Difference between revisions of "Cadwallon"
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At the end of the battle the Alliance of Light’s troops arrived | At the end of the battle the Alliance of Light’s troops arrived | ||
to provide support. Th e city’s ruins were thus taken back from | to provide support. Th e city’s ruins were thus taken back from | ||
| − | the enemy. | + | the enemy.In spite of their exemplary bravery, the Dogs of War remained |
| + | nothing more than outlaws in their allies’ eyes. Th anks to his | ||
| + | charisma, Vanius nevertheless managed to preserve the independence | ||
| + | of his Cadwallon. | ||
| + | According to the tale, while Alahan’s emissaries were mocking | ||
| + | his wish to build a kingdom on this fi eld of ruins, Vanius | ||
| + | pulled out an old battered gold coin and threw it at the Barhan’s | ||
| + | feet, replying: “Sir, these remains please you so little that I make | ||
| + | them my kingdom for a ducat!” | ||
| + | Th us, aware that he couldn’t give himself the title of king | ||
| + | without upsetting his allies, yet refusing to recognize Alahan’s | ||
| + | authority by becoming a baron, Vanius took the title of duke, an | ||
| + | old Barhan military rank. | ||
| + | Despite his defeat, Sophet Drahas, hidden underground, nevertheless | ||
| + | managed to spread his infl uence over the city. Still today | ||
| + | many local legends mention his name and he continues to | ||
| + | plot to take control of Cadwallon. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *''Birth of a duchy'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | Vanius’s tour de force gave birth to the free city of Cadwallon | ||
| + | in 832. Th e offi cers who remained with their leader founded | ||
| + | the city’s fi rst noble lineages and were able to mine unexpected | ||
| + | riches from the ground. Th ree years after it was founded, Vanius | ||
| + | carved out a domain for each house, thus establishing the fi rst | ||
| + | fi efdoms. At the same time he gave the city a militia. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== The City of Thieves ==== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Within a few years Cadwallon was reborn and was wealthier | ||
| + | than it had even been under the Cynwälls. Eternal prosperity | ||
| + | seemed to be on the horizon. Yet this was obviously merely a | ||
| + | dream... | ||
| + | |||
| + | *''The embassies'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | One year after Vanius’ rise to power, the kingdom of Alahan | ||
| + | established an embassy in Cadwallon. Other diplomats soon | ||
| + | followed and the city looked proudly towards the future as it | ||
| + | kept growing. | ||
| + | In 844 the wish to turn the city into a place of learning led to | ||
| + | the founding of the Free University of Cadwallon. In many ways | ||
| + | this was a failure, Cadwallon being better known as the “City of | ||
| + | Th ieves” rather than the “City of Knowledge”! | ||
| + | Nowadays only the kingdom of Alahan, the republic of | ||
| + | Lanever, and the empires of Akkylannie and Syharhalna, as well | ||
| + | as the goblins of No-Dan-Kar, have an embassy in Cadwallon. | ||
| + | Th e other nations nevertheless regularly send envoys to negotiate | ||
| + | with the duke of the Free City. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *''The guilds'' | ||
| + | As it grew and fl ourished over the years, Cadwallon welcomed | ||
| + | numerous craftsmen who assembled into guilds. Because prosperity | ||
| + | allowed a constant fl ow of economic and fi scal reforms, | ||
| + | within a couple of decades these guilds became major players | ||
| + | in the city’s power struggles. At the same time the old mercenary | ||
| + | traditions tended to fade away. Th e riches mined from the | ||
| + | ground no longer interested anyone and the guilds’ workshops | ||
| + | were more than enough to feed the common people and make | ||
| + | the greedier ones rich. | ||
| + | In spite of this, Cadwallon never knew a golden age. While the | ||
| + | wealthiest citizens fi nished building the upper city as it is known | ||
| + | since the fl ood of the year 900, Sophet Drahas prepared his return | ||
| + | and other powers tried to invade Cadwallon. | ||
| + | Th us, in 956 magical beings launched an attack on the city | ||
| + | from their elemental realm. In the face of this unexpected and | ||
| + | unknown enemy, only the original tactics of a foreign general | ||
| + | allowed then to triumph. Th is hero was then ennobled and gave | ||
| + | his name to a new fi efdom, Ghieronburg, a former goblin colony | ||
| + | near the harbor. | ||
