Difference between revisions of "Cadwallon"

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(→‎The Fiefdoms of Cadwallon)
 
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are destined to undertake thrilling investigations and overcome
 
are destined to undertake thrilling investigations and overcome
 
tremendous perils.
 
tremendous perils.
 +
  
 
== Chronology ==
 
== Chronology ==
  
−
            DATE EVENT
+
         
 
*''255''  Settlement of goblin exiles (Kraken Harbor)
 
*''255''  Settlement of goblin exiles (Kraken Harbor)
 
*''832''  Founding of Cadwallon, the Free City
 
*''832''  Founding of Cadwallon, the Free City
Line 45: Line 46:
 
*''1002''  Wedding of Racllk to Oklair Odazzur (Kraken); Assassination of Urakh Khaurik Argam (Orgokh)
 
*''1002''  Wedding of Racllk to Oklair Odazzur (Kraken); Assassination of Urakh Khaurik Argam (Orgokh)
 
*''1003''  Today…
 
*''1003''  Today…
 +
 +
http://i.imgur.com/BdEGzNk.png http://i.imgur.com/dFxtPE2.png
 +
 +
== History ==
 +
 +
 +
Cadwallon is a place fi lled with history and myths. Well before
 +
men began digging into the city’s ground, the high Cynwäll
 +
tower dominated the sea. According to the legend, other peoples
 +
that have disappeared since lived here long before this
 +
tower was built.
 +
 +
==== The City of Exiles ====
 +
 +
Th e Cadwës know little about these legends. Only the most
 +
erudite and most forthcoming Daïkinee elves tell of an ancient
 +
people whose territory stretched over here, a powerful yet
 +
bloodthirsty people allied to the most evil dragons of the whole
 +
Creation. Concerning these matters, and especially concerning
 +
the alliance with the venerated reptiles, the Cynwälls have always
 +
refused to express themselves, so there is nothing to confi
 +
rm the Daïkinees’ claims.
 +
Th ose who have explored the underground tunnels of
 +
Cadwallon claim that in the entrails of Aarklash lie ruins of
 +
unknown architecture of which the Automat, a gigantic articulated
 +
statue, is the ultimate visible remnant still working.
 +
Cylindrical tunnels wind underground and lead to forgotten
 +
sanctuaries, domes of stone and rock covered in moving symbols
 +
that refl ect the shadows.
 +
Among the Voyagers, the magicians who explore the strange
 +
lands lost beyond the common senses of mortals, a legend claims
 +
that the Cadwë tunnels lead to another world, an accursed and
 +
labyrinthine country. Th is maze is said to be the proof that the
 +
Cynwälls inherited the power of a foreign people.
 +
When Elhan and his followers embarked on the path of exile
 +
to found the Cynwäll nation* they settled the land now known
 +
as Lanever. Lying at the mouth of the Ynkarô and Leâk Shear,
 +
they built a stronghold that quickly became an important trading
 +
post between the peoples of Aarklash. Th e only place where
 +
the nations were allowed to walk the ground of Lanever without
 +
attracting the Cynwälls’ isolationist wrath, the city grew
 +
quickly.
 +
No one can agree on this city’s original name. Once again
 +
the Cynwälls stick to their usual discretion and only speak of
 +
Cadwallon. Th is is the name that, during the Golden Age, was
 +
spread among the centaurs that lived in the region and was then
 +
transmitted by this people to the fi rst men, the Kelts.
 +
While the Steel Age was already marking Aarklash, Cadwallon
 +
the Prosperous rapidly vanished, smothered by the voracious
 +
vegetation of a bewitched jungle. Rumors spread about a curse
 +
placed by the allies of the Meanders of Darkness.
 +
Th e Cynwälls were attacked by a horde of undead warriors led
 +
by a powerful necromancer, Sinlis Mantis. Th e animated corpses
 +
invaded the city by springing from the ground, or rather, to be
 +
exact, by using the forgotten network of tunnels. Th ough the
 +
threat was eventually thwarted, the lake became infested with
 +
rotting bodies that contaminated the city’s water supply, spreading
 +
infection and disease. Within a few days Cadwallon was deserted
 +
by its inhabitants.
 +
 +
==== The stateless ====
 +
 +
Many decades went by before a group of rogue warriors settled
 +
in this accursed place. Surely on the hunt for riches, these
 +
men were the founders of Cadwallon as we know it today.
 +
Th ese men went by the unfl attering terms of mercenaries,
 +
outlaws, bloodthirsty warriors and rejects. Having dubbed
 +
themselves “Dogs of War,” they blindly follwed their leader,
 +
Vanius. Th ey discovered the ruins of an ancient Cynwäll city
 +
and decided to settle there, hoping to unearth timeless artifacts
