Argentum Bastion

The Argentum Bastion is the home of the silver dragonborn, known as Clan Sivak. It is located on the eastern continent, within the Dreaming Grove and at the base of the eastern side of the Evergloom Peaks.

Description

The Argentum Bastion is the home of the militaristic silver dragonborn, the Sivak Clan. It is nestled in a small valley at the base of the Evergloom Peaks mountains and surrounded by the Dreaming Grove, a fairy forest. The valley itself was made by a massive tree. When it fell, the roots pulled up and out of the ground, creating a clearing thousands of years ago. The tree is still alive, and even knocked over, it leans against the mountains, nearly cresting the top. It has stairs, ladders and platforms carved into it the roots, branches and trunk as a passage up the mountain. The mountain itself remains fairly untouched by the Sivak Clan on the outside, with the dragonborn utilizing natural caves and tunnels to travel inside. The surface is nearly completely covered in ice on the side of the mountain. There are only three structures on the outside created by the Sivak Clan. The southern side has a cave created to serve as the kresh for the clan, a place where they hatch and raise their children.
The yard of the kresh is lush grass and has a fence around a perimeter to allow the children to play outside the entrance. The entrance itself is done with master craftsmanship directly into the mountain, leaving a large arch with draconic glyphs and runes carved in the stone. On the northern end, there is a cavern carved into the ice where funeral rites are performed. Under the shade of the fallen tree is the Garden of Graves, where their fallen warriors are buried. Flowers are planted by fey creatures based on how much they liked each clan member, with fuller, more exotic flowers blooming over the graves that they liked most. Near the garden is also the Ancestry Archives. The most ornate looking structure in the culture, it appears to be a large set off double doors set into the face of the mountain. It is covered in ancient runes and glyphs, radiating magic energy. It has no handles, only a circle in the center to place one’s hand. If someone has a blood relation to any member of the clan at any point in history, the doors will open, revealing a room containing the weapons of that individual’s ancestors.
Most other architecture of the Argentum Bastion is fairly simple. The clan learned long ago that clear cutting was unacceptable to the fey creatures of the forest, so the lumber supply has been fairly limited, relying on toppled trees and deadfall locally for wood supplies or trade with other nations. In the center of the valley is the Praetorian Longhouse, containing the offices of the praetor and praetora, as well as a meeting hall for foreign diplomats and official meetings with the residents. The home of the current leaders is connected with a sheltered walkway between them. A circular building is nearby, which is the main meeting place of the Council of Elders, the advisors of the current leadership. Closer to the mountain than the other buildings is the main military compound where war planning and strategy are discussed between the praetors, generals and captains of the clan. It is also where most ceremonies are held. On the other side of the valley is the military academy and barracks for the cadets, with a large training field and an attached armory.
The rest of the city is woven into the forest itself. Each clan member’s home is a single room house, generally not much bigger than absolutely necessary as a place to sleep and store the few, spartan possessions a family might have. Without being able to cut down trees without harsh consequences, houses are built in whatever space is available. There are no walls around the city. Instead, watchtowers are established in taller, older trees. While not convenient, the forced improvisation does make most outposts camouflaged from the view below. At the edge of the treeline to the valley clearing are the communal buildings. The most trafficked are the two taverns, one for those more interested in having fun and one for drowning their sorrows. Other buildings are the communal vegetable garden and food storage facility. There is one specialized area slightly beyond the established borders where drakes are bred and raised as beasts of war and highly trained companions to a select few members of the clan.
The entire area has a slightly eerie ambiance, as there is always a mist blanketing the area, the denseness depends on the amount of fey activity and whether or not the ones most active are benevolent or sinister. Between the shadow of the mountain and the prevailing mist, it is rare for the valley to get any direct sunlight, relying mostly on firefly lanterns and a general glow from the sun at the brightest times of day. This has kept the area cool, providing a level of comfort for the clan and making it easy to maintain the cold temperatures required to hatch their children.

