Hiatus

Got married this week. Going on my honeymoon. Taking two weeks off. Next post will be on June 7th. Try not to burn down the Internet(s) while I'm gone.

Wallosp, City of Arts

On the continent of Yofga there are four walled cities. These cities were constructed by the Lujggao, or at least by their giant slaves. These cities are massive urban sprawls with high walls and structures of black stone. Each of these four cities contains a furnace of creation and a purifier, and from these four cities flow the nearly limitless resources that allow humanoids to flourish on Yofga.

So we're going to  talk about the third of these four cities, Wallosp, City of Arts.

History
The history of Wallops might be considered somewhat boring. Stories say that when the original inhabitants found the city, they entered it and explored it fully. They immediately found the furnace of creation, purifier, and descendants of the Lujggao. Unlike the other cities, the furnace, purifier, and descendants were not hidden behind heavy doors. The doors were wide and the descendants of the Lujggao were prowling the city doing their tasks. The early inhabitants also found massive stores of raw materials that the furnace of creation had obviously been producing for years. Why the furnace of creation and purifier were already in operation, unlike the other three cities of Yofga, is unknown and has been speculated on to great degree by historians.

Unlike the other three cities of Yofga, Wallosp never experienced problems with poor nutrition and dehydration that led to plagues and illnesses. The population of Wallosp had little difficulty expanding into the surrounding area and using the excess of seeds produced by the furnace of creation to being early efforts at agriculture. Early settlers were even able to use the fresh water supplies stored in the city's reservoir to begin the process of digging trenches that served as early aqueducts, which are the backbone of the agricultural efforts of the towns surrounding the other cities.

Wallosp's history might be considered almost boring by readers expecting exciting events and stories of tragedy. The city has little experience with tragedy. It's history is a story of unlikely coincidence and things working out to the benefit of its citizens. Food has always been plentiful, populations have been high, health has always been good. Almost no citizen of the city has every truly wanted for anything in the way that citizens of the other cities or the people of the desert tribes have.

This tale of luck and abundance has given the people of Wallosp something that few in the other cities have ever been able to devote their lives to: art. Almost since it was first settled, Wallosp has been the center of art on Yofga. While other cities worried about scraping together enough lumber to make hafts for tools, the citizens of Wallosp were taking up the arts of woodcarving and scrimshaw. When other cities were trying to scrape together enough iron or copper and tin to forge tools, Wallosp was putting up statues of bronze and brass and studding them with inlays of precious stones and metals.

Dozens of schools have sprung up in Wallosp, schools of poetry and philosophy and all manner or things that may be classified as art. These schools and studios have sprung up in the heart of the city of Wallosp, sort of organically growing up around the Great Gallery of Wallosp. The Great Gallery is a large series of interconnected buildings that incorporate pre-existing structures and mortal additions as well. This large structure contains various wings where art is displayed and at the times the building itself act as art. The Great Gallery was founded by an early king of Wallosp named King Grannomel.

In addition to its dedication to what might be called the of arts of the mind, Wallosp has also supported physical arts in the form of games and sporting events. These eventually culminated in the creation of the Arena of Wallosp and the formation of the week long festival known as the Great Games. The Great Games are an incredibly popular event in Wallosp that fills the city to its brim with spectators from the other cities and town and even the tribes of the deep desert. Contestants participate in trials of the body and the mind in competition for cash purses of thousands of gold. This event is overseen by a group of secretive stud wielders known as Architects. Their identities remain unknown, but during the Great Games that can be identified by their voluminous red robes that shroud their features in shadow. These mysterious figures are sometimes called sadists for the difficult trials they inflict on individuals, but despite their cunning, few participants in the games have ever been truly slain during their trials.


Ruler
The ruler of Wallosp is King Metlesken Hargrave (57 H M). He has ruled the city for approximately 20 years now and is considered to be a fairly benign if unimportant ruler. He became king approximately twenty years ago with little fanfare after the natural death of his father. King Hargrave is not very involved in the running of Wallosp and relies heavily on his mother and advisors to keep the city running day to day while he enjoys the fruits of his position and their labors.


Government
The government of Wallosp is primarily a monarchy ruled by King Hargrave, and he wields essentially limitless power in the city, though he rarely does so. The city is more closely overseen by the Council of Curators, though anything they do or enact can be overridden by King Hargrave. There is a fair amount of corruption within the city's government, but it is relatively benign and does not prevent the system as a whole from functioning. The monarchy is traditionally a hereditary monarchy, while positions on the Council are typically purchased by artistic contributions to the Great Gallery of Wallosp. There are essentially an unlimited number of seats on the Council, but the current number of council members is roughly 120.

Laws
The laws of Wallosp are fairly benign in nature, with nothing too overly authoritarian being enacted. Crimes such as murder are treated more harshly than minor crimes such as theft, as is the case across most of Yofga. Law is enacted on the street level by contracted investigators who wield little power in the city when they are not actively investigating a case. Those investigators are hired and overseen by judges that are put int position by politicians on the Council.