 +
left behind by the elves.
 +
Th e 200 Dogs of War were organized into 21 free companies,
 +
each one led by one of Vanius’s lieutenants. Th ese offi cers took
 +
care of clearing away the dirt and rubble...
 +
 +
*''The Battle of the Wall of Earth''
 +
 +
The secrets buried in Cadwallon also caught the attention of
 +
others. Th e forces of the Meanders of Darkness, which had already
 +
been the cause of the fall of the Cynwäll city, tried to push
 +
out the new comers, yet the Dogs of War stood fast. Th erefore,
 +
Sophet Drahas, the commander of the armies of Acheron and
 +
baron of Taer Haez, requested for assistance from Feyd Mantis,
 +
the most powerful lord of his barony of origin.
 +
Hordes of walking dead soon attacked the Dogs of Wars’ camp.
 +
Th e assault was bitter and the battle dreadful, but Vanius’s companions
 +
managed to drive back the attack. Th e sudden appearance
 +
before the battle of a deck of 22 tarot cards endowed with
 +
magical powers was surely linked to this miraculous victory.
 +
Before the off ensive, Vanius handed out a card to each of his
 +
lieutenants and kept one for himself: the Emperor’s card.
 +
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
 +
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.
 +
 +
*''The leagues''
 +
 +
Th is invasion was not the last threat Cadwallon had to face.
 +
In 983 the Akkyshan elves launched a vast off ensive against
 +
the city. Since its founding by Vanius they had satisfi ed themselves
 +
with small scale lightning raids launched from the forest
 +
of Ashinân. Th e Free City suddenly grew fearful.
 +
Only the forgotten heirs of the Dogs of War, who were scornfully
 +
called “the shrews,” rose to protect the city. Th us these descendents
 +
of the mercenaries who, not having enough money to settle down,
 +
continued exploring the ruins, made the Cadwës understand that
 +
achieving prosperity wasn’t everything. Th ey had tobe able to secure
 +
it, as General Ghieron had 40 years earlier.
 +
Th e population managed to get organized behind the shrews
 +
and the city’s militia to push the Akkyshans back to the sea. Th is
 +
was a great success, yet at a very high cost.
 +
We are now in 1003. Duke Den Azhir has been ruling Cadwallon
 +
for eight years. Th e guilds haven’t lost anything of their arrogance
 +
and might, yet nowadays an older power is rising. For the past 20
 +
years the heirs of the Dogs of War have been able to reclaim some of
 +
their ancestors’ past glory while taking into account the opportunities
 +
provided by a trading center like the Jewel of Lanever. Mixing
 +
martial tradition, the spirit of free enterprise, and the taste for adventure,
 +
these individuals are called “free leaguers.”
 +
 +
== A Cosmopolitan City ==
 +
 +
All natives of Cadwallon are considered to be Cadwës, meaning
 +
born free of other nations struggles and laws. Some even claim it to
 +
be the same for religions and traditions.
 +
All inhabitants of Cadwallon therefore aren’t Cadwës. Th ough
 +
this term is widely used, it doesn’t take into account the city’s
 +
cosmopolitan reality. Th ough the census of Cadwallon’s population
 +
may be approximate, it is nevertheless a well known
 +
fact that only two-thirds of its inhabitants are “true” Cadwës,
 +
meaning natives. Th is amounts to about 200,000 people. Th e
 +
other residents, who are either well established or temporary
 +
residents, come from cultures struggling among each other for
 +
the supremacy of their beliefs in the total war known as the
 +
Rag’narok.
 +
 +
==== The Cadwës ====
 +
 +
THE GUILDS’ ALLIES IN THE RAG’NAROK
 +
 +
Guild of Architects: Cynwäll elves, Griffi ns of Akkylannie,
 +
Lions of Alahan and dwarves of Tir-Nâ-Bor.
 +
Guild of Blades: All peoples.
 +
Guild of Ferrymen: All peoples.
 +
Guild of Goldsmiths: Living-dead of Acheron, Alchemists
 +
of Dirz, goblins of No-Dan-Kar, Griffi ns of Akkylannie,
 +
Lions of Alahan and dwarves of Tir-Nâ-Bor.
 +
Guild of Usurers: All peoples of the Meanders of
 +
Darkness.
 +
Guild of Thieves: Living-dead of Acheron, Akkyshan
 +
elves, Alchemists of Dirz, devourers of Vile-Tis, goblins
 +
of No-Dan-Kar, Lions of Alahan and dwarves of
 +
Tir-Nâ-Bor.
 +
Guild of Cartomancers: Cynwäll elves, goblins of No-
 +
Dan-Kar, Griffi ns of Akkylannie, dwarves of Tir-Nâ-
 +
Bor and Lions of Alahan.
 +
 +
*''Foreigners''
 +
 +
A prosperous, independent and diplomatically neutral city,
 +
Cadwallon attracts countless travelers. Merchants, envoys and old
 +
sea dogs are the perfect examples of the kind of professions that
