Terror's Landing Settlement in Eldûra | World Anvil

Terror's Landing

Picture this: you have become lost in a raging blizzard and are desperately trying to make your way south to warmer climes. But unbeknownst to you, you have instead been going north, deeper into the howling arctic winds and the merciless snowstorm. You can’t see the sun or the stars and are unable to gauge what direction you are traveling. Your food is dwindling, you have run out of firewood, and your winter clothes are growing wet. You know your end is charging towards you, and there is no way to dodge it.   Finally, your legs can’t carry you any farther. You collapse to your knees in the deep snow with a weak whimper. You don’t want to die and you rue the fact you decided to leave home at all. You let out a rage-filled, yet exhausted cry. Defeated frustration surges through you when the storm swallows up the sound, effectively isolating you from the world.   As your clothes begin to freeze and stiffen, and the cold seeps in until it felt like you were too hot and the edges of your vision begin to darken, quiet, tired acceptance washes over you and you close your eyes.   A long, lonely moment later, you feel something pick you up under the arms. At first, you believe it's nothing more than a cold-induced hallucination—but then you feel your numb legs straighten and stand beneath you. Your eyes open, and you find yourself face-to-face with two strangers, eerie and ghoulish with their half-masks, bug-like glass eye coverings, strange style of clothes, and triangular hats. Small bits of their clothes glow, reinforcing your fear that you are simply hallucinating.   As the sound of horses crunching through the snow reaches you, the darkness finally takes you, and you pass out.
Terror’s Landing is an oddity when it comes to the rest of Eldûra. Located high on the slopes of the mountains on the west face of the Forbidden Mountains, the first impression one gets of the place is confusion. A large, wooden ship with masts that reached for the sky like wicked-looking inverted icicles. Why is the ship here, so far from the sea? And why is it up the side of a mountain?   What follows is confusion and a bit of awe of the architecture of the buildings—which were so strange and alien that no Eldûran who visits the city can tell if the style came from any in Eldûra that had come before. There are theories, but none wish to bring it up to them as those who hail from Terror’s Landing are rather courteous and friendly.   The ship sits at the top of the city, and acts as the City Hall and home of the city’s mayor—or “Captain” as the city’s citizens refer to him. The city’s market center sits a few meters below it, where the slope flattens out for a total of a couple hundred square meters, which is just large enough for a blacksmith’s, livery stables, general store, and leatherworker’s. To the left of the market sit the oldest houses, the first built after the settlers came to the mountain, which as come to be called Mount Crozier. Their placement is messy and uneven, a clear testament to how the houses had to be built quickly, without regard to how the city would be laid out in the future.   Since then, the layout of the city has been meticulously planned with straight streets and square blocks of buildings.   Terror’s Landing is home to one inn, a tall four-storied building that is tall enough to give a view of the wastes from its fourth floor and the stone slabbed roof, which is often covered by snow due to the roof being too high up to enjoy the warmth of the Thermal Corite down below.   The city of Terror’s Landing is divided into four wards:  
  • The Welcome Ward is the ward that spans the entrance of the city, spanning from the east side to the west side of the city yet reaching into the city by only three blocks.
 
  • The Sailor’s Ward is the ward that spans from the northern border of the Welcome Ward to the base of the Commerce Ward, and from the middle of the Welcome Ward to the eastern wall and up to the top of the city. It is the ward where many of the sailors chose to build their homes after the first winter finally thawed.
 
  • The Orchard Ward is the ward that spans from the western border of the Sailor’s Ward up to the Commerce Ward and across to the western wall of the city. It is home to all the city’s fruit trees, which range from apples to cherries, where they are kept warm by the city’s Thermal Corite.
 
  • The Commerce Ward is home to the city’s iconic ship/city hall and all the city’s businesses and markets. It is the heart of the city and the number-one place to go when you are in need of something.
  Terror’s Landing is a city that has been blessed with an ore that produces a harmless form of heat. Thermal Corite is a translucent, orange-red crystalline ore that was found beneath the city in the caves that the first settlers were planning to shelter in for the coming winter. The ore allowed them to start building their settlement right then.   The Thermal Corite allows the people of Terror’s Landing to live a relatively comfortable life in a climate that is relatively inhospitable.
Founding Date
150 years before present day
Alternative Name(s)
The Sky Harbour, The Sky Dock
Type
City
Population
Approx. 3000
Location under
Ruling/Owning Rank
Characters in Location

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