Alesardin
The origins of Alesardin are known only to the deep gnomes who live there, and they do not tell outsiders. The dwarves of Abad Durhai say the city can be found in their records dating back at least 2,000 years.
Most deep gnomes, or svirfneblin, are of a relatively neutral outlook. Those of Alesardin are different, however. They are of a more sinister disposition, and it is said they worship dark deities in their mountain halls. They continually war with their dwarven neighbors and have been said to have sought alliances with other powers of evil in the world. Why the deep gnomes here are different is unknown, but some suspect something within the lowest reaches of their city is the source.
Fortunately, the numbers of svirfneblin in Alesardin are too small to pose a true threat to Abad Durhai, though this has not stopped them from the occasional raid or attack on a dwarven party in the mountains too close to their city. They also send agents to human settlements such as Bard’s Gate for purposes that remain mysterious.
The city itself has portions both above and below ground. The architecture is elegant, though in a somber fashion. Dark colors with small, shining highlights, usually from gemstones, predominate. Trade is mainly with races found within the mountains, some far deeper than the halls of Alesardin. The city has a bustling central market, cosmopolitan residential districts, and a flourishing academy for magical research. There is great peril for outsiders, however; unless they have been invited, the xenophobic svirfneblin attack visitors on sight.
Rulership of the city is held by a council of mystics from the academy, where they use magic to divine portents and make sinister plans against the dwarves and folk of the surface.
Settlement
Alesardin, City of
Type
City
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