Vol Dorma

One of the biggest cities of the Tevinter Imperium, located at the Imperial Highway, and capital of the province of the same name.

Demographics

Dominant Ethnicities: Humans of Tevinter origin, Dwarves

Social Classes: Mostly Soporati as the main body of regular citizens (including surface dwarves), medium upper class consisting of Altus, Laetan, and Praeteri classes, small elite of dwarven ambassadors; in the upper classes an average of 11 slaves per household

Average Age: 30s - 40s, lower classes have significantly more children than upper class citizens per household

Most Common Professions: craftsmen, merchants, soldiers, tavern workers, office workers

Government

Magister Adrialla Vortas is the ruling Magister of the city. Under her command as administrator is Preater Tacitus Travos.

Defences

Recently the construction of a new bulwark to better shield the Imperial Highway and the Southern Emporium from darkspawn attacks has been completed. The large fortress houses a significant number of soldiers and small training programs for specialized troups such as scouts and healers are now being held here.
The city is fortified by a variety of walls, watchtowers, and fortresses, and it is possible to lock-down certain districts entirely, so that in case it is overrun the citizens can retreat to save areas. Predominantly though it is the stationed soldier's goal to not have the city be conquered in the first place, which is why on the upper level there are a variety of watch-towers that can see attacking forces from miles away. It is almost impossible to launch a surprise attack.
The new bulwark as well as the older fortifications are equipped with a variety of heavy-duty weapons to ward off darkspawn, such as ballistas and catapults. Entrance to the city from outside the Imperial Highway is only possible through several heavily enforced and guarded gates, as well as a gigantic lift suitable for transporting several dozen people and their wares up to the middle level. When the city is on lockdown the lift is closed and moved to the top, sealing the way up and making it nearly impossible to get upstairs even when the doors to the outside are open. On the bottom of the lift's metal-enforced platform are more than a hundred, foot-long iron spikes.

Industry & Trade

Vol Dorma trades heavily with the surrounding cities and remaining villages such as Hemstetten. Due to its perfect location at a major trading route, Vol Dorma also works as a large trade hub, offers storage facilities, and is home to major transport and security companies. With Vol Dorma gone, trade between the cities around the Nocen Sea and the rest of the Imperium would be significantly impaired. Vol Dorma has no direct access to the sea, but not far north of the city is a fortress that functions as an outpost including a significant trade harbour at a river. Every week wares come in from the major eastern cities including Neromenian, Carastes, Qariunus, or even as far as Antiva that have no direct access to the Imperial Highway. The sea-route is not only faster but also more secure for many merchants, whose only other options would be to risk death or worse through the darkspawn threat on regular roads in certain parts of the Imperium. Vol Dorma also ships its own wares destined to the eastern portion of the Imperium from this outpost.
While the city has farmland on the lower level, a lot of food is also imported, predominantly from Asariel and Marnas Pell. The city also imports a lot of raw materials such as iron and raw silk, the local manufacturers turning these into high-quality wares that are then sold on its own markets or exported again. Vol Dorma also exports a significant amount of Lyrium obtained from dwarven lyrium mines deep below the city, as well as magical potions and wares. With the new bulwark finally finished there are also plans to expand the arms industry.
Some of the more famous inns, shops, and other establishments of Vol Dorma include

• Paragon Prizes - a merchant located in the Dwarven Embassy, offering quality wares directly from Kal-Sharok
• The Tome Trove - a bookstore on the middle level near the Forum
• Silver Linens - a store specialized in clothing and jewelry on the upper level
• The Sphere - a small cornerstore on the middle level who offers anything magical
• The Veridium Serpent - a prestigious inn in the upper level of the city, frequented usually only by rich merchants or travelling nobles
• The Crown Inn - a high-end inn in the Dwarven Embassy, known for strong dwarven ale that is not available anywhere else outside of Kal-Sharok
• The Blue Keg - a small inn on the lower level for people with a small budget, immediately next to the Shadow Market
• Good as New - a general goods store on the medium level who sells nearly everything - although not always in the best condition

All inns, shops, and anything else in terms of commerce targeted at regular citizens and travellers is located in the southern portion of the city. To even enter the northern part a special pass is required, as it is restricted to merchants, local government officials, and trading companies, and high security standards are in place.

Infrastructure

The city is located immediately next to the Imperial Highway, which makes it a major centre of trade and resting place for weary travellers. It also makes it a favoured target of darkspawn attacks, due to the high activity of people and large stock of goods held in the warehouses and fortresses of the city. It can be separated into a Northern and Southern district, the southern being significantly bigger, but the northern older. Both feature major "emporiums", large hubs of trade with different purposes.

