Gwardan

After the disappearance of the genies named Calim and Memnon, Noyatu received an influx of travelers from Calimshan. Many Calishites of elven heritage sought a new home following the Glorious Revolution. They traveled to the Lhazaar Region and began traveling into the mainland, where precious metals and stones lay unclaimed, and paid their respects to the fey folk who walked the lands. They and the native elves built a new center for elven culture among the clearings within the Magescar Jungle named Gwardan. When Gwardan grew to a sufficient size, the city was invited to join the loose confederacy of the principalities. They adopted the name, the Sandborn Principality, in honor of their ancestral home.

Steamcasting

The elves of Gwardan built sprawling mines throughout the nearby mountains, becoming the most renowned metallurgists and smiths across the Lhazaar Principalities. The mingling of elven cultures has occasioned the guarded development of a unique style of metalworking. Blending organic designs with super-heated caustic mists, the "steamcasting" process imbues metal with a prismatic shimmer and enables cheap brittle materials to become as workable and as strong as steel. Gwardan is known across Taridad for its unique steamcast goods, and no one else has managed to get the style quite right, making Gwardan's decor, jewelry, and weapons coveted throughout the world.

The Noldar

General city affairs are overseen by the Noldar, a council of four figures who represent the larger facets of Gwardan society. Though the Noldar were established in the interest of fairness, they were forced to select one of their numbers as their prince when Gwardan entered into the Lhazaar Principalities. Currently, Prince Vasan Atrith has led the Gwardan people for just under a century and is seen as both just and forthright.

Base of Khurazil

Gwardan is a beautifully rustic yet elegantly refined city of stained wood and gold that rises from the windswept base of the Khurazil Peninsula, converted jungle farmland, and clustered trees of the Magescar Jungle. The outer ring of the city, called the Anorans Ring, is comprised of numerous domed abodes of bowed lumber and carved bark where families make their homes. The Houses of Sagacity form a prestigious region where three temples were built for worship also provides a variety of advanced studies to a limited student body. They are the House of Enlightenment under Ioun, the House of Invention under Moradin, and the House of Repenting under Auril.
The Korrwa Ring is the inner ring of Gwardan, where business is conducted between peddlers, merchants, and craftsmen. Within that ring stands the Ornatora, a massive tower of latticed wood spiraling upward like a crafted, leafless tree. Disc-like homes and chambers protrude from the tower at varying intervals, granting the wealthy folk of the city a magnificent view. The peaks of the tower house the Noldar, as well as the central meeting chambers where local political discussion takes place.

Population: 18,900 (63% elves, 16% humans, 11% half-orcs, 10% other races)
Government: The city is governed by the four Noldar, one of whom must act as the prince.
Defense: Gwardan has a respectable force of city guards, mercenaries, and trained citizen militia. Elders and prominent figures keep a small personal guard.
Hallmarks: Steamcasting, Calimshan roots, mixing of religions

Founding Date

12246 AZI

Alternative Name(s)

The Sandborn Principality

Type

City

Owning Organization

Lhazaar Principalities

Dolithil Mine

Northwest of Gwardan lies the Dolithil Mine, owned and operated by the Dolithil Orekeepers Guild from within the city. The entrance to the mine remains hidden from view thanks to simple illusions put in place to deter thieves. While the mine yields a respectable amount of gold and platinum, it is notably rich in iron, tin, copper, zinc, and other more common metals that are used in the secret trade of steamcasting.

House of Repenting