Crestlyn Isle Cities

The various cities of Crestlyn Isle and their lore.

Capital Cities

Treimore

One of few pinnacles of trade and culture located on the Isle. Though industrious and busy, Treimore keeps a life centered tone to it. Because of this, the city and the industry/trade booming, it is inhabited by most races from elf to human. To accommodate the darkspawn, both above and below ground tunnels and covered networks have been dug and paved. The icon of the city is the huge metal pyramid in the center of the town; each corner representing the makers of the world; it is built off the ground with a metal rod thought the middle of it into the ground. No one can recall how it came to be there or what its purpose is but the town was built around it and continues to spread as the inhabitants gather. The city is completely interspersed with races, and shops usually have more than one race selling products inside. The city is located on the water with a decent shipping dock. The buildings toward the pyramid are smaller and older and as the town goes out the buildings get bigger and newer. Most buildings are wooden but a few have been made of iron, the roads paved with blueish bricks. Darkspawn area below is referred to as Undermore and due to the darkspawn habits most shops are open all day with no off hours. Cultural related items from various racial backgrounds can be found in stores. The weather is cold and the city is located at the northeastern point of the isle. The smell of salt hangs in the air and the area surrounding the city is mountainous with sparse vegetation.

Steinhelm

The greatest dwarven citadel, Steinhelm is the center of the dwarves' traditional culture and trade. It is the ancestral home of the Ironbeard clan, and most ancient dwarven clans have representative liaisons who regularly stay in the city for extended periods of time to see that the interests of their respective constituents are seen to by the dominant clan leader, which has been the Ironbeard chairman since the city was constructed in 920 A.C. It is also one of the most xenophobic of all dwarven settlements on the planet; other races and unincorporated clans are met with cold reception, and all but dignitaries are completely forbidden from entering the inner city, which delves deep into the mountain, while lower class foreigners are restricted to the outer city built upon the mountain face. The oldest structures in the city are carved from the living stone, whereas newer buildings are constructed of steel and concrete. A city of at once artisanship and industry, it produces higher quality forged products than anyplace else. As the ages go by, it gradually expands underground as part of the oldest continual mining project in history.

Rise of the Ironbeards

While for as long as there has been a Steinhelm it has been ruled by the Ironbeards, they only gained control of it during the final stages of the old city's construction. The deepest halls that are now the Ironbeards' mountainhome and Steinhelm's inner sanctum were actually dug by the now-lesser clan known as the Goldbloods. In fact, the mysterious steel smelting technologies known only to the Ironbeard smiths of Steinhelm are said to have been stolen from the Goldbloods. The original purpose of Steinhelm was for it to be an outpost for the Goldbloods, that would use its rich veins of magnetite to produce a huge arsenal of steel weapons and armor. This would be used by them to gain supremacy over all the young dwarven realms, propelling the small empire of dwarves from its small hold of just three mountains to governing all of Crestlyn's subterranean kingdoms. Unfortunately for the Goldbloods, the Ironbeards, who were at the time a simplistic clan of nomadic hill dwarves, discovered Steinhelm before a single weapon was produced by it. The Ironbeards easily overthrew the Goldblood soldiers, using guerrilla tactics and barbaric rage to their advantage. The Goldblood smiths were enslaved and forced to use their secret techniques to forge steel goods of unmatched quality for the Ironbeards, who settled in Steinhelm permanently. Eventually, the Goldblood smiths all died out, and their methods were adopted by Ironbeard smiths, who are the sole workers of steel in Steinhelm today. The Ironbeards did not share the Goldbloods' dream of supremacy through war, but instead the Ironbeard clan leader Urist Trollflayer II established Steinhelm as the dominant dwarven trade city in all of Crestlyn (and some say the world). His complete control over the flow of steel across the Isle earned the Ironbeards their position as the most powerful and respected dwarven clan, which they maintain to this day. It also made Trollflayer II, as the leader of the leading clan, the first unofficial king of all dwarves, with Steinhelm as his capital.