 +
pass through the town. Such voyagers usually stay for a short time
 +
and leave as soon as their business is done.Th e city’s most infl uential guilds have always mingled in politics
 +
and diplomacy. Breaking with Cadwallon’s tradition of remaining
 +
free, they have built alliance networks with some nations and
 +
maintain private armies that intervene in the Rag’narok. Many
 +
citizens of these nations come to Cadwallon to strengthen these
 +
relations or, on otherwise, to end them.
 +
Th ough one cannot deny the omnipresence of foreigners who
 +
are temporary residents of the city, their infl uence on daily
 +
life nevertheless remains insignifi cant. Interested by nothing
 +
but their own business, these exiles don’t play an active role in
 +
Cadwë society.
 +
 +
*''Refugees''
 +
 +
Th e troubles that come with the Rag’narok lead many refugees
 +
to Cadwallon. Th ey are fl eeing the war and arrive penniless
 +
after their journey to the city, for the vessels and caravans that
 +
travel to Cadwallon have made the transportation of refugees a
 +
true commerce. And though these trips are far from comfortable,
 +
the fees are nevertheless very expensive. Others try to
 +
reach Cadwallon by their own means, yet few manage to.
 +
What can one do when arriving in Cadwallon klû-less*? For
 +
some the disillusion comes quick and hard like a lightning
 +
bolt. Th ese usually end up in the worst parts of the lower city,
 +
adding to the ranks of the homeless or used as guinea pigs
 +
in the underground laboratories of unscrupulous alchemists.
 +
Yet most refugees manage to integrate. By pawning their last
 +
belongings, they manage to borrow enough ducats to settle
 +
down and carry out their profession with the guilds’ permission.
 +
Without the slightest qualms, the guild of Usurers off ers
 +
to the poorest to pawn their own body. If they don’t pay back
 +
their debt on time, then the borrowers end up as more or less
 +
consenting organ donors.
 +
In the light of these explanations, it seems obvious that the
 +
fi rst few years of a refugee’s life in Cadwallon are far from blissful.
 +
However, the guilds know how to make the most of their
 +
members. An individual with sought after abilities and who
 +
is ready to work hard can provide a relatively comfortable life
 +
for his family. It’s impossible for him to own his own store or
 +
workshop, but he can become the indispensable assistant to a
 +
master of the guild, with the fantastic income that this position
 +
implies.
 +
 +
*''The natives''
 +
 +
Being a Cadwë means being born in Cadwallon and being
 +
raised in the city’s tradition of freedom. A Cadwë, regardless of
 +
his life standards, carries within him the heritage of the founding
 +
fathers of the Jewel of Lanever. Very often families continue
 +
to pass down certain values that are specific to their original nation, yet these are often mixed and smoothed over by living
 +
among Cadwallon’s cosmopolitan population.
 +
Today Cadwë values are relatively abstract whereas on a daily
 +
basis nothing seems to be able to diminish the independence won
 +
a century and an half ago with the strength of arms. Th e endless
 +
quest for riches, the will to settle durably and make the most
 +
of this city and its lifestyle are recurring elements. Th e pride of
 +
being a Cadwë isn’t as much about being scornful towards the
 +
refugees as being intimately convinced of being part of the advancement
 +
of a society detached from the nations and their wars.
 +
For some this means contributing to the guilds’ prosperity, while
 +
harvesting benefi ts for oneself. For others, enlisting to the service
 +
of one of the noble families is seen as a better social investment,
 +
even if this means having to develop the indisputable qualities of
 +
a courtier. Th e most impatient and the most idealist newcomers
 +
directly enter the duke’s service by joining the militia or the free
 +
leagues.
 +
Yet in the upper city there is a certain form of elitism. Being
 +
outrageously rich is not enough; one also has to have a certain
 +
number of degrees of Cadwë lineage. Th e oldest noble families
 +
can trace their ancestry back seven or eight degrees and an important
 +
part of the protocol during aristocratic receptions is
 +
founded on how many degrees of lineage a guest has.
 +
 +
http://img4.hostingpics.net/pics/893276Cadwallon.png
 +
 +
==== Prosperity ====
 +
 +
Th e widely spread nicknames of “Jewel of Lanever” and “City
 +
of Th ieves” carry a certain amount of truth about Cadwallon. A
