Karnhem - Light at the Edge of the World

Ya know I've often heard people say that the afterlife is a place of endless torture and senseless suffering. Kinda does sound like Karnhem if you think about it, don't it?

— Unknown

Located at the very edge of the known world, Karnhem is a town that is of great importance to nearly every nation under the sky. Yet it remains almost completely unknown. A place soaked in the blood of thousands yet scarcely featured on any map.

Treasure in the Ice

In the far north, there lies a mountain at the tail end of a fjord. Eternally covered in ice and ripped by winds that even at their warmest can easily freeze one's blood in the veins. To even get to this point requires a two-month journey per boat. That is if storms and other hazards do not impact it. One could reasonably ask why humans would even try to settle here. The answer lies in nature's twisted sense of humour: Karnhem's mountain is home to the largest Valkite deposit in existence.

They call it a Mine

by Stefan Oprisan

Karnhem's sole purpose is to mine said material. In essence the entire town is nothing but a mine. The only part of it that is visible on the outside is the large square made from dark grey stone that houses the dock where ships arrive and depart. From there, a line of red Kuvian Lamp leads out of the fjord up to half a week's travel away.
From said dockyard, Karnhem emerges a labyrinthine mess of tunnels and halls, all different heights and widths. Seemingly without sense or order it spreads throughout the mountain, always following the Valkite. Some rooms are nothing more than barren slagheaps, others vast mining complexes built up to the newest standards in efficiency and safety.
Over the years, the town has belonged to a dozen different organizations, each with their own operational structure. These groups rarely cooperated with one another and as a result no one really knows just how deep the mine goes or how many rooms and tunnels there are. Few really care to find out, however. If the Valkite flows the higher ups are happy.

Two Class Society

Workers

There are only two types of people in Karnhem: miners and citizens. The former hail from all around the world: convicts, slaves, and those simply desperate enough to seek fortune here. Rights or a voice in matters are things unknown to them but few live long enough to get angry about this state. Work down in the mines is dangerous and new bodies have to be brought in nearly every month. Their quarters are either located near the surface, where the cold seeps into nearly every bone or deep within the mines where a lack of air combines with the inner earth's heat to make for a suffocating oven.

Citizens

A tiny minority compared to the miners, the citizens of Karnhem are made up of those directly working for the company that owns the town. Overseers, prospectors, refiners, traders, basically every position needed to run an operation like this outside of the mining itself. They enjoy significant rights, including a voice on the town's board of directors and by all accounts their live is a decent as it can be in a place like this. A part of that is that their quarters are actual apartments complete with air conditioning, located in the sweet spot where the earth's warmth makes live more comfortable.

Additionally, the company has a standing regiment of 2.000 soldiers to ensure that the workers remain where they should be. They remain under direct control of the Vilcar, the company's direct representative and effective ruler of Karnhem.

Money Talks

by Alex van der Linde

Modern Karnhem was founded in 2783 DA by a group of traders from all around the Divide. At least that is what the history books say. In truth, it had taken nearly half a decade to successfully establish the settlement and get the operation up and running. Soon control over the Valkite trade proved most profitable but brought both the attention and envy of the great merchant cities of the Summer Coast. In 2785 DA, the Royal Republic of Ainach conquered Karnhem.
Following centuries saw the settlement changes hands multiple times. Whenever war broke out between the cities, an attempt to conquer Karnhem would be made. Entire battles were fought on sea and within the hellish confines of the mine. Thousands died far beyond the notice of any other human. Currently, the Most Serene Republic of Vylon holds sway in Karnhem.

Half a hundred ships and a thousand men lost? All worth it if even a single batch of Valkite comes out of it.

— Anius Vestaris

Founding Date

2783 DA

Type

Town

Population

~ 3.000 Citizens
~ 2.000 Soldiers
~ 20.000 Workers

Location under

Scetia - The Western Daughter

Owner/Ruler

Vilcar Anius Vestaris

Ruling/Owning Rank

Vilcar

Owning Organization

Most Serene Republic of Vylon

Related Materials

• Valkite

Successful at Last

The current settlement of Karnhem is the last in a series of attempts to mine the Valkite. Its location was lost in the Oblivion Hour, but one account hidden deep within the archives of Rhomeia survived. Eventually it was rediscovered, and the knowledge spread. Since 2100 DA, over fifty expeditions are recorded. Four succeeded in establishing a settlement.
The first three failed due to various reasons, ranging from starvation to disease and cannibalism. One might reasonably ask why people try again and again. The answer is simple: Valkite is simply to valuable and important to ignore. From modern metallurgy to ammunition production, medicine and food preservation, the number of aspects depending on the resource is vast.

Whatever deity decided to put all of the stuff here must have a cruel sense of humour.

— Anius Vestaris

Edge of the World

Calling Karnhem far removed would be an understatement. The settlement is the only sign of human life for weeks, the small supply depots along the sea route not taken into account.
Combine this with the harsh climate and month-long darkness and you get a population that rarely if ever leaves the confines of the mine. People are born, live and die underground and are removed from pretty much all events in the south.
Over the centuries, these circumstances have caused the inhabitants to develop a unique culture based around the life underground, the isolation and the various aspects of life as a miner.

by Patryk Stefaniak