[GAME] Collaborative World Building Dwarven city as a start

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by (E)

Question 32
Who is the current First Coinwright? Is there anything else of note about them?

Answer 32 - First Coinwright Chiselhill
Smeltermaster Ghael Chiselhill is the latest First Coinwright, and she is now, after eighteen years in the position, pretty much accustomed to her posting. So much so that she has mainly lost interest in its duties and would rather devote her attentions to the hobby she acquired while abroad in her journeyhand years, astronomy.

She has amassed a fine collection of catalogs, charts and almanacs, as well as an armoury of brass instruments for dissecting the heavens, and is often sketching designs for new instruments to build herself, at the end of the day before the forge cools. This itself is not a problem, as masters pursue similar interests peripheral to their work. It's the constant stream of robed and studious-looking foreign visitors that she invites to guest in the city for its clear alpine aspect, for weeks a time, hailing from cities across the realm, of which some Knurlkyth is still ostensibly at war with, that is arching the occasional tufted eyebrow among her peers.

Worse though, an as-yet unnoted problem is that, with all the late night observations and discussions with her guests, and with her growing disillusionment in doggedly following superstitious, unscientific rituals, Chiselhill has begun to neglect the First Coinwright's ancient ceremonial duty of blessing each batch of gold coin with the Bletsung Gainst Geldgreed, meant to prevent the coins' radiant glitter from inducing a hoarding sickness in their eventual owners.

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Question 38
What are the possible consequences of First Coinwright Chiselhill not warding the coins against gold-greed?

Question 39
What omens does one particular night of Chiselhill's stargazing reveal, and what disaster do they portend?

[Apollonian]

Originally Posted by Daigoro

Question 38
What are the possible consequences of First Coinwright Chiselhill not warding the coins against gold-greed?

Question 39
What omens does one particular night of Chiselhill's stargazing reveal, and what disaster do they portend?

Answer 38
While it is just a superstition, it's also an important piece of ritual socially speaking. By neglecting it, Chiselhill is weakening her position; however, she has enough connections that it's unlikely to get her removed. Unfortunately, the longer this goes on, the less legitimate the coins produced under her tenure seem, and slowly they will become less valuable than older coins, at least among the dwarves of Knurlkyth. Since the value of their coins is a significant asset for the city, it may result in a long-term inflationary effect... (Or, of course, it's not superstition, and the resulting tendency of people hoarding the unblessed coins brings about a deflationary trend, and Knurlkyth experiences a currency shortage!)

Answer 39
One night Chiselhill and her guests witness an eclipse of the moon (moons?) and see a shooting star seem to come from the moon and strike the earth somewhere to the north. There are two schools of thought on this: the human astrologer who was there believes that a fantastic magical treasure can be found at the star's resting place, while the elf has had ominous dreams of a dreadful god fallen to earth to bring ruin to the world. Chiselhill herself is withholding judgement and searching for more signs in the stars. All three agree, however, that an expedition to find the shooting star is a very good idea, and have put out feelers among their people for likely adventurers to go north.

Question 40
In what land did the star fall, and why is it both wondrous and desolate?

Question 41
What strange and alien gods is Chiselhill gradually detecting in her observations of the stars, and what do these observations have to do with her closer and closer cooperation with Knurlkyth's unofficial intelligence apparatus?

Question 25 What was wagered on the outcome of knurl and Lornegei's bet?

Initially, the bet was an argument over the bonfire; as the argument grew heated toward the wee hours of the morning, one of the pair's mutual friends (name sadly lost to history) stepped up and told the two to either put the skin in the game or shut up, go to sleep, and stop disturbing the rest of their fellow warriors. Knurl instantly laid his favored blade upon the stones by the fire and said that who proved the winner would deserve it, and that he'd not pick it up again until he was proven right. Lornegei responded in kind and laid his cloak down. (Lornegei had earned some fame for his use of a cloak as a weapon.)