 +
seaport city and a lakeside city, a land of asylum, a crossroads
 +
of a great variety of trades, a cosmopolitan town and a political
 +
playground: Cadwallon is all that at once.
 +
 +
*''Trade''
 +
 +
Because it attracts populations from the four corners of
 +
Aarklash, Cadwallon benefi ts from a wide range of expertise. It’s
 +
true that the secret research done by Cadwallon’s omnimancers
 +
is far from equivalent to the Syhars’ discoveries in the fi eld of
 +
mutagens, just like the local steam machines are far from being
 +
as perfected as those of the dwarves of the Aegis Mountains.
 +
Yet all of these products have an enormous advantage: they are
 +
available to who is willing to pay the price.
 +
In addition to this undeniable asset, Cadwallon has been
 +
known to develop its own commerce: the exotic animals from
 +
the Immobilis islands are most wanted all over Aarklash, just
 +
like the secret plants cultivated by the guild of Tailors for the
 +
Cadwë nobles. And what about the long and fast galleys made
 +
from strange types of wood found only in magical groves that
 +
randomly grow in the Free City? Th e City of Th ieves has thus become a major trade platform. All
 +
of the continents merchandise transits on the docks one day or another,
 +
including slaves, whose commerce and transport are prohibited
 +
within the city, yet permitted on board vessels entering the port
 +
(which doesn’t prevent the duke from taxing them as “cargo”).
 +
As for obtaining merchandise that normally isn’t available,
 +
there are always discreet ways of dealing and unwitting individuals
 +
who think that everything can be sold in the City of
 +
Th ieves. Isn’t Cadwallon’s motto “My kingdom for a ducat!”? If
 +
there are fools who wish to buy things that cannot be bought,
 +
why deprive oneself of their gold? Considering its importance, the harbor is the stage of nonstop
 +
activity. Th e merchants barter directly on the docks, surrounded
 +
by goblin sailors and Kelt dockers, in an atmosphere
 +
fi lled with shouts and sweat. Even in the upper city trade is in
 +
full swing: here a dwarven engineer is demonstrating his domestic
 +
automatons; there a master tailor is presenting his avian
 +
hats...
 +
 +
 +
*''Diplomacy''
 +
 +
Th e upper city of Cadwallon constantly hosts the plenipotentiaries
 +
of all origins who meet, negotiate treaties with the
 +
duke, and seal secret alliances with Cadwallon’s most infl uential
 +
guilds, either to recruit an army or to profi t from generous
 +
investments.
 +
Diplomacy always going hand in hand with a little spying and a
 +
hint of treason, the Free City is the stage of a great deal of plotting
 +
and nighttime maneuvers. Th e odd towers of the upper city then
 +
become the stage of bloody yet discreet pursuits. Shady dealings
 +
are hidden from curious eyes in the alcoves. Sometimes confl icts
 +
are solved in public duels in the reception hall of an embassy or on
 +
the fi eld of honor.
 +
Th ere are four offi cial embassies in Cadwallon: those of Alahan,
 +
Akkylannie, Syharhalna and No-Dan-Kar. Th e relations with these
 +
nations are especially strong but not always very warm. Most of
 +
Cadwallon’s important guilds are allied to one or more of these
 +
nations and one can often meet their leaders in the hallways of the
 +
embassies.
 +
Th e latter play an important role in the upper city. All members
 +
of Cadwë high society are expected to attend the numerous
 +
parties and ceremonies organized by the ambassadors. Of course, these extravagant activities hide very pragmatic objectives.
 +
Th ey are all opportunities for the powerful to mingle, to
 +
get together and thus build relations that are then strengthened
 +
through formal agreements. Th e embassies are therefore places
 +
where important exchanges take place, day or night. Th e city’s
 +
independence allows the ambassadors to meet the representatives
 +
of any other people without worry and without causing
 +
any protest. It’s hard to imagine a meeting in Akkylannie with
 +
a Syhar envoy!
 +
In the past Tir-Nâ-Bor had an embassy in Cadwallon. Even
 +
though this is no longer the case, the dwarven nation maintains
 +
its trade relations with the city and its guilds. Diplomats are almost
 +
always present in the upper city. Depending on the period,
 +
they stay either in the Varr-Nokkt family residence or in the
 +
suites of the best hotels of the ducal enclave.
 +
Th e Jewel of Lanever also hosts a Cynwäll ambassador who
 +
lives in the tower that dominates the upper city. Th ere isn’t an
