Nyrthanguul

"The Dark Home of the Qualenti..."

One of the largest cities in the vast Underdark beneath Hariel Majour, Nyrthanguul stands as a testament to the ingenuity of the Qualenti (drow) elves. Situated in a hollowed out, cavernous vault over three miles wide, the city is built into the very stone itself. It's structures chiseled into the rock of the cavern walls, as well as the massive stalactites and stalagmites found in abundance in the vault.
The citizens of the city are broken up both into noble houses and ghettos for the commoners. Of the noble houses, there are currently 32, with the first (top) 9 houses holding the majority of political power. Amongst the great houses is that of House Dey'orl, original home to Teffa (PC from our current campaign). House Dey'orl is led by Matron Mother Seratia Dey'orl.
The ruling house of Nyrthanguul is the powerful House Varlassan, which controls both its subjects and the totality of citizens within the city with an iron fist. The other of the nine preeminent houses are as follows:


1. House Varlassan
2. House Heliox
3. House Del'vanor
4. House Atrascus
5. House Dey'orl
6. House Naalgath
7. House Mir'sembliss
8. House Fal'temblas
9. House Bal'otombley

Demographics

The citizens of Nyrthanguul are almost exclusively Qualenti, with about 5% of the remaining "free" citizens hailing from races such as illithids and duegar. The slaves kept by the assorted houses of the city are comprised of a mixture of human, surface elf (Kelti primarily), gnomes and dwarves.

Government

There is no formal government in Nyrthanguul, rather the city is run by a council comprised from the matrons of the nine greatest houses, the top four of which hold the most sway.

Defences

Nyrthanguul does not maintain a formal, standing army. Instead, each of the noble houses is expected to keep their own retinue of soldiers to defend both their individual interests, as well as those of the city as a whole. That being said, the city does have an unaffiliated and publicly funded military academy that produces the next generation of soldiers for each of the great houses. This is made possible via funds taxed by the citizens on goods purchased, and collected by a special detachment of tax assessors working directly for the ruling council of the nine top houses.

History

Just after The Sundering, nearly 1,600 years ago, the great magical purge swept the north, with many (if not all) arcane casters persecuted, whether or not they were blood mages. Of course, the confirmed blood mages, especially those of The Sanguine Order, were hit hardest. Amongst their numbers was a huge conclave of Solti high elves. When many of their compatriots fled south in a mass exodus, these elves took the extreme risk of delving into several of the many rifts ripped into the land as a result of the explosions that rocked Mount Celene. Using their magic, they carved out a series of tunnels and burrows, making the "Underdark" their home.
Some of their settlements were formed from the natural caverns in the ground, created by both the shifting of tectonic plates, along with the tunnels crafted by such burrowing creatures as the purple worm. Soon, several major cities emerged from the darkness and amongst their numbers, one of the largest was Nyrthanguul.
The Qualenti as a sub-species is possibly the newest in existence, as this exodus underground marked the beginning of their formation. As all elves are prone to the chameleon-like aspect of their species, the Qualenti slowly began to shift in skin tone, from the light green of the forests to the nearly pitch tone of the utter darkness of their new subterranean homes. Some Qualenti even have deep purple tones that match that of the arcane, artificial lighting of the populated underworld.
Dark elves are not known for their diplomacy, and soon the various emergent civilizations began to fight amongst themselves. Many fell to the ensuing bloodshed, and only the strong survived. In this atmosphere, Nyrthanguul thrived. Soon it had even absorbed some of its neighboring communities, thus widening its own reach and influence.
Although most Qualenti cities are known for their xenophobia and insular nature, Nyrthanguul stood out from the pack due to the willingness of its citizens to trade with outside communities, and even surface dwellers. For the few top-siders who've been to the Underdark, most of them have had some dealing with the peoples of Nyrthanguul.

Architecture

The various homes and structures of Nyrthanguul are built directly into the stone of the cavern walls. They also fill the hollowed out interiors of the great speleothems that populate the city in massive numbers. Thus, nearly all Qualenti architecture is the result of magically crafted stonework.

Geography

Though the underdark is riddled with ports and holes leading to and from the surface, the only major access point for Nyrthanguul lies two miles outside the city walls and leads to a spot on the surface world along the north end of the Democracy of Wheat, above the town of Gendalford.

Natural Resources

The settlers of Nyrthanguul subsist on many of the naturally occurring plant and fungal life within the Underdark. They manage and tend to many mushroom farms, while also maintaining a thick herd of rothe, a cattle-like beast that lives underground.

Alternative Name(s)

The Great Dark

Type

Large city

Population

65,000 qualenti plus 90,000 slaves

Inhabitant Demonym

Nyrthanguulas

Location under

Hariel Majour

Owner/Ruler

Matron Mother Seratia Dey'orl

Owning Organization

House Dey'orl