Citadel Fornyr (For-near)
Citadel Fornyr is a walled city nestled into the base of the peaks of Hecron that acts as the home to house Battleborn of the Ruthorian empire. In an age long past Citadel Fornyr used to be the seat of a mighty dwarven kingdom, and you can still find dwarven ruins below the city to this day. Due to the multiracial nature of the city, almost all writings in the city, be it signs or documents, are written in both Common and Dwarvish.
Demographics
Like a usual Ruthorian city, the majority of the population in Citadel Fornyr are human. However, being a place of great dwarven history, it has a very high dwarf population compared to the rest of Ruthoria. An amount of these dwarves are, or descend from, dwarves exiled from their clans in the Dolset Snowfields. Life in the Snowfields is tough, and other clans aren't likely to accept a traitor into their closely-knit ranks. This makes Citadel Fornyr the next best place in many dwarves' eyes. Unfortunately, most dwarves are religated to low-income mining jobs in the undercity, as that's what the humans of the city assume they are accustomed to.
Government
Citadel Fornyr is governed and managed by house Battleborn, who report to the Ruthorian empire. The current head of house Battleborn is Sarvon Battleborn, a large powerful man strangely obsessed with Ruthorian history. Unfortunately, Sarvon's hobbies and concerns over his territory at large have him absent from city affairs a majority of the time. Instead, Sarvon appointed his wife Pagonia Battleborn as chancellor of the city, putting her in charge of most city affairs. The cities government is also highly influenced by the whims of large guilds such as the Citadel Fornyr blacksmith's guild and Citadel Fornyr miner's guild.
Defences
Citadel Fornyr is located in a very defensible position but has a glaring weakness. The Peaks of Hecron are home to many tribes of orcs. These orcs are very well accustomed to the mountainous terrain of the peaks, and often live in caves that connect to the ancient Fornian mines now utilized by Citadel Fornyr. For this reason, house Battleborn goes to great lengths to cull or at least push back the orc population of the Peaks of Hecron. The city itself has a city guard force who wear the colors of house Battleborn (orange and red) but without the icon of a lion. This difference is how they tell soldiers of house Battleborn (who wear the lion icon) from the city guards (who only wear the colors).
Industry & Trade
The huge economic powers within Citadel Fornyr are the Citadel Fornyr blacksmith's guild and the Citadel Fornyr miner's guild. These guilds are known across northern Ruthoria as the primary suppliers of minerals and equipment to areas under the control of house Battleborn and house Neska. A large majority of dwarves living in the city are "members" of one of these guilds, though membership details differ between the two. These dwarves are usually indentured to the guild they join for a short time before they join, as most of them can't pay the initial fee of joining the guild
Infrastructure
- The undercity: Citadel Fornyr has a huge complex of ancient dwarven halls and caverns located under the main city. Various staircases and ladders lead down from the main city to the undercity. The undercity connects to various mines created by the ancient dwarven kingdom that was expanded upon by newer inhabitants. There are many mechanisms within the undercity built to seal it off from the outside world in case of intruders. In the chance that the city is attacked, inhabitants not inside the High Town's walls are to retreat into the undercity and seal the entrances behind them.
- The wall: A huge wall separates the High Town district from the South Gate and Deepstone districts. It is constantly patrolled by city guard members. It has 3 gates, one connecting to South Gate, one connecting to Deepstone, and one connecting to the Dual Markets.
- Sewers: Citadel Fornyr has a complete system of sewers built upon the original sewers made back when the city was still the seat of power for a dwarven city called Fornyr.
Districts
- The undercity: By far the oldest part of the city, the undercity is home to the vast majority of the dwarven population of Citadel Fornyr. It is mostly made up of restored dwarven ruins and connects to the mines in which both the dwarves of the ancient kingdom and present-day Citadel Fornyr work. Although parts of the undercity are great halls and tunnels, a significant amount of it is built into the walls of a great open cavern known as Moneicka's Echo, overlooking the deep crevice below.
- South Gate district: The South Gate district is the general living area for lower to middle class human citizens. The east side of South Gate is mostly homes ranging from the lower-class northeast to the middle-class southeast. The lower-class homes are located directly next to the wall surrounding High Town so guards may look down upon it for any signs of trouble. The west side of South Gate is mostly businesses and open-air markets.
- High Town district: The High Town district is nestled into the peaks of Hecron and is home to the upper-middle to upper-class citizens of Citadel Fornyr. Here, well-off guild masters and nobles live a comfy life, enjoying luxuries such as the Marijat park, donated to the city by Pasha Marijat, grandmaster of the Citadel Fornyr blacksmith's guild. The High Town district has very few entrances to the undercity, and all of them are heavily guarded.
- Deepstone district: The Deepstone district is the equivalent of the South Gate district but for dwarves. This district tends to be the least patrolled by the city watch, making it high(ish) in crime (dwarves are known to be hard-workers as opposed to criminals, but it isn't impossible). The Deepstone district has the most entrances to the undercity of any district.