 +
embassy in the strict sense of the term and the ambassador
 +
himself is a secretive character who very few people have had
 +
the honor to meet. He never partakes in any festivities unless he
 +
has something of importance to announce. Th e nations that don’t have an embassy are nevertheless present
 +
in Cadwallon. Most peoples send delegations to the upper
 +
city. Th eir members are housed either by the guilds or by the
 +
noble families depending on the nations’ affi nities. In addition
 +
to the Var-Nokkt family, the guild of Ferrymen regularly invites
 +
various representatives from the major ports of Aarklash to a
 +
lakeside mansion with a private marina. Th e seat of the guild of
 +
Goldsmiths, a sumptuous tower in the heart of the upper city,
 +
also welcomes prestigious guests from allied nations.
 +
Th e delegations sent to Cadwallon aren’t always offi cial representatives.
 +
Many economic powers have interests in the free city,
 +
be they rich goblin traders, powerful Kelt clan chiefs, venerable
 +
craftsmen from the Aegis, or renowned Syhar alchemists. Th e
 +
upper city teems with grand hotels that are willing to accommodate
 +
any visitor, as long as he is wealthy and has clearance
 +
from the ducal authorities.
 +
The guild of Thieves provides these eminent visitors with many
 +
services. Some want to discover the lower city and its nightlife
 +
while others wish to stay in town discreetly, far from the brouhaha
 +
of the high society. Th is guild thus hosts individuals who
 +
are generally discriminated in Cadwallon, especially devourers
 +
of Vile-Tis and Akkyshan elves. In exchange for these services
 +
the guild can get hold of rare or illegal supplies intended for
 +
the black market. Th e devourers supply countless relics stolen
 +
during their raids, and the forest of Ashinân provides dreadful
 +
venoms and poisons.
 +
 +
 +
== Cadwe Identity ==
 +
 +
Th e fi rst thing that may be surprising concerning the peoples
 +
of Aarklash is the fact that they know more about the world
 +
beyond the heavens than the one surrounding their continent!
 +
Among astrologers there are heated debates about such delicate
 +
topics as the true shape of the world, the links between magic
 +
portals and the stars, or the question if Lahn rotates around
 +
Aarklash or vice versa. And yet who can claim to know what
 +
lies beyond the oceans? Truth be told, no one has even bothered
 +
giving a name to the world of which Aarklash is only a continent...
 +
Unless it’s the other way around.
 +
 +
http://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/872802cadwallon.png
 +
 +
==== Astronomy ====
 +
 +
Th e days and nights follow the rhythm of Aarklash’s revolution
 +
around a gigantic sun which provides a golden light:
 +
Lahn. Two other shining bodies sometimes light the sky above
 +
Cadwallon: Ley, with a pale bluish glow, and Lyth, a twinkling
 +
dark-red pearl. Th e appearances of these twin suns are chaotic
 +
and feed the debate among astronomers. For the Cadwës the
 +
presence of Ley and Lyth in the sky is an omen announcing
 +
disaster and woe, of sudden climatic change, of animal migrations,
 +
or of wide-reaching magical phenomena.
 +
At night a moon, Yllia, lights the sky in its milky, bluish aura.
 +
Th e guild of Cartomancers also uses about 15 constellations
 +
for observations and predictions: the Lion, the Griffi n, the Spider,
 +
the Wolf, and so on. Most Cadwës don’t care much about this for
 +
they rarely ever look up to the stars. Only four of these astral
 +
formations attract attention because of their role in nighttime
 +
navigation. Th ey have been known by the goblins for a long time
 +
and are called Nerea for the north, Sylhea for the south, Elion for
 +
the east, and Olhim for the west.
 +
 +
==== The free year ====
 +
 +
On Aarklash the year of 400 days is usually divided into ten
 +
months. Yet this isn’t so in Cadwallon. Th e guild of Cartomancers
 +
has established an original calendar based on the 22 fi gures of
 +
Vanius and his lieutenants. Th e astronomers themselves use
 +
a much more complex version of this calendar. Most Cadwës
 +
simply use 21 “months” of 19 days each. To these is added a leap
 +
day, the last day of the year, which disappears every four years to
 +
adjust the free calendar to the actual revolution around Lahn.
 +
 +
==== The free year ====
 +
 +
On Aarklash the year of 400 days is usually divided into ten
 +
months. Yet this isn’t so in Cadwallon. Th e guild of Cartomancers
 +
has established an original calendar based on the 22 fi gures of