Economy
The economy of Wallosp is almost certainly unassailable. The city has effectively unlimited resources and it is not stingy in sharing those resources with the towns that owe it fealty. Because it basically needs nothing from the other cities, the city has a strong position in terms of bargaining and trading. It may not have quite as much iron as Mennum, or as much copper and tin as Crannom, but it has more than sufficient amounts for its basic needs. The only thing that Wallosp truly lacks is tradesmen. They have artists and resources, but because of the somewhat unfocused and relaxed lifestyle of most citizens in the city, they lack tradesmen committed to a specific trade. They have goldsmiths and silversmiths and gemcutters and carpenters, but they focus on artistry. The city only really needs skilled tradesmen with practical skills that can forge and shape raw materials for practical uses. This gives the other cities bargaining power, but not nearly as much as having unlimited resources.


Armed Forces
The armed forces of Wallosp are many and varied. This is due to the fact that the entirety of what might be called Wallosp's armed forces are mercenary in nature. Wallosp does not keep a standing army of any kind. Instead, they use the city uses its reserves of coin to buy the unquestioning loyalty of a hodgepodge of career mercenaries and participants in the Great Games the city holds every five years. This method makes the forces of Wallosp very varied and versatile and makes it rather difficulty for the other cities to gauge the precise nature and strength of Wallosp's forces.


Current Affairs
Wallosp is currently celebrating its Great Games. The celebration has been going on for two days now. On the fourth day, the Arena opens up and daring individuals can begin competing for acclaim and prize money. The influx of people wishing to see the Games of course brings in a great deal of commerce and chaos to the city. This naturally leads to increased crime for those natives and visitors living outside that law, as well as better job opportunities for those seeking gainful employment. Many merchants and nobles seek to hire participants and victors from the Games as guardians for their goods and persons. 

Artifacts of Yofga

Like most DnD worlds, Hasta is home to several artifacts of great magical power. There are even a few that can be found on Yofga. The information presented here is factual in the sense that it is what people on Yofga believe about these objects. Whether or not it is factual in the sense that it is true information remains to be seen. Teehee.

The Adamant Armor

The Adamant Armor is a strange looking suit of black plate and chain. The suit of armor appears to be made of lightweight black material that is slightly reflective. Most of the armor is made of incredibly small rings that form a suit of chain mail. Over this chain mail are rounded, segmented plates of slightly reflective black material. The plates and chain are much more durable than the strongest iron or bronze found on Yofga, and much lighter than any material known to man or goliath.

The most obvious ability of The Adamant Armor is its durability. Blows that would shatter iron and slice through bronze with ease rebound off of The Adamant Armor with a dull thunk. The armor is also highly resistant to the elements, making long periods of desert travel almost easy. The Adamant Armor is also capable of shifting its size to accommodate wearer's of any size. This makes it much easier for wearer's to utilize their natural agility than more conventional suits of heavy armor.

The Blades of Bone and Flame

The Blades of Bone and Flame are four strange weapons that appear to be made of frozen fire and blackened bone. The weapons are poorly designed, with the charred black hafts and hilts having knobs and curves in them like bones leading to poor or unstable grips. The blades themselves are no better. One is reminiscent of a halberd, another an axe, the third as sort of scimitar, and the fourth a short stabbing blade. The blades do not conform to typical blade formations. They curve like fire leaping up from a bonfire and generate a minor amount of light and do not appear to be sharpened in any meaningful way. Ultimately, the weapons are heavy and poorly designed and take great skill to wield effectively, and even then, their poor balance and clumsy construction would work against their wielder.

What is known about The Blades of Bone and Flame is that they are hot. So hot that icy blasts of magic inflict minimal discomfort on their wielders. That same heat is deadly to most living things, and is capable of burning through most non-living things. Even creatures and objects supposedly immune to heat and fire cannot stand the touch of the flames of these weapons. It is known that even the wielder is not immune to the inferno these weapons possess. There are many stories of foolish or unskilled wielders attempting to take up one of these blades, only to inadvertently press the blades against themselves and be left as nothing more than smoking ash.

The Blood of Everlasting Spring

The Blood of Everlasting Spring is a very unremarkable looking item. Legends say that it is a simple glass flask or vial with a gemstone cap holding it closed. Within the glass container is a thick green fluid known as The Blood of Everlasting Spring.

Little is known about precisely how The Blood is used, but most tales speak of its wielders ingesting it or dripping it onto open wounds. Using The Blood offers extended life to those that are able to use it, though the precise extent of this ability varies in legends. The Blood also offers immunity to most of the toxins found among the beasts of the deep desert as well as offering near immunity to most diseases found in Yofga. One peculiarity of The Blood is that when those that use it draw near to the mighty lizards of the deep desert, dragons, the dragons are driven into an insatiable rage and will hunt the possessor of The Blood for weeks. The Blood seems to call to the dragons as well, drawing them from miles away. It should also be noted that if several dragons are drawn to The Blood and are unable to vent their rage and bloodlust on the possessor, they will pass the time rutting with one another until they are able to reach the wielder. There is one tale of a possessor of The Blood remaining safe from the dragons in a man-sized cave complex and hiding out there for so long that the dragons were able to send their hatchlings into the caves to devour him.

