Diarchy of Uthodurn

Structure

The city of Uthodurn and its associated settlements are ruled by a pair of monarchs. Representing the elves who once fled from Molaesmyr is King Imathan Talviel. Representing the dwarves who were the city's original founders is Queen Simone Fruunast, daughter to the previous queen. Both monarchs manage shared responsibilities based on the initial agreement forged some years after the disaster of Molaesmyr. The joint rule brought peace and friendship to the different people's of the city, a friendship that has extended to the current rulers.

Public Agenda

Many historians and prominent members of both halves of Uthodurn's society are investigating the source of the corruption that persists in the Savalirwood, hoping to one day heal the forest and reclaim the homeland of the elves. Shreds of evidence have been recovered by scouting parties sent into the deadly thicket surrounding the ruins of Molaesmyr to uncover signs of the curse and its origins.
However, looters and thieves from Shadycreek Run have discovered the ruins as well, stealing relics and selling them to private interests. These thefts, coupled with recent research indicating that the corruption is slowly spreading, have accelerated the need to find answers to the mystery of the Savalirwood.
The growing population of the city has a constant need for more resources, so the diarchy agreed on the need to expand beyond the mountain pass. The village of Uraliss was founded using experimental magic designed to thaw snowfields, with the goal of developing sections of the Rime Plains into farmland. Unfortunately, the ground beneath the snow turned out to be untillable rock, so the settlement was abandoned. The dual monarchs then established the northern fishing village of Palebank, which supplies new goods and a coastal outpost in spite of the grueling cold.
Small vessels built to withstand the icy waters of the Frigid Depths began to explore the shores surrounding the region, discovering the lands of Eiselcross. In these frozen wastes, the settlers of Uthodurn uncovered signs of scattered arcana from a pre-Calamity era buried beneath the snow. These discoveries have piqued the interest of Molaesmyr researchers and Uthodurn's monarchs alike. As the conflict in the south escalates, the leaders of Uthodurn are eager to gain whatever power or protection might be gained from the secrets hidden in the treacherous tundra of Eiselcross.

History

Following the blight that destroyed Molaesmyr, some of the surviving elves went northeast, nearly dying in the Flotket Alps before reaching Uthodurn, then a primarily dwarven city. The dwarves of Uthodurn quickly accepted the refugees. However, after the corruption of the Savalirwood did not recede, and a few years of uneasy culture clash, Queen Judessa Fruunast reached out to the former king of Molaesmyr, Imathan Talviel, and proposed a dual monarchy to rule the city. After lengthy discussion regarding the many considerations and changes needed, and with feedback from both the dwarven and elven populations, the diarchy was installed. The two monarchs ruled jointly for roughly two centuries. Following the death of Judessa Fruunast in 794 PD, her daughter Simone Fruunast assumed the dwarven throne. As of 835 PD, the cooperation of the Diarchy remains strong, if somewhat isolated from the rest of the continent.

Foreign Relations

Uthodurn has little affiliation with other factions across Wildemount. Aside from the occasional explorers and adventurers who pose no threat, most people who come to Uthodurn are met with skepticism and avoided. The locals want nothing to do with the war in the south.
Anyone who might be from Shadycreek Run is treated as a lowlife brigand and immediately captured and interrogated. Any information about the powers behind the criminal civilization is considered useful, and once non-violent prisoners expend their usefulness, they are unceremoniously stripped of their equipment and set loose in the snowy fields of the Rime Plains.

Founding Date

~585 PD

Type

Geopolitical, City-state

Alternative Names

Dual Monarchs

Leader

Simone Fruunast

Leader Title

Queen

Location

Uthodurn