 +
Vanius and his lieutenants. Th e astronomers themselves use
 +
a much more complex version of this calendar. Most Cadwës
 +
simply use 21 “months” of 19 days each. To these is added a leap
 +
day, the last day of the year, which disappears every four years to
 +
adjust the free calendar to the actual revolution around Lahn.
 +
 +
*''The seasons''
 +
 +
Cadwallon has the same seasons as the rest of Aarklash.
 +
However, in the Free City’s peninsula every season has a specifi
 +
c infl uence.
 +
The first season of the year, the time of banners, corresponds
 +
to spring. Th is is the month of preparation and decorum. Th e
 +
trading posts of the guild of Blades’ companies raise their
 +
orifl ammes and the vessels of the Cadwë fl eet get ready to
 +
leave the port for their commercial expeditions. When the
 +
day comes, the ships gather in fl eets and set off on the seas to
 +
amass new riches. In the Kraken harbor there is then a jubilant
 +
atmosphere.
 +
The caravans traveling over land do the same all along the
 +
season, parading up and down the avenues of the lower city.
 +
The most popular spectacle nevertheless remains the departure
 +
of the guild of Blades’ troops clad in their shining armor.
 +
 +
Summer, the season of blades, is the season of the bloodiest
 +
confrontations in which huge armies clash after having roamed
 +
the continent during the previous season. In Cadwallon, too,
 +
the season of blades is placed under the sign of the Rag’narok.
 +
Th e Cadwës know that during this period there is a chance that
 +
an army might besiege the city. Th e duke often sends free leaguers
 +
to patrol the borders and the blacksmiths work twice as
 +
hard to supply the militia’s stock of weapons. Th ough this rarely
 +
happens, the free leaguers can also be sent as ambassadors to
 +
faraway lands. After the sale of their merchandise, the Cadwë fl eets and caravans
 +
return loaded with exotic goods: food for winter, rare
 +
plants, revolutionary tools, new maps, etc. While the Rag’narok
 +
slips into autumn, in Cadwallon the time of return is a period
 +
for reunion... and danger. Mercenaries unsatisfi ed with their
 +
booty prowl the countryside and attack poorly defended caravans.
 +
Once in a while they gather in companies big enough to
 +
attack Cadwallon. Th e free companies therefore remain just as
 +
alert during this season. Maybe this zeal is also motivated by the
 +
allegations of the guilds, which don’t hesitate to blame these depredations
 +
on the free leaguers.
 +
The time of whispers is the season of intrigue and alliances
 +
in preparation for next year. Th e quietness of the night is often
 +
broken by the secret meetings of the guilds strengthening
 +
their relations with the nations that are about to go to war. Th e
 +
duke receives foreign delegations while the common Cadwës
 +
work to produce goods to allow the guilds and the free city to
 +
prosper.
 +
The season of whispers is also the time of the lawfully feared
 +
raids by the Akkyshans. Th ese elves bound to Darkness take
 +
advantage of the long winter nights to harass the outlying fi efdoms
 +
of the lower city and amass easy plunder.
 +
 +
*''The months''
 +
 +
Because it welcomes people from every nations, Cadwallon
 +
set its own calendar right in the fi rst days of its founding. Th is
 +
was certainly a way to mark its independence. Th e free calendar
 +
was then the object of much debate that was fed by astronomers
 +
from Tir-Nâ-Bor and even those from Laroq.
 +
Th e Cadwë months have known many diff erent names. At
 +
fi rst they were given the names of the Dogs of War’s 21 companies,
 +
and then those of the trump cards of Vanius’s Tarot. A
 +
few years later Duke Lothar passed a decree to change this denomination:
 +
because the original tarot cards had been lost, it
 +
was inconvenient to bind the city’s fate to these artifacts. Th e
 +
duke suggested the names of Vanius and his lieutenants, but
 +
the people reacted vividly to this concealed deifi cation attempt.
 +
Pressured by the Cadwës, the ducal administration developed a
 +
calendar that was truly free of all cultural infl uences.
 +
In this evolution one can glimpse the infl uence of the guilds
 +
in whose eyes a calendar must above all serve the requirements
 +
of production and therefore be functional and rational.
 +
 +
*''The week''
 +
 +
The first day of each month is a free day, meaning a day off . Th e
 +
18 remaining days are divided into three weeks of six days each: the
 +
