Greatshadow

"Warm days, guitar music, smell of pie in the air and the echo of distant screams... I'll miss this place." -Last words of Baxter Black before his hanging, 388 CA.

Greatshadow is a city carved from stone, sweat, and desperation, nestled deep within The Stonejaw Mountains, where towering cliffs and jagged peaks cast perpetual shade over its streets. A city of quarries, mines, and master stonemasons, it provides Everwealth with the raw materials for its fortresses, roads, and cathedrals, yet in this time of war, the kingdom has all but abandoned it. Law exists in theory, but survival is the only real rule. But Greatshadow’s fortune does not rest solely in its mountains. Lough Shears, a vast, unpredictable body of water, has shaped much of its history and economy, acting as the city’s link to trade beyond the inland roads. Though the lake’s presence has brought prosperity in the form of shipbuilding, fishing, and trade with the bordering Katharan nation of Scale, its treacherous waters have also claimed countless lives. The great lough provides an escape route for smugglers and merchants alike, yet it remains an untamed beast, storms rise without warning, and the wrecks of old ships are a stark reminder that the lake does not forgive the careless. For the people of Greatshadow, life is work, and work is life. The quarries and mines never sleep, their laborers toiling under dim lantern light, chiseling away the wealth hidden within the mountain’s maw. Merchants and craftsmen trade in stone and metal, but just as many deal in stolen goods, smuggled arms, and outlaw bounties. With no soldiers to enforce order, justice is swift and brutal, delivered at the barrel of a gun or the noose of an angry mob. The city’s few remaining guards, once a force of stability, have been thinned by war drafts, leaving behind hired guns, bounty hunters, and vengeful families to settle disputes in the only way Greatshadow understands, through sheer force of will.

Demographics

Greatshadow is a hard place for hard people, its population a mix of miners, masons, traders, and mercenaries, with only a handful of true aristocrats who live far from the dust and gunfights. Humans make up the majority, though Dwarfish engineers and stonemasons hold great influence, their skill in shaping stone rivaled only by the harsh reputation they’ve earned among locals. Orcs, exiled from more civilized lands, carve out livings as laborers or hired muscle, while smaller populations of gnomes and goblins work in explosives, tunneling, and less scrupulous trades. Lough Shears’ presence has drawn an influx of sailors, shipwrights, and lake-farers, giving Greatshadow a more diverse populace than one might expect from a mountain city. Fishermen from the Katharan borders settle along its edges, bringing with them different customs and trade routes. Unlike the cosmopolitan sprawl of Opulence, Greatshadow is a city of workers, exiles, and survivors, with little room for the weak or the wealthy.

Government

Technically part of Everwealth, but practically its own lawless entity, Greatshadow is governed by whoever has the power to enforce their will. The appointed governor, Lord Eustace Drakewell, is little more than a figurehead, his influence extending no further than the walls of his fortified estate. In truth, power lies in the hands of wealthy mine barons, mercenary leaders, and the ever-present threat of mob justice. The influence of Lough Shears adds another sizeable layer to the city's power struggle. Shipbuilders, dockmasters, and merchants who depend on the lake’s waters wield considerable influence, creating a secondary economy separate from the mining elite. With unchecked piracy and smuggling along its shores, new factions have begun to take root, challenging the city’s already fragile hierarchy.

Defences

With little in the way of formal military presence, Greatshadow relies on hardened mercenaries, hired guns, and raw desperation to protect itself. The city’s geography serves as its greatest defense, surrounded by sheer cliffs, narrow passes, and winding mountain trails that make a direct assault nearly impossible. Fortified outposts and sniper nests line the city’s highest ridges, ensuring that any would-be invader must fight uphill against deeply entrenched soldiers. The waters of Lough Shears, however, present an unpredictable frontier. The city has attempted to control its lakeside docks, but pirate vessels and rogue traders use the deep bends between the cliffs to conduct business outside official oversight. While some factions have fortified sections of the lakeshore, true control of the water remains elusive. However, internal conflict is just as deadly, rival factions control different parts of the city, ensuring that violence is never more than a trigger pull away.

