DM-Nastics #150: Where Shadows have Shadows

Not sure how this goes, but I will start it off. So here we go.

Before I tell you of Klosk’azan, or Klosk’s shadow, we must first speak of Klosk. Klosk was once a flourishing dwarven city within the Girak Peak (named after Taral Klosk, better known as Lead foot Klosk), far to the east in the Cradle Mountains. Girak Peak lay beside the Tyn Vudd, a small forest beside Tyn Tor and between Rangers Chase and The Painted Forest. Through Tyn Vudd, the Ealmar River runs south all the way through The Painted Forest, down to The Mirror. On the banks of the Ealmar river, at the foot of Girak Peak, lay Klosk’azan. At least that’s how the dwarves tell their story.

The Dwarves of Klosk delved deep beneath the Cradle Mountains; there they found the _____, a ______ like no other. Once word of the _____ spread, people from all over the world came. Klosk’azan transformed from a modest trading port into a crowded city practically overnight.

The Dwarves had their hands full just trying to maintain order. Then on rainy spring evening, the gates to Klosk closed forever. The next day Kobolds replaced the dwarven guards down in Klosk’azan, hailing to the new overlord Neithor the Green scale.

That was years ago, now you would not hear those names. Girak Peek became known as Neithor’s Peek, Klosk became known as Neithor, Klosk’azan became known as Klosk, and Tyn Vudd became the Bitterleaf Woods. Klosk is now a darker place, but that, is another story.

6. since it's a community project, i tried to leave a lot open. I hope to have developed:

• A location

• A name for that location, with some history

• Vaguely, what attracts people

• Vaguely, influential groups

Please get inspiration and change it as you wish, or if you don’t like it feel free to dismiss.

1. Orthumz, the Marble City, located in the southern Dueling Peaks.

2. Officially, this dwarven city is presided over by King Bogron and the council of clan elders. Orthumz is a bit more cosmopolitan than most dwarven mountain-cities, so the council also includes representatives from the majority-human Forester's Guild, the majority-elven/half-elven Gilded Library, and the majority-halfling Importer's Guild.

Unofficially, the city has a thriving thieve's guild and it's an open secret that the aforementioned Importer's guild has extensive smuggling operations that funnel goods from Whiskey Bay to the rest of the continent. The forester's guild as well is responsible for much unsanctioned poaching and logging in the nearby Empress Forest, which is not controlled by Orthumz. King Bogron himself is a rather ineffective ruler who gives great speeches and presides over celebrations and holidays, but spends the rest of his time drinking and partying rather than governing. The city's criminal element has grown rather bold under his lazy leadership.

3. Thanks to the Importer's and Forester's guilds, the city is a great place to acquire many uncommon and high-quality goods. Furthermore, as the name suggests, the city is largely built on an enormous marble deposit. Many of the buildings are gleaming white like polished statues. Speaking of statues, many of Dayeimbe's most renowned sculptors make their home here, and rich nobles flock here to appreciate the beautiful artistry of the city. The city's multicultural nature gives it a unique architectural style of strong dwarven bulwarks accented with flowing elven grace and eclectic splashes of colorful human art.

4. The Avenue of Medusa is the famous and facetiously-named main road leading to the king's palace. It is lined on either side with dozens of masterwork statues that are changed out regularly, with celebrity sculptors constantly striving to outdo each other. Every statue on display is for sale (if you're rich enough) minus the four closest to the palace, which depict the city's founders and early heroes. 

The Nomad's Quarter is another popular destination; once, it was simply the designated area for bands of travelling halflings and human merchants to rest, but it has since evolved into a bustling leisure district full of inns, taverns, theaters, and the largest marketplace in the city. Some call it the "unending festival," as music and dance can be found at just about all hours.

5. The dwarves of Orthumz are notably less rigid and traditional than most of their kind--the city has welcomed non-dwarves with open arms for hundreds of years. While the elves tend to keep to themselves (most think the lack of trees makes them sad) the local dwarves, humans, and halflings have a strong sense of pride in their city which binds them together. It is common to see dwarves dressed in human-style shirts and trousers, halflings wearing embroidered dwarf-style robes, and humans going barefoot with halfling-inspired bead necklaces, anklets, and bracelets.

A city turned on its head with a pursuit of turmoil and greed, Klosk is now a shadow of its former self. Once a port city connecting the Dwarves in the Cradle Mountains to the rest of civilization to share their craftsmanship through smith and art it stood out as a melting pot of ideas and trade with the rest of the world. As to be expected, there was eventually an influx of all kinds of merchants, artists, and philosophers migrating to the area. In its rapid growth, there was something that drove Greenscale to capitalize on the city's thin resources and overthrow the dwarven rule. Now, Neithor is a breeding ground for rogues and thieves. Sure, there are still temples and remnants of philosopher guilds of the past, there is an illusion of law headed by Constable Shaddon Haq, you may know him as "Shady," but it's understood that they all pay tribute to the Green Scales. In a city that thrives on the crooked market and criminal rule of Neithor, there are few that remember the old way.

(as a DM flip most establishments as LG to LE, leaving most of the LG/CG in the city as "criminals" or vigilantes")

In the slums of Neithor, you'll find the destitute remains of the dwarven community, systematically forced into the ghettos. Among them are the ones who remember: the Klosk'udan, or the Children of Klosk, are a society of dwarves that know of Neithor's secret. They know that Neithor is in possession of an old dwarven relic, hidden in the mountains, and he has guarded it through the greatest criminal enterprise the world has ever seen. The Klosk'udan work as vigilantes in an effort to reclaim their home and the treasure that is rightly theirs, and have named a leader they find the most honorable of their kind to lead them back to their former greatness who remains anonymous, but is known as Tyrlan Klosk, the Trail Foot of Klosk.