Heartholt
Dra'cora's first city.
The original orchards brought from Earth, along with other plants, have grown over the years into large forests, and from there have spread and combined into a vast woodland. Several large sections are kept clear of trees for those Dra'corians and beasts with different climate needs, but the vast majority of Dra'cora's first settlement is woods and jungle.
Heartholt is currently Dra'cora's only city, holding the majority of the population. Others live on the outskirts of the habitable zone in small villages.
In the city's heart is a crater with every type of climate inside it, spread out from the center like spokes of a wheel. The Pearl Egg of Creation found there, along with the skeletons of its dragon parents, have since been moved to better protect them and harness the Egg's magic for crop and livestock growth, but the place is still consider sacred.
Demographics
Districts are mainly divided by climate, but also by culture, as Dra'corians come from all corners of Earth and have yet to fully integrate with each other (even after 150 years, they are slow towards change). Many prefer to stick with what is most familiar to them.
Government
City Council, though a temporary leader is elected in times of crisis. If the crisis is unresolved after one year, they must run for election again or be replaced.
Defences
Several parts of the forest are inside craters, using their rims as natural walls. On the boarders of the forest are bramble and thorn hedges. Guards regularly patrol branches of boarder trees, armed with crossbows and light artillery against ground and airborne threats. Regularly scheduled burnings are used to control fire hazards.
To keep out underground dangers, the city's burrowers have a system of listening posts, movable barriers, and collapsible tunnels, along with gates and dams to divert water to flood the tunnels if needed.
Industry & Trade
Hunting, herding, and farming are the main way of life here. With no other cities to trade with, Heartholt is self sustaining. However, in recent years, trade for metal is done with the smaller villages, as mining operations in the forest have been halted for fear of damaging the massive network of tree roots.
Guilds and Factions
There are several guilds, but these are the most well known:
- Guards ~ Peacekeepers and protectors, occasionally called to help hunters and shepherds with problem creatures.
- Shepherds ~ They tend the wild animals housed in crater pastures just outside the city boarders.
- Hunters ~ Hunters deal with giant insect and monster (non-sentient Dra'coraians) threats. They also compete with each other in sport hunts.
- Farmers ~ They grow crops of food, and exchange ideas for improvements.
- Foresters ~ They tend to the trees and other wild plants, ensuring healthy and improved growth. They also double as carpenters, helping shape trees into homes with magic and ingenuity.
History
Heartholt was the first settlement founded after Earth’s magical creatures crossed a magic portal to the world they would name Dra’cora, escaping a magical strain of Black Death which ravaged their communities. The city was named for its forest which grew from the magical environment provided by the Pearl Egg.
Architecture
Trees of Dracora grow twice as large as those on Earth, and the trees themselves are used as buildings, hollowed or shaped with magic just enough to live in, but not enough to kill them or weaken their structural integrity. There are also pulley systems in place for elevator platforms. The trees are often coaxed to grow in such a way that their branches form living bridges between trunks. Where this isn't possible or practical, normal wooden bridges are built.
Those who don't live in the tree trunks live in nests among the branches, underground burrows supported by massive root structures, or else live above ground, building with what is available and shaping the land with their magic. Living arrangements vary by creature, although among tree dwellers there is competition for spaces in the canopy. Craters on the outskirts of the city are used for crops and livestock.
Geography
Hills and craters with flat areas scattered around. Some craters are lakes, while others are valleys. Several rivers also run through the forest city.
Taiga, mangrove, jungle, and temperate woodlands are all here, split into separate areas. Other climates throughout the city which are kept clear of unneeded trees include plains, swamp, desert, and tundra. These areas can usually be found contained inside craters, but also form in patches through the forests.
Dra'cora's only sea stretches away south and east not far from the city, though it has yet to be reached by the Egg's terraforming spell and is currently frozen and uninhabitable.
Natural Resources
Wood, herbs and fungi. Products from giant insects are common, like chitin, hemolymph, meat, honey, and silk. Normal sized insects are also used as a dietary supplement and livestock feed.
Maps
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Dra'cora Basic Planet Information
Alternative Name(s)
The Forest City
Type
City
Population
10,500
Location under
Included Locations
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I’ll say this, this article clearly shows that this world is very fleshed out, as the links in the article allow for the reader to understand the world more and more, and thus become ever more immersed within the world of Dracora. Also, very good hook in the beginning, with “The origin of its magic- and its doom”
Thank you! :) I know not all of the links work right now, but I plan to fill those out later.
I updated the Architecture section to add in how big the trees are.