Industry & Trade

Mining and stonecutting are the backbone of Greatshadow, providing raw materials for the kingdom even as its people struggle for survival. Black-market weapons, smuggled relics, and outlawed goods flow through the city unchecked, making it a haven for those who deal in things best left unsaid. The city's artisans craft the finest stoneworks in Everwealth, while its mercenaries and bounty hunters make their living off the constant cycle of violence and retribution. Yet with Lough Shears acting as a maritime lifeline, shipbuilding has surged as a secondary industry. The city’s harbors produce war galleys, merchant barges, and smuggler skiffs, reinforcing Greatshadow’s importance as a naval supplier. The lake’s rich fish stocks also provide sustenance, with salted and smoked catches becoming an unexpected export.

Infrastructure

Greatshadow’s streets are chiseled into the mountainside, a city of dust, stone, and narrow passes, where bridges, tunnels, and scaffolded paths weave between sheer cliffs and deep quarries. Wells and underground reservoirs supply water, though many are privately controlled, forcing residents to pay steep prices or go thirsty. The city’s architecture is crude but sturdy, its buildings carved from raw stone or reinforced timber, designed to withstand both harsh mountain winds and stray bullets. The city’s lakefront infrastructure is a mix of necessity and decay. Docks stretch along the calmer shores, some bustling with trade, others little more than half-rotted piers used by smugglers. Warehouses, fishmongers, and shipyards cluster near the water, forming an industrial zone separate from the city’s stone-cutting heart.

Districts

Despite its lawlessness, Greatshadow is loosely divided into four primary districts:

• The Quarry Quarter is the city’s beating heart, where stone and ore are mined, cut, and shipped off to distant cities. The air is thick with dust and the clang of hammers, and wages are low, ensuring a steady stream of desperate workers willing to risk injury, collapse, or worse.

• The Gilded Scar is a deceptive name for the city’s merchant district, where traders, smugglers, and black-market dealers sell everything from mining equipment to stolen artifacts. It is chaotic, dangerous, and incredibly profitable, with deals made over tables lined with cards, blood, or both.

• The Highstone Ridge houses the wealthy elite, such as they are, mine barons, business owners, and the rare noble who fancies themselves ruler of this broken city. Their homes are carved into the mountains themselves, fortified against bandit raids and desperate revolutionaries alike.

• The Bone Alley is where debts are settled. A winding row of gambling halls, bounty offices, and execution yards, this is where the city’s many vendettas, debts, and feuds meet their bloody conclusion.

Assets

Despite its chaos, Greatshadow possesses wealth beyond measure, if one can live long enough to enjoy it. Its quarries produce the finest stone in Everwealth, sought after for palaces, fortresses, and cathedrals. The mines yield iron, silver, and small traces of gold, though much of it is smuggled into the hands of private dealers long before the kingdom ever sees it. Gunpowder and dynamite are in constant supply, both for mining and the frequent street battles between rival factions. The true prize, however, lies in its deepest tunnels, where ancient ruins, lost veins of ore, and unknown horrors await discovery. Many who descend into the oldest mines never return, leaving behind only whispered warnings and forgotten maps.

Guilds and Factions

Power belongs to those willing to take it by force. The Stonejaw Mining Consortium controls the deepest veins and most valuable quarries, enforcing their will through private enforcers and debt collectors. The Iron Claw Mercenary Company sells protection to the highest bidder, while the Black Vein Syndicate smuggles contraband, weapons, and stolen resources in and out of the city. The Hangman’s Union, a loose collection of bounty hunters and vigilantes, enforces justice in their own brutal way, ensuring that no crime goes unpunished, so long as someone is willing to pay.

History

Founded as a simple quarry town, Greatshadow grew into a city of outlaws, exiles, and opportunists. Over the centuries, it became Everwealth’s greatest source of stone and ore, but with its riches came lawlessness and bloodshed. Gangs, mercenaries, and mining barons shaped its evolution, turning it into a city ruled by the gun rather than the crown. Now, with Everwealth’s armies stretched thin and the roads crawling with danger, Greatshadow is left to fend for itself, and those who live there wouldn’t have it any other way.