The Southern District

The Southern District is the heart of the city, where its residents live and the majority of them also work. It features landmarks such as the Southern Emporium, the Upper and Lower Markets, the Dwarven Quarter and Embassy, as well as the Estate of Magister Vortas.
The Southern Emporium is located immediately next to Imperial Highway and connected to the heart of the southern portion of the city through the main road. The only way to reach the Southern Emporium from outside the city is via the Highway itself or through a heavy-duty lift that can transport several dozen people and their wares at once from the ground level to the Highway Level.
Vol Dorma's Southern District stretches across three levels above ground: the ground or lower level, the middle or Highway level, and the upper level. Aditionally an elaborate sewage system stretches far beneath the city and almost every household has plumbing available to some degree. In the city's lower level there is also an entrance to the dwarven embassy and the Deep Roads, very well guarded and fortified.
The middle level is the first one travellers coming from outside will enter, no matter if via the Imperial Highway directly or if they enter via the surrounding fortress and lift. The Southern Emporium immediately next to the Highway is dominated by warehouses, stables, office buildings, and a handful of inns exclusively for merchants who only pass through or have reached their final destination in Vol Dorma. Business is made here between caravans, entrepreneurs, and trading companies, and while regular travellers also arrive here they will usually want to follow the main road leading deeper into the Southern District right away.
The Highway Level of the city is separated into many smaller quarters separated by fortified walls and gates, industrial, commercial and residential. Many stairs can be found that lead up or down into the upper and lower levels. The middle level of the Southern District features, apart from the Southern Emporium, also a main market place for the citizens of Vol Dorma, called the Forum. It sits on the main road leading away from the Emporium, and is surrounded by little shops and taverns. The Forum is also overlooked by three large bridges connecting the different quarters of the upper level above. A long, heavily guarded and fortified bridge also leads out of the the Southern District, across farmland, to the Northern District of the city on this middle level.
Via stairs the upper level can be reached. This level of the city overlooks the Imperial Highway and surrounding lands, therefore it is home to the elite of the city as well as the local offices of Imperial Forces. The estate of Magister Vortas is located here in the Spire Quarter. There is also the "Gardens", an area in the centre of the upper district consisting, as the name suggests, mainly of a variety of parks and gardens. Several sleek windmills on the fringes of the upper level pump water through the city's pipes, and when there is no wind the task is done manually by publically owned slaves. Vol Dorma has no own university or academy, but a few mentors can still be found on the upper level who might want to share their knowledge - for a price of course. Throughout the city are a variety of smaller temples and shrines dedicated to one or several of the gods, but Vol Dorma is particularly proud of its impressive temple dedicated to Andoral on the upper level.
Below the middle level, also accessible via a variety of stairs, sits the lower level. It is a small, mostly residential area, but it also features the lower market (also referred to as Shadow Market, as it lies in the shadows of the higher levels). On the lower market prices are a little cheaper - and one can potentially also aquire goods that weren't aquired 100% legally. Most of the citizens living in the lower level are farmers whose farmland lie beyond a gate and stretch between the Southern and Northern District. A few less prestigious craftsmen such as tanners, butchers, and grave-diggers, also have their homes or workshops on this level, as well as the pump house supplying the city with fresh water. Also accessible from the lower level is the prison of Vol Dorma, which is situated not in the Southern District directly, but slightly outside in an adjacent fortress.
In the heart of the lower level lies also the Dwarven Quarter, which - as opposed to its surroundings - is actually quite prestigious and separated by a high wall. The dwarven embassy is a large multi-level building in its centre - although not above but below ground. It features not only private sleeping quarters for both human and dwarven ambassadors travelling from far away, it also offers publically accessible stores and taverns run by dwarves of the Dwarven Kingdom. It is a direct outpost of Kal-Sharok, and through the Deep Roads the capital of the dwarves can be reached in less than two weeks on foot (although travel on foot is not recommended in the Deep Roads). Around the Dwarven Embassy are further stores run by dwarves, although those who either chose to live or were born on the surface and aren't part of the Dwarven Kingdom. The Dwarven Quarter immediately joins the Lower Market lying just outside its walls, and during festivals and other large events the lower market and the Kingdom Plaza in the centre of the Dwarven Quarter are usually used together by merchants and citizens of all backgrounds.

The Northern District

The older, northern portion of the city of Vol Dorma has its own, but much less public access to the Imperial Highway and can also be reached via a long bridge that connects it to the Southern District. In its entirety it encompasses the Northern Emporium, as it is completely dedicated to trade and commerce.
Like the Southern District it stretches across three levels above ground, but overall the Northern District is only a small portion of the size of the south part of Vol Dorma.
The only building on the small top level on the end of the District opposite to the Imperial Highway is the local Consilio, the bureau of administration. The Consilio is, among other things, the main workplace of Tacitus Travos, the Preater of Vol Dorma (city and region). From here he is responsible for administrating taxes, trading, and troup movements in the whole region of Vol Dorma through the Proconsul of every outside village, as well as the city itself. He following the instructions of Magister Vortas, who has her orders from the Magisterium and Archon. The Consilio is also home to local administrators serving Travos who keep in check local trade, imports, exports, and the like.
The middle level of the Northern District is very similar in size and function to the Southern Emporium, as it offers direct access to the Imperial Highway as well as access to the Southern District, and is a general trade center for goods and wares coming into and leaving the city. The only difference is that the Northern Emporium doesn't offer places to stay such as inns, as it is less a place to rest and more one to do business. It is only accessible with a special trader's pass and wares with a higher value or risk factor - such as lyrium or slaves as an example - are traded here.
While merchants headed to the Southern Emporium usually want their wares to be sold in Vol Dorma directly or transported further to Minrathous or Perivantium, the Northern Emporium aims to export them across the Nocen Sea. On the lower level of the Northern District of Vol Dorma lies a trade harbour next to a small river that eventually flows into said sea and opens trade routes to the whole eastern Tevinter Imperium.

Guilds and Factions

It is murmured that the thieves known as Praesumptores are establishing a new outpost somewhere in the city, as members of their guild have been seen roaming the streets more frequently.
Furthermore, the Society of Mages has a chapter in Vol Dorma.

History

Vol Dorma started, like many cities in the Tevinter Imperium, as a fortress with surrounding farmland. The original fortress was located roughly where the Northern Emporium sits today, but it was remodeled when the Imperial Highway was constructed and isn't recognizable as such anymore.

Type

City

Population

37500

Location under

The Old Kingdom

Owner/Ruler

Adrialla Vortas

Owning Organization

Tevinter Imperium

Characters in Location

• Adrialla Vortas

Related Reports (Primary)

• Finally, Civilisation

Related Plots

• The Desert Caravan