The Chalice of Balance

The Chalice of balance is a large silver goblet. The engravings and ornamentation on it are not particularly well done and do not exhibit much skill. The cup itself is very poorly shaped with an extremely large cup portion that appears to be larger in diameter than a goliath skull. This overly large portion is balanced by a very wide base. The rim of the cup portion of the chalice is also uneven with a portion protruding up from the front of the chalice almost like buck teeth. To the left and right of this protruding ridge on the cup portion of the goblet are two large, poorly cut, sapphires. The overall appearance of the goblet is that it is a big, heavy object of incredibly poor construction.

Little is known about the capabilities of the Chalice of Balance, but it is believed to be a defensive item. Stories say that poisons poured into it lose their potency, water poured in it gains restorative properties, and liquor poured within it inspires passion and poetry. It is believed that it can absorb energy attack such as bolts of lightning and blasts of fire, to generate a shield of energy that the holder can wield like a shield while he holds the chalice.

The Knucklebones of Summer

The Knucklebones of Summer are a pair of black knucklebones. The bones appear to be scorched and a much larger than those typically found on livestock or humans, perhaps of a size comparable to what might be found on a large goliath. The bones appear scorched and rub ash onto anything they come into contact with. Each of the Knucklebones is rough in shape, but it can be seen that they are vaguely tetrahedral and someone has at one point in the past carved numbers into the sides.

The individual that did the carving is likely dead at this point, due to his own idiocy due to the fact that The Knucklebones are not ideal for games of chance. Whenever they impact a surface with some degree of force, they emit an angry cracking noise and erupt into a violent explosion of flame and swirling ash.

The Rotting Teeth of Autumn

The Rotting Teeth of Autumn are a collection of ten objects that appear to be ten badly made arrowheads. These arrowheads range from three to five inches in length and look more like black talons or fangs than metal or stone arrowheads. The tips and edges curve, there are cracks and splits in them, and they all appear to have been broken off at the spot where they would be attached to the arrow shaft. Regardless of their innate power, the Teeth are perhaps the most poorly designed arrowheads ever discovered. They wobble in flight like drunken birds of prey and their range is abysmal when compared to traditional arrowheads, more often than not the arrowheads aren't even the part of the arrow that ends up striking the target, and the bindings used to attach them to arrow shafts and arrow shafts themselves both have a tendency to rot into ruin after prolonged exposure to the arrowheads.

For all their flaws, The Rotting Teeth of Autumn are undeniably powerful. They have a tendency to destroy any armor that prevents them from finding flesh. Metal armors begin rusting almost immediately, while leather rots and cloth crumbles into stringy trash. Living creatures struck by the arrowheads tend to die immediately, or lose limbs from a fast moving rot that stems from the wounds inflicted by the Teeth.

The Shadowblade

The Shadowblade is a sword that can be wielded easily in one or two hands. The blade is double edged and the whole of the weapon appears to be made from a solid piece of material with no fancy ornamentation on the hilt or blade. The weapon as a whole is a faded unreflective black color and appears semi-insubstantial.

The Shadowblade is supposedly capable of enveloping its wielder in a shadowy aura that makes its wielder resistant to the unrelenting glare of the sun as well as aiding in attempts at stealth. The Shadowblade's insubstantial nature makes it ideal for penetrating armor and physical defenses, but it also makes it an act of will to maintain a grip on the weapon. It also makes it impossible for the weapon to deal conventional damage to targets. The Shadowblade is capable of killing and damaging opponents, but the exact mechanics of these injuries are unknown. Those struck by the blade feel no real discomfort and they show no obvious wounds. They simply die after repeated blows from the weapon.

The Shield of Spring

The Shield of Spring is a buckler. Unlike more mundane bucklers, the Shield of Spring is not merely hardened leather over a wooden frame. Its construction is similar to regular bucklers, but over the hardened leather are a pattern of interlocking scales and a rim made of what is thought to be silver. The scales are smaller than an adult dragon's, but are larger than those of a healer. These scales are green in color, but the color has faded and the scales themselves appear cracked and worn in places.

The main ability that The Shield of Spring is know for is offering more physical protection from blows than even the toughest of heavy shields. Despite their cracked and worn appearance, the scales on the face of the shield turn blows quite well. It is also believed that it offers some protection from acidic substances like that found among the many predators of the deep desert, as well as some protection from heat.

Millen, City of Slaves

On the continent of Yofga there are four walled cities. These cities were constructed by the Lujggao, or at least by their giant slaves. These cities are massive urban sprawls with high walls and structures of black stone. Each of these four cities contains a furnace of creation and a purifier, and from these four cities flow the nearly limitless resources that allow humanoids to flourish on Yofga.

So we're going to  talk about the third of these four cities, Millen, City of Slaves.

History
The history of Millen might be described as somewhat tragic in nature. For reasons unknown, the majority of the lower portions of the city and its main thoroughfares were filled with rubble. As with the other three cities, the structures and walls of Millen were entirely intact, but the main thoroughfares and below ground portions of the city were filled with rubble and debris. Mostly broken stone. When the city was originally discovered by early humans and goliath, this debris naturally prevented them from finding the furnace of creation and purifier deep within the city.

It took over three decades for the early settlers of Millen to clear all of the debris filling their city. In a history spanning several centuries, these decades do not seem like such a delay when compared to the other three cities. However, it exposed the early people of Millen to decades of plague and starvation that the other cities did not experience. This naturally led to a significantly reduced population and a much more predatory society than that found in the other three cities. Unfortunately, when the furnace of creation and purifier were finally discovered, it was not as much of a boon for the people of Millen as it was for the other three cities.