- Dual Markets: The Dual Markets aren't technically a district, but instead a meeting place for traveling merchants. Here, traders can unload and sell their wares away from the hustle and bustle of the city without the threat of them getting stolen or damaged. The Dual Markets are located outside a small, heavily-guarded entrance to High Town bordering the large stretches of farmland outside the city's walls.
- The Greenlands: Outside the walls of High town and in between South Gate and Deepstone is a large stretch of farmland called the Greenlands. This farmland isn't solely responsible for supplying the city with its food, but it is slowly expanding to one day fulfill that purpose (at the expense of Lanloch Woods, which is slowly being cut away).
Assets
- The mines: With the ancient dwarven kingdom of Fornyr laying the foundation long ago, the Citadel Fornyr miner's guild have re-invigorated the ancient mines, collecting any scraps the ancient Fornian dwarves may have left behind. Many valuable ores, gemstones, and minerals are extracted from the mines every day.
- Mithral: The mines built into the peaks of Hecron by the ancient Fornian dwarves long ago delve deep into the earth, even in some places reaching the Underdark. Deep down the Citadel Fornyr miner's guild have discovered very small veins of Mithral that once were part of a much larger vein thought to be tapped long ago.
- Fertile soil: Being located between the Drondurlin and Lanloch rivers, the soil around Citadel Fornyr Is very productive for agriculture.
Guilds and Factions
- Citadel Fornyr blacksmith's guild: A reputable guild of blacksmiths made up of primarily dwarves. This guild has a high amount of political and economic power, basically controlling a monopoly on blacksmithing in the city through quality guarantees and systematic shaming of emerging competitors.
- Citadel Fornyr miner's guild: A powerful guild that manages all mining affairs in the city. Most of the miners are dwarves indentured to the guild, and only those who work for many years can pay off their indenture and officially become a member.
- The Silver Hammer: A mysterious crime gang entirely based in the undercity. It is made up of all dwarves, but nobody knows anything about its leader besides that they are a dwarf and call themselves "The Silver's Hand". The Silver Hammer controls the undercity black market trade in Citadel Fornyr. The location of the open black market is constantly changing, moving between various secluded cave systems with entrances conveniently sized for dwarves making the entrance of anyone larger very uncomfortable. Any human guards entering through the main entrance would be funneled, giving the criminals enough time to either escape or pick them off one by one.
History
The ancient dwarven city of Fornyr was once the seat of power for a larger dwarven kingdom long ago. It is theorized that Fornyr became so powerful due to the once giant vein of Mithral found deep within the Peaks of Hecron, which have been long depleted. Only a small amount of Mithral remains that has been found by the Citadel Fornyr miner's guild, strongly suggesting the presence of a huge vein once present. Scholars of Citadel Fornyr believe that Fornyr collapsed due to instability brought about by various attacks against it by Giants from the Montane Flat looking to expand their territory.
Points of interest
- Castle Battleborn: House Battleborn's castle home.
- Marijat Park: A large green park in the High Town district donated to the city by Pasha Marijat.
- High Town market: A market square located in the High Town district. It is always highly guarded and nobody is allowed to loiter in the market after midnight until sunrise.
- South Gate market: A market square located in the South Gate district.
- Deepstone market: A market square located in the Deepstone district.
- Black market : The Silver Hammer controls the undercity black market trade in Citadel Fornyr. The location of the open black market is constantly changing, moving between various secluded cave systems with entrances conveniently sized for dwarves making the entrance of anyone larger very uncomfortable. Any human guards entering through the main entrance would be funneled, giving the criminals enough time to either escape or pick them off one by one. It is also the one truly safe place to buy and sell Eurganan.
Tourism
Citadel Fornyr isn't exactly the most tourist-friendly city, but many dwarves and scholars of history visit the city to see the ancient Fornian ruins.
Architecture
The architecture of the different districts of Citadel Fornyr is very varied.
- South Gate district: The architecture of the South Gate district is very "traditional human" with basic stone architecture spotted with splashes of various colors.
- Deepstone district: The architecture of the Deepstone district is very dwarven, with staunch cubic stone buildings, built with the height of dwarves in mind. Most buildings in this district would be uncomfortable for a human to say the least.
- High Town district: The architecture of the High Town district is varied, with the buildings resembling grander and better-decorated versions of the buildings found in the South Gate and Deepstone districts. These buildings tend to be very fancy and expensive, with the larger manors being located closer to the center of the district.
- The undercity: The undercity's architecture is magnificent, with ancient Fornian carvings of great dwarven legends and geometric shapes lining the many stone halls.
Geography
Citadel Fornyr is nestled into the base of the Peaks of Hecron and is surrounded by the Lanloch Woods. To the east of the city is the Lanloch river, and to the west is the Drondurlin River.
Climate
It tends to be chilly all year around in northern Ruthoria, becoming especially freezing during winter.
Alternative Name(s)
Fornyr
Type
City
Inhabitant Demonym
Fornians
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