BUILD YOUR OWN WORLD Like what you see? Become the Master of your own Universe!

Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild

Atlan

Atlan was the first seat of the Giant's kingdom in the days when they ruled the continent of Kingdom of Andrim. Humans claimed the region after the Giants were forced to surrender to the humans, having already suffered immeasurable loss in a centuries long war against the Dragons. King Ballaste took the then named Tal'Naka or "Heaven Throne" in the giants language; A fortress, or Keep that was originally built for giants; King Balaste turned the fortress into a city, for a building that could comfortably house hundreds of giants could house thousands, or even a hundred thousand humans. The great throne of the giants was carved out from the inside, and turned into a castle for King Ballaste and his heirs, the keep and its grounds would be called "The Overlook", as it sat high above the rest of the keep's grounds, and allowed the once giant king to look upon his soilders and subject from his seat, and now would allow king Ballaste to do the same.
Atlan was the first human capital, and the original capital of Andrim, and The Dynasty of King Ballaste's Bloodline kept it so for nearly 400 years; The War of Three Brothers saw the kingdom divided, then the reign of the black dragon Kel'Azad as king began an age of madness that would send both Atlan and Andrim as a whole spiraling out of control further into devastation for another 78 years. During this age of madness, the war of the eight houses began inside the City Walls; Kel Azad had promised stewardship of the Land to an advisor of his choosing, and all eight noble families of the city entered into a conflict of sorts to put themselves into this position; Kel'Azad revealed in both human vitriol and suffering, so he encouraged and stoked this conflict until it erupted into a wildfire. The nobles of the eight houses turned themselves into criminal dynasties overnight, and would spend decades thwarting each other for the sake of the Dragon Lord's affections.  The Brontess Family emerged as a clear winner after the massacre of the Four Corners Crossroad, an event that left nearly every other nobleman in the city without the last name Brontess in a grave. King Ormund  arose and with the help of his allies, defeated the Black Dragon and reclaimed The Overlook and the Kingdom of Andrim for mankind. Phelden Brontess was the Steward of the city at this time, and despite his families shady history, he was able to earn the new King's trust.   Atlan exploded in both population and economic growth during King Ormund's reign and the Age of Peace. The Age of Peace saw the rise of the Educational renaissance in both the city and the barony as a whole, many of Tor's famous schools and academies were founded during this time. King Ormund took an incredible pride in this fact, and spent much of the public's tax dollars on the completion and sponsorship of such institutions.    Of course, nearly sixty years ago, that changed when a dark cloud arose over Atlan in the form of the Outer Heaven Fortress, The floating keep appeared directly above The Overlook and began assaulting the city with demonic troops; the dark lord Ajax The Invincible had arrived, and war had come with him. The conflict lasted just two days, and when it was done, Ajax was declared publicly by his wizard Mordredd as King of Andrim; in the days that followed The Black Iron Pact was signed and put into effect immediately; The pact named Steward Ellion Brontess as its Baron; and thus the Modern Barony of Tor as we know it began to take shape.    Atlan has had many years to recover from the incursion and The Conquest of Ajax and The Purge, but despite its loss and the loss of its many temples, the city is still one of the most populated and largest cities in the entire kingdom; universities, markets, restaurants, and several other industries boom inside the colossal keep. 
Atlan is famously hospitable to adventurers and Free Lancers, given it's history. Though the age of heroes is long past many still cling to the old stories and see the modern Free Lancer as the natural descendent of the heroes of olde. An Adventurer's Guild; The Aurora Society is stationed here, as well as a famous Free Lancer's bar called The Hero's Welcome; where some of the most famous adventurers in Andrim's history have feasted drank and sang their own battle songs in its well worn, but warm halls. It is not uncommon for a farmer, or another village representative from the lowlands to ride into Atlan looking to hire a Free Lancer for a contract back home. 
Recently, Baroness Elisa Brontess was named Baron after both her parents died under mysterious circumstances, rumors circulate the city on the root of the matter, yet the massive, walled city of Atlan houses many more secrets than just the one's of its new Baroness; and some are just as ancient as the Giant's Halls themselves.

Guilds

  Almost all businesses in Atlan are represented in one or another by a corresponding guild; everything from the "Street Sweepers League" to "The Brewers Union" exist and while being part of a guild isnt necessary to go into business inside the city, one might find it hard to find work without a Guild publicly backing you.   Guilds appear in many different forms but typically offer benefits such as camaraderie and even financial support to members. The large, powerful guilds control trade in certain goods, and hold a near monopoly over their crafts. Guilds take their laws seriously, as do members of the City Watch and the magisters. If you flout a guild’s traditions, you can expect not only public scorn but also a visit from enforcers of the law. In addition, many guilds have their own codes of accusation, trial, and punishment, such as:   A member of the Bakers’ Guild who sells bread baked in the wrong shape will be drenched with water and coated in his own flour. Heckling a member of the Jesters’ Guild will result in the offending party being jeered at in public by no less than four guild members for a period of four days. Any ship that unloads its cargo without due observance or aid by the Guild of Watermen shall have its cargo seized or thrown into the harbor.
Type
Capital

Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild

Comments

Please Login in order to comment!