Carda
To lose a war is common enough, there can be no victory without someone else's defeat. To be driven to extinction, sorrowful, yes, but things are beautiful because they are brief. Oh, but to be erased... wiped clean from land and forgotten, that is true death. Final death. That's the tragedy of Carda, of the gnomish people. I do my part as best I can, to light a candle and rememberCarda is consistent if nothing else, remaining the most mysterious city on the surface of Tairos. It was so when it served as the capital of the clockwork empire of the Gnomes. And so it remains today, a crypt-city buried within the depths of the northwestern wood. Unlike every other entry in a gazetteer or history book, there is little left about Carda. What little is known comes from the accounts of other nations, and with it comes bias, fear, jealousy, and educated guesses.
New Frontier
Some things are known with certainty. The gnomes came to Tairos via the Gates, but they came slowly, only a handful at a time. The exact year of the first gnomish arrival is impossible to pinpoint, but roughly twelve hundred years ago, their kind was first sighted. They came in small caravans to scout the land for a suitable place to settle and their criteria seemed simple enough - isolation. Thus, they chose the wooded northwest of Tairos, far from any other of the great nations. Here the many caravans gathered, uniting into one whole, and beginning the work for building Carda. Traders from all edges of the continent tried to learn more about this mysterious new people. Ghal Ankhar attempted trade. Melanthris offered an exchange of magical secrets. Balmoral bartered promises of protection in exchange for technology. All of these advances were rebuffed, politely and with respect, but rebuffed nonetheless. The records are rather clear about the matter; Carda wished only to be left alone. Where records differ is the reasoning behind this. Ghal Ankharan lords assumed it was to guard the secrets of gnomish clockwork for themselves. The High Lords of Melanthris assumed the gnomes chose their little corner of Tairos so they may conspire unhindered to expand their influence. The Adamantite Kings of Balmoral feared these newcomers were fleeing some greater threat, a threat that would soon become Tairos' problem thanks to the gnomes. Efforts continued by all nations to make inroads with trade, especially by Ghal Ankhar who deeply coveted the gnome technology. Carda's clockwork could have greatly improved the dwarven forges. Rumors of floating Airships and passenger rails spotted in or above the gnomes' forests would have revolutionized travel between the mountains. There were even sightings of mechanical beings within the woods, Clankers as they'd come to be known. Such a tireless workforce would have doubled the output of dwarven factories and bolstered their armies. Yet, no offer of gold, land, or magic was enough for the gnomes to surrender their secrets. This earned them privacy but also the scorn of their neighbors.The Tiny Wars
Melanthris and Ghal Ankhar shared the same mean-spirit term for the early days of Carda's existence, the age of Tiny Wars. Much of Tairos had been sweep clean of goblinoids, kobolds, and other such pests long before the gnomes arrived. Such enemies retreated into the faraway places of the continent such as the southern deserts, the jungles, and the great northwestern forest. Goblins and kobolds, in particular, had long been known to establish their clans or tribes among the tall trees and hidden caverns there. How exactly the gnomes managed to tame the region isn't clear, but there are many documented accounts of massive explosions rising above the treeline, forest fires, and noxious gas attacks. Much of the commotion was the fault of the gnomes themselves. As more of their kind arrived via the gates the need for continous expansion grew, forcing the construction of Carda's two greatest colony cities - Reshlin and Tolin. There was a third colony as well, directly south of Carda. This colony, its name lost to time, was destroyed in a tragic accident. It took Carda almost two centuries to bring the northwestern forest under their heel. The goblins and kobolds retreated to their hiding places beneath the earth or at the far reaches of the forest, the colonies were brought online, and gnomish industry was making strides. The rulers of Carda, an imperial dynasty from before the gnome's arrival in Tairos, had made peace with the forest spirits here as well. They pledged to the goodly totems to use only what was required, to tend to the earth rather than take, and to work side by side with them to repel the Totem Spirits of Corruption.The Great Cacophony
