Frostdeep

Deep into the depths it stretches, for miles and miles underground. The twisting caves and passages beyond the city borders are so confusing that one will easily get lost if they attempt to explore too far. Some have staggered back into the torchlight after days or weeks of wandering in the caves. More have never returned at all. A few of our party took a stroll a little ways down one of the tunnels. I much prefer staying in the main city. The Rockden Cliffs are confusing enough on the outside, I'm no Dwarf to figure them out on the inside. What manner of business could the original delvers of this city have that caused them to create such a vast and irrational network of tunnels? Their original city above is much more geometric in shape. It's almost like it was created by two different sets of builders. I wonder what happened to them?

Elias Mckellin: explorer

Purpose / Function

Frostdeep's citadel and fortress have been converted into an exploration and research outpost, deep in the heart of the Wastes. It is the only bastion of real civilization so far North, and even the Walara tend to steer clear of the area. No one knows for certain what the underground fortress' original purpose was, but most speculate it was the capital of some long lost civilization.

Alterations

Any of the original furniture, doors, or other accoutrements of the building (barring those made of stone) are long gone, so any of the furnishings and comforts that exist in Frostdeep were brought by its current occupants. There are a few wooden palisades that have been erected in the entranceway and in the tunnels leading further under the mountains to keep out any unwanted visitors, and something resembling a tent city has been set up in many of the larger areas, as many do not like sleeping in the closed off bedrooms in the dark.

Architecture

The architecture seems like a strange blend of Dwarven and Human, with the occasional almost Elvish flair thrown in. It is completely carved out of the stone of the mountains, with only a few buildings made of cut stone that appear to have been added in at some later date, though still long before any explorers discovered it. The windows are all open to the larger caverns, with no sign of there ever having been any shutters or glass. Roofs are slanted and carved with the appearance of tiles, though none really exist. Doors to common areas are often large and grand, while doors to private quarters are smaller and unassuming. There are a few carved decorations on the outside of the buildings, but they are completely geometrical and there are no carved statues or pictures of events anywhere in the city. Tents, the latest addition, are often adorned with animal skins or rough wooden or stone partitions to keep unwanted visitors out of their personal space.

History

Frostdeep was discovered only eighty years ago by a tiny group of explorers pushing the boundaries of travel into the north. They were nearly dead from the cold by the time they stumbled across the entrance to the cavern, and it wasn't until they lit up a fire inside the entrance that they realized what they had discovered. They took notes and sketches during their exploration, and the story became a curiosity back home, but it wasn't until an abundance of minerals and metals were discovered in the Rockden Cliffs themselves, about twenty years later, that the area was deemed worth much attention and a permanent outpost was established inside Frostdeep.

Alternative Names

The Frozen Mines, Rockden Keep

Type

Fortress