Ünterhall
Ünterhall was the stronghold of the Granam people from the early-middle of the second age, until it's collapse at the closing of the same age. Famous for the production of granem metal, now named after the people who once had mastered its craft. The city's fall, along with other contemporaneous events marked the end of the 2nd Age. In present times the city has been reoccupied by Horen Folk and is now called Horenhall.
Demographics
It is widely believed that almost the entire Granem population lived at Ünterhall. Additionally, the city was also home to a plethora of other sapient species and spirits interested in the booming trade economy that was found there.
Government
Ünterhall was ruled by the Granem King of Ünterhall who was served by a royal counsel. The king and his advisors had the power to levy tax, marshal a guard and standing army, navigate the geopolitical landscapes, and enact general governance and law. The merchants guild however, had equal power to that of the king in all things according to trade. The Guild was responsible for fair pricing of goods and services, regulations and market restrictions, as well as negotiating new trade deals for Ünterhall. The city-state quickly became the epicenter of trade in the civilized parts of Renúdetla, and dominated the global market for half an age.
Defences
When carving out the city, the craftsmen left the a connection portion of the mountain that neatly wraps itself around the city and acts as rock-faced wall, connecting the two neighboring thirds of the mountain of the city together at the base.
Industry & Trade
The Merchants Guild of Ünterhall were renowned for both their fair pricing of goods, and their carefully monitored distribution of granem metal. Although the metal was widely distributed by private industries, their sale and value was highly scrutinized by the Guild. Having the market cornered on the production of granem metal certainly brought prospective buyers into the city. However it was the strict regulations and consistent fair market values enforced by the Guild that elevated Ünterhall to the epicenter of trade and commerce.
Infrastructure
The outer city of Ünterhall was carved out of the mountain itself. During times of peace, the enormous gates to the inner city under the mountain remained open. While the city is under threat or siege, the inhabitants would retreat inside the mountain to safely wait out the danger.
Guilds and Factions
very little is mentioned of any other political faction other than the Merchants Guild outside of the royal families. In any regard, the Merchants Guild held any amount of power in Ünterhall worth mentioning. The merchants were responsible for overseeing a fair market, maintaining the distribution of granem metal, and even establishing trade routes and holding trade negotiations with foreign powers. The monopoly of production on the finest steel in Renúdetla gave the small city-state a remarkable surge in economic prosperity as the materials' population grew.
History
In the early years of Ünterhill it was populated exclusively by Granem. The city grew in size to accommodate the increasing population and primarily exported rare minerals and gems. It wasn't until several centuries later that the refinement of direllium ore was perfected and direllium metal put the relatively quiet city-state on the larger world map almost immediately. A metal superior to steel was an immediate necessity of any and every armed force that caught wind of or fought against a plate of unbreakable armor. The name Direllium was quickly forgotten in lieu of the metals' cultural namesake. The economic prosperity directed by the Merchants Guild led the city-state to a gilded age of growth for centuries. Ünterhalls' production of granem metal gave a natural rise to a rank of neutrality through the years, reinforced by the undeniable powerhouse of trade the city had become.
It is not entirely sure what the exact cause was of the fall of the Granem people. There are not reliable firsthand accounts of what happened in the confines of the inner city. However onlookers from outside the city walls reported that the entire city had been engulfed in flames. The screams of the dying city could reportedly be heard over a kilometer away.
Architecture
No outside materials were used in the initial construction of the city, and every building made of stone was chiseled out of Mt. Horen. The middle third of the southern side of the mountain, where once at the dawn of the second age there were cliffs and sloping mountainsides, had been removed and replaced with beautifully sculpted buildings and eye-wateringly tall towers. The chief two among them stand at the very center with the mountain face at their back, a third the height of the mountain itself.Between the two of these gargantuan towers stands a colossal gate of
granem Metal.
The inner city is thrice the size at least of the outer city, if not four. Great spiraling staircases encased in stone lead to an endless array of balconies that end at the very top of the peak of the mountain. Enormous walkways crisscross the chasm the Granem have opened inside the mountain. Beneath your feet, a catacomb of halls, chambers, and rooms. Kitchens, smiths, great furnaces that fill greater rooms, and a labyrinth of tunnels and paths to connect them all. Even today with the resettlement of the Horen Folk it is not believed that the city has even been fully excavated or discovered.
Natural Resources
The Bjargan Mountains that house Ünterhall have produced veins of gold ore, iron ore, various precious gems, and is remarkable for being the only known geographical location where the mineral direllium ore has been discovered.
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