Society

The Sivak Clan have built their culture on honor and combat for thousands of years. When they reach the age of fifteen, each member born into the clan starts training at the miltary academy. There, they learn combat basics and tactics, along with other various subjects of learning. After five years, they are assigned a specialty, either joining the infantry or the ranger corps for a compulsory five year term of service. Since even the cadets in the academy are considered soldiers, this makes it so that every member of the clan has a minimum of ten years of military service. With so much time put into service, most clan members become career soldiers.
There is a distinct preference for the main infantry in the culture, with those being assigned to the ranger corps generally looked down upon. Being assigned to the rangers is often seen as a form of punishment for those that under perform in the academy or for those born with a smaller frame or pacifist tendancies. With such an emphasis on honorable combat, and the rangers using stealth and guerrilla tactics are considered dishonorable, but necessary. While the rangers are regarded less favorably, due to living in a fairy forest and the long conflict with the Dark Elves in the caverns below the mountains, they are still a vital part of the military and the clan as a whole.
Conversely, the larger size and considerable strength of the infantry has been a source of pride within the clan for generations. The officers in the military are seen as great heroes, with their ranks being the aspiration of almost all children within the clan. Brave leaders of a threeway war between the Sivak, the Dark Elves and the Duergar, the Lieutenants, Captains and Generals have been the backbone of the clan since its founding. With the society so centered around the military, those that hold rank are often seen as messengers of their leader's will, following a chain of command. The most valuable thing about these people is they are seen as the members of the clan that have proven martial prowess by some extraordinary feat, be it tactical genius, unmatched skill, or raw power.
When a warrior reaches the end of their military career, they are given what they call Reprieve. It is where the clan leadership decides that a soldier has earned a rest from the fighting. While it was originally meant to be an honor, most will fight against it, often having it forced upon them by the Praetors and the Council of Elders. Clan members are granted Reprieve when they are too old to keep up with the rest of the soldiers, but more commonly because they have sustained too many injuries to fight at full effectiveness. Most would rather take a demotion and continue serving alongside their soldiers, going to great lengths to hide any disability or compensating for it as best they can, prefering to die in combat rather than get old in retirement.
The Praetor and Praetora of clan Sivak tend to split their role into two areas of focus, with one directing the war effort against their enemies and the other focusing on keeping things amicable between the dragonborn and the fairies. This style is often considered disjointed by the other clans, as the two are supposed to make decisions together. Most leaders make it work by choosing partners that they can trust and rely on implicitly. This is not always the case, especially when the clan falls on hard times or in times of high tension between the Fey or the enemies in the Underdark.
Despite everything, there is a high emphasis on manners and politeness within the clan. These things are ingrained in their youth by the Kresh Mother and everyone is given a nickname through the time spent with her so as to protect them from fairies that might try and entrap them in various ways. From the time an egg is laid, it is stored inside the Kresh carved into the ice caverns at the mase of the mountains. Parents are informed when their egg is about to hatch, allowing them to be there at the moment they are born, but the children remain in the care of the Kresh Mother for the first ten years of their lives. Parents are not told which child is theirs to prevent any sort of favoritism or coddling in their youth. They are brought home when they reach their tenth birthday, being picked up by any living parent or guardian.

Notable People

• Sivak Praetora B'lanna: Youngest Sivak leader in the clan's history, and notably the first to try for peace between the clan and the denizens of the Underdark.

• Sivak Praetor Kal'bortaash: Tyrannical leader of the Sivak Clan, husband to Praetora B'lanna.

• Kresh Mother I'rosha: Eldest member of the clan. Personally raised every living member of the clan by the time of her passing.

• Sivak General Gol'rosha: First hero of the Sivak Clan. Personally battled and defeated Zariel, sending her and her armies back to Avernus during the Reclamation War.

History

After the end of the Reclamation War and life started to restore itself in the realm of Malgrave, General Gol'rosha led the search for a place to call home. With much of the north already claimed by the Duskmen and frost giants, the clan searched other areas in hope for a suitable area to raise their young. Most of their attempts were in the mountains, hoping the high altitudes would provide the cold necessary for their eggs. Eventually making it to the Evergloom Peaks, the clan made the surprise discovery of a lush forest with a cold mist keeping everything colder than even some of the highest mountains they'd explored.
Deciding to settle in a small valley, they began to hunt and gather materials for shelter. As the hungry and battle weary clan set about making their new home, strange things began happening to the clan members. Things went missing, people would black out or disappear for days, only to be completely unaware any time had passed. Those that had training in magic and tracking of extraplanar beings eventually were able to surmise that they were being hassled by Fey creatures. As a combat based culture fresh out of a war they had been born into, they did not take kindly to being the target of practical jokes. They pushed harder into the forest and would fight any living creature they found. This escalated the response of the Fey. Dragonborn disappeared entirely, others would suffer terrible curses and some were even killed in horrific ways. The clan was prepared to retaliate, angry at the losses and suffering, but General Gol'rosha stepped in. Humbling himself at the center of the clearing, he offered himself to discuss things with Fey, or to let them take him to make amends.
His offer was taken by the Archfey, Filariel. Rather than take his life, she would listen to the plight of the dragonborn. Taking pity on him and appreciative of Gol'rosha's display, she instead taught him the rules of good manners and hospitality. There were also ground rules for what could and could not be hunted and cut within the forest. In exchange for this, she only asked one thing in return; Gol'rosha and his descendants would fulfill the will of nature when called upon. While he accepted, Gol'rosha declined his clan's call to make him the Praetor. After all he had accomplished, the greatest dragonborn warrior chose Reprieve after all his years of fighting, allowing new leadership to help their home that they named the Argentum Bastion to florish.

Region
Evergloom
Founded
11 AB

Population
1,346

Type

City