Drakenhelm
Drakenhelm is the jewel of the North, the capital of the imperial province of Drakenheim, and the oldest city in the Empire.
Nearly 700 years ago, the Nordling tribes pledged to aid the King of the Dwarves. Led by High King Holm Graelingard, they helped repel a Greenskin onslaught that threatened to consume the world. Their reward was the construction of an impressive stone-wrought city nestled between outcrops of Mount Erheim, on the ancient meeting grounds of their forefathers.
For 50 years, the Nordling kings ruled from Drakenhelm. But under Ulric, Holm's son, they grew envious of the wealth of the Southron realms. Ulric once again led the Nordlings to war, and conquered the Midland Valmer. Their capital of Veltharion was razed, and Holmgard was built in its stead. And so a new realm, the Holmgardian Empire, was forged.
Though the capital has not stood in Drakenhelm for many centuries, the old city retains its glory. The greatest temple of Tyr in the world, the Citadel, is here, as is a splendid palace - Drakenmont. Drakenhelm remains the most important city in the more "rustic" North: a place where tribes still gather, and a bastion of civilisation.
Nearly 700 years ago, the Nordling tribes pledged to aid the King of the Dwarves. Led by High King Holm Graelingard, they helped repel a Greenskin onslaught that threatened to consume the world. Their reward was the construction of an impressive stone-wrought city nestled between outcrops of Mount Erheim, on the ancient meeting grounds of their forefathers.
For 50 years, the Nordling kings ruled from Drakenhelm. But under Ulric, Holm's son, they grew envious of the wealth of the Southron realms. Ulric once again led the Nordlings to war, and conquered the Midland Valmer. Their capital of Veltharion was razed, and Holmgard was built in its stead. And so a new realm, the Holmgardian Empire, was forged.
Though the capital has not stood in Drakenhelm for many centuries, the old city retains its glory. The greatest temple of Tyr in the world, the Citadel, is here, as is a splendid palace - Drakenmont. Drakenhelm remains the most important city in the more "rustic" North: a place where tribes still gather, and a bastion of civilisation.
Demographics
95% Holmgardian, 2% Half-Orc, 2% Half-Dwarf, 1% Other
Government
Like Holmgard, Drakenhelm is directly administered by the Emperor and the council. Unlike Holmgard, which contains many independent institutions (the Witan, the Imperial College) that provide a check on the imperial throne, the Emperor's hold over Drakenhelm is absolute, and he is essentially worshipped as a god here. Drakenhelm, though rough around the edges with a high proportion of barbarian tribesfolk, is a remarkably orderly city with little crime thanks to the efforts of the Palatine Guard and more recently, the Rhudarian Ravnknechts.
Districts
Graelhof:
The wealthiest part of Drakenhelm, Graelhof is a district built on the shore of the crystaline Eldermere, the very same lake where it is said Holm's ship the Haloghast departed from the Overhall on a final voyage. Running from Imperium Square to the Eldermere is the Dwemerstrasse, a wide highway paved with broad granite stones. Set against the towering, snow-capped peaks of the Norgannothi Mountains is Jarlberg Row, a collection of a few dozen grand, 3-4 story stone manors, all of dwarven design, home to some of the oldest families in the Holmgardian Empire. One of the more famous inhabitants of Graelhof is Garon von Rallus, one of the heroes of the War of the Broken Crypt.
The Dwemer Exchange
The dwarven district of Drakenhelm has been bereft of many dwarves for a few centuries. Most of the dwarven population retreated to their homelands during the calamity of the 6th century HR, and the remainder migrated to Prythian a century and a half later. Nonetheless, the Dwemer Exchange is a sprawling expanse of forges and weapon merchants, the largest military market in the Empire, where vast quantities of ore are hauled from Thyssenmark to mass produce weapons for the imperial military machine. It is also the home to the Steelpact Inn, a famous dwarven establishment catering the the upper crust of Drakenhelm society. On the eastern edge of the Exchange is the ancient dwarven outpost of Nuhn Gurnum, known colloquially as "the Dwemerburg", an abandoned ruin sealed for generations.
Aldhof
A mostly empty district which was once a major residential hub, Aldhof is now used as a military assembly point and contains an ancient wooden hall known as the Witanburg, the very first meeting place of the chieftains of the Holmgardians and the place where Holm Graelingard convened his army to fight the orcish invasion of 0 HR.
