Olan Tor
A City-State built into the side and bowels of an ancient volcano on the northern coast of the Bay of Dreams. Olan Tor was a great Dwarven city before the War of Liberation. All dwarven fortress-cities bear the name Olan, the dwarven word for fortress which in more literal translation means unbreakable. After the War, the city's rebel conquerers renamed it Tor1, from its old name Arfell2, as a snub to the Dwarves whom they had routed from the city. Rumors abound to this day that there are hidden enclaves of dwarves in the vast tunnel networks under the city who await the day they can retake their home. The southern edge of the volcano blew out into the sea during an eruption thousands of years ago and the southern approach into the city appears as a series of terraced steps cut by the dwarves into the concave portion of the remaining roughly horseshoe shape. The dwarves cut tiers into the cliffside with each tier about 50' higher than the next. This arrangement forms an extremely well-protected bay that shields the city from the rare violent storms that happen in the region every several years. Numerous tunnels cut into the side of the terraces and connect with the many lava tubes that run through the mountainside, these tubes, plus dwarven-made tunnels, over the centuries the dwarves expanded these tunnels into caverns with the aid of bound elementals greatly expanding the city's above-ground size.
- No self-aware being shall infringe of the sovereignty of another.
- Free trade that does not violate the sanctity of the individual shall not be interfered with, and labor must be paid its true value.
- Olan Tor shall have no prisons, those guilty of crimes against the city shall be banished or in the most extreme cases, put to death.
Founded on the Edicts, by a coalition of anarchistic rebel groups who did not favor Andol's conservative laws while also feeling that Arnaia's liberal policies did not go far enough, Olan Tor comes close to being a fully anarchistic state. However, the many gangs, merchant guilds, and power groups in the city maintain an array of always-shifting alliances that have managed to keep the city from slipping into chaos while also keeping any single coalition of alliances from gaining full control of the city. Unsurprisingly, the 1st and 2nd Edicts are closely followed, though a range of interpretations exist. While no one disputes the 1st Edict applies to humanoid inhabitants and even many non-humanoid intelligent beings, some argue that the Edicts apply to all animals. The 2nd Edict is often debated as far as the finer points of what constitutes and violation of individual sanctity, and the "true value, clause is often debated but wages in Olan Tor tend to be high in comparison to even nations like Arainia. Finally, the 3rd edict generally only applies to those who attempt to engage in slavery or those who work against the city with external powers. While the city's general lawlessness gives way to spates of violence from time to time, the city has long had an established pecking order. While there are frequent fistfights and drunken brawls, actual violent crimes are fairly rare as they violate the 1st Edict. Additionally, every thief and assassin on Terislan knows that the people of Olan Tor are ready, willing, and able to defend themselves and that even a matronly peddler may not be what they seem. Major violence often only breaks out when a group makes a sudden bid to raise its station or an outsider moves into the city and tries to establish a place in the order of things. Such power bids are rare as every other faction and individuals in the city quickly rise to oppose such breeches of the Edicts. Olan Tor's semi-anarchistic structure, with no central ruling body, means that criminal cartels, mercenary groups, merchant houses, and righteous crusaders compete and ally to rule various parts of the city. This arrangement suits the people of Olan Tor and they have shown that they can set aside their differences to repel prospective invaders who, perceiving them as fractured and weak have attempted to seize the city no less than 5 times over the last 200 years. Internal power grabs for domination of the city are more frequent but prove even less successful, as there are just too many power bases in the city to conquer or control. This seemingly oxymoronic state of organized chaos has existed, with all its hard-to-follow complexities since the city was established.
Most residents acknowledge the Blue Daggers as the foremost and longest-lasting of the city's power groups, this organization runs a large portion of the protection racket and black market in the bowels of the city. Notably, the Blue Daggers actually provide the protection they charge their clients for and those that would dare make trouble in their districts tend to find themselves warned for a first offense, bloodied for a second, and usually go missing if the Blue Daggers deem a third visit necessary. Serious offenses may skip the more "polite" first and second visits. After the Blue Daggers, the Cutters run the city's terraced docks, with the lower sections being dedicated to naval shipping and the upper sections servicing skyships. The Cutters manage to keep the docks largely under control and don’t do or allow anything that would disrupt the flow of goods and services to or from the city, as this would violate the Edicts. The massive docks of the city are a hive of warehouses, drinking parlors, gambling dens, brothels, and places that cater to nearly any vice that can be imagined. Notably, every power group in the city agrees that children are off-limits when it comes to free trade, and anyone trying to engage child in labor, other than something like a family store, or any abuse of children is considered a violation of all three Edicts. Conversely, any imaginable activity engaged in by consenting adults can be found in Olan Tor. Throughout the city a group known as the Magistrates selected from among the ranks of the various power groups in the city act as a sort of loose judicial branch that rules on violations of the Edicts. Each group can appoint no more than 12 Magistrates and cannot bring any case in which they are involved to a Magistrate from their faction. The system naturally harbors a great deal of corruption and with so many factions involved money, favors, or services can get a case to swing in the favor of anyone willing or able to pay. However, with so many power groups in the city, a quid pro quo system prevents corruption from getting out of hand to the point that it causes social collapse or violation of the 2nd Edict. This arrangement makes it imperative for anyone having any extensive dealings in the city to have connections with one of the city's power groups. Additionally, another silent agreement ensures that foreign traders are immune from criminal interference that would make the trade the city thrives on dwindle.
Interestingly, the anarchic nature of the city gives the advantage to the city's trade union over its merchant guilds as the average citizen of Olan Tor tends to side with workers. So when workers demand concessions and threaten a strike public sentiment rests with the workers, and strikes are not seen as a violation of the 2nd Edict. Instead, merchant guilds generally take the blame if the care of their workers is deemed lacking. Merchants often meet their workers' demands lest they find the city accusing them of violating the 2nd Edict, tough stikes in Olan Tor are exceedingly rare as merchants want to avoid such trouble in the first place. Additionally. most merchants are descended from families who have passed down stories of the Enslavement, which make any even accusations of mistreating or underpaying workers an unforgivable transgressions that most businesses wouldn't survive.
1Freedom; 2Crimson, also Blood.
Founding Date
24 YL
Type
Geopolitical, City-state
Alternative Names
Bloodport. The Meat Grinder.
Demonym
Torites
Government System
Anarchy
Economic System
Mixed economy
Comments