As the wager has not yet been decided, the two items are still preserved in Knurlkyth's vaults and have become a symbol of the city. They're especially used to represent the city in affairs where discretion is important, and since Knurl's blade was on the short side, these are often referred to as "cloak and dagger" matters.

(I was trying for a hammer and sickle joke, but I couldn't make it work :( )

Question 42
It's been a long time. Are the cloak and dagger in the vaults the originals, and if not, what happened to the originals?

Question 43
Who is the Keeper of the Vaults, and why is that position traditionally not held by a dwarf?

[coronatiger]

Question 34
Describe 5 important figures in the city.

Answer 34 (summary)
a) Kruknik "Elf-Heir" Donk (weaponmaster/trainer)
b) Gold-Caller Tonna Gobbak (weirdwright/politician)
c) Truthkeeper (innkeeper who collects Truths)
d) Gronn Arkan (innkeeper with alleged connections to The Nine)
e) Ghael Chiselhill (First Coinwright) (also answer to Q32)

[coronatiger]

Originally Posted by Apollonian

Answer 38
Question 42
It's been a long time. Are the cloak and dagger in the vaults the originals, and if not, what happened to the originals?

Question 43
Who is the Keeper of the Vaults, and why is that position traditionally not held by a dwarf?

Answer 42
The original cloak and dagger were made several thousand years ago. After the bet, they were stored in a fine chest inlaid with gold and silver, and occasionally taken out for display. Eventually, the Keepers began to notice time's wear and tear on the items, and decided to make copies in secret, because they feared social collapse if it became public knowledge that Knurlkyth's foundations were crumbling. The originals were encased in enchanted rock to keep them from further deterioration, and whenever they were called upon to display the cloak and dagger, the copies were shown instead. After this, new copies were made every 50 years, and the previous set was destroyed. If the bet should ever be won, the Keeper will retrieve the originals from the enchanted rock.

Answer 43
The current Keeper of the Vault is John Longstaff, a stooped, elderly human who needs help getting about. As his health is failing, he is fortunate to have a competent staff (of dwarves) who can perform his non-ceremonial duties. The Keeper is chosen for life, and now that John knows his end is coming, he has tasked the League of the Boot with finding candidates for his replacement, since there aren't many humans residing inside Knurlkyth. Tradition demands that neither dwarf nor elf may hold the position of Keeper, because the Keeper, in addition to overseeing the city's treasures, is responsible for judging claims of victory in the bet, and as such must be impartial. No claim has yet been made, and nobody really expects there to be any in the future either, but traditions must be Kept.

Question 44
What other treasures are kept in the Vault?

[coronatiger]

Originally Posted by coronatiger

Answer 34 (d)
Gronn Arkan. There lies a small inn deep inside the poorest quarter of Knurlkyth, a three-storied building standing crookedly where three roads meet. Each floor has exactly three rooms, and Gronn Arkan (the innkeeper) and his two serving girls decorate the inn with all sorts of bad omens. Nobody in their right mind would dream of going for a drink there, let alone stay the night, but somehow the inn still stands, and Gronn is able to pay the staff regularly.

Gronn claims to represent a small group of fixers, called The Nine, whose slogan is "we square away your bad luck". Most people don't believe in The Nine, but the stories about them are widespread. Some stories claim that they are a group of Weirdwrights who move about Knurlkyth in secret, destroying the bad energy that accumulates around places of three. Others say that The Nine are a group of assassins. What all the stories agree on, is that if you feel cursed with bad luck, you can go to Gronn Arkan for help. That is, if you dare enter The Third Curse Inn.

Question 45
What is the truth about The Nine?

[(E)]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Question 21
What are current Twilight-Elf and Dwarf relations like? What are their friction points? How do they avoid pogroms and discrimination? How similar are their cultures?