Another point of universal agreement within the history books is the date of the Great Cacophony, nine hundred and four years ago. It was described as a noise like a shrill, metallic scream that echoed out of Carda's empire and blanketed the land for one minute and forty-one seconds. Windows are said to have shattered as far away as Ghal Pelor. Ears bled in closer settlements to the gnomish forest. Many describe the ground shaking and all of the long-dormant gates scattered across the continent roaring to life as their dialing chevrons began to lock in. The scream died as quickly as it began, and in its afermath the continent itself was changed. A chunk of Carda's empire had collapsed into the Endless Ocean, leaving behind only jagged specks of land that would forever be known as the Drown Yards. It's this vanished region that was once home to the gnomes' forgotten third colony. The only concrete fact is that it happened. Speculation and rumor take the reigns from there, leaving many to theorize what this settlement could have done to evoke such mass-scale destruction. Some non-gnomish visitors (permitted or otherwise) have cited that this settlement was dedicated to strange science involving sound, thinking machines, and the study of the origins of the gates. Others say the gnomes were trying to create a new school of magic or that they were using Transmutation bring life to inert matter. Whatever the case it only further served to breed mistrust for Carda.The Fang Crusades and Plague of Undeath
The great war against the Ximezci was an affair that impacted the entire continent, the gnomes were no exception. However; this extra-planar threat served only to deeped the distrust Tairosians had for gnomes. It seemed that every creature from beyond their shores meant only harm for the native people and many wondered when it would be time for the gnomes to reveal their true intentions as well. While the The Grand Concordance of Tairos did coordinate with gnomish defenders on certain fronts there was never a firm alliance between them. The distrust was rooted firmly in the gnomish ruling dynasty as well, believing that Tairos' natives would use this war as excuse to get their hands on clockwork technology. Ultimately, both the gnomes and the Concordance would triumph but it would do little to bring them closer together. The impact of the Plague of Undeath that followed in the wake of this war is well documented across most of Tairos, but unfortunately, no such records survive for the gnomes. Scattered accounts from newer tomes in Homestead do reference this time period, though. The authors speak of tides of undead shambling through the forest while desperate gnome and clanker kill-teams hunted them down. Some texts mention an effort to invent an elixir that could poison the dead, but there's no evidence to support this ever coming to fruition.Arrival of the Fae and the Queen's War
It's well known that the gnomes became uncharacteristically extroverted once the presence of the The Autumn Queen in Melanthris was revealed. They spoke out loudly, warning of the danger she and her Fae represented. Yet, the ruling dynasty refused to explain why they knew this or what their relationship to the face was. This, combined with the miracle of Manacite that the Autumn Queen brought with her, caused the gnomish pleas to fall on deaf ears. Carda continued to protest and decry the fae's presence for hundreds of years, all the while the Autumn Queen continued her slow harvest of Tairos' leylines. As magic began diminishing across the land, some began to take the warnings of the gnomes more seriously. Carda, having remained free from reliance on manacite, was itself largely free from the impact of magic's withering. As the words of the gnomes began to take purchase within the halls of Tairos' other great nations, the Autumn Queen was forced to act. Even though she was reaping all of Tairos' mana from under their noses, she valued the adoration of its people just as much. The gnomes took that from her. The Queen rallied the Shadow Court and its armies against the empire of Carda, sending them to assail their eastern borders. Meanwhile, she sought to bargain with the Sahuagin, an ancient species that dwelled deep beneath the waves far west of Carda's coast. What she offered these creatures is unknown - some believe it was manacite, others say it was territory, some speculate she offered to open the Gates for them so they could swim from world to world feeding forever. Whatever the promise, it was enough to lure them across the vastness of the open water to the coasts of Carda. There, they launched themselves upon the gnomes. The Sahuagin were utterly alien compared to anything Tairos had seen up to this point, save perhaps for the Ximezci. These aquatic nightmares prayed to some collective consciousness known as The Hunger and saw the consumption of the gnomes as a divine mandate. The Shadow Court's armies boxed the gnomes in, pushing them slowly toward the gnashing jaws of the Sea Devils. One of the most well-documented aspects of the Queen's War is the Concordance's desperate effort to help the gnomes evacuate their youngest generation from Carda. Battle reports speak of outsiders being allowed into the woods for the first time and witnessing carnage on a scale thought unthinkable up to this point. Every single citizen of Carda old enough to hold a clockwork pistol or blade went willingly to the front lines, selling their lives into maws of the Sahuagin feeding frenzy in exchange for time. Every loss gave the gnome children and their rescuers another moment to flee. It's not known how many hundreds of thousands of gnomes lived inside the walls of Carda, Reshlin, and Tollin. Concordance records are clear, though: 2,271 gnome children escaped. There were no other survivors.Carda's Legacy
