Terragar
Isolated mountain enclave nestled in the northern marches of the Deep Zone
Though I shall never see the mountain climes of Terragar I am told it is an impressive sight. Or at least what may be seen is impressive. Traders who venture the waters of Gila speak of a forbidding mountain steeps and perilous cliffs. The only easy approach to the realm of the Zone's mountain kings is through the Ollvar Pass and that passage is held fast by a stone keep called Sabzalar Uxum, the Stronghold of Sabza. Behind the curtain wall of Sabza the ancient stones of Terragar City lay hidden from outsiders. These gates have been shut to most travelers for nearly a hundred years. From what I have read, it seems they have their reasons for being wary of foreigners.
Demographics
Nearly all of the inhabitants of Terragar are native Terragnians. The city is largely occupied (40%) by miners and metalworkers that feed the burgeoning trade in precious and rare earth metals that has emerged in the Terragar Heights. This includes actual miners as well as blacksmiths, whitesmiths, and tinkers. The home hearth war bands of the Terragar King, Zakiah, keep their headquarters within the gates of nearby Sabza and they account for a further 20% of the local populace. Local providers of goods and services, including hostelers, tavern keepers, servers, companions, grooms, artisans, and apprentices, account for a further 15% of the population. Agricultural workers and traders each comprise 10% of local residents leaving the last 5% divided among local administration, including the Court of the Mountain King and his hearth of Companions as well as the assorted clergy of the Akhal Teke faith.
Government
The city and broader kingdom of Terragar are ruled by an elected monarch known as the Mountain King of Terragar. This king is elected by a body of noble landowners known as the College of Thanes, who select a new king whenever the post becomes vacant. The elected kings are chosen for life and rule with executive authority in the governance of the kingdom. The noble Thanes of electing college retain bureaucratic control and revenues within their own allodial holdings and advise their king on state matters.
Infrastructure
The city of Terragar is built upon the slopes of Mount Sabza and on top of its rich copper and iron mines. The mine workers of the city live inside the city walls and the Terragnian smithies and mills used to refine and work raw metallic ore are likewise located inside Terragar itself. Rumor has it that a vein of burning black rock has been discovered to the north and that Terragnian metalworkers are currently investigating possible uses for this piece of recovered Precursor technical knowledge.
The mountainous terrain surrounding Terragar and the settlement's sudden population increase has necessitated the invention of mountain rain collectors to move fresh water into the city. Dozens of great cast iron cisterns are built into the peaks of the Sabza Heights. A network of lead pipes conveys the collected waters into the city for the use of Terragar's citizens.
The Sabza region poses similar challenges for agriculture, and the farmers of Terragar use farming and irrigation technology that imitates the terraced plateaus of the Precursor breadbasket known as the Gardens of Acros. While Terragar's farmers lack access to the aquifer pump technology used at Acros, they nonetheless have constructed their own cultivated terraces using irrigation principles observed in the Acros terrace system.
Assets
The great mineral reserves of Terragar are an obvious source of wealth. Terragnian metallurgists are currently preoccupied with developing high grade steel based upon technical manuals recovered from an untapped Precursor vault. The new steel weapons and tools emerging from Terragar's smithies and steelworks are rapidly becoming highly coveted commodities throughout the Forbidden Zone.
Guilds and Factions
Holy Covenant of Akhal-Teke
Stone Guard of Terragar
Brotherhood of the Blue Rose
Stone Guard of Terragar
Brotherhood of the Blue Rose
Architecture
The city of Terragar is made out of stone blocks quarried and cut from the rocks of Mount Sabza. These stones are mostly sandstone, granite, and limestone. Terragnian architects have taken great pains to design their stone dwellings in the style of the Late-Precursor Kingdoms and even make use of a concrete formula similar to that used in buildings recovered from Urzen ruins.
Geography
The city of Terragar is situated upon the slopes of Mount Sabza at an elevation of 3000 feet above sea level. At these heights the vegetation thins giving Terragnians a decent visual prospect of the steaming jungle canopy beneath them. Unlike the tropical climate that persists in the valleys and lowlands of the Zone, the mountainous region of Terragar is known for a relatively brisk and temperate climate.
Type
City
Population
25,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Terragnians
Location under
Included Locations
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