Geldhof
The largest of Drakenhelm's districts, Geldhof is a bustling but orderly neighborhood of apartments stretching from Imperium square to the Marktplatz, which are connected by two broad roads, the Frostfangstrasse and Urogarstrasse. The Raven's Rest, a very large and "touristy" tavern carved out of a rock outcropping favoured by pilgrims and visitors is here, and does a brisk trade. Furs, obsidian, ivory, mead, amber, and religious iconography are exchanged here for textiles, war booty, magical items, and wine at the Marketplatz.
Neuhof
Crammed between Markstrasse and the Battlement is Neuhof, a crowded district of thatch longhouses that is the closest thing Drakenhelm has to a slum. Working class in nature, Neuhof has a thriving half-orc community with close ties to Mulgarath, the recently resettled orcish city-state to the northwest of Drakenhelm. The principal gathering point here is the Cracked Horn, a sprawling tavern run by a veteran of the Ashen Crusade , Nils.
The wealthiest part of Drakenhelm, Graelhof is a district built on the shore of the crystaline Eldermere, the very same lake where it is said Holm's ship the Haloghast departed from the Overhall on a final voyage. Running from Imperium Square to the Eldermere is the Dwemerstrasse, a wide highway paved with broad granite stones. Set against the towering, snow-capped peaks of the Norgannothi Mountains is Jarlberg Row, a collection of a few dozen grand, 3-4 story stone manors, all of dwarven design, home to some of the oldest families in the Holmgardian Empire. One of the more famous inhabitants of Graelhof is Garon von Rallus, one of the heroes of the War of the Broken Crypt.
The Dwemer Exchange
The dwarven district of Drakenhelm has been bereft of many dwarves for a few centuries. Most of the dwarven population retreated to their homelands during the calamity of the 6th century HR, and the remainder migrated to Prythian a century and a half later. Nonetheless, the Dwemer Exchange is a sprawling expanse of forges and weapon merchants, the largest military market in the Empire, where vast quantities of ore are hauled from Thyssenmark to mass produce weapons for the imperial military machine. It is also the home to the Steelpact Inn, a famous dwarven establishment catering the the upper crust of Drakenhelm society. On the eastern edge of the Exchange is the ancient dwarven outpost of Nuhn Gurnum, known colloquially as "the Dwemerburg", an abandoned ruin sealed for generations.
Aldhof
A mostly empty district which was once a major residential hub, Aldhof is now used as a military assembly point and contains an ancient wooden hall known as the Witanburg, the very first meeting place of the chieftains of the Holmgardians and the place where Holm Graelingard convened his army to fight the orcish invasion of 0 HR.
Geldhof
The largest of Drakenhelm's districts, Geldhof is a bustling but orderly neighborhood of apartments stretching from Imperium square to the Marktplatz, which are connected by two broad roads, the Frostfangstrasse and Urogarstrasse. The Raven's Rest, a very large and "touristy" tavern carved out of a rock outcropping favoured by pilgrims and visitors is here, and does a brisk trade. Furs, obsidian, ivory, mead, amber, and religious iconography are exchanged here for textiles, war booty, magical items, and wine at the Marketplatz.
Neuhof
Crammed between Markstrasse and the Battlement is Neuhof, a crowded district of thatch longhouses that is the closest thing Drakenhelm has to a slum. Working class in nature, Neuhof has a thriving half-orc community with close ties to Mulgarath, the recently resettled orcish city-state to the northwest of Drakenhelm. The principal gathering point here is the Cracked Horn, a sprawling tavern run by a veteran of the Ashen Crusade , Nils.
Architecture
The architecture of Drakenhelm is its principal wonder, for no other city in the Empire has such a preponderance of fine stone buildings. Rows of orderly granite apartments line the cobble streets, gargoyles and runic inscriptions carved into their gables. The citadel of Tyr is a cavernous hall with an interior space far larger than any work of humanity, while the Drakenmont, carved into the mountain itself, overlooks the city.
Geography
The city was constructed on a plateau between two wooded outcroppings of Mount Erheim, a snow-capped peak said to be the residence of Tyr himself. The high altitude affords a spectacular view of the rugged Ashbalit hills that surround the region and make farming difficult. The city itself is supplied by the Eldermere, a freshwater lake supplied by underground springs. From the Eldermere, the Bloodmaw river begins and works its way through a foggy clutch of rocky islands on its way out of Drakenhelm and into the surrounding region, where it eventually joins the great river Alchen on its path to the sea.
Founding Date
5 HR
Type
City
Population
60,000 (50 HR), 30,000 (687 HR), 45,000 (739 HR)
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