Carda survives. To many, its survival is a form of penance for the dead, for the gnomes that Tairos failed to trust when they warned of the Fae. It survives in the last generation of gnomes who were forced to grow up with only fragments of a cultural identity. All they know comes from the memories of the oldest children from the time, from the memory centers for the few clankers that were tasked with protecting the young ones, and from a handful of crumbling texts that escape extinction. The gnomes of Homestead are of two minds; those that are forging their own identity and those that want to know where they came from. For many, its a pilgrimage to come to the edge of the northwestern forest and kneel before the same great trees that once shrouded their homeland. Some even dream of reclaiming it one day. Those eager to see a light return to the old clockwork empire hire ruin sweepers from Ghal Pelor or mercenaries from across Tairos to venture into the dead cities and retrieve whatever lost lore they can get their hands on. These little fragments will hopefully one day be the bedrock for the rise of a new gnomish people. Until then, every scrap pulled from the ruins is beyond precious. Homestead is not the only one that ways to open the tombs of Carda though. Grave robbers, sages, inventors, and magicians all seek pieces of the gnomes history too. In fact, a small outpost just outside the borders of the forest is under construction now. This humble settlement is known as Ridley's Prospect, or more commonly just 'Ridley's' is an independtly run operation drawing interested parties from all across the continent. It hopes to serve as a staging point for all who want to venture into Carda's borders for whatever purpose. The settlement is ominious flanked by two ruins - that of Carda's and of course the Queen's Scar Woods.Demographics
Carda and all cities within its borders were believed to be entirely made up of gnomes and clankers
Government
Carda was ruled by an imperial dynasty with local authority handed over to the gnomish people. They were allowed to run elections and vote for whomever they chose to rule their individual communities but all communities within the colony were overseen by an imperial representative. These representitves then reported upward to Carda's emperor.
Defences
Unknown but non-gnome witnesses to the final conflict within the woods spoke of machines belching out fire, burning light, fussilades of bullets, and toxic gas. They lacked the words to fully describe the warmachines of the gnomes, even if these devices weren't enough to save them from extinction. Many hope some of these destruvtive wonders survive within the forest, or at least the instructions to make them.
Industry & Trade
Carda was historically a closed nation, wanting little to do with external trade
Infrastructure
Its unknown what, if any remains today. At its height Carda was said to boast many technological marvels similar to what is found in modern Rylan or Ghal Pelor. Carda's technology was said to run off machine power similar to Rylan's but much cleaner and safer. They also had an understanding of advanced sciences and magic as demonstrated by creation of Clankers. During the fall of Carda some outsiders who helped to rescue the gnomish children did take note of an advanced system of mines where the empire's ore likely came from. They also noted a strange clockwork contraption capable of conveying hudreds of citizens back and forth beteween colonies using a rail system suspended above the forest floor. This was said to be non-functional though, sabotaged by the Shadow Court early in their war.
Another vital piece of Carda infrastructure is Clankers, or more accurately, Clockwork Awareness as they called it. Clanker-like minds were often installed into machines, buildings, and even handheld devices. This afforded some level of sentience to many of Carda's most precious objects. This is of particular interest to nations like Ghal Ankhar and Rylan who desperately seek to replicate Clankers for their own self-interests.
Districts
Unknown but many of the remaining texts point to the empire's love of specialization. Each of the colonies were said to specialize in particular areas of magic or science. Gnomish organization likely extended down to the city planning level as well, partitioning certain areas for specific purposes.
Assets
Lumber, mines, access to coastal resources
Guilds and Factions
Some of the books that escaped with the children do detail an extensive network of guilds that controlled much of gnomish politics
Architecture
The only accounts of gnomish architecture from drawings in the childrens' books (most of which are fading) and from reports from the non-gnomes who helped with the rescue. Both show tall buildings featuring stark geometric shapes, bright colors, linear appearances, and dramatic vertical designs. Patterns like zigguarts or chevrons appeared in much of the external decor of the buildings. The buildings themselves often were made of metal or stone, featured tall vertical windows and often narrow doorways that helped to lend to the overall height of every structure. Despite the short stature of the gnomes nothing seemed inaccessible to other humanoids.
Climate
Mild. Carda was known for its brisk and rainy winters but snow was always moderate. The region is prone to long dense fogs though due to the frequent rain mixing with the warm ocean air and the chill breezes blowing down from the north.
RUINED SETTLEMENT
Two hundred and ninty-three years ago
Alternative Name(s)
The Clockwork Empire
Type
Capital
Population
0
Inhabitant Demonym
Cardans
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