Ardan

Ardan is a thriving trade settlement in western Taebur, situated at the end of one of the passes through the Western Mountains. It is a place where travellers and explorers can rest, and where merchants can sell items from far-off locations.
Although Ardan continues to thrive, it is not as thriving as it once was. Although it was originally built over the remnants of an older settlement in the plains south of the desert, the ever encroaching desert has slowly swallowed the town. The less hospitable environment has resulted in fewer travellers choosing this route, instead choosing to travel through Zal farther south.
In an attempt to draw more people to the town, Ardan has promoted itself as a centre for music. It has successfully attracted quite a few popular musicians and bands, and this has helped slow its decreasing population. The well-known singer, Dagger is permanently based there.
Ardan can be a rough place. There are laws, but few people know or care what those laws are. Fights are common, but surprisingly, there are few killings or major thefts.

Demographics

The majority of Ardants are engineered humans (100). The remaining permanent residents are a mixture of stock humans (22), engineered animals (17), true mutants (10), and one synthetic. The transient population is a mix of all kinds of people, though pure-strain humans are rare.

Government

Ardan is run by a town council of 10 members, headed by a mayor. For the most part, however, the town runs independent of the council. It has little actual power to create or enforce laws. Instead, the council focuses most of its time and energy on promoting the town and drawing in big-name singers and bands to perform there.

Industry & Trade

Ardan's major products are entertainment and information. The large numbers of people passing through the town bring with them news of other lands, current events, unusual discoveries, historical knowledge, and more. The permanent residents collect this information, and are happy to share it with visitors--for the right price, of course.
It's also possible to purchase items from all round the world in Ardan. These often include technological items, including advanced pharmaceuticals. There is also a thriving weapons trade in the town.

Guilds and Factions

Gangs frequently form in Ardan, and occasionally, one of these gangs will gain a small amount of control in Ardan, able to enforce their rules for a short time. They never retain this power for long though, and are usually driven out of town fairly quickly.

History

Ardan is built over a city from the Old World. Not much is known about the original city, just that it was completely buried in rock slides from the mountains during the Final Wars. Excavations over the years have opened up several ways into the old city, though these entrances have a tendency to collapse during sandstorms or just from attempts to dig farther into the old city causing a loss of stability. For the most part, these collapses don't affect Ardan itself, as the excavations usually take place outside the boundaries of the town (the old city was much larger than Ardan).

Natural Resources

The nearby foothills of the Western Mountains have many caves. Some of these are naturally occurring; others are the remains of ancient mines. Both kinds provide a convenient place for Ardants to seek shelter in times of trouble, such as if there is a nanite storm. Ardan has only found itself in the path of a nanite swarm once in its history (a little over a decade ago), but the local caves helped ensure that it didn't become a ghost town.

Inhabitant Demonym

Ardant

Location under

Taebur

Included Locations

• Apocalypse Bar

Related Reports (Secondary)

• Session 2 Report

Ardan

Community Type: Frontier Town
Population Level: 4 (150 permanent; 50 to 250 transient, depending on the time of year)
Force: 14 (+2)
Mobility: 6 (-2)
Resilience: 9 (-1)
Learning: 12 (+1)
Awareness: 10 (+0)
Command: 16 (+3)
Wealth: 24
Reputation Bonus: +7
Skills: Craft {mechanical} {0} +3, Craft {structural} {0} +3, Diplomacy (4) +10, Handle Animal (1) +7, Intimidate (3) +9, Linguistics (1) +5, Knowledge (gossip) (1) +5, Knowledge (history) (1) +6, Perform (keyboard instruments) (1) +7, Perform (percussion instruments) (1) +7, Perform (sing) (3) +9, Perform (stringed instruments) (1) +7, Perform (wind instruments) (1) +7, Profession (4) +8, Repair (2) +6, Survival (4) +7
Feats: Builder, Caves, Renown, Ruins, Stockpile, Windfall
Benefits: access to news and gossip; access to lines of communication and influential people