Uthodurn

The symbol of the city combines a mountain with a tree (the same that once appeared in the symbol of Molaesmyr) wrapping around it, representing both dwarves and elves.

Description

Located about 300 to 400 feet up a mountainside, the entrance to the main city is marked by a perimeter fence and a dozen or so stone towers, four of them around the central structure. There are small buildings, liveries, and stables. In the center is a large heavy gazebo-type roof structure over a 50 to 60-foot wide pit descending 100 to 150-feet deep into the mountain rock. Numerous spiral staircases descend into the city proper, about 15-feet wide each.

The staircases descend into a large semi-domed area about a hundred feet across. The air is much warmer than outside, and it smells like wet earth, burned wood, soot, and iron. Barracks (called the Glassblade Kaserne) are built into both sides, with balcony pathways and storage for weapons.

The stairs continue into a very wide opening that leads to a central 30 foot-wide road, the Auger Trail, which is roughly hewn with numerous pillars throughout that rise up to meet the ceiling to both maintain the weight and give it a grandiose, massively scaled grand hall feel. Passing through, it opens up into a massive 120-foot high by 1500-foot wide underground cavern, filled with buildings forming an underground neighborhood that continues to descend, curving like a gargantuan auger slowly spiraling into the earth. There are mining works off to the far right. To the left are other residential buildings in both dwarven and elven styles.

Each of the Disks of the city further below contain immense pillars holding up the ceiling of the caverns, some of which have been built into with mostly elven-styled homes to utilize every available bit of space. The Disks are each bounded by huge heavy dark metal gates drawn up to the ceiling, which can be dropped in case of invasion.

Points of interest

• The Auger Trail: the main spiral road that leads down through the disks

Volition Disk

The Volition Disk is the oldest and top level of Uthodurn which houses most of the citizens. The buildings include stone-carved dwarven homes built into both the mountain wall and the massive load-bearing pillars holding up the ceiling, and beautiful wood-carved elven domiciles on the higher parts of the wall. The area also holds subterranean gardens lit by embedded sunlight orbs.

• The Broken Stool: a tavern and inn run by Luda, an older dwarven woman
• Catlyn's Clothier
• Deanna Leimert's home
• Gruffside Livery
• Jaquoby's workshop: Jaquoby Macyl tinkers and performs Aeormaton maintenance
• The Topper Mines

Deliberation Disk

The Deliberation Disk, nicknamed the Liber Disk, is the bustling market center of the city, filled from floor to ceiling with homes and emporiums. It tends to be more industrial and mercantile than the Volition Disk.

• The Anvil of Smeltborne: forge and blacksmithy
• The Candid Garden
• D&O Toy Emporium: a toyshop, run by Drixlitch and Oltgar with its own franchises
  • Oltgar's Chest, the original business, run by Oltgar, and restored in 843 PD
• Light Above Sanctum: a modest temple to the Dawnfather
• Moradin's Mantle: massive temple to The Allhammer
• Padillia's Boutique of Ample Armaments and Padillia's Boutique of Bountiful Provisions
• Plexus Post: an odds-and-ends shop
• Vellum Steeple Archive: on the boundary between the Liber and Grand Disks, a for-profit library with a Teleportation Circle
• The Softer Stoneforge: a bakery that sells, among other things, black moss cupcakes
• The Tumblecarve Residence: home of the Tumblecarve noble family, located in Demerant Circle.
• The Tumbling Tankards: a dive bar with root mead and live music, run by Von Bragg.

Grand Disk

The Grand Disk is the home of the wealthier segments of the population, and the location of the Luddenbrock mines. The Grandcast Citadel is also here, from which the laws of the town are administered and the King and Queen rule their people.

• The Grandcast Citadel: The Citadel from the exterior looks like a frozen crystal tornado or a massive stalactite spiraling into the ground, surrounded by staircases and pillars.
• The Underrest: high-end inn for dignitaries.

Demographics

Uthodurn's citizens are mostly dwarves, with a large elven population and a sprinkling of other races. Dwarvish, Elvish, and Common are the most used languages in Uthodurn.

The population in 835 PD is 26,240. More than half (56%) are dwarves and more than a third (36%) are elves. There is a small population of gnomes as well (4%).

Religion

Most of the Uthodurnian temples are in the central and upper Discs, and include deities such as Pelor, Erathis, Avandra and, more recently, the Matron of Ravens; additionally, stairs to the left of the main entrance to the city lead to a sacred garden for Melora atop the mountain. Corellon and Moradin, being the creator deities of the elves and the dwarves, are particularly important for the city, with King Talviel being an old priest of the Arch Heart; despite this, Uthodurn usually tries to keep religion and politics separated.

The Diarchy

The city is ruled simultaneously by dual monarchs, a dwarven queen and an elven king who each are advised by their own small council who share the responsibility of governing the city. Each community looks primarily to its own monarch for leadership and guidance, but the two have worked together remarkably well for centuries.

The High Magisters assist the dual monarchs in legal matters.

Nobility

The city of Uthodurn has its own nobility, probably combining the original local dwarven nobles and the surviving elven nobles from Molaesmyr. Many of them live in the Grand Disk.

Some of the noble houses make investments in local businesses, putting them in their debt, or conversely, accepting loans from them.

Glassblades

Glassblades are the military and ranger force that guard, hunt and watch over the perimeter of Uthodurn. They gained the name when Uthodurn was founded. They dress in green.

History

Uthodurn was founded by dwarves in the wake of the Calamity, shortly after 35 PD. Long afterwards, in 585 PD, a great tragedy struck the elven city of Molaesmyr, driving many of the elves to flee their home in the Savalirwood. The refugees found sanctuary with the dwarves of Uthodurn and together they have since created a dual society known as the Diarchy of Uthodurn.

During the War of Ash and Light Uthodurn remained neutral, isolating from the rest of the continent.

During the apogee solstice of 843 PD the city had problems dealing with any form of communication or transportation magic, their arcane street lights were failing, and enchantments they thought to be permanent started failing or were dispelled. This caused the accidental release of several criminals, as well as the reanimation of Umudara, one of the Great Beasts of Veluthil, who was thought to be just an statue until his petrification suddenly ended, leaving the beast very confused and disoriented, and causing the evacuation of the Grand Disk until a group of the adventurers safely released Umudara on the surface to find its way home.