The furnace of creation within the depths of Millen produced a great deal of seeds and other plant material, but Millen lacked the population to fully utilize those resources to begin widespread agricultural efforts. Additionally, the furnace of creation within Millen produced significantly less of every other resource. Millen had supplies for food to be grown, but not enough people to tend to crops. It had materials, but not enough raw material to make enough of any tools to do anything with them and not enough people to use them if they could.

During the early years of Millen's history, life was brutal. It was cheap and it was a trial. Almost as brutal as the life of the tribes in the deep desert. The city spread slowly and even to this day controls less overall territory than the other three cities. For most of the early decades of the city's history, it was a society of might makes right, with the strongest and most brutal individuals rising to power. Where Mennum developed a strong warrior culture, Millen developed a strong culture of anarchy and bloodshed. There were times when the desire for resources grew so violent that blood soaked the streets and the population was reduced to less than a hundred family groups within the walls.

After what is estimated to be two and a half to three centuries of pointless violence and scavenging, an individual name Kashmar Indocen rose to power in Millen. He was an outsider from one of the local desert tribes, likely from the Sequon Shardens or the Toothy Ghosts. Kashmar came into the city with a wagon full of supplies and a group of hardened desert raiders. They fought their way through the malnourished brutes and citizens of Millen till they found the antechamber of the furnace of creation and the purifier of the city, and there they made camp. Surrounded by twenty well fed hardened warriors in a fairly defensible position, Kashmar informed the populace of the city that he was now king and he would manage the resources of the city.

King Kashmar instituted a policy of slavery. You could buy seeds and sapling from his furnace of creation for five years of your life. He and his warriors branded citizens and gave them seeds and told them to go out and farm them one way or another and bring him the results. This was a crude and ineffective system. There were no plans or guidelines, Kashmar was not a planner, he just bought people and told them to do things and killed those that didn't do it.  It was crude and ineffective and clumsy, but it stopped the majority of Millen's senseless bloodshed. It forced people out into the areas surrounding the city and got them doing something instead of scavenging off of each other. Kashmar  then turned his attention to the skilled tradesmen. There weren't many, so he looked elsewhere.

Supposedly, Kashmar ordered his thugs and other individuals in the city to kidnap skilled tradesmen from other cities and desert tribes. Records from other cities do not offer any concrete evidence that this actually happened, but historical accounts from so long ago are unreliable at best. Regardless of how it came about, suddenly Millen had tradesmen able to make things. Which were then sold by Kashmar for years of servitude.

Kashmar ruled for almost four years before he was murdered by individuals that historians assume were members of his crew of thugs. The city of Millen naturally descended into complete anarchy once again. His tradition of servitude in exchange for resources did not stop though. With each new ruler the system of slavery grew more organized and more productive. As brighter and brighter minds ascended to power, the efforts of the slaves became more clearly directed and the city didn't quite flourish, but it was finally able to expand in an organized manner.

After the development of the institution of slavery, Millen's progression began to match that of the other cities, albeit at a much slower pace. Because of the fragility of the city in terms of access to resources, the city experienced many periods of fluctuating prosperity. Because of the frequent changes in leadership, lawlessness and anarchy were experienced frequently in the city's history. There were competent rulers, and foolish rulers, and insurrections, and leaders among the slaves that sought to end slavery.

The level of anarchy experienced by Millen has made it extremely difficult for historians to pin down the various periods of  its history and who did what and how and when. The few important details that we do know are that at one point early on, cannibalism was very prevalent within the city walls. It is also known that during several periods of unrest and more than a few of order, the people of the city believed that the descendants of the Lujggao were the cause of all the city's ills. These idiotic attacks were of course of no inconvenience to the descendants of the Lujggao. It is also known that during a lengthy period of unrest, several desert tribes attempted to assault the city to prey on the disorganized citizens. This assault was rebuffed by the breakers living within the city. The fragmented accounts of this incident share only one detail: at one point the army of desert raiders was approaching the city walls, then the breakers climbed atop the walls, and the entire army of desert raiders ceased to be.

Millen's history and early years are surely as interesting as that of the other three cities. Unfortunately, the frequent chaos in the city forces historians to rely on personal accounts of questionable value and the few records kept by the various rulers of the city, few of which have been overly concerned with the truth of events that transpire.


Ruler
The current ruler of the city is Overlord Torgal Gralstaf (47 G M) and he has ruled the city for seven years now. His rise to power was rapid and involved some of the most savage and skilled political wheeling and dealing the city has ever seen in its history. He started out as a slave merchant and used that role to establish a strong financial power base as well as to make ties among other merchants and politicians. He is widely regarded as a harsh and dispassionate ruler, but he maintains order and his justice is fair, if unhindered by mercy, and his reign has been the most peaceful in Millen's history.


Government
The government of Millen has almost always been one where might makes right, a monarchy at best, and a dictatorship in reality. This tradition continues in modern times. The current Overlord, Torgal Gralstaf, rules the city due to his immense wealth and the unflinching savagery with which he responds to threats to his power base and the stability of the city.


