Oxburg

Beneath a cloud of smog on Guardia's southern tip sits the city of Oxburg. Known primarily for its metalworking, crafts, and as a bustling port town, Oxburg is the most industrious of all the Guardian cities. Founded around 1000 years ago from a ceasefire between orc tribes and human residents, it has become something of a melting pot of all races from across Draydar, if in a rough-around-the-edges sort of way. Due to the city's dense smog, it is typical for citizens to wear masks in the streets, and it has become something of a local culture, with unique masks being created to express the personality of the wearer.

Demographics

While humans are extremely common all over Eumaea, most of Guardia's population are of Dwarven descent, though Dwarven populations are more concentrated in historically Dwarven cities, such as Jortun and T'Chor-Va. In the eastern cities, Half-orc populations are more common, as many are descendants of the orc tribes that live around the fringes of the desert. Oxburg also has a relatively high number of tieflings in its population. Halflings are more common to the west of the mountains, as these are their ancestral lands. Following is a rough population breakdown:

• Human: 40%
• Dwarf: 30%
• Halfling: 15%
• Half-Orc: 10%
• Other: 5%

The most common language is, of course, Common (also known as Draydarran). Dwarven is very common as well. Occasionally, people will speak Halfling, Orc, or G’aarjyan (Ancient Guardian).

Government

The city is ruled by the governess, Lady Ophelia Tourmaline. The council of Oxburg is made up of representatives of the Oxburg royal families, descendants of the original royal families who founded the city over 1000 years ago when Oxburg was a city-state, before it was unified with Guardia. The symbols of the noble families make up the crest of Oxburg. The noble families are:

The Gormwiles

A family of half-orc descent, they were founded when Hurst Gormwile, a half-orc acting on behalf of the Cragtooth orc tribe, came to a military stalemate with the human families over ownership of the land, and decided to help found the city on the condition that orcs be treated as first-class citizens in the city (provided they follow the law). Because of him, there is a significant half-orc population in the city. The members of this family are mostly human these days, but are not above marrying orcs, and many bear vestiges of their orcish heritage. Their symbol is the falchion.

The Clerians

Abigail and Oswald Clerian, a human couple. They are originally from Aegis City, but were able to acquire noble status in Oxburg due to a fair amount of diplomacy. Much about them is unknown, though they delight in the dark and macabre. Their symbol is the skull.

The Tourmalines

Very little about the Tourmaline family is known, though they have a proclivity towards arcane magic. Some of their number are suspected to be tieflings. Their symbol is the flame.

The Perspex

A family of mostly dwarves, they represent the resident mining population, and are typically lauded for having the common man's interests at heart, but really are mostly interested in the profit that this industry brings, and most are wealthy tycoons. Their symbol is the pickaxe.

The O'Houlihans

A family of halflings, their interests are mostly on culture and preserving the artistic scene of Oxburg. They are known to pay outrageous sums of money for rare art. Their symbol is the paint brush.

Industry & Trade

The city is a shipping port, and is also known for its many forges where copper, iron, and steel are worked into weapons, armor, and many mundane objects. This ore typically comes from the multitude of mines around the city, and some even out into the G'arjyya Desert.
Down below is a bustling harbor with a booming materials trade. Though the city sits on top of a cliff, an intricate series of elevators inside the rock allow people and goods to be transported to and from the docks below. Those with an in to the underworld know that a secret slave trade happens here, where slaves are imported from foreign continents and sold here to nobles and the rich.
Due to its industrial nature, the city is often blanketed by smog that is a mixture of forge smoke and sea mist. Naturally, the streets of Oxburg are often grimy, and its residents tend to wear face masks and concealing clothes to protect their skin. Because of this, a culture of mask-wearing has emerged, where people create ornate masks that both filter incoming air and look intimidating, like masquerade masks.

Geography

The city sits on a cliff on the Isthton Penninsula overhanging the Bay of Beale. The land around the city is forested, but gets more and more craggy the further north it gets, before the land fully dries out when it meets the desert.
In the bay below, there is a collection of islands called the Drowned Isles. The largest is Ariella. Nearby is Kuthor, and out in the sea are Ngwei, Jugym, and Hallei. While the small islands are roughly a mile in diameter and are mostly rocky, Ariella is about three miles long and is covered in a thick coniferous forest. There's a legend that these islands are named after a mother and her four children who lived in the area before the city was founded who went missing one night in a storm and never returned.

Type

Large city

Population

20,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Oxburger

Owning Organization

The Kingdom of Guardia