Nek Tharad, the Workshop

Nek Tharad is a city state in the northern reaches of the Kanik Peninsula, among the Broken Spires, populated by the Kanik Rock Gnomes. Historically, it has been an important Aelderinian centre, both for commercial purposes in the Gnomish Luxury Trades, and as a source of advancement in the fields of artifice and runic enchantment.
The rock gnomes of Nek Tharad are famed for their strange isolationism, odd quirks and love of philosophy and debating, which paints a stark contrast with their cousins in the Bukwit forest.

Demographics

The city's permanent population is made up solely of rock gnomes, though it usually features a temporary population of around 500 outsiders at any one time. Natural gnomish longevity has resulted in the city featuring a large elderly population, with over half of its population exceeding 200 years.
Thanks to their advances in the fields of magical automation, the rock gnomes of Nek Tharad are entirely self-sufficient, relying on large mechanical fungus-farms in the upper levels of the Fhaidorca. Each citizen of Nek Tharad is entitled to their own house, access to the city's plumbing and sewage systems, and an allowance of food, and as such none of them are particularly poor, or particularly wealthy.
Instead, a loose class system has arisen from the perceived value of an individual's pastimes and hobbies, with the highest of these being expert artificers, philosophers and theologians.
As a result of their obsession with new ideas, concepts and viewpoints, the city has no official religion, but rather a pantheon of theological movements, thoughts and concepts. It is said that Nek Tharad has a shrine to every god that ever was, is, might be, could be or will be.

Government

Rock gnome society grants prestige based on an individual's skill at various crafts, as well as their ability to debate. A popular rock-gnomish theory holds that both of these increase proportionally with age, and so the city of Nek Tharad is often described as a geriocracy. Indeed, the city's governing is handed over to a council of the 500 oldest among the population, who engage in lengthy debates about any kind of important issues, a practice that inspired the Circle of the Vine's own Council of the Masters.
As a result of their obsession with the fine arts of debate, it frequently takes years if not decades for even minor legal or diplomatic issues to become official policy. One exception to this is in the introduction of new infrastructure and industrial systems, which tend to be instituted within days of their conception.

Defences

Nek Tharad is sometimes called the Mountain Citadel, for its fearsome defences. The gnomes, being so highly isolationist, restrict foreign visitors to the Otsin District, and guard the District with 30-foot high walls, atop which are mounted ballistae. The city also features large artillery that are placed at various points on the sides of nearby mountains, and can be employed to barrage attacking fleets or ships.
The city's defences have been tested only very rarely, and their success rate remains perfect.

Industry & Trade

The largest export of the city are the various gadgets, toys and mechanical constructs, produced by its workshops and traded in return for raw materials - mostly iron and steel from the cities of Jirna and Feria. These goods are what sparked the Gnomish Luxury Trades.
Historically, the city used to maintain extensive mines throughout the Broken Spires, however, since the Empire's Golden Age, these mines now lie abandoned as most of the city's raw resources coming from trade with the northern cities.
The city is careful in what it sells to foreign powers however - the gnomes are well aware of the potential destructive powers of their creations. The secrets of their artillery remain safe, though they are credited with the Jarnish crossbow and its subsequent proliferation across Aelderin.

Infrastructure

Nek Tharad is perhaps the pinnacle of a modern city. Its roads are perfectly paved and well maintained; it has an advanced sewage system which filters the sewage for fertiliser, feeding into the underground mushroom-farms, and disposes of the remainder; it features a grand harbour district within the Otsin District; and watermills which power the automated mushroom-farms, themselves the provider of more than sufficient food for the entire settlement.

Guilds and Factions

There are few true factions within the city, as its Council is filled mostly with independent philosophers and debaters, however there are two loose alliances that have existed for some time.
The first of these are the Artificers, who are always pushing for the Council to reduce its restrictions on trading certain items, in the aim of gathering more and more raw resources, and thus allowing more and more potential for invention and innovation.
Their opponents are the Pacifistic Objectors, a group who believe that more censorship and care should be taken with external trades, to ensure that no technology might leave the city and be used for potentially destructive purposes.
Debates between these two groups are generally the central debates held by the Council, with small victories often won only after months or years of daily sessions.

History

There is good evidence to suggest trading links between the ancient Aoleirian Empire and the rock gnomes of Nek Tharad. Indeed, some small fragments of ancient histories indicate that the Aoleirians reserved great respect for the Nek-Tharaddi and their marvellous inventions. It is theorised that many of their sewage systems were developed from the gnomes.
These routes were lost in the period after the Empire's fall, before being recovered during the reign of the Greatwood Empire, which established the modern routes from Feria and Jirna, an early prototype of the Gnomish Luxury Trades.
Trade with Feria was again halted after the Greatwood Empire's fall, though links with Jirna continued. It was during this period that the Jarnishmen were granted the gift of the crossbow, which for a long time distinguished them as a military power and allowed the creation of the Jarnish Mercenary Companies. Trade with Feria was renewed once again after the formation of the Empire of Nara Tok, and further strengthened after the Taming of the Yethis and the formation of the cities of Rithia, Lucria and Thrane. While heavily disrupted by the piratical akraghoblins, these trade routes remained popular until the end of the Second Goblin Crusade.
Anousias' Folly and the raiding of the city of Lak Fip sparked immediate outrage among the rock gnomes, who had always had strong ties with their Bukwit cousins. As a result, they passed the fastest diplomatic policy change in their history, forbidding all trade with the Empire of Nara Tok until they had conceded to the Bukwit gnomes' demands.
During this period, a coalition of desperate Ferian merchants set sail to the Mountain Citadel and attempted to blockade them. They were met, near immediately, with their own destruction as the Nek-Tharaddi artillery was put to use for the first time in centuries. The trade embargo remained in place until the Lak-Fippers demands were met, in 268 IF.
Thereafter, the Gnomish Luxury Trades rose to their peak, during the Empire's Golden Age, and Nek-Tharaddi innovation was unfettered. While the trade was somewhat disrupted by the Thaerseimai, the ancient routes continue to be used to this day.

Architecture

Rock gnomish buildings are almost always constructed of grey or white stone, though sometimes bronze arches might be employed. Unlike their cousins in the Bukwit, the Nek-Tharaddi are not possessed of any notable artistic talents, and most of their architecture is strictly functional as a result.

Geography

The city lies within a large basin, bordering the Broken Spires in the south and the Sea of Toys in the north. It features a small undercity, though not as large as that of Nara Tok, mostly used for Fhaidorcan mushroom-farming.

Natural Resources

Nek Tharad guards several entrances to The Fhaidorca, as well as access to the mineral-rich Broken Spires, which together give it access to an abundance of copper, tin and gemstones.

Alternative Name(s)

The Mountain Citadel

Type

City

Population

7,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Nek-Tharadder