector 2: Merchant Quarter, located in the middle part of the city, primary location of business in Tanninshire.

Currently, there are 2 "operating" inns in Tanninshire: The Stone Hammer(average quality) and The Deep Mine (good quality)

Neighborhood Characters: Hammen Silvermaul, one of the Lords of Tanninshire. Also, other Lords may be found here at various times.

Sector 3: Farming Quarter, located in the eastern part of the city, primary location of farms in Tanninshire.

Neighborhood Characters: None currently
 
Main Imports/Exports:

Imports: Livestock, Wood.
Exports: Weapons, Armor, Minerals.

Places of Note:

Wall of Tanninshire:

The great obsidian wall guarding the southern (and only open) side of the city is a magnificent piece of dwarven engineering. Approx 26 feet in height, and 12 feet thick, these walls look as if an entire army of Sythian Mages could attack the wall and not get through. Entrance to the city is only possible through either the main central portcullis, or one of the 2 side portcullises, one on each side of the main portcullis. Rumor has it that the walls are further enchanted against alterations via magic, and when asked about this, members of the Blades simply smile. Many believe that ancient dwarven priests of Loralis did this.

Sun of Loralis:

Strangely enough, despite its location 7 miles underground, Tanninshire has typical surface weather. This is due to the Sun of Loralis and its magical effects. First, the Sun of Loralis acts like the regular sun, keeping Tanninshire between 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit. As part of its enchantment, rain occurs in Tanninshire, allowing the creation of farms and the raising of livestock that would be otherwise impossible underground. It is believed the Sun of Loralis is the creation of dwarven priests of Loralis from ancient times. It seems to resist all attempts to dispel it, and no one seems to know how to recreate this effect.

Loralis’s Tear

This fountain, located in front of Tanninshire Tower, has fresh water flowing from it, even after centuries of existence. Of all the secrets in Tanninshire, this is the only one the Blades of Justice were willing to share with others going to Tanninshire. The water has a magical effect on those who consume it, binding their wounds and curing afflictions such as blindness and deafness, as well as a variety of diseases. However, the Blades have also pointed out that the water only remains effective for 2 days once removed from the fountain, and loses its effect immediately if taken outside the Walls of Tanninshire. Several have tried to remove the water from the city, but as the Blades said, it lost its effect when they did so. Those working to restore Tanninshire, or anyone else for that matter, are welcome to drink from the fountain, but there are always 2 guards on site, primarily to make sure no one “hogs” the fountain for himself or herself. Some of the priests in Tanninshire have commented that the water might be useful in the creation of healing and curative potions and scrolls, and many of them believe the High Mountainlord and one of the Lords of Tanninshire, Colgere Algion, plans on using the water for this exact purpose later in the future.

Tanninshire Tower:

This looming 400 plus foot tower looms in the very back part of the city of Tanninshire, and serves as the main garrison for military forces in Tanninshire, able to garrison approx 1,000 troops under normal circumstances, twice that number in times of emergency. The tower also serves as the seat of power for the Lords of Tanninshire. There are rumors of catacombs beneath the tower which may still contain ancient secrets, but the Lords of Tanninshire, Drarrel and Corun are quiet on this topic, and no one is allowed access to the catacombs.

People of Note:

The Lords of Tanninshire. Hammen Silvermaul, dwarven priest of Sembral, runs the day to day affairs of the city. Other Lords may be present at various times. The complete roster of the Lords is as follows:

Gurek Marksmaster(Deceased) – Human Ranger
Hawkeye – Elven Ranger
Hammen Silvermaul – Dwarven Priest
Gabrella – Human Cleric
Ted Barleyman – Halfling Fighter/Thief
Rand – Gnome Illusionist
Ancaren Ra’Vier – Human Fighter/Thief/Mage
Colgere Algion – Human High Mountainlord

Encounters: DM-only, read writeup on DM Boards.

[kluu]

Excellant!

Does this seem like the format we wish to use then for the cities of Thardferr?

[Colgere]

The format seems fine to me

[Scionist]

KUDOS!

[Colgere]

http://tanninshire.tripod.com/wiltshire/

General Wiltshire Writeup:

Wiltshire

Size: Small Village - pop. 130

Location: 50 miles east of Sorrowtown, located in the Thorn Woods in Khardfee

Afilliation: Rule by the Lords (Counts) of Tanninshire, who answer to King Corun Hammertongue (Tannin) of Khardfee.

Population: 130

Racial Makeup:
Above ground - 90% dwarven, 8% gnome, 2% human

"What do ya mean there's NO more food!?"
- Ted Barleyman, Member of the Blades of Justice. Said this when he and the other members of the Blades of Justice passed through the village on their journey to find Tanninshire in the year 729.

Physical Description: The village is a simple, straight-forward one, with only bare minimum services available.

Leader: The Lords of Tanninshire, day to day affairs currently being run by Hawkeye.

Defenses: Town guard, village militia, members of the Lords of Tanninshire.

Religious Contacts: Shrine to Thr
Guild Contacts: None

Description:

This small village is used primarily as a waystop for merchants moving goods from Sorrowtown to Silverstown, though with the emergence of Sorrowtown, it may grow to accomdate that locale as well.

History:

Wiltshire has been and will always likely be a small village. Its location in the Thorn Woods, far away from Sorrowtown, doesn't provide for many opportunities for it to grow. Its primary industries are logging from the nearby Thorn Wood, and the merchant traffic that passes through here.

City Sectors: Main village only.

Neighborhood Characters: None currently

Currently, there is 1 inn in Wiltshire: The Wooden Axe (average quality)

Neighborhood Characters: Hawkeye, one of the Lords of Tanninshire. Also, other Lords may be found here at various times.

Main Imports/Exports:

Imports: Food, Metals.
Exports: Wood, Lodging.

Places of Note:

Shrine of Thr:

A small shrine to Thr is maintained here, mostly by the villagers themselves. An internant priest of Thr (1st level acolyte) usually stops by the village once every month or so to make sure the shrine is in good order and that the village is safe. This is also a popular stop for merchants to pray to Thr for his blessing on their businesses.

People of Note:

The Lords of Tanninshire. Hawkeye, elven ranger, runs the day to day affairs of the village. Other Lords may be present at various times. The complete roster of the Lords is as follows:

Gurek Marksmaster(Deceased) – Human Ranger
Hawkeye – Elven Ranger
Hammen Silvermaul – Dwarven Priest
Gabrella – Human Cleric
Ted Barleyman – Halfling Fighter/Thief
Rand – Gnome Illusionist
Ancaren Ra’Vier – Human Fighter/Thief/Mage
Colgere Algion – Human High Mountainlord

Encounters: DMs' discretion.