The Citadel of the Stillborn
Culture
The citadel keeps a neutral stance in almost all external matters. Though this has made many nations upset, the military might of the citadel is more than enough to keep their neutrality intact. The Citadel acts as a neutral ground for nations who wish to undergo peace talks.
The people of the citadel are very open and tolerant of other species and nations,as the use of the city as neutral grounds exposes the populace to many species and cultures. This has created a melting pot of culture where ideas and customs are passed from person to person, and no true monoculture individuals are found.
While the tolerance for other cultures and species is well and good in the Citadel, the tolerance for magic users is non-existent. The Citadel has a strict no magic rule, and failure to follow this rule can lead to imprisonment or death. The reasoning is unknown however many note the golems seem to react with pain when magic is used around them. This anti-magic stance includes magical items, the guards hold onto travelers magical items at the gates and do not allow any to be brought in except for items which would be delivered to the duke. Should a smuggled magic item be found the smuggler would be interrogated and the item confiscated. After interrogation the offender is brought to the jail in Ring 1.
The city is divided into 4 rings with ring 4 on the outside and ring 1 on the inside. Ring 4 is where the stores and inns are located. Few travelers ever go past this point as there is rarely ever a need for them to leave ring 4. Ring 3 is the largest and it holds the homes of the inhabitants, both the rich and poor make their homes in ring 3 and therefore the CItadel has no slums or designated “poor sector”. Ring 2 holds the stockpiles of food and raw materials, it is said there is enough food held here to hold out the entire population against sieges for years. The final ring is ring 1, it holds the dungeon and the central bastion which is home to the Duke. Each ring is separated by a sheer wall of marble which is staffed 24 hours a day by iron golems.
The golems of the Citadel are what gives it the Namesake of Stillborn as “Every Golem is born dead, a stillborn”. They are looked at as guardians by the inhabitants, but outsiders consider them dangerous and gaze at them with suspicion. The most common golem in the Citadel is the stone golem which guards the gates and walks the streets; these serve their duties without questions and to the letter. If a stone golem is to fall it is brought to the keep in the center where a new one is brought out within a day. There are at least 5000 stone golems in the citadel.
The lesser clay golem serves as the outward guard and is seen in the field surrounding the citadel. They are rarely seen in the city serving as base security in rare instances but a clay golem in the city is usually a sign the threat of an attack is high. They rarely speak but are quite courteous to visitors. The number of clay golems in possession of the citadel is predicted to be at least 10 thousand.
Flesh golems are never seen outside the central keep. Their grotesque appearance often gives others a feeling of unease. Made from the flesh of their fallen enemies, the flesh golems serve as the main bulk of the Duke’s army. Thus they rarely ever leave the keep unless under attack, after which they spill from the keep as a tide of flesh and metal working their way to the enemy and pushing them out of the Citadel and into the surrounding field. Their true number is unknown and as such it can only be speculated upon.
The last known golem type is the Iron Golem. These golems are often seen manning the walls and gates. However they never speak, a nod is often all that is given to a curious villager. Among the elites of the Citadel, they are held in high regard by all and if injured are given high priority for repair. The number of Iron golems is 500, never more, never less.
Public Agenda
Assets
History
For as long history has recorded the lands of the Great Western Unclaimed Expanse so too have they written about The Citadel of the Stillborn. A large bastion of many walls nestled within a clearing of trees, a great many find safety from the world within the walls of this town with its ever vigalent golems standing guard against the creatures of the night.
The first written account of the Citadel comes during 300 BA, from a dwarven kingdom whose name is now lost which made its home on the hills of the Divide. They wrote how they were attempting to find a route to a separate dwarven enclave in the Other mountains, but came across a city with men of Iron and Stone. The Dwarves set up trade with this city but over time their jealousy grew. The Citadel was wealthy and rich with artifacts, and the nobels hungered for these treasures. They launched an assault against the Citadel using the Underdark to tunnel underneath the city and bypass the main wall, a tireless army and a hungerless populace would make a siege a death wish for any attacker. Upon breaking through the ground they found a not a straight shot to the center bastion of the ruler but a city structured in rings which surround the central bastion. The generals, rather than announcing a retreat and returning to the underdark, ordered their men out to ransack the sector and occupy it. They would use this as a staging point of their offensive and strip the City of all its worth. The occupation was short lived however, the army of the citadel launched its counter offensive 2 days later. Like a tide of metal they poured out into the occupied sector of the city and descended on to the dwarven army. The dwarves were out matched as not even their greatest warriors could stand against the sheer power of the golem army. The generals seeing an imminent defeat ordered a retreat to the tunnels, but the golems were one step ahead and collapsed the tunnels. Sealing the dwarves as well as their fate.
The greedy dwarves and their kingdom eventually fell due to the defeat at the hands of the golems. The exact reason is unknown with some saying, Illithid, and others saying internal strife and rebellion, however the magnitude of power the golems and their city put on display was more than enough to deter any future fights, and even the Zaelruth kingdom has preferred to leave the city alone.
The first non golem migrants were refugees from the Zaelruth kingdom who were fleeing enslavement. They arrived in 312 AA at the doorstep of the Citadel, and begged to let in telling of the terrors of the Zaelruth. Swayed by this the enigmatic duke asked to speak with their leader and brought him into the central bastion marking the first time in recorded history an outsider was ever let into the Bastion. It is unknown what was said or what the refugee saw, but when but he returned to the refugees he stated the duke has agreed to open his doors to the refugees and that he was named senechel of the Citadel.
The senechel became a hereditary title passing from parent to child with the Duke hand picking which child shall succeed the parent. If the Senchel has no children the title of senechel would be passed to a new family. The senechel acts as the face of the Citadel with the reclusive duke rarely seeing visitors, only a select few are granted such an audience.
The citadel has kept a neutral stance in all matters and upholds this idea religiously. It stays out of most conflicts and works to keep things peaceful. As kingdoms rise and fall it seems the only constant is that there is a duke, a citadel, and his golems and he intends to keep it that way.
Demography and Population
Territories
Military
Religion
Foreign Relations
Agriculture & Industry
Trade & Transport