Laws
There is only one law in Millen: the word of the Overlord. Torgal Gralstaf is more evenhanded in that he does not appear to issue new laws on a whim and he appoints judges and lawmen who tend to adjudicate offenses in a similarly stable manner. That said, there is obvious corruption in the law of Millen, but the Overlord has been known to be ruthless in cutting out obvious or outright stupid manipulations of the system. The laws of the city have been designed to augment the system of slavery, with most offenses carrying what might be considered exorbitant fines that may be waived by the guilty agreeing to submit willingly to a term of slavery.


Economy
The economy of Millen is incredibly fragile. The city is almost completely reliant upon the resources of other cities to sustain its population, even with slaves taking a smaller portion of food and water supplies than regular citizens. The only resource that is of true value in Millen is its slave population, and even then only in certain circumstances. The other three cities and most towns have a reluctance to participate in the trade of slavery, with the practice being more or less outlawed in the other three cities. However, when deadlines approach and normal workers are too costly to employ, many towns turn to Millen and engage in trading resources to the city in exchange for brute labor. This is especially useful during planting seasons, which Millen is of course aware of.


Armed Forces
There is no official army or militia within the walls of Millen. Instead, most leaders of the city surround themselves with thugs and warriors that are competent and capable of taking orders. When the Overlord of the city deems it necessary, these individuals act as officers and generals (assuming fighting over who is in charge doesn't end with them all dead) and elite troops. They then make withdrawals from the slave population of the city to use as mobs of infantry.


Current Affairs
Even though the laws of Millen, like the other three cities, have outlawed cannibalism for centuries, rumors persist among slave and citizen alike that some still engage in the taboo act that was once commonplace in the city's early days. Those that speak of these rumors imply that ancient cults and secret societies that have existed since the early days of the settling of Millen are the practitioners of this dark act. Recently, new rumors have been circulating among the slaves of the city. They say that it is not secret societies that consume the dead, but instead it is members of the official government of the city. 

The Font of Shadows

The Font of Shadows is an important/unique/whatever feature of Yofga. So I'm going to interrupt talking about the four main cities to talk about it, because I think it's neat. Also, I need a little variety when documenting  campaign details. So that's what this post is about. The Font of Shadows.

The Font of Shadows has existed for as long as there has been recorded history on Yofga. References to it can be found in the legends and stories of very nearly all cultures and tribes on Yofga and it is a place of some value for its connections to the Lujggao. It is also of some religious significance to many of the cults of the gods that exist on Yofga. It is believed by most that The Font of Shadows was the last fortress of the gods when they fought their war against the Lujggao. A smaller number of scholars and other individuals believe that The Font of Shadows was intended as a prison for the gods that was created by the Lujggao before they knew the gods could be slain. There is very little evidence for this, save that the architecture of The Font of Shadows is reminiscent of that found in the four cities of the Lujggao that are on Yofga. It is known that the God of Endless Winter is within The Font of Shadows and has lain there on the verge of death since he fell in the war known as The Death of Seasons.

Like the cities of Yofga, The Font of Shadows seem to be impervious to any force man or goliath is able to bring against it, and it also appears to be completely immune to the magic of studs. There are two major ways that The Font of Shadows differs from the cities. At least architecturally speaking. The first major difference is the material The Font is made out of. The walls and buildings of the cities of Yofga are constructed from a sort of very dark black-grey color stone with a matte finish to it. The material of The Font of Shadows is an almost shiny midnight black material. Almost as if the font is constructed out of a black gemstone of some kind. It does not reflect light or images though. The second difference is that The Font of Shadows appears to be completely sealed. The place has architectural cues that scholars say indicate that it is a fortress and likely contains large open areas for courtyards and rooms, but the entire structure is sealed. Over the many centuries that have been spent exploring the exterior of The Font and the region around it, no entrances, not even tiny cracks, have been discovered.

The dangers surrounding The Font of Shadows are almost as significant as the mystery of the structure, though none of them stem from the structure itself. The first danger is the environment surrounding The Font of Shadows. The structure sits in a scorchedmass of mountains located in the center of Yofga, equidistant from each of the four cities. This region is extremely volcanic and suffers from earthquakes as well as being the origin of razorstorms. The volcanic vents in the area emit searing gusts of often times toxic air in the area. These gusts are the cause of razorstorms, and even if the storm never gains the strength to leave the area, it spills millions of shards of razor sharp obsidian across the area. These obsidian shards can flay the boots and skin from the feet of unwary travelers. Despite these environmental hazards, religious pilgrimages, archaeological studies, and what might be called looky lous still journey to The Font of Shadows. This in turns draws scavengers of both the humanoid and desert beast varieties. Humanoid scavengers are often less than willing to wait for the desert to do the work of killing their targets. Scavengers, usually from the tribes of the desert, are a near constant threat around The Font. Most are motivated by simple greed and the desire to loot high value supplies that city dwellers have brought with them. Others claim that scholars and those who seek the secrets of The Font of Shadows offend the gods or the Lujggao or whatever quaint tribal notion that have of the sanctity of the place. How can dead gods or the cursed descendants of the Lujggao be offended? It is likely that such tribes are merely making noises to appease some internal sense of guilt for their life of theft and murder. 

