Difference between revisions of "Cadwallon"

From Wiki Confrontation
Jump to: navigation, search
Line 730: Line 730:
 
Syharhalna and No-Dan-Kar). Th e use of Cynwäll terms, however,
 
Syharhalna and No-Dan-Kar). Th e use of Cynwäll terms, however,
 
is always impressive!
 
is always impressive!
 +
 +
== Cadwallon : Double City ==
 +
 +
Because it is built on top of the ruins of a Cynwäll city,
 +
the upper city is in an enclosed citadel. Th e lower city,
 +
on the other hand, has developed outside of the walls
 +
lying at the feet of the legendary Dyrsin Tower.
 +
Th e works planned by the various dukes haven’t always been
 +
very successful. Even though the city has prospered in all parts,
 +
many of its districts are especially crowded, making circulation
 +
in the higher city as bad as in the lower city.
 +
 +
==== Getting Around ====
 +
 +
Th e Cadwës, at the urging of the more advanced communities
 +
(dwarves and goblins), have developed several ways of getting
 +
around in their city. Th e Jewel of Lanever has thus known an
 +
unrivalled technological, scientifi c and industrial revolution on
 +
the continent. Th is metamorphosis was accompanied by economic
 +
and social advances that also came from No-Dan-Kar
 +
and Tir-Nâ-Bor. Th is is so true that many immigrants think that
 +
the city’s motto is “In Cadwallon, everything can be bought” instead
 +
of “My kingdom for a ducat!”
 +
 +
No matter where one might be in the city, visiting Cadwallon
 +
demands either unfailing courage and health or enough wealth
 +
to be able to pay for effi cient yet extremely expensive means of
 +
transportation.
 +
 +
==== On water ====
 +
 +
Cadwallon lies across a vast peninsula. For strategic reasons
 +
the city occupies the whole stretch of land to allow for better
 +
surveillance of the waters lying on either side of it. Th us the Free
 +
City protects the lands of Light from potential invasions. As for
 +
the upper city, it engulfs the northern part of a lake that Cadwës
 +
call the “little sea.”
 +
 +
*''By way of the sea''
 +
In the north of the peninsula the Kraken harbor is the continent’s
 +
biggest merchant port. It harbors vessels of the open seas
 +
as well as a squadron of goblin pirates that ensures their “protection.”
 +
Once on land, the visitor has a choice of several means
 +
of locomotion: the bravest can walk, others can take a carriage,
 +
and the wealthiest can use the Tractor. One can also reach the
 +
port of Ondine, to the west, taking a small ferry. Th is maritime
 +
route is used by the extremely wealthy who enjoy the view of the
 +
city before reaching the fi efdom of Soma.
 +
One can also reach Cadwallon by Shipwreck Bay, to the east.
 +
Th e naval forces of the Ways of Light often choose to drop anchor
 +
in these waters, for they are defended by an Akkylannian
 +
fort built on a small island. Whoever wishes to use this route
 +
must get clearance and strictly follow the instructions given by
 +
the fort’s garrison. A cutter is then used to reach the upper city.
 +
Th is journey re “Ducats make the strangers’ quires a generous donation to be made.
 +
 +
 +
----
 +
THE MAGICAL GROVES
 +
 +
In Cadwallon the magical groves are one of nature’s
 +
curiosities. Regardless of place or time, in a totally unpredictable
 +
way, an abundance of plants sprouts anywhere,
 +
on the street or in someone’s home. For Cadwës
 +
these plants are a good omen of Nature, especially for
 +
peoples such as the Sessairs, the orcs or the Wolfen.
 +
Destroying a magical grove is a crime in the city. Th ese
 +
small “jungles” are a great source of inspiration for
 +
the designers of the guild of Tailors and the vegetal
 +
fashions of the Cadwë nobles are a direct reference to
 +
them.
 +
----
 +
 +
*''The waters of the lake''
 +
 +
For a long time the Cadwës of the upper city have enjoyed
 +
the lake next to the gardens of desire. Th ese past few years the
 +
construction of a marina has made boating easier on the little
 +
sea. Certain of Cadwallon’s citizens have had piers built to take
 +
better advantage of the lake. Th e city’s most wealthy families
 +
quickly followed and now there are talks about organizing a regatta.
 +
Th is persistent rumor has lasted for so long that it has
 +
encouraged the construction of extravagant vessels built by
 +
goblin or Barhan carpenters. By doing so sly craftsmen were
 +
able to resell the wood from the trees that had been chopped
 +
down to build the marina. Th e new district also allowed the development
 +
of fi shing in the waters of the little sea. Th is activity
 +
sometimes seems like a party when humongous fi sh are pulled
