Verd’Ain
Created by Adam Tingley // Wreckerdwarf
Verd'Ain City [PH] by OpenAI
Verd’Ain, o’ Verd’Ain
We dredged and dug and delved
We cleared and clawed and saw
We scooped and scraped and claimed
Verd’Ain, o’ Verd’Ain
We tread and step and march
We carry and build and tarry
We trail and road and lane
Verd’Ain, o’ Verd’Ain
We plough and sow and seed
We settle and live and wait
We harvest and cook and sustain
Verd’Ain, o’ Verd’Ain
We travel and toil and take
We gather and refine and polish
We push and defend and contain
Verd’Ain, o’ Verd’Ain
We fight and bleed and defend
We hold and hamper and hope
We repair and recoup and remain
Verd’Ain, o’ Verd’Ain
We stifle and scrimp and scrape
We harvest so little as of late
We burn our starved kin that the goblinfolk hath slain
Verd’Ain, o’ Verd’Ain
The Founding
Originally a large outpost situated in the southernmost regions of the network. The outpost itself was under threat of goblin activity and the usual fungi of the region grew sparsely under the natural conditions. Upon the discovery of a huge emerald deposit within a picks reach of the outpost, attitudes towards the viability of the outpost changed drastically. It didn’t take long for prospectors, miners and profiteers to rush the region. Within only a few short years the outpost had grown to become a fully fledged city in its own right. Producing highly sought after emerald glassware which had applications from cookery, alchemy, brewing and jewellery. Artisans travelled from far and wide to finesse their crafts here. However, things were not meant to last. The city's founding prospector’s guild knew that the emerald deposit would eventually be fully harvested and the town would be left abandoned like so many other regions before. Defences were low and only able to fend off the goblin hoards. The dwarven folk poured resources into the extraction of material and severely underfunded other critical areas which would usually be required for long term habitation. The walls of the city were left thin. The aquifer diversions to keep the farms fertile were woefully inadequate. Reliant on trade and importing of foodstuffs to keep their own supplies afloat. The deposit was only two thirds harvested by the time the first round of droughts occurred. To counter this, the coffers took a minor hit and the importing of water began to tide them over. Then the raids became more frequent. Trade caravans were lost entirely and the tunnels became more treacherous. Then the second drought came and along with it, the ferocity of goblin raids intensified. Stockpiles were raided and areas of the city were lost.A Change to the Status Quo
An uprising of the mining guild overthrew the previous prospector’s guild leadership and was heavily supported by civilian and military populace alike. This new leadership enacted laws and decrees to help the city recover and become more than just another greedy point of the dwarven races' pick. One such decree was rationing. Although unpopular, it was seen as a necessary burden for the city and its dwellers to survive. However, the raids did not cease. The goblinkind here were unrelenting and showed far more determination to survive than their counterparts from record. They simply refused to roll over and die. They began targeting supply lines and the farms. Without the means to supply the populace, rationing became strict. Desperation and discourse went hand in hand and looting began to become commonplace. The guild kept the guards' ration higher than most and so the guard remained loyal. They painted proclamations across the city. In paint of shimmering emerald green pigment. “THEFT OF RATIONS IS PUNISHABLE BY EXILE” Exile. With travel routes crawling with enemy scum, exile was no more than a cowardly form of execution. A way to thin out our kin’s number to increase the supply remaining for those that could hold out a little longer. By the time any form of military intervention could arrive from neighbouring city states, the city was completely lost. It was clear that the raiding did not cease and the last stand of the dwarves of Verd’ain had been held long prior to their saviour’s arrival.
Verd'Ain City Street [PH] by OpenAI
This article was created for my first World Ember - I hope you enjoy my writings and I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback!
I really like the song (or poem?) at the beginning and the way it starts with the city being built then ends with hints of their demise. The article is good and highlights the parts of the city people would want to read the most, why it existed and why it no longer exists. I really need to write some city articles myself, so it's good to see one that isn't a giant encyclopedia. My temptation will be to brain dump it all, haha. One little thing. In the second paragraph in, "a change to the status quo," you have one paragraph that says, "our farming operations," while the rest of the article reads third person to me. That one our feels like a narrator shift.
Thanks very much! Great spot by the way, I've edited that little bit just now :) I try to avoid adding too much nitty gritty factual detail into articles (Although it's still all set up behind the scenes but don't tell anyone shhh)