Dakhornag

Located near the most northern point of the Talgyr range and buried deep into the slopes of Mt. Gorni, Dakhornag is a city like no other in Veturoth. Despite the frigid clime and long winters, it is a city that remains warm and bright year round, and many an adventurous dwarven traveler has called it the cosiest city north of Narheim--though taller races tend to find its shallow ceilings and winding halls less than inviting. Dakhornag is main population center of Veturoth's kobolds, and though one might occasionally find expatriates of other people, it remains a predominantly kobold city.

Dug directly into the mountainside, Dakhornag is a city of confined tunnels and yawning underground caverns. Built around an existing cave system, the city has since grown into a monument to kobold ingenuity and engineering, tripling in size and harnessing the firey soul of the mountain to heat and power the city. Between the omnipresent rumble of the steam pipes, the clanking of tools and the snatches of Draconic floating through the market place, there is rarely a moment of quiet in the city, and most of its inhabitants prefer it that way. Buried underground and eternally lit, it is a city whose schedule is divorced from that of the sun, and the city's social centers can be counted on to be bustling no matter the hour.

Demographics

Roughly 90% kobolds, 7% dwarves, and 3% all other races.

Government

Though technically a part of Narheim, Dakhornag remains semi-independent, paying a measure of tribute to the Jarl of Narheim but otherwise managing its own affairs. The city is ruled by the Council of Fangs, a group of 10 kobold elders plus the dragon skull which serves as the totem of the Dakhorni clan. The skull is, technically, the city's de facto ruler, but no one can say he's been terribly politically opinionated in the last 600 years.

Defences

Though history hasn't shown the full extent of Dakhornag's defenses, most understand that laying siege to the city would be a rather unwise idea. Even the known secret passageways and exits constitute a labyrinthine network of tunnels, caves and maintenance passages, and by current estimates, only 20% of the city's old tunnels have been mapped. Furthermore, there are rumors that much of Dakhornag's infrastructure was built with the ability to be weaponized, and while it's never been officially confirmed and the Council of Fangs alone knows the truth, not even the most brazen of warlords are keen on finding out what secrets the city holds.

Industry & Trade

Dakhornag is a city of industry, first and foremost. With few agricultural holdings outside the city proper, and a very limited capacity for the cultivation of underground crops (though it is said that they grow some very fine mushrooms), the city's population relies largely on trade and the grain dole they receive from Narheim for their subsistence. The city's main industries are focused around manufacturing, with a great many smiths, coopers, cobblers, rope-makers and artisans, though it also has healthy mining and construction industries. There is also a somewhat smaller pastoral sector that grazes sheep atop the slopes of the mountain, providing mutton and wool for the community.

Infrastructure

Dakhornag has some of the most involved and expansive infrastructure in all of Veturoth. The city is kept alive by a sprawling geo-thermal steam engine and a series of artificial rivers which serve not only for transportation (facilitated by special steel-hulled and heavily insulated boats, as the water remains at a constant boil) but as easily accessible power for water wheels and other contraptions. Though the city is heavily mechanized, 600 years of development and the general tendency for kobolds' aspirations to exceed their capacity for long term planning has lead to the infrastructure being put together in a manner that could be politely described as haphazard. Indeed, a great deal of infrastructure is dedicated entirely to the maintenance of other infrastructure, and it's said that Dakhornag's repair crews could build a whole separate city in a year if they weren't so stubbornly dedicated to keeping Dakhornag from exploding.

Type

Large town

Population

7,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Dakhorni