Deadlake
A Drakon city located on a lake in the middle of the Deadwoods. Deadlake serves as the primary processing and storage point for lumber and game.
DRAFT
This article is currently a work in progress and may be incomplete or subject to change.
As you wander down the dark gray wooden planks of the inner city's dock-roads, the first thing you notice is the smell. Fish, fresh water, and recently cut wood permeate the air normally thick with the smell of ash and burning throughout Ak'Aidor.
You notice the sounds next. All around you, Drakon workers are busy moving past, talking amongst themselves, sawing logs and planks, and hammering metal into shape. You can hear, see, and almost feel the torches flickering in a light breeze, illuminating the otherwise dark and dreary day.
Above you, the sky is filled with dark gray-red ash while beneath your feet, the wood creaks as you step on a particularly older plank.
You have most definitely found the heart of the Deadwoods forest. As you approach the City Hall, where you know the god-traitor will be, you rest your hand on the handle of your ax...
Government
The city generally runs itself, with the Drakon population working together to provide for themselves and the rest of Ak'Aidor. There is no single leader of the city, though most Drakon will either point you toward the resident priest, or one of the city elders when asked who's in charge.
Industry & Trade
Originally founded as a trading post near the mountains, Deadlake has had plenty of contact with foreigners braving the Deadwoods to do trade with the Drakon people. Common imports include coffee and sugar, while exports usually include fish and game native to Ak'Aidor, tools and weapons such as spears and throwing axes, as well as logs from the Deadwood Tree.
A majority of resources provided by Deadlake are taken further into Ak'Aidor, however, to sustain the needs of the rest of the Drakon people. Wood, slate, and dried and salted meat and fish are commonly delivered for construction and food.
Infrastructure
Famous for its surprisingly efficient infrastructure, Deadlake is built in a series of rings, with the centermost point consisting of the City Hall. The city then expands outwards in more and more rings, expanding onto land and into the forest itself with residences, smithies, tanneries, warehouses, trading posts, and other structures relating to trade, labor, and industry within the forest.
Deadlake Bridge
Bisecting the rings of the city, and crossing the entire width of the lake, is a large wood and slate bridge. This bridge connects the path leading into the mountains with the pass leading inland, toward Izekailikal's Watch. The bridge is well maintained and used as the main avenue for travelers and laborers. However, the bridge isn't strong enough to carry an ash crawler, so such creatures still have to go around the lake.
Guilds and Factions
While the city itself has no clearly defined leadership, a number of caste-guilds existing within Deadlake do have leaders. These include the Stone-born laborer caste as well as the Hunter-born, Priest-born, and War-born castes. Generally, these caste-guilds are led by the seniormost male member of each caste, who all meet together at the central hall on a regular basis.
Architecture
Most buildings are built using the logs and planks of the Deadwood Tree growing throughout the forest, in the typical Drakon Deadwood Loghouse style. In some rare cases, buildings may be constructed entirely out of ash-slate instead.
Geography
Deadlake is built on and around a large lake in the middle of the Deadwoods forest. A series of rivers flow down from the Greater and Lesser spines to feed the lake, with another river flowing further inland from the lake. These rivers double as guides for paths leading in and out of the forest as well.
Natural Resources
Located in the middle of the Deadwoods, Deadlake has easy access to the wood and game provided by the forest and Kithar's Bounty. The lake the city is built on also serves as a plentiful source of freshwater fish.
Comments
Author's Notes
Written as part of World Anvil's 2019 Summer Camp.