Points of interest

Greatshadow is a city built on stone, sweat, and blood, and its landmarks reflect its harsh, unforgiving nature. The Hollow Mines, some of the deepest excavations in Everwealth, are both a source of endless wealth and whispered nightmares, with tunnels leading to lost caverns, collapsed ruins, and veins of ore untouched for centuries. The Gallows Square, centrally located, is where justice, swift, brutal, and often unjust, is carried out, its wooden beams almost never without a hanging rope. Bonebreaker’s Pit, a crude but immensely popular fighting arena, sees miners, mercenaries, and criminals settle disputes with fists, blades, and bullets, drawing gamblers and spectators from across the city. The Highstone Watch, a fortified overlook built into the cliffs, offers a vantage point over the entire city, ensuring that no one enters or leaves without the right people knowing. The most infamous locale, however, is Graveyard Row, a long, desolate stretch of abandoned mining shafts, where those who cross the wrong people vanish overnight. Though most avoid it, rumors persist that some of the tunnels still lead somewhere deeper than the mines themselves, places best left forgotten.

Tourism

If one comes to Greatshadow, it is never for pleasure. Wealthy investors and merchants arrive to inspect their mining operations, mercenaries and bounty hunters seek work, and criminals on the run find refuge among those willing to trade silence for a price. Treasure hunters and ruin delvers occasionally brave the mines, lured by tales of buried vaults and lost relics, though few return with more than a bullet or a missing limb. Gambling dens, brothels, and illicit fighting rings cater to the rough, desperate crowd that passes through, ensuring that coin never lingers long in anyone’s pocket. There is little in the way of true hospitality, most inns double as fortresses, and those who fail to keep their wits about them rarely make it through the night.

Architecture

Greatshadow’s architecture is sturdy, practical, and completely devoid of luxury. The majority of buildings are carved directly from the mountainside, reinforced with timber and iron, their exteriors weathered by wind and soot. Stone structures dominate the city, often scarred by bullet holes and old fire damage, while wooden scaffolding, rope bridges, and makeshift platforms crisscross the cliffs, allowing access to different levels of the settlement. Iron-braced saloons, grimy bunkhouses, and fortified mining offices stand as the only true businesses, their interiors dimly lit by lanterns and perpetually filled with the scent of smoke, whiskey, and blood. The city has no grand halls or towering monuments, only dust, sweat, and the constant clang of pickaxes against stone.

Geography

Nestled in the shadow of the Stonejaw Mountains, Greatshadow is carved into rocky hills and ridges, its roads winding along jagged cliffs and deep mining pits. The terrain is harsh and uneven, with frequent landslides and rockfalls shaping the landscape over generations. Sparse scrubland and pine clusters dot the outskirts, though the deeper wilderness is known for predators, bandits, and worse.

Climate

Greatshadow endures long, bitter winters with harsh winds and frequent snowfall, while summers bring brief but scorching heat. The mountains trap cold air and mist, often keeping the city shrouded in gloom, adding to its namesake. Sudden storms and heavy rains frequently flood tunnels and erode roads, making travel a constant gamble.

Natural Resources

Greatshadow’s wealth extends beyond its mountains, with Lough Shears providing an essential, often overlooked, bounty. The lake's deep waters offer valuable fish, while its mineral-rich silt is prized by farmers along its banks. The timber-rich shores supply wood for Greatshadow’s growing shipbuilding industry, particularly the robust Shipwright’s Timber used in durable lake-faring vessels. The lake’s unpredictable tides frequently unearth rare but dangerous and illegal Mire-=Iron deposits, adding to the region’s metal supply. Despite the city's reliance on mining, the growing maritime trade has led to an increasing demand for ship-ready materials, further entwining Greatshadow’s fate with Lough Shears.

Founding Date

216 CA

Alternative Name(s)

'A Bad Place', 'The Lawman's Blindspot'.

Population

6,600

Inhabitant Demonym

"Shadowed', 'Greats'.

Owning Organization

The Monarchy