Though these dangers are significant, they are not particularly strange to the denizens of Yofga. We are all aware of the risks of desert travel and those to be found in dealing with desert beasts and our fellow humanoids. There is one danger unique to The Font of Shadows. Creatures that are only found within a few hundred feet of the structure. Husks. Husks are humanoid creatures that are believed to be some manner of deceased human or goliath. They appear as withered, almost mummified creatures with skin like badly cured jerky. In short, they appear like most corpses found dead in the desert, save that they are moving and are usually howling in what can be assumed to be some form of hunger. They carry very little in terms of clothing an equipment. What they do wear or carry is ragged and ruined and they are as likely to attack with their almost claw-like fingernails as they are with whatever they bear in hand.  Husks are believed to be supernatural in origin, as they have been documented to have some manner of ability to become incorporeal for brief periods of time. These creatures represent a great curiosity and many studies have been done regarding them.

One of the many questions about them is are they alive or are they some manner of unliving dead thing? The general consensus among scholars is yes. It is known that they consume those they slay, but it is also known that they can survive indefinitely without food. It is also known that they will not willingly leave the region surrounding The Font of Shadows and when forced to, they go into a form of suspended animation that they cannot be roused from until placed once again within the borders of the area surrounding The Font. They appear to be resistant to the magic of studs with most spells just being absorbed by them and having no perceivable effect.

Despite the amount of research that has been conducted in the past on The Font of Shadows and the husks found in its shadow, scholars and religious groups still continue to mount expeditions to it in the hopes of unlocking its secrets. The site continues to remain a great curiosity and a place of great significance in our land and will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future. 

Mennum, the City of Grey Mirrors

On the continent of Yofga there are four walled cities. These cities were constructed by the Lujggao, or at least by their giant slaves. These cities are massive urban sprawls with high walls and structures of black stone. Each of these four cities contains a furnace of creation and a purifier, and from these four cities flow the nearly limitless resources that allow humanoids to flourish on Yofga.

So we're going to  talk about the second of these four cities, Mennum, the City of Grey Mirrors.

History

Like the founding of the other three cities, the history Mennum begins some time before 1000 DoS. As has been frequently stated in this document, records of that time are sparse and those available are fragmented in nature and of dubious reliability. The legends of Mennum say that the city came to be inhabited by the last remnant of the human warriors that participated in the last battle between the Lujggao and the gods of Yofga. The legends of the city do not specify what side those ancient warriors fought on in the battle, and we have no way of knowing that information. The legends say that those warriors fled The Last Field, where even today the ground lies thick with ancient withered corpses and ruined armaments, and headed south till they hit the southern shore and the walled city they would eventually name Mennum.

This force of human warriors and their support staff immediately settled in the city of dark stone and quickly began exploring it. They found the descendants of the Lujggao in their vaults with the city's furnace of creation and purifier much more quickly than the residents of the other cities. Similar to Crannom, when Mennum began interacting with other cities they realized their furnace of creation was producing a more limited amount of resources but was a producing a great deal of one resource. For Mennum, this resource was iron.

Mennum did not get quite as obsessive about iron as Crannom did about bronze, but it did utilize its resource. The people of Mennum were warriors or the descendants of warriors and with the availability of iron, that warrior tradition continued after the city was settled. The smiths of Mennum were the ones that originally invented the armorsmithing processes that led to the creation of plate mail. The early smiths of the city produced a wide range of iron cutlery of varying degrees of lethality. For many centuries the Mennum was where all smiths went to go to study working iron or forging weaponry and armor and for some time smiths who were not backed by the guild of Mennum could find little work on Yofga. Though this may have been as much due to economic pressures the city exerted on the other cities and towns as it was the competence of the iron guilds.

The majority of Mennum's past is unremarkable. There were trials and tribulations of course, but their very early discovery of their city's furnace of creation and purifier staved off a lot of the problems that afflicted the first settlers of the other three cities. There were no widespread starvation epidemics, The population of the city has for the most part continued to rise over the decades and centuries, and there were no outbreaks of plague due to poor health and filthy living conditions. Despite their warrior culture, they have never been foolish enough to attempt to use force on the descendants of the Lujggao, nor have they attempted to wage outright war against another city.

One interesting development in the history of the city was the creation of modern signaling techniques. Once their population was stable, Mennum expanded from its walls in a very regimented way, settling the more fertile coastal lands and founding farming and animal husbandry towns and villages in a very slow and steady process. As they did so, they would build in these towns tall barracks towers, which is a fairly common process in modern times. But in early times, following Kalar Horum's failed assault on Wallosp, it was assumed that the descendants of the Lujggao would punish any overt attempts at militarization. Atop each of these towers, the smiths of Mennum would leave a massive reflective plate of iron that they had polished so thoroughly that it appeared almost silver-like. Mennum then used these mirrors as an effective form of signaling and communication to keep the towns they founded well supplied and under firmer control than the towns founded by the other cities. As Mennum flourished over the decades, this practice of leaving signaling towers in towns was adopted by the other three cities.

Ruler

The current ruler of Mennum is High Blade Harkenmeth (63 H F). She has ruled the city for the last 17 years and is widely regarded as a competent ruler that does not overly abuse her power.

