Kaer Ardanyan
The dwarven architect Ghandoz designed Kaer Ardanyan, making it large enough that there was enough space for coming generations and mining work. The protective wards are shaped
like an orb incorporating the surrounding rock, with a tunnel circling the kaer’s equator. This border tunnel also marks ground zero of the kaer—there are levels above and below it. Four large halls were carved out of existing natural caves, which were each widened and expanded to have a domed ceiling.
The three largest halls—called Khar rhûz, Shal’Minar, and Okoros—were planned as living areas centered around the smallest one, Council Hall, which served administrative purposes only. Today, the kaer is home to about 3,200 Namegivers.
Each hall is illuminated by a large light crystal mounted in the center of its dome. During the day, the crystals emanate a yellowish glow reminiscent of sunlight. The ceilings are painted a light
blue and enhanced with illusion magic to create the image of a clear sky. The crystal light slowly fades on and off twice a day to create the illusion of dusk and dawn. Countless smaller light quartzes set into the domes simulate stars during the night.
The underground levels serve various purposes. The levels directly below the surface are mainly used for storage and cooling food, sometimes even as living quarters. Chamber pots are emptied in the lower halls and come back as fertilizer for the fields. The deepest levels contain the death pits, where the bodies of the deceased are disposed. A deep layer of mud covers these pits, which are regularly skimmed for bones.
An underground river was diverted to supply Kaer Ardanyan with water. The river enters the kaer’s wards near the hall of Okoros and descends deep under the lowest levels, where it exits the wards again. A number of water elementals were bound to ensure the purity of the water and the safety of the kaer. These spirits also divert enough water to feed the lakes inside the halls. Apart from naturally grown air sponges, several air elementals clean the air and circulate it. As with the water elementals, the spirits work in the background and are mostly invisible. When the library was on fire many years back, the displeased spirits manifested a great storm to clean out the smoke.
Government
Council
Defences
Magical Wards, Built underground
Guilds and Factions
Mining Guild
Geography
Deep under the mountians
Comments