The current dwarven twilight elven relations are fairly good, there is a long common history between the two species in Knurlkyth. The two race's biological and cultural differences seem to make it easier rather than harder for them to get along. There have been some tensions in the past, most notably when a group of high elf refugees claiming kinship with Celadoren sought a place to live. While the twilight elves gregarious and adaptive nature means they are happily spread throughout the city the high elves are more insular and arrogant and formed their own community within Knurlkyth. This small group causes a constant source of low level tension between themselves and the rest of Knurlkyth’s residents. They do however fill one useful and profitable role in the city, their natural gifts allow them to be excellent enchanters. This helps Knurlkyth maintain it's dominant position in crafting artisan arms and armour.
The two cultures are quite different, the majority of twilight elves are semi-nomadic at least and might only visit Knurlkyth for a season or two a year. Though due to their long lifespans they might also stay for a few decades if they have a reason. The dwarves have a generally more "custodial" mind set and take pride in leaving things well developed for their descendants.
When it comes to conflicts between species, dwarves and twilight elves especially there is a small group that strives to prevent and minimize the damage caused. This group is based in Knurlkyth's "Fourth" level and lead by one of it's oldest citizens, Lonarthoren, Lornegei's son. Lonarthoren spent much of his time in Knurlkyth as a child and associated himself with dwarves more than his own people. While he was trained by his father and fostered with knurl he wanted nothing to do with their debate. Instead he called them both fools and went on to develop his own martial philosophy, "the perfect defense".

Question 46
What mundane and fantastic (if any) resources are mined within the tunnels of Knurlkyth? (Gold has been mentioned)

Question 47
Are adventurers common or even known in this world? If so do they visit Knurlkyth seeking equipment?

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by (E)

Question 9 (Continued)
Please provide names for:
- the mountain
- maybe the nearby lakes and waterways, particularly the mountaintop heated lake and the lowland lake which limits the city's lower boundary
- any other notable features

I generally avoid answering my own questions (well, not too often at least), but this one's lain fallow long enough.

Answer 9b - The Mountain and Lakes
The peak of the mountain has two parallel ridges falling away from it forming an open basin, giving the impression of a giant bean bag after someone has sat in it. This shape gives it its name of Trob's Rest or Mt Glethentrob. The story of Trob, the legendary troll-giant, says he sat here after hunting the Pitboar of Orn to feast on its trotters, roasted over a fire he built on the adjacent peak. Then to quench his thirst he pounded on the mountain slope with his heel until a lake of wine welled up, giving us the name of Lake Vollnmust, from the Old Dwarvish for a wine bowl.

The lower lake goes by a halfling name, Cherrymuir, from an ancient battle fought there that stained its waters red.
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And a new question:

Question 48
Describe 5 of the settlements, trading posts, satellite towns, temples, martial arts centres, castles, monasteries or estates in the surrounding area.

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by coronatiger

Question 44
What other treasures are kept in the Vault?

Answer 44- The Teindreitherin Cavern, Treasure Vaults of Knurlkyth
With a long history of invasions (The Ogrim Overrun), incursions (Day of Crickets), wars (Sixty Wars of the Three Mountains) and burglaries (nameless and countless), the governors of Knurlkyth have moved the city's most important and valuable treasures to the nigh-impregnable Teindreitherin Cavern. Its location high in the mountain means that invaders must first penetrate the whole city to reach it or otherwise secretly scale the mountain's sheer rock face to mine their way in. In addition, it's equipped with as many locks and safeguards as the Pillar could conceive.

The Keeper's Antechamber
This impressive, buttressed vault is the first line of defense, with a full contingent of the Guild of the Gate's armed guards. The floor is tiled with a magnificent mosaic of Lornegei and Knurl facing off in a mountain clearing while an improbable number of gods, monsters and mortals look on. The Keeper of the Vaults will greet visitors here, usually advising them that the ceiling is rigged to collapse with hundreds of tons of stone as a last-ditch security measure, so let's try nothing funny, eh?

