Éagrim
Éagrim is the largest "city" in Hewellen-dominated country, and thus in the Forges generally. With a population of ca. 3500, it would be a mid-sized town on the surface, but underground communities tend to be much smaller—networked together for trade and resource-sharing, rather than collected in a single spot.
Like many Hewellen settlements, Éagrim is built around a magma pocket that the Hewellen use as a source for the magical artificing for which they are famous. Éagrim is very old—thousands of years—but has been only sporadically inhabited, as is often the case with Hewellen settlements. Hewellen are semi-nomadic, but on a very long time scale, following volcanic activity through the Forges. As the nature of Éagrim's magma pocket has changed over the centuries, or millennia, the Hewellen have come and gone.
What made Éagrim different was access to arable land on the surface, which meant that the settlement could produce more food than it needed—making it a source of surface crops for surrounding underground settlements. The first age of Éagrim ended when the magma pocket flared, making working it impossible. Most Hewellen left, but the farmers stayed on, holding out for the cooling and in the meantime, dealing in food crops. When the magma became workable again, Hewellen smelters and artificers returned; smelters and artificers are at the top of Hewellen society, which created some tension with the farmers who never left. For that matter, in Éagrim's first age smelters were in the large majority, but in its second age, artificers came in greater numbers, and made Éagrim famous through the region for its magical artefacts, splitting the political influence in Éagrim three ways.
Eventually this attracted non-Hewellen artificers to Éagrim, for training. Many of the artificers in the Forges and the surrounding country were trained by Hewellen, usually in Éagrim. Even as far away as Vacena, people will boast about having an Éagrim artefact in the family. One result of this is that Éagrim is now the most multicultural of Hewellen settlements—a low bar, but still.
Now Éagrim's magma pocket is cooling, probably permanently, which would signal the end of the second age of Éagrim. By Hewellen tradition, the third age consists of gathering and using the gems that form around the cooled pocket—which would happen thousands of years from now. In the meantime, the usual thing would be for Éagrim to go dormant. But what about the non-Hewellen who live there now?
Like many Hewellen settlements, Éagrim is built around a magma pocket that the Hewellen use as a source for the magical artificing for which they are famous. Éagrim is very old—thousands of years—but has been only sporadically inhabited, as is often the case with Hewellen settlements. Hewellen are semi-nomadic, but on a very long time scale, following volcanic activity through the Forges. As the nature of Éagrim's magma pocket has changed over the centuries, or millennia, the Hewellen have come and gone.
What made Éagrim different was access to arable land on the surface, which meant that the settlement could produce more food than it needed—making it a source of surface crops for surrounding underground settlements. The first age of Éagrim ended when the magma pocket flared, making working it impossible. Most Hewellen left, but the farmers stayed on, holding out for the cooling and in the meantime, dealing in food crops. When the magma became workable again, Hewellen smelters and artificers returned; smelters and artificers are at the top of Hewellen society, which created some tension with the farmers who never left. For that matter, in Éagrim's first age smelters were in the large majority, but in its second age, artificers came in greater numbers, and made Éagrim famous through the region for its magical artefacts, splitting the political influence in Éagrim three ways.
Eventually this attracted non-Hewellen artificers to Éagrim, for training. Many of the artificers in the Forges and the surrounding country were trained by Hewellen, usually in Éagrim. Even as far away as Vacena, people will boast about having an Éagrim artefact in the family. One result of this is that Éagrim is now the most multicultural of Hewellen settlements—a low bar, but still.
Now Éagrim's magma pocket is cooling, probably permanently, which would signal the end of the second age of Éagrim. By Hewellen tradition, the third age consists of gathering and using the gems that form around the cooled pocket—which would happen thousands of years from now. In the meantime, the usual thing would be for Éagrim to go dormant. But what about the non-Hewellen who live there now?