Magical Artifacts of Steinhelm

Over their millennia of economic dominance, the Ironbeards have built up, through greedy mining and copious exports of masterwork goods, an uncountable number of vaults, each filled with to the brim with precious metals, magical items, and expensive art. Each vault is defended by its own squad of guards, clad in masterwork Steinhelm steel. These guards are rarely Ironbeards, who are of too high status to grime their beards in combat, but instead are usually mercenaries from other clans (most often from the Gearhearts) hired by the Ironbeards to protect their treasure. The guards aren't given access to the vaults they protect, and rarely even know what they're guarding. Among these vaults, there is said to be one in particular that holds Steinhelms greatest treasures, that only the reigning Ironbeard clan leader has access to: the diamond strongbox. Although most of what is known about the vault is speculation and legend, it is said to be a one hundred cubic meter hollow cube made entirely of diamond, carved from one solid diamond. How it is entered or where it is entered from baffle even the most imaginative bards and gossipers. Inside are said to be five priceless and superpowerful magic items:

• The Elixer of Midas

A crystalline flask with a bright gold-colored liquid inside. Whoever consumes the entire potion will gain the uncontrollable Power of Midas: every refined metal that he touches will instantly turn to solid gold (including alloys). This effect will last for the rest of the person's life and cannot be stopped by any known means. It is said that the Elixer can be replicated, but only by one who has attained the Power of Midas, by filling the original flask with pure alcohol, then mixing his saliva with it.

Danroku-kyo

In the dark heart of coastal Abudar, human explorers went ahead of the elves. They found themselves unable to tame the supernatural wilderness and were forced to flee. Not weeks later, elven parties found the remains of a human settlement appearing to have been consumed by the forest decades ago, it appear as long forgotten ruins, though the humans had only just left. The name the humans had given their outpost was found on a sign amidst the decay, and the elves adopted the name as they decided to live with the wild, not conquer it. Today, Danroku-kyo is a thriving city, a paragon of the natural harmony that elves are the masters of. The outskirts of the city are treehouses and rope bridges, while downtown, concrete domes look like the mounds of strange animals. The city's residents live in communal apartment towers for the most part. It has large facilities for meditation and celebration. It is completely self-sufficient, like all cities in Zihan, of which it is now the capital.

Lerdouex

In the center of the Kahlri desert lies the city of Lerdouex. A prominently human city, it is also the capital of Wihym. The city was founded by the humans that were split off from the elves in the Southern Forest. Most if not all the buildings in Lerdouex are made of finely chiseled sandstone and rock. Lerdouex spans an area of about 8 square miles, being one of the largest settlements in Crestlyn. The peoples of Lerdouex, the humans at least, have an almond tint to their skin from exposure to the sun. The city is considered more of a resort if anything as various races find it to be relaxing with many attractions. Because of this, Lerdouex makes it money through tourism, the settlers setting up taverns as well as hotels. Despite being located in a desert, there is much water to be found. In the center of town there is even a collection of hot springs, kept hot by the natural gases underneath. Lerdouex is also heavily focused on agriculture, 2 miles of land dedicated towards crops. Three men rule over Lerdouex, making decisions on what should be built next or if they need to expand. No extra accommodations were done to allow the Shadowspawn morning access, though they simply enjoy the city at night.

Leazuire

A massive forest colony in the eastern section of the Southern Forest. The colony is entirely populated by the southern elves as they believe the other races have no respect for nature so only elves are permitted entry. When in the forest area where the colony is found, it appears to be completely hidden as it is actually built in the canopy of the forest. The only way to reach the city is to seek out the gatekeeper, whose location is held secret by the elves, who will then warp the elves to the city above. Some think that simply climbing the trees would grant access, though the trees are magically grown to be much taller than those naturally found in the forest. The city lies nearly 1,000 feet above the surface and the trees themselves have been enchanted to be exceptionally smooth. Leazuire is the capital of the country Boldin, located towards the west side of the country. Not much is known about Leazuire, with it being completely hidden from the other races. Though the elves use it mostly as a base of operations, the declaration of war against the shadowspawn being agreed upon here. It is entirely a city made up of various guilds, organizations and court houses. Little housing exists as Leazuire was meant to be a city of only temporary living, no one staying for more than 2 months. Legal documents, decrees and decisions about the southern elven race is made here and nothing more.

City 6

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City 7

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City 8

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City 9

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City 10

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