The Chamber of the Wrights
The next vaulted chamber holds the collections of the guilds' different treasures that aren't needed by them in their day-to-day operations. This includes each of the guilds' symbols of office- a gold-filigree bushel of amaranth flowers, a symbolic pillar of platinum-veined sapphire, and so on, for all of the guilds, sub-guilds and former guilds. Furthermore are major or milestone masterworks first realised in Knurlkyth and vital to each guild's craftlore- the First Brewmaster's recipe for making beer from amaranth, the technique for binding starmetal to a steel blade, and such. Finally is the Altar of Measures, containing measuring standards vital for each craft- the standard yard rule, the standard gallon flask, the gold brick of 24-carat purity, and a slew of others. These are brought out once a year on Fogretha's Feast for all the craftworkers to calibrate their instruments in elaborate city-wide ceremonies.

The Chamber of the Aerls
This vault holds items important to the city's history and governance, such as the Knurl's Hammer, Helm and Vestments or the First Scroll of Laws. Other treasures include the solid gold Llama of Friendship gifted by the city of Ascûdnein, and the Diamond Anvil of Angelloch.

The Chamber of the Weirds
This separately locked side vault contains items of magical, mythical or spiritual power that the Keeper really just wants to keep safe and out of the way. Major items include the Six Baskets of the Trickly Ones, which appeared randomly in the nearby valleys one year; the Dark Scramasax of Glumm, a black-metalled blade only to consider being used in the city's direst hour; Smelter Master Hrelfrythr's Unsilent Skull, whose craft was so strong that it wouldn't let his knowledge die with him, they say; and, supposedly, one of the Nine Pearls of Creation.

The Chamber of the First
This cathedral-sized chamber has a broad circular dais in its centre. Surrounding the dais are the twenty eight suits of armour, and their associated swords, battlehammers, halbs, glaives and bills, forged by Knurl to pit against Lornegei. Each suit is grander, more elaborate and more imposing than the last, whilst also being more fully protective and nimble to use. They show a clear evolution of the master forgewright from greatness to higher greatness.

In the centre of the dais stands his most perfect masterwork, his twenty ninth suit, armed with a humongous triple-armed crossbow and a gnarly looking ten-pointed voulge-bisarme, all said to have taken fifty years for him to forge. But as Lornegei was away on a lengthy battlequest, Knurl died before it could be tested against his kith-brother. At the foot of this suit sits the chest holding the wager's (replica) cloak and dagger.

Other relics of Knurl's life and craft are displayed around the chamber, such as the Graet-Ax of Anvil Cleaving he forged to perfect his edge-holding technique, and the anvil that was thus cloven by it.


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Question 49
What are 5 other important buildings, halls or spaces in the city?

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by (E)

(SNIP)

Question 47
Are adventurers common or even known in this world? If so do they visit Knurlkyth seeking equipment?

This was partially answered with the reply to Question 39. I bolded the relevant bits.:

Answer 39
One night Chiselhill and her guests witness an eclipse of the moon (moons?) and see a shooting star seem to come from the moon and strike the earth somewhere to the north. There are two schools of thought on this: the human astrologer who was there believes that a fantastic magical treasure can be found at the star's resting place, while the elf has had ominous dreams of a dreadful god fallen to earth to bring ruin to the world. Chiselhill herself is withholding judgement and searching for more signs in the stars. All three agree, however, that an expedition to find the shooting star is a very good idea, and have put out feelers among their people for likely adventurers to go north.

So, I'd say, yeah, the world has condottieri who lead forces of all sorts -- whether bands of professional soldiers for hire, or more specialized smaller teams.

As a small, secure, realm with it's own skilled and well-equipped defense force, Knurlkyth has about as much need for adventurers as Switzerland. That said, if a condottiero needs a secure place to keep his or her wealth, or to trade it for better gear, Knurlkyth has a lot to offer.

So, yeah, I'd think the dwarves treat successful adventurers as valued customers and/or depositors, and those of more limited means or questionable ethics as rather problematic.

That said, if they hire some of the latter to go investigate the falling star, it serves two purposes. They may glean more information, and it gets a group without real jobs -- and an annoying talent for violence -- out of everybody's hair, for awhile.

Now then the condottieri arose as a result of specific political and economic conditions. Italy, during the Renaissance, saw ever-increasing wealth as trade increased along the Silk Road.