Government

The government of Mennum is a dictatorship that has processes for the removal of a ruler integrated into its system. The ruling position, High Blade, can only be promoted from the Council of Low Blades. A potential ruler must serve as a Low Blade for at least 15 years before they are allowed to be considered as a potential candidate for High Blade and must be sponsored by at least 2 Low Blades. If they meet the criteria, the candidate is then allowed to challenge the current High Blade in mortal combat and success grants them the position of High Blade. The High Blade of Mennum has complete and utter control over the government of the city. Their word is effectively law. However, if all 50 Low Blades can achieve a unanimous vote and are willing to elect a champion to duel the High Blade to first blade, they can overturn the word of the High Blade on the issue at hand for a maximum of one year.

The process for becoming a Low Blade is similar to becoming a High Blade. Two sponsors among the existing Low Blades are needed and a vacant seat must exist, or a challenge must be issued to an existing Low Blade.

Laws

The laws of Mennum under the rule of High Blade Harkenmuth are considered fairly reasonable by scholars and lawyers. They allow citizens a fair amount of freedom and have successfully maintained civil peace and prosperity for the duration of her reign. Unlike most cities, Mennum does not require the peace bonding of weaponry within the walls, however, bearing any blade larger than a knife or wearing armor heavier than what might be classed as basic leather armor, requires a license for citizens and an entry fee for visitors to the city. Visitors are then given documentation indicating they have paid their fee for their current visit.

On the street level, law is enforced by the personal troops of the Low Blades. These troops are aptly called Enforcers. Each of the 50 Low Blades controls a region of Mennum and they and their enforcers are responsible for maintaining peace and prosperity in that area, though there are rules and regulations the govern how and when they offer assistance to neighboring areas of the city. To keep a balance of power within the city, the High Blade maintains a cadre of her own Enforcers equal to the number of Enforcers employed by the 50 Low Blades. The personal Enforcers of the High Blade typically assist the other Enforcers with maintaining law and order within the city as well as acting as bodyguards for the High Blade. They also undertake missions of diplomacy and intrigue outside of the city.

Economy
The economy of Mennum is stable and relatively strong. Iron is used in all the cities and towns on Yofga and the other furnaces of creation of the other cities cannot provide all that is needed for themselves and their towns. The iron produced by Mennum very nearly can. The iron trade is the strong point of Mennum's economy, but it still retains a strong reputation for its armorsmiths and weaponsmiths and their wares are highly sought after by warriors. Even the city's regular ironmongers are well regarded and their wares are typically sought after as high value items. The warrior culture of the city has fostered a strong defense for its towns as well, leading to well protected settlements. This has given Mennum and its towns a very reliable source food production that is not interrupted quite as often by raiders and desert beasts. This has overall decrease in demand for foodstuff keeps Mennum from being as vulnerable to the price gouging other cities must suffer when their agriculture systems are raided or their workers fall to great beasts.


Armed Forces

Just as they maintain law and order within the city, the Enforcers of the Low Blades act as the military of Mennum. Obviously, this has never truly resulted in army vs. army combat for them. Typically the Enforcers work in smaller units pulled from the retinue of a random assortment of Low Blades. These groups work at guarding caravans traveling between the city and the towns nearby that owe it fealty. Larger groups work to put a stop to the bigger and more entrenched bandit groups that crop up along the trade routes, or to hunt and kill the beasts of the desert that wander too close to the city itself. If Enforcers are sent on a particularly important mission, they will be accompanied by the Enforcers of the High Blade herself.

Current Affairs

Rumors persist of a potential challenger to High Blade Harkenmeth, despite her being widely regarded as a good ruler. Who this challenger may be is unknown, but the personal Enforcers of the High Blade have been making the rounds among the populace of the city chasing down these rumors.

Crannom, The Burnished City

On the continent of Yofga there are four walled cities. These cities were constructed by the Lujggao, or at least by their giant slaves. These cities are massive urban sprawls with high walls and structures of black stone. Each of these four cities contains a furnace of creation and a purifier, and from these four cities flow the nearly limitless resources that allow humanoids to flourish on Yofga.

So we're going to  talk about the first of these four cities, Crannom, The Burnished City.

History

Like the founding of the other three cities, the history of Crannom begins some time before 1000 DoS. What is known is that the goliath tribes of the west unified and made their way from what we now call the deep desert and the area around the Font of Shadows to the western coast, where they found and empty city of the Lujggao that later came to be known as Crannom, The Burnished City.

These goliath were nomadic tribes that inhabited what were at that time relatively fertile plains, but after the Death of Seasons these plains were swiftly becoming a blasted wasteland that could not support the goliath. So they moved towards the coast, which we assume they thought would have a more reliable food supply via fishing. We can assume that they were curious about the empty city they found and all the strange buildings and fixtures of the Lujggao, but goliath have always been a hardy folk and in the climate of that time period they would have had no strong need for living within stone dwellings.

We can assume that as the oceans and seas of the time began to turn to sludge, the food supplies eventually ran out and as the climate became more hostile, the goliath became more interested in the strange city they found. Like the other three remaining cities of the Lujggao, what they found within the mighty walls of the city were wide paved streets and large empty buildings and no living creatures. The goliath are large, though somewhat smaller than Lujggao, and they had an easy time adjusting to the large dimensions of the city.

