Citadel Adbar

From OakthorneWiki
Revision as of 13:08, 21 April 2016 by Oakthorne (talk | contribs) (New page: {{RealmsCity |CityName=Citadel Adbar |Map=center|350px |Size=xxx |Location=Delzoun |Populace=14,000 • Dwarf 99%, Other 1% |Religion=''Temples:'' x • ''Shrin...)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigationJump to search
Citadel Adbar
Geographical Information
Size: xxx • Location: Delzoun
Societal Information
Populace: 14,000 • Dwarf 99%, Other 1%
Religion: Temples: x • Shrines: x
Imports: x
Exports: x
Political Information
Government: x
Ruler: King Harbromm
Military: The Iron Guard

This fortress is named for King Adbar, the ancient dwarf who built it over 1,000 years ago during the waning years of ancient Delzoun (the dwarven North kingdom), making this the last shard of the dead dwarven kingdom. Quarried of granite, the Citadel, whose gate tower is visible above the surface, can house up to 60,000 dwarves in comfort; men find its miles and miles of defensive granite corridors, tunnels, and hallways twisting their way under the Ice Mountains too dark, dreary, and cramped.

This dwarven city doesn't welcome visitors. This is not surprising, as most visitors are orcs or monsters seeking the swift death of its citizens. The Citadel is a fortress, perhaps the mightiest castle north of Amn. It has ditches that can be filled with flaming oil, bridges that can be drawn up or swung down into deep pits, concentric rings of walls that can be defended one by one in the event of a powerful besieging army, and so on. The Citadel has withstood over 60 orc horde attacks thus far. Each of these were determined sieges by over 10,000 orcs at a time, and occasionally 10 times that number.

Despite its forbidding ways and remote location, Citadel Adbar is a trading city. Around 14,000 dwarves dwell here, forging and smelting finished work from ores. Their work creates quite a din and clangor, and a permanent cloud of smoke hangs over the city. These factors make a visit to Citadel Adbar very unpleasant for most folk. By and large, only metal traders and the most desperate or daring peddlers go there.

Orcs and prowling crag cats make the land around the Citadel so deadly that it is safer to bring caravans through the Underdark via Mirabar and Mithral Hall. These caravans bring mainly fruit, which the dwarves delight in eating during the winter. Goods made in Citadel Adbar are considered top rank and available only at high prices. The Citadel's sword blades, axe heads, pick heads, and fine armor are used all over the North. Most human smiths in the communities of the North use forge bars (blocks of refined metal) from Citadel Adbar for their work. The dwarven smiths here also make armor and other weapons, and they mine mithral. Adbar armor is still the best dwarven make this side of the Deep Realm. The dwarves' output has dwindled in recent years, however, as the miners grow fewer and orc raids upon the trade-caravans grow fiercer.

The fortress humans see is only the small surface part of an underground dwarven hold known as Adbarrim. The Citadel exists to provide a secure connection with the world above and to keep the smoke, noise, and stench of metalwork out of the dwarven homes. Miles upon miles of chambers, passages, and suites have been carved out of solid granite. Like other dwarven communities in Faerûn, the number of dwarves here has been steadily dwindling.

King Harbromm is noted for his attention to strategy and detail, and he is a master smith. The city's badge is his personal forge mark: an upright, single-bladed hand axe enclosed by a circle of flame inscribed in red on a silver field. He's managed to hold his community together in the face of threats from the orcish tribes. The king employs human adventurers in patrols outside the walls, and he keeps 200 dwarves on the battlements of the Citadel. Another 1,500 are ready to take up arms if the horn call is sounded through the speaking tubes cut in the Citadel's rock. These tubes also allow dwarves to flee quickly underground by tumbling into them. In a day, Adbar can arm and armor 9,000 dwarven warriors. Harbromm's policy is to safeguard the lives of his folk and to keep inside the Citadel whatever befalls. No army from the Citadel will sally forth to do battle with orcs or to aid other communities.

People

x

History

x

Government

x

Defenses

x

Places of Interest

x

Faction