Moreover, the region was divided into a fractured and chaotic set of small polities that constantly quarreled and fought for greater shares of that lucrative trade.

The presence of condottiero ("contractors") implies a similar situation -- a geographically-confined and politically divided area that enjoys considerable wealth.

The fact that Knurlkyth is so small, and yet significantly wealthy, fits the city-state model pretty well. Ergo:

Question 50:

How many political rivals does Knurlkyth have within (say) 100 miles; who are the top three most problematic; and what is the economic bases for their rivalry with the dwarven realm and one another?

[Apollonian]

Originally Posted by Daigoro

Question 33
Whereof dragons in the realm?

Since, to be honest, Knurlkyth doesn't control all that much land, there are no known dragons in, under, or above Knurlkyth territory. If there were, this would be quite a concern, as everyone knows that dragons are basically natural disasters with a taste for treasure. The last one seen in Knulrkyth was the dragon Rakonofex, which destroyed the town of Hurlsburg a day's travel to the south and was slain shortly thereafter by an army of dwarves, men, and elves. This happened nearly three hundred years ago, and since then no dragon has been seen near Knurlkyth. Other notable dragons include The Three Cold-Wyrms, which attacked and ravaged Knurlkyth in the days of Knurl III, and nearly destroyed the city; Tchilkex the Pale, who made a lair in sight of Knurlkyth's peak and traded riddles for treasure until he was slain by one of the God-Kings; and the (relatively) small and (absolutely) cunning Red Wurm, who burrowed up into Knurlkyth after a particularly ill-advised delving below the water table and was a terror in the deep dark tunnels for a century until it was lured out and killed by an elf princess and a dwarven fungus farmer.

Of course, rumors abound of dragons in the present day, but very few are in any way credible, and most lead away into the wilds. All the learned sages agree that the days of dragons are long past. Very definitely.

Originally Posted by TGLS

Question 35
Where did the God-kings go?

After their defeat at the hands of the Empire of Man, the God-Kings scattered to the five corners of the earth. They were numerous, and in theory immortal, and so they met many fates. Some grew dark and twisted, and spawned monsters that plague Men to this day; such was the birth of vampires, and the haunting mist-children of Nul-Gariph. Others retreated into the wilderness and lives of solitude, and live there still; they are proverbial sages and intermediaries between the mortal races and the true gods. Still others took to wandering the world as eternal champions, selecting a cause or simply a theme to embody. Such often changed their name and appearance regularly over the years, wishing to avoid the fate of the final God-Kings: killed when they tried to re-impose their power over Men.

Question 51

Who are five of the still-living God-Kings, what are they doing, and why does one takes a particular interest in Knurlkyth?

Originally Posted by TGLS

Question 36
Did the Empire of Man fall? If so, how? If not, how did it prove so enduring?

Nothing lasts forever, especially the political structures of Men. The first Empire of Man was short-lived even by those standards, and it fell apart after the seven children of second Emperor each claimed the throne. The first interregnum is also called the Eight Kingdoms period and lasted for about three centuries. In time, thanks to dynastic marriages and conquest, the (possibly legendary) King Sut united the Eight Kingdoms in the second Empire of Man. This Empire lasted for very nearly a thousand years, going through four (or five, depending on the historian) imperial dynasties and several fluctuations in fortune. After a century and a half of decline, it finally fell apart in a century-long three-way religious civil war. When the dust settled, the heart of the empire was a monster-plagued wasteland, one of the religions had been driven underground, and humanity as a whole seemed completely done with empires, or indeed any polity larger than a county or a city-state. Thus, until the present day, human civilization in the known world has been fragmented and fractious, haunted by the specter of the fallen empire. Recently, however, a messianic cult has risen in the east, claiming to foresee the coming of the True Emperor of Man, and preparing for His coming and inevitable conquest of the known world. They are starting to make quite a lot of converts and several eastern polities are coming together under this cult. Knurlkyth and other states are keeping a very close eye on the True Empire cult...