Goliath history primarily relies upon oral tradition in this era of time, so records of the time are scant at best. What we do know is that goliath populations within the city and in the settlements around it began to wane over the years and those populations outside the city began experiencing a great number of illnesses from malnutrition and contaminated water supplies, while the populations within the walls of the city experienced no such difficulties despite living in similar conditions. This led to a massive population growth within the walls of the city as goliath abandoned settlements to live within the walls of the city. This population boom within the walls forced expansion into unused depths of the city. Which is where the goliath discovered the descendants of the Lujggao and the furnace of creation and purifier of the city.

Goliath have always been brutish and violent by nature, and their population was further lessened by conflicts with the mute descendants of the Lujggao. Ancient stories tell of an massive gate of iron where the descendants, furnace, and purifier were sequestered. Supposedly, the ancient goliath tore this gate down, imagining there was some secret storehouse within it. The goliath, we assume, thought the descendants were keeping the supplies from them and immediately attacked the descendants, leading to a great deal of violence over a very short period of time.

With the iron gate torn down and many of the more violent goliath dead, the descendants of the Lujggao began performing the duties we typically see them doing in modern times. We can assume that a short time after this, the goliath of the city realized that the furnace of creation and the purifier in the bowels of the city were providing an endless supply of resources. They also discovered the ancient rivers of lava that all cities have deep within them.

Over time, the goliath of Crannom discovered the knowledge of working iron and working copper and tin into bronze. Over time, contact between the four cities developed. The goliath of Crannom realized that though their furnace of creation functioned and their purifier brought them plenty of water, they were provided with fewer overall resources than the other cities, save for copper and tin. The amount of copper and tin the goliath were provided with greatly exceeded that of the other three cities leading to an almost entirely bronze based economy. They had such an excess of bronze in Crannom that nearly all construction and art within the city was done using the metal. Thus the name of the city. It is said that after decades of building structures of solid bronze, the city if seen from above, looks like a gleaming disc of molten bronze.

Government

The government of Crannom in modern times is a representative republic where citizens of the city vote for elders to govern the city. Becoming an elder is a lifetime appointment. It should be noted that despite Crannom having a population that is at least 20% human, only goliath are allowed to vote for elders or become elders. The city currently has 24 elders at this time and has increased the number of sitting elders as the population of Crannom has increased over the years.

Ruler

The city of Crannom is ruled by The Council of Elders. The current list of elders is: Garael Stonesmote (67 F), Mendum Scarskin (43 M), Tubbern Brokebrow (39 M), Tennus Greyskein (82 F), Yerret Yerrestson (56 M), Tomen Opteran (44 M), Kellben Arrowcatcher (42 F), Oros Blackjaw (88 M), Ithin Salttongue (37 F), Nimmin Shadowtongue (? ?), Algus Whitetooth (66 M), Dorsun Twistfinger (45 F), Mekela Blackbone (47 M), Tomba Tinkerfinger (63 F), Mojang Stonepick (92 M), Umprah Stoneear (49 F), Iskall Glasseye (85 M), Wendlen Duskeye (66 F), Hunder Widejaw (51 F), Grut Bonestring (53 M), Haplo Frezkut (71 M), Miglan Blocktooth (49 F), Handelboor Musstash (42 F), and Stnidelee Wiplahsh (68 M).

Laws

The laws of Crannom are fairly normal. They cover a wide range of infractions to maintain the peaceful stability of the city. Punishments range from incarceration, to a variety of fees dependent upon the severity of the crime, to death in some rare cases. As is the case in most civilized cities, there is a degree of corruption to be found in the legal system of Crannom, but it has not as of yet completely crippled said system. Legal disputes are overseen by goliath stonespeakers who supposedly speak with the ancient wisdom of stone, despite there being no rational evidence of this. On the street level, law and order are maintained by deputized goliath known as Bronzemen that are easily identified by their bronze breastplates and bronze helmets that completely enclose their heads and hide their features.

Economy

The economy of Crannom is fairly stable. Other cities and towns have a reasonably high demand for the surplus of copper and tin that Crannom's furnace of creation produces. Additionally, because most of the zoning laws in the city require bronze to be used for most construction in the city, it creates an artificial demand for the material and ensures that forges are always able to sell their supplies. There are also artisans, sculptors and jewelers and the like, that work exclusively with bronze in Crannom and their works are in moderate demand in other cities.

Armed Forces

Crannom has no standing army per se. However, at age twenty all citizens are expected to enroll in the militia of the city and serve for a year. This mandatory year is spent teaching basic proficiency in weapons and following orders and tactics and such. The militia has never really seen true battle, but is often used by the Bronzemen as a sort of support force when executing warrants and raids and such, or in the case of riots during celebrations. Very occasionally they are tasked with actions outside the city in the situations concerning particularly persistent bandit groups or in cases where extremely cunning or bold beasts from the deep desert come to more fertile lands. 

Current Affairs

Not much of note is currently occurring in Crannom. Politicians engage in the usual games of intrigue. Criminals engage in the normal criminal behavior. Citizens go about their day to day business. Merchants make deals. Nothing of real note seems to be occurring in the city. Though some may say that the fact that nothing of note seems to be happening might in and of itself be something of note. A poetic individual might make some trite statement about how thermal and razor storms are often preceded by a seemingly unnatural calm. But this historian would never say such a thing.