Scant
The city of Scant, the capital of Onnwal, has been virtually besieged since the beginning of the Brewfest Rebellion in 14 SA. Within a month the rebel forces had freed much of the countryside although the Dynasty still held a few cantreds in the west of the country and the city of Scant. Few cities in the Flanaess so deserve to be described as impregnable as the city of Scant. Strategically located at the tip of the Dragonhead Peninsula. The people of Scant have suffered the oppression of the Dynasty. However, after years of torment, hope stirs once more for Scant’s citizens. Led by Jian Destron, heir to the slain szek of Onnwal, the forces of the revived Free State now gather for a final assault to reclaim their capital and cleanse their land of the Scarlet Tyranny once and for all.
Much of the population of Scant exists as slaves for the Dynasty oppressors, although those that possess Suel characteristics have been granted a modicum of citizenship. Those unlucky enough not to receive this have been formed into work gangs, used by Kuranyie’s Herdsmen to repair damage done to the city in the ongoing struggle.
Government
- Maranefel Toktot- Kesh of Scant
Geography
Districts
Situated upon a steep and rocky outcrop surrounded on three sides by the sea, Scant is connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of low-lying land called the Langneck. The city and the Langneck enclose a large, sheltered bay called the Great Harbour, reputedly the safest deep-water anchorage on the Sea of Gearnat. The mouth of this bay is barred by a line of treacherous reefs, breached by two channels navigable only with the aid of an experienced pilot. A comparatively small city of no more than five thousand people before the Wars, Scant perches on two steep hills – Gate Hill and Palace Hill, the seaward sides of which are fringed with precipitous cliffs ranging from fifty to two hundred feet in height. Despite its small population, the city has a very cramped feel about it. There is little in the way of open space, bar the Grand and High Markets. The pale limestone buildings seem to be piled chaotically atop each other, with narrow streets twisting between them, winding their way up the hills.- Palace Hill (High Quarter): Separated from the rest of Scant by an internal wall and looming over the Inner Harbour atop high cliffs, the High Quarter housed the city’s more affluent inhabitants. The cliffs of Palace Hill overlook the channel into the Great Harbour and bristle with siege engines poised to rain fiery ruin on any vessel attempting to force a passage. The opulent Szek’s Palace perches atop the city’s highest point. Overlooking the now deserted High Market, a beacon light still burns atop the copper dome of the Cathedral of Osprem, though now loyal Dynasty acolytes tend the flame. Scant’s curious hot springs provide hot water for the Public Baths.
- The Harbour Quarter: This district lies in the natural amphitheatre nestling between the two hills at the north end of Scant’s Inner Harbour, a small, sheltered inlet from the Great Harbour. It was the center of commerce and trade, with the Grand Market, the Temples of Xerbo, and Zilchus and the Custom House all clustered here. The Temple of Zilchus has been leveled, its clergy flayed alive with scourges made from gold coins, while the Grand Market has become forever tainted by the memory of the 34 farmers burnt alive there. Two sturdy fortifications ward the mouth of the Inner Harbour – Daern’s Redoubt upon the eastern side and the Bastion of the Golden Sun opposite it. Dynasty troops occupy Daern’s Redoubt, but the Bastion is haunted by the restless shades of the Glaives of Azharadian who perished there in a desperate last stand on the Night of Scarlet Knives.
- Gate Hill: Overlooking the Langneck, steep bluffs and cunning fortifications allow a relatively small number of defenders to hold a much larger attacking force at bay. Before the Wars, Gate Hill housed most of Scant’s artisans as well as large noniz and dwur communities. After the fall of the city, sixty dwarves, gnomes and humans held out for three days in the now razed Temple of Fortubo, before they were finally overrun and slaughtered. The scruffy north end of the district is home to Scant’s poorer inhabitants. Here the Temple to Norebo still stands. Its high priest, Gerden Treda, plays a risky game, feigning unquestioning loyalty to the Dynasty while doing everything in his power to aid the suffering citizenry.
Type
City
Population
4500
Location under
Included Locations
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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