Question 52
What three religions led to the fall of the second Empire; which one was driven underground, and why?

Originally Posted by TGLS

Question 37
Are relations between dwarves and man all that cordial?

Depends on the dwarves and men in question, really. At least two human city-states are quite hostile to dwarves on ideological or religious grounds, and the acolytes of the dwarven cult of the Hidden Kingdom wage a secret, genocidal war against "tall ones" west of the White River. (Not, admittedly, with all that much success.) On the other hand, dwarves and humans tend to get along better than most of the other civilized races (save halflings, who get along with everyone). Mixed settlements of the two races are fairly common, usually on the borderlands between powerful city-states, and are famous for being good market towns.

Question 53
Why is the Hidden Kingdom cult, which is generally considered to be a bunch of bigoted weirdos by decent dwarf-folk, making disturbing inroads into the lower classes of Knurlkyth - and flashing a lot of wealth around? (Note that Knurlkyth, being east of the White River, is not a battleground for their anti-human crusade. Yet.)

Originally Posted by tshiggins

Question 50:

How many political rivals does Knurlkyth have within (say) 100 miles; who are the top three most problematic; and what is the economic bases for their rivalry with the dwarven realm and one another?

Well, excluding the more-distant threats of Hurldrak (far to the south, looking to unite all dwarfdom under one banner), and the inchoate eastern threat of the True Empire cult and its burgeoning expansionist theocracy (also distant), Knurlkyth spends more time struggling with four city-states, two kingdoms, a merchant (smuggling?) organization, and a savage nomadic nation. (So, eight rivals.)

Nearby Grindal Peak is a mixed human-dwarf hold, somewhat younger than Knurlkyth, with a thriving arms industry that very much focuses on quality over quantity. They have long resented Knurlkyth, which is wealthier, produces finer goods, and if we're going to be really honest, does in fact consider itself superior in every way to Grindal Peak. The conflict between the two is driven largely by spite and pettiness on both sides. However, Grindal Peak has a knack for diplomacy that Knurlkyth seems to lack, and has regularly managed to form friendships and alliances with other neighbors, causing trouble for Knurlkyth. The two city-states have never been at actual war, possibly because the human kingdom of Three Valleys lies between them and wants no part of being a battlefield.

Three Valleys cultivates an air of neutrality, as it stands on two major trade routes and has an ocean port. Indeed, it's this control of trade that makes Knurlkyth consider it a rival, if a mostly friendly one. A good third of Knurlkyth's trade goes through Three Valleys. The rulers of Knurlkyth make regular attempts to create new trade routes that bypass Three Valleys, but they've had mixed success. The current king of Three Valleys is a weak, vacillating ruler, and Knurlkyth has found him easier to sway; thus, there are no attempts at this time to open new routes, since they've been able to wrangle favorable treatment for now. His heir, on the other hand, is very competent and promises to be a serious headache for Knurlkyth when she ascends to the throne... which could happen very soon.

[b]The Horde of the White Eagle[b], on the other hand, is a serious military threat. Nomads who rule the high valleys to the east from their wind-whales and giant raven mounts, they delight in robbing merchant caravans (or extorting protection money) and launch regular raids into Knurlkyth's territory for slaves and plunder. They control all the easy routes to the southeast, and threaten the main eastern road, though they do not have the strength to truly control it. Knurlkyth, in alliance with a couple of its neighbors, has made several attempts to conquer, exterminate, or otherwise bring the Horde to heel, with no real success. The Horde is adept at hit-and-run warfare, and has always retreated deeper into the southeastern hinterlands, chains of deep valleys and precipitous mountain ranges that are dangerous at best for land-bound armies. Luckily for all civilized folk, the Horde is also adept at internal strife, fiercely proud, touchy, and clannish.

Question 54
Just what is the geography around Knurlkyth like? Where are its neighbors in relation to it, and how far does its territory extend? What are the borders like? What's that ocean that Three Valleys controls access to?