HighMountain

The description o HighMountain

Demographics

The city is populated mostly by dwarfs and humans, being elfs the thirth most common race. It houses almost all other races, including orcs, drows or goblins in the lower levels. The wealthiest citizens occupy the higher levels, with dwarf, human, elven and half-orc being the dominant races. The lower levels of the city are the poorest being inhabitated by orcs, goblins, tieflings, among others. The most common professions are miner and stoneworker, but are closely followed by many other like jeweler, smith, brewer and even farmer. The ages are distributed evenly, although older kin are slighly more prevalent.

Government

The city, like the kingdom, is ruled under a court formed by eight councillors and a king and a queen. Dispite the king and queen have power over all ministries, the eight councillors have a high influence in the management designated for each of them. The eight ministries are: defense, order, justice, counting, health, resources, sustenance and foreignism.

• Ministry of defense: ministry destined to maintain the defensive condition of the capital and the kingdom. It's responsible for the well-being of the kingdom's army as well as the maintenance of all equipment and machines used by it.
• Ministry of order: this ministry is responsible for the organisation of the city and the kingdom. City structures, urban planning, settlements disposition, all this subjects fall under the jurisdiction of the ministry of order.
• Ministry of justice: this institution is responsible for all legal affairs in [kingdom name]. It is responsible for crime trials and resolution of conflicts. It is also responsible for civil order and safety, owning control of settlements law enforcement units, like police forces.
• Ministry of counting: institution tasked with the kingdom finances and trade. They track and control all matters related to coin, treasury, and trading. They are responsible for checking all major trading routes and establish new ones.
• Ministry of health: organ related to the welfare of the population. Disease control and population health-checking. The condition of the people is this ministry's responsability.
• Ministry of resources: The ministry deals with the overall kingdom's provisions, outside of food resources and weapons. Building materials, chemical components, magical ingredients. The organization manages all quantities and uses of such resources.
• Ministry of sustenance: this manages all affairs related to the food storage, quantity and production the kingdom requires. It also deals with agriculture issues and organization of farming lands.
• Ministry of foreignism: this ministry deals with every foreign related matter, from diplomacy to treaties, alliances and war declarations. All ambassadors of the kingdom must report to this institution.

The laws are created, droped or reviewed by all ministries, along with the king and the queen in a weekly reunion by all government elements. A law can be presented by any element, but only the king state the destiny of the discussed law, either by accepting it, modified by him or not, or denying it. Every ministry has a word for every law presented or studied, stating its opinion on the law and the reasons for its opinion. The king can create or demote any law, as well as establish it, at any time, being the law revised at a later time by all members of the court. The laws are absolute. No element of society is above them, not even the highest member, in this case the king. A transgression of any law can lead to tribunal judgement, or public condemnation, if the transgression is comited by a higher member of society. Although the succession of the crown its determined by bloodline, the child of the king is the rightful heir of the throne, the councillors are choosen by the HighMountain's local population in a public trial, every 5 years. The councillors can be independent, but most of the times are backed by organizations such as important families, religious groups or guilds. Once a councellor is choosen, it can delegate a right arm, a secretary and the members of the ministry.
Taxation is collected by elements of the ministry of counting, at the end of each quarter of the year, except in periods of crisis were it can be taxed once a month. Due to this long period of time, taxation is quite high.

Defences

HighMountain was primarily a defensive settlement, a fortress under the gnome rule. After the Great departure, the fortress was abandon. A human and dwarf community inhabited it and funded HighMountain. Naturaly, HighMountain have very strong defenses from strong, high walls, to defensive and offensive heavy weapons. Heavy scorpions and catapults, guard the large walls around the city.

Industry & Trade

The main trade of HighMountain is jewels and minerals, from gold to iron. But many other resources are produced and traded here but in less quantity or quality. Food, stonework or leatherwork, the White fortress is a great artisan metropolis using the bought resources or the ones harvested inside the kingdom to produce high quality products which are exported to foreign lands.

Infrastructure

1. The Phoenix Jewel: The city possess the biggest precious metals refinery and precious jewels productions. The Phoenix Jewel is the great system built by the dwarfs under the elven rule where some of the greatest jewels and magic stones were found and produced.
2. Hlavor Citadel: The Phoenix kingdom seat of power. Not only the citadel is heavily guarded and well defended, but it is highly luxurious inside, owning some of the most valuable riches in its vast halls, like the Genjeon key, Elnia fire or the Orb of void. The kingdom coffers are here too.
3. The great Eye: An ancient gnome tower with gigantic lens. From the tower, anything can be seen from kilometres away. Few know how to operate it and the ones who know don't fully understand all its capabilties. It is a strategic position in the north eastern region in the Hlavorn ridge.

History

HighMountain was an elven fortress that belonged to the "Hlavor line", a group of elven fortresses created during the lifetime of the high empire. Despite small compared to its size today, HighMountain had a strategic significance due to being the most north-eastern fortress of the line. It was the first defensive position from a possible enemy invasion from the Mond'wopa Archipelago, the easiest point of entrance to the Verisol Continent. After the period of the Downfall and the control of the gnome kin from orc rule, the fortress remained abandoned during the decay era until a community of human and dwarf people settled there initially for protection. The community funded the Phoenix Empire and the evolved much of the fortress from its original state.

Architecture

The aspect of the city is very straight and simplistic, having the top levers much more decorated than the lower levels. Somewhere in all levers there's vestiges of ancient elven signs like an elven archway or a wall decorated with elvish runes. Gnome decorations are much more prevalent, especially on the middle levers where the older buildings reside.

Geography

The city locates on the steps of a mountain near Hlavorn Ridge, north east of the Verisol continent and right in the center of the Phoenix Kingdom.

Natural Resources

The city gathers naturaly, gems like rubies, diamonds or saphires, minerals like iron or gold, quimical components like sulphur and stone or marble. It farms a small quantity of grains and vegetables from the foot of the mountain, water from the peaks and animals around. The rest of the goods are produced using resources harvested inside the kingdom or bought outside.

Founding Date

34, Oupilma of 5701

Alternative Name(s)

The white fortress

Type

Capital

Inhabitant Demonym

Montanears

Included Locations

• House of Stars
• Jala Observatory

Owner/Ruler

Varondis Johal, King of HighMountain

Owning Organization

Phoenix Kingdom

Characters in Location

• Kinette Johal, queen of HighMountain
• Varondis Johal, King of HighMountain

Related Historical Events

• 5697
  Founding