Prime, the Median and the Final. Th e days don’t have names. One
 +
then speaks of the “fi fth day of the Median of Decarde” or of the
 +
“twelfth Decarde, 1002.”
 +
 +
*''Holidays''
 +
 +
Th e Cadwë year is dotted with offi cial holidays that are days
 +
off for the inhabitants. Here again, the guilds have made sure
 +
that the holidays are events shared by the whole population so
 +
that production follows an organized pattern.
 +
Th ere is no doubt that the week of Freedom is the most
 +
important holiday. It marks Cadwallon’s independence and is
 +
known all over Aarklash for its colorful carnival where all liberties
 +
are permitted. It takes place between the 2nd and the 7th
 +
of Odecime. For six days the Cadwës don’t work and don’t sleep:
 +
they party. Masks and costumes dance around to all kinds of
 +
music. Overwhelmed, the militia only intervenes to channel the
 +
movement of the biggest crowds and to ensure the protection of
 +
offi cial buildings. In the upper city as well as the lower one the
 +
party is in full swing.
 +
Th e day before Freedom week starts, on the free day of the 1st
 +
of Odecime, the annual free assembly meets in the presence of
 +
the free leaguers and the duke (see About the leagues...). Th e end
 +
of this assembly marks the beginning of the festivities.
 +
Th e week of the Kraken is when the Cadwë merchant fl eet
 +
sets sail. Divided into several fl otillas with each having a diff erent
 +
destination, the vessels leave Kraken harbor one after the other, cheered on by the population. Celebrations are arranged
 +
to wish the sailors luck and the port remains full of life even at
 +
night. Everyone who does not belong to the guild of Ferrymen is
 +
released of their professional duties. Th is holiday lasts from the
 +
14th to the 19th of Quint.
 +
Th e ducal jubilee is a tradition of Akkylannian origin that
 +
celebrates every fi fty years the founding of the Empire of
 +
Akkylannie by Arcavius de Sabran. In Cadwallon the inhabitants
 +
celebrate every year their duke’s accession to power. Den
 +
Azhir claimed this title of the 15th of Octose, 996, so it is on this
 +
date that the Cadwës honor him. A procession is organized in
 +
every fi efdom and they all join in front of the ducal palace. Th is
 +
event is important for it is the only occasion on which groups
 +
of citizens from the lower city are allowed to enter the upper
 +
city. Th ese processions are of course supervised by the militia.
 +
Traditionally, when the processions unite, the free leaguers renew
 +
their allegiance to the duke.Th e Day of Ashes and the Day of Lanterns can’t go without
 +
the other. Th ough they aren’t celebrated on the same day,
 +
both represents the struggle between the Ways of Light and the
 +
Meanders of Darkness.
 +
Th e Day of Lanterns commemorates the Battle of Kaïber and
 +
takes place on the last day of the season of blades, the 10th of
 +
Ondre. All day long the children go wild and pretend to be warriors
 +
with sticks or metal bars. As for the adults, they decorate
 +
the walls of all houses with countless lanterns that will light up
 +
the night before the time of return. Usually the refugees bound
 +
to the Meanders of Darkness go into hiding. Sometimes things
 +
get out of hand and people get lynched. Th e fact that the refugees
 +
suff ered more from their nations policy than the Cadwës
 +
doesn’t matter much.
 +
Th e Day of Ashes takes place on the last day of the time of
 +
return, the 15th of Hexadime. Cadwallon turns into a dead city.
 +
During the previous night the hearths are kept burning so the
 +
city remains lit. The next day the remaining ashes are scattered
 +
all over the city. Th ese ashes are supposed to keep the dead at
 +
bay by giving them the impression that Cadwallon is a ghost
 +
town where nothing lives. Rare are those who would dare step
 +
outside, and those who do carefully respect the taboo of the day:
 +
never to look someone in the eye. Th erefore the passersby walk
 +
with their head bowed and a hood over their head. Even the militiamen
 +
hate having to check an individual’s identity.
 +
 +
The Day of Flowering takes place on every 12th of Privime.
 +
It celebrates the spotting of the fi rst magical groves after the
 +
“deforestation” of the ruins by the Dogs of War (see further).
 +
Th e orcs are the ones who observe this holiday, as well as the
 +
traditions linked to it, the most carefully. On this occasion the
 +
shakas improvise ceremonies devoted to Cadwallon’s fl owering
 +
nature in most of these groves. Regardless of their origins and