 +
from the lake.
 +
 +
==== On land ====
 +
 +
In many parts of the lower city it is faster to walk than to
 +
travel by carriage. Always looking for more comfort, the richest
 +
citizens often use carriages, yet they take much longer than
 +
pedestrians do to reach their destination. Indeed, the vendor’s
 +
carts and stalls hinder the circulation of elegant carriages. In
 +
some alleys even horsemen have a hard time making their way
 +
through the tightly packed crowds.
 +
 +
==== Cadwë roads ====
 +
 +
Some parts of Soma lie inside old Cynwäll quarries and are
 +
the most densely populated areas of the Free City. Th e dwellings
 +
are stacked on top of each other on either side of narrow streets.
 +
It is dangerous to travel there in any other way than on foot.
 +
Th ese slums are home to a population living in misery and it
 +
often happens that visitors are annoyed by beggars or attacked
 +
by ruffi ans.
 +
Th e streets of the lower city are worn by the weather and
 +
the passage of overloaded carts. Th ough everyone agrees that
 +
improvement of these roads is long overdue, only the Soma
 +
family has actually done anything. Th eir fi efdom is indeed endowed
 +
with better streets and a major artery, Paradise Avenue,
 +
to make it easier for wagons to travel from the port of Ondine
 +
to the upper city.
 +
In the upper city, getting around is mainly question of hiring
 +
the proper guide. Th ere are countless bridges linking the feet of
 +
Dyrsin Tower and many of them are too narrow for wagons to
 +
get over. Yet one can walk or ride along them, though the use of
 +
mounts is strongly discouraged for safety reasons.
 +
 +
 +
==== Revolution! ====
 +
 +
After three years of colossal construction, the Tractor has
 +
fi nally been fi nished! Th is gigantic steam machine does the
 +
round-trip between the Kraken harbor and the Ogrokh fi efdom
 +
four times per day, pulling fi ve wagons (four for goods and one
 +
for passengers).
 +
It’s impossible for this mechanical monster to enter the upper
 +
city. Th e goods are therefore transported from the gates to
 +
the warehouses of the Stock. Once it is moving, it reaches the
 +
speed of a trotting horse and does the trip in one hour. Initially
 +
planned for 40 passengers, the last wagon is the victim of its
 +
success. Its seats have therefore been removed to allow about
 +
100 passengers of all sizes to squeeze in.
 +
 +
 +
*''In the air''
 +
 +
Airborne transportation has been developed under the infl uence
 +
of the aristocrats who, taking advantage of the Cynwäll
 +
towers still standing, use hot air balloons for transportation in
 +
the upper city. Unfortunately the strong winds that blow on the
 +
coast prevent this form of transportation from becoming more
 +
widespread. Furthermore, one can often see Lanever dragons
 +
glide across the sky of Cadwallon to visit their titanic kin in the
 +
Dyrsin Tower.
 +
 +
== The Fiefdoms of Cadwallon ==
 +
 +
Th e following pages present the 11 fi efdoms of Cadwallon:
 +
eight in the lower city and three in the upper city. Th e fi efdoms
 +
and their districts are all presented in the same way.
 +
A map presents each fi efdom and its most famous districts. It
 +
is accompanied by a short description of the fi efdom’s population
 +
as well as of the motto of the governing family at its head.
 +
Th is also includes information that is useful for the game: dominant
 +
attitude, meaning the attitude that is the most common
 +
among the NPCs who live in the fi efdom, and the FAITH, which
 +
is used for the miracles of the faithful.
 +
Th e history, the ruling family and the intrigues that are linked
 +
to the fi efdom’s inhabitants follow the presentation of the atmosphere
 +
during the day or at night.
 +
Th e most famous districts are then presented with the dominant
 +
attitude and the FAITH that are specifi c to each one.
 +
Several locations are introduced for each district. Th eir names
 +
are followed, in brackets, by a dominant attitude and its allegiance.
 +
A place’s dominant attitude is the attitude that reigns
 +
in this particular place and which determines the attitude of
 +
the NPCs who live there. Th e allegiance indicates who owns the
 +
place or under whose infl uence it is.
 +
Th roughout these pages the names of certain NPCs are indicated
 +
in bold type: these are contacts. (see Interaction, p.230).
 +
Th e other NPCs are presented in the Cadwallon supplements
 +
reserved to the GM (see Secrets).

Revision as of 14:48, 15 May 2013

Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Index
Toolbox
Other Language