Urzin
A uniquely mobile settlement with its permanent dwellings built on the backs of dozens of horizonback tortoises, Urzin is home to swamp hunters, scouts, and trappers that know the Brokenveil Marsh like no one else. The most recent society to come under the wing of the Kryn Dynasty, Urzin acts as a powerful, mobile fortress for the Kryn military throughout the Brokenveil Marsh. The settlement rarely stays in one location for more than a month, and its people are skilled at the art of camouflage and ambush. Urzin has become a major boon to the dynasty as the conflict with the Dwendalian Empire escalates.
Respect for Strength
The swampfolk of Urzin have always prized strength and guile: their leader is simply the reigning champion of one-on-one combat. The previous champion, Ogre Lord Buhfal, ruled the settlement for decades, assaulting the encroaching empire and fighting off the dangers of the marsh. Roughly forty years ago, Buhfal was challenged by the Kryn paragon Sunbreaker Olomon. In what is still retold as legend, a mighty bout between the two ended with Buhfal defeated and Olomon elevated to rule the settlement. With his guidance, Olomon brought the teachings of the Luxon, in the name of the Bright Queen, and promised that with the hearts of the Urzin people behind him and his drow, the terrible soldiers of the empire would no longer terrorize the marshfolk. Renewed by this promise, Urzin follows the lead of the dynasty with an impressive fervor, working like clockwork to achieve any goal dictated by Olomon. In his absence, Ogre Lord Buhfal II proudly fills the role of leader and protector.A Shifty Settlement
A large number of the denizens of Urzin make their homes atop the shells of the horizonbacks, but many also carry temporary tents and makeshift abodes that allow a home to be made wherever they find themselves. Whole packs of tortoises reconfigure daily, and often the settlement breaks up and scatters across the marsh for periods of time, leaving satellite outposts all over the region before reforming elsewhere among the muck. Because of this, the Dwendalian military finds the movements of Urzin hard to track and even harder to predict.Demographics
62% goblinoids, 21% gnolls, 10% orcs, 7% other races
Government
While there is a comparatively thin presence of authoritarian Aurora Watch soldiers among the ever-shifting boundaries of Urzin, Sunbreaker Olomon and his appointed council are treated with reverence and their orders are followed with impressive zeal. The culture of Urzin prizes unity and adherence to the wishes of their champion, so Urzin’s governance at times seems strangely smooth compared to other locations in the dynasty. While Olomon is away on other business, the Urzinians can become restless or slower to follow instruction, but this insubordination lasts only until his return.
Defences
A legion of Aurora Watch defends the town, while the hordes of Urzin hunters scout the marsh. The horizonback tortoises that bear the town on their backs are more than capable of defending themselves.
Crime
Criminal activity within the settlement is rare, given the zealous nature of the marshfolk. Dissent within the ranks is often punished with exile, so the few that do disobey find themselves ostracized and left to survive alone among the foggy dangers of the marsh.Industry & Trade
Trade in Urzin is fairly basic and geared toward survival and warfare. Many common goods can be bought or traded for, but rarer items are coveted and appear infrequently. Inns are very rare.
Guilds and Factions
Some small The Luxon temples travel on tortoise-back alongside shrines to older goblinkin patrons.
Geography
The town of Urzin consists of around forty horizonback tortoises and many hundreds of mobile tents and huts that shift with every relocation. The backs of these tortoises are covered front to back in rickety shacks and barracks, sometimes stacked in wild towers, with long ropes and vines anchoring them in place. The horizonback shells are reinforced at the edges with jagged pikes and sharpened bones to help defend those who live atop, while bolt throwers and short-range catapults can be found throughout the neighborhoods. Every tortoise contains its own microcosm of a village, and denizens all take up skills to make the miniature community nearly self-sufficient, complete with moss farmers, blacksmiths, and physicians.
Note that any specific indicator of Urzin’s location on a map is an approximation of its location, due to the roving nature of the community.
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