 +
their beliefs, many Cadwës participate in these ceremonies.
 +
Th e beginning of each season is also a holiday. Th ese aren’t the
 +
actual beginnings of a season on Aarklash (equinoxes and solstices),
 +
but rather days that the guilds have set to celebrate the coming
 +
of a new Cadwë season. Th ese days thus give the illusion that the
 +
seasons identical in length, even though in reality they aren’t (winter
 +
is the shortest season and summer is the longest one).
 +
 +
 +
----
 +
 +
THE FIRST DAY OF EACH SEASON
 +
SEASON DAY
 +
 +
Time of Banners 1st of Asce
 +
Season of Blades 6th of Sixte
 +
Time of Return 11th of Ondre
 +
Season of Whispers 16th of Hexadîme
 +
 +
----
 +
 +
In Cadwallon it is strictly forbidden to celebrate the equinoxes
 +
and solstices since Vanius’s rule. Th e reasons for this prohibition
 +
are unknown and not all refugees respect it.
 +
Th e day that the curse hit the Free City for the fi rst time is still
 +
commemorated, for it is closely bound to recurring events that
 +
are well known by the Cadwës. Th at day the lake’s water carried
 +
a putrid stench and hundreds of corpses. Th e city’s sources of
 +
drinking water were infected, causing countless intoxications,
 +
while mephitic emanations had the inhabitants fl ee into the
 +
jungle.
 +
To this day the tide of the dead still strikes the city occasionally,
 +
however less violently than in the past. Th e Cadwës know that days
 +
of heavy rain foreshadow this morbid event, therefore they lock
 +
themselves in at home, stock up on potable water, and clean their
 +
dwellings with gallons of boiling water.
 +
Th e fi rst tide of the dead greatly infl uenced the life of
 +
Cadwallon by causing an intense fear of death and of its eff ects
 +
on the body. Th erefore, most corpses are burnt in order to prevent
 +
“polluting” the ground with the unsanitary body fl uids of
 +
the deceased. Th e most notorious funeral parlor is at the edge of
 +
the lake, a good distance from the nearest dwellings.
 +
 +
==== The Cadwë language ====
 +
 +
Cadwë is a language that perfectly refl ects the nature of the
 +
City of Th ieves. Based on the jargon of the Dogs of War and
 +
Akkylannian grammar (which is especially easy to learn), it is
 +
now a potpourri of various infl uences. Barhan, Akkylannian
 +
and Syhar are the tongues that infl uence most Cadwë. Other
 +
sources have durably aff ected this language: many technical
 +
terms come from the dwarven language of Gheim and goblin
 +
navigation terms. Ogre insults are surely the most commonly
 +
used and widely preferred.
 +
Cadwë is thus a language that is rich in multilingual references,
 +
in neologisms, and in original sayings. Under perpetual
 +
construction, it absorbs all cultures and tends to spread all
 +
over Aarklash. Th e language used in the upper city is nevertheless
 +
more structured and less changing. It is based mainly
 +
on the languages of the four embassies (Alahan, Akkylannie,
 +
Syharhalna and No-Dan-Kar). Th e use of Cynwäll terms, however,
 +
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.
 +
 +
http://img4.hostingpics.net/pics/329644Cadwallon1.png
 +
 +
==== 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 ==
 +
 +
The following pages present the 11 fi efdoms of Cadwallon:
 +
eight in the lower city and three in the upper city. The fiefdoms
 +
and their districts are all presented in the same way.
 +
A map presents each fiefdom and its most famous districts. It
 +
is accompanied by a short description of the fiefdom’s population
 +
as well as of the motto of the governing family at its head.
 +
This 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 fiefdom, and the FAITH, which
 +
is used for the miracles of the faithful.
 +
The history, the ruling family and the intrigues that are linked
 +
to the fiefdom’s inhabitants follow the presentation of the atmosphere
 +
during the day or at night.
 +
The most famous districts are then presented with the dominant
 +
attitude and the FAITH that are specific to each one.
 +
Several locations are introduced for each district. Their 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. The allegiance indicates who owns the
 +
place or under whose infl uence it is.
 +
Throughout 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).
 +
 +
http://img11.hostingpics.net/pics/757465cadwallon02.png

Latest revision as of 17:06, 26 June 2013

Retrieved from "http://en.wiki.confrontation-games.com/index.php?title=Cadwallon&oldid=809"
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