Kroth
The Fortress City of Kroth is a large citadel built like a fortress atop a massive hill. It is a stronghold that many have described as nigh impenetrable, rivaling even Duunhollow's ability to resist siege and attack from all angles.
The citadel was first built within a mountainous valley long go during the first centuries of demon-kind's banishment from the High Heavens. Constructed with the strength of early mountain-folk, and the Magical knowhow of the earliest imp societies, Kroth served as demon-kind's bastion against angel-kind for generations, and still continues to serve them as the capital of Ragnarok's military forces to this day.
The only road in and out of the city's valley is through a series of small ravines that are heavily guarded with fortified gatehouses, making it nearly impossible for an army to travel to the city on foot. Furthermore, the outer walls of the city are massive in size, able to house a multitude of ballista and cannons for simple defense. Should the need for a more intense siege defense arise, the battlements of these walls are spacious enough to allow for the usage of trebuchets.
The streets and alleyways of Kroth are narrow and twisting, designed as choke points to stifle and frustrate any ground invasion that would manage to puncture the outer city walls. They are sloped upwards in tiers towards the strongest fortifications and walls near the city center so that defenders will always have the highest ground. Every rooftop is flat and has crenelated walls like castle battlements, allowing city defenders to slaughter any invading forces in the streets below.
In the city’s center, built at the hill’s highest peak are the Three Keeps: three looming triangular prism-like towers that dominate the city horizon from all angles. Each keep functions as the primary stronghold and central authority for one of the three High Legions, and all face in towards each other, representing unity under the seat of power between all three: the Black Bastille, the commanding seat of power for the High Imperator.
Kroth has never been taken by siege or storm, and with good reason; it may be the most defensible city in the world, rivaling even the dwarven mountain citadel of Duunhollow in its resistance to siege. From no gate is there a straight path to Kroth's center, and the city is divided into walled districts, each one capable of sealing itself from the others. Thanks to the city’s labyrinthine design, these districts act as buffers for the Three Keeps. If a force were to somehow breach the gates, they would have to fight their way through several districts in order to reach the Keeps, but the gates themselves are an invader’s first impediment. The front gate is the easiest entrance to march an army through and stands little chance of falling to land-based siege weaponry. Therefore, an enemy commander would be forced to take one of the smaller gates, which are natural bottlenecks, replete with their own defenses. Overcoming that, the gates’ tight confines would prevent any substantial force from moving through at once. A commander would either have to accept the delay of getting all his men through a single narrow opening or divide his forces to take multiple gates and unable to regroup easily.
Most visitors to the city would find it lacking the beauty of Indulgence; citizens of Torment are remarkably brutalist and plain, for they are taught to live lives free of excess and debauchery and this austere outlook is reflected in their architecture. Torment values functionality over aesthetics, and it’s through this outlook that the Dominion of Indulgence and the Dominion of Torment often find a clash of cultures.
Torment tends to look after its poor more than Indulgence, if only for their utility as healthy soldiers. Not only would slums 
outside of a city be a tactical weakness, but a large population of citizens living in poverty would also breed discontent, disloyalty, and treason to the dominion. It is through this care towards their citizens that the dominion cultivates loyalty above all else.
emergencies. Neither can landing parties find purchase near the watchtowers, nor the sheer cliffs nearby, which are too steep to scale without proper climbing equipment, which itself wouldn’t be very practical when weighed down by one’s own armor and other gear. Furthermore, would-be climbers would be vulnerable to defenders dropping things onto them or picking them off with archery the whole way up, as the cliffs and watchtowers possess slight openings for that purpose.
The Ashbane Arena
Of all the Dominion of Torment's forms of public entertainment, blood sports is the most beloved. Nobility may look down upon the street performances beloved by smallfolk, and said smallfolk may similarly disdain the pastimes of well-off nobles, such as hawking—but Torment citizens of all ages and standings share an appreciation for gladiatorial combat. To this end, city residents occasionally flock to the Ashbane Arena, named after the great Ashbane Aul'Karlon, the largest fighting pit of its kind in the city. It isn’t just the thrill of danger or the prospect of bloodshed that draws the crowds, but the application of their nation’s merits. For Torment, the mortal art of combat isn’t mere butchery, but a chance to display one’s strength, courage, and skill. Some even venture to say that the arena slakes the innate bloodthirst of all mortals in a controlled manner, thus keeping the people content. Victorious fighters are treated well, even if they are prevented from leaving, while those who proved memorable in death are forever remembered and honored on the arena’s monument to the fallen. The participants are often criminals or prisoners of war, but the arena also keeps a menagerie of beasts brought from around the lands controlled by the dominion to make matches livelier whenever necessary, particularly beasts from the Dead Wastes and the Shattered Shore. The objective of the combatants can change too, from time to time, according to the caprices of the heads of the arena or a wealthy patron. The most well-known form of arena fight is known simply as “The Gauntlet”. It follows the normal procedure: kill your opponent. However, it comes with a twist: For every victory, the more opponents one would face in the next battle. This means the eventual death of every contender, but also unparalleled glory. Of course, given the cost of lives, the Gauntlet is a spectacle done with some rarity; and typically reserved for special occasions, such as the raising of a new member to the status of Tribune, or to celebrate a major victory afield (an influx of new prisoners of war helps a great deal).The Granite Shipyards
As Torment's capital, Kroth has a fully equipped and spacious harbor. Here, dozens of galleys and Ash Legion ironclads are built, and trading ships bring in goods from the seas under the silent vigil of the Torment Armada. But if one thinks to approach the city from the sea, one must first pass through a number of immense watchtowers, and massive boom chains can be raised to prevent passage altogether in case ofThe Veteran's Ward
One of the wealthiest and most well-preserved districts in the city, named for its high class of citizenry, and known for its grand marketplace, at the center of which looms an ancient stone depiction of Ashbane AUl'Karlon himself. Some of the oldest noble military households in the city are located here, and some of them own walled estates complete with their own gardens; a rare thing indeed in a city of stone.
Type
Large city
Population
100,000
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
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