Skinnan
Skinnan is a Cleffen Human town found in the Silralrai region of Cleffen. It is the only Human settlement on Cleffen, and one of the few non-Lizardfolk settlements on the surface. They are often raided by The Skinscale Tribe.
Built atop the ruins of the first failed Dwarven surface settlement, it is a marvel of reappropriated dwarven stonework and human ingenuity. Angular towers and thick battlements are overgrown with creeping moss and warded with old runes repurposed into human magic. Its walls bear the scars of countless assaults from The Skinscale Tribe, whose flayed banners and grotesque trophies serve as a constant threat from the surrounding jungle. The dwarves of the mountainholds see Skinnan as a scar on their history, a ruin that should have been left to the vines and spirits. While they begrudgingly trade with the humans, most Mountain Dwarf clans treat them with scorn, seeing their occupation as desecration.
Skinnan is not a city. It is a citadel in siege, a home of vigilance, scarred by centuries of war. Every cobbled street, every hearth, every breath in Skinnan is hard-won. The people of Skinnan are a population of survivors; tough, loyal, and strangely hopeful. Despite the shadow of the jungle and the hatred of the dwarves, they have built not just defenses, but a way of life.
Government
Skinnan has no nobility. Leadership is merit-based and rotated every ten seasonal moons (about 5 years). Professions are respected based on need, not wealth. Alchemists, builders, and sentinels are revered as much as strategists or priests. The city’s ruling body is made of 12 rotating representatives: 4 military, 4 civic, and 4 spiritual or academic. These governmental agents are usually high-ranking members of the four guilds.
Defences
Skinnarians are taught from a young age to maintain dual purpose in all tasks: a baker knows how to wield a spear; a stonemason can man a ballista. Every festival, wedding, or funeral can be turned into an evacuation drill at a moment’s notice. At age 13, children undergo a week-long jungle trial with guardians, in which they must rescue a captured effigy and return without being 'marked' by ritual hunters. Failure means repeating the rite.
Industry & Trade
Trade caravans from the dwarves are few and bartered bitterly; while most bring in refined metals or tools in exchange for fungal concoctions or jungle medicines, a few underground smuggling rings deal in forbidden dwarven lore, risking wrath for knowledge. Humans have also begun trading with sea-bound Halfling raiders and sky-barge Gnomes, building fragile relationships that the dwarves frown upon.
Districts
Skinnan is divided into concentric zones, each with specialized roles:
- The Emberwall (Outer Ring): The first and harshest line of defense. The district mostly military housing, ballista towers, and fast-response garrisons, while Watchfires blaze at all times, giving the wall its name. Civilians are not permitted here without escort, but houses are built into the wall itself, layered in tiers. Walls hum faintly with warding runes that pulse when hostile magic nears. Roaming sentries use trained raptors to monitor jungle movements.
- The Heartstone Quarter (Middle Ring): Where most citizens live. These stone homes are reinforced with alchemical lichen that absorbs sound and muffles vibrations, developed to thwart Skinscale stalkers that hunt by vibration and echolocation. The district contain community gardens to grow food in soil brought from other continents, mixed with carefully detoxified jungle mulch. Rainwater collectors, purification glyphs, and fungal farming sustain life, while meat comes from hunting cleared zones or raising Boar.
- The Gloaming Vault (Inner Core):A subterranean labyrinth housing archives, clinics, schools, and the central council chamber. Emergency shelters and soul-stone banks are also here. Children are raised communally, especially during wartime, by rotating caretakers known as Matri-Keeps, reducing trauma and ensuring constant supervision.
Guilds and Factions
Over centuries, Skinnan culture has fractured into loose but distinct factions, each born from necessity and ideologies, such as The Stonebinders, The Verdance, The Reclaimed Faith and The Blades of Mercy.
Type
Town
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