Garthedd (Gar-th-edd)

Garthedd, the City of Conflux, was once a majestic testament to architectural grandeur and arcane mastery as a floating city. It was the capital of the Crystal Catalyst and the seat of its power; it was also, during the Age of Blood, the base for the Catalyst’s attacks as the kingdom sought complete domination over Runetalras. At the end of the Age of Blood Garthedd was teleported to Weave. In the Age of Contempt the Lich Lord Terraxia teleported Garthedd to the Prime Material Plane once more and sought domination in a conflict known as the Wars of Undeath. Garthedd was damaged as the Heroes of Free State tore it from the skies, the city was sacked, and put under the occupation of its conquerors leaving much of its grandeur well and truly in the past.

Geography

Garthedd is in essence a city state. The city of Garthedd is massive in size approximately five miles in diameter. The entirety of the surface of the city is diffused in a sickly blue light almost looking like a bloom or haze. The City’s streets are designed with streets and structures placed to make the entire city a colossal arcane glyph. The area that surrounds the city is worked by its population with small settlements and farms present.

Population

The population of Garthedd is primarily made up of Weave Stricken. However, over the years since Garthedd’s return to Runetalras its population has become more diverse, and has particularly seen an influx from Aarelan and the many races that make their home there.

Religion

The majority of the population of Garthedd pay little worship to deities, perhaps a lingering remnant of the Lich Lords who ruled them as if they were deities; this is not to say they disbelieve in deities but they think them unworthy of worship for not saving them from the Lichs. There are deities who are worshipped within Garthedd, Deneir, Gond, Illmater, Ioun, Mask, Mystra, and Shar are the most common of which. Cults remain within Garthedd, to devils, demons, and the mysterious Whispered One.

Racial Relations

There is no discrimination in law on the basis of race within Garthedd. Generally speaking, there is a general distrust of strangers but this distrust is not one based on racial hatred.

Views on magic

Magic is considered a normal and everyday part of life within Garthedd. Everyday aspects of Garthedd's infrastructure, including water, sewerage, and lighting, are reliant upon magic. Garthedd does not participate in the Arcane Bastille system and instead adheres to Aarelan’s form of control of magic.

Politics

Garthedd is a mostly autonomous city state, which elects a First Lord for a term of 10 years at a time. The First Lord is the ruler of Aarelan, and appoints all key positions within the kingdom and makes Garthedd’s laws. The laws of Garthedd were copied from those of Aarelan as they were in 537:Contempt, but have undergone changes since.
Garthedd is overseen by Aarelan which has the authority to intervene to overturn laws and elected positions. This is a remnant of the peace that was established after the Wars of Undeath.

International Relations

Garthedd maintains strong relations with Aarelan, which it has modelled its form of government after. Garthedd has also established formal relations with Caedreon, Kingdom of Elnusari, Kingdom of Selu’Qidar, Kingdom of Thaxnoria, Union of Crowns, And United Five Kingdoms of Bar Sunda, Hunters Wrath, Loc Now, Surentra, and Warthnow. Garthedd has been denounced and threatened with crusade by the Kingdoms of Righteous Flame.

Education

The majority of the population of Garthedd receive basic education, whilst those with wealth secure formal and high education. Garthedd has arcane education with rivals that of Aarelan, Infernal-Draconic Ascendancy, and Kingdom of Selu-Qidar, especially with Glyphwork Academies.

Gender, sexuality, and inheritance

Garthedd has a history as a metropolitan city, as a result its peoples have had extensive exposure to a variety of gender identities and sexualities. As a result most gender identities and sexual identities are accepted within Garthedd.
Garthedd possesses an absolute primogeniture which is a form of primogeniture in which sex is irrelevant for inheritance, thus the eldest child inherits all.

Infrastructure

Garthedd has extensive and developed systems of infrastructure, primarily built and sustained through magic. Systems of aqueducts, wells, and even reservoirs have been constructed, as have fine roads and waterways.

History

Garthedd has a long history that dates back to the Age of Conquest, however, it earned it infamy and notoriety during the Age of Blood and further secured it in the Age of Contempt.

Age of Conquest

Within the Age of Conquest Garthedd was founded as a petty kingdom in and near the Rugged Pass. The Kingdom ebbed and flowed in power and territory, warred with the elder races, but was generally of little importance.

Age of Blood

The Age of Blood wreaked havoc upon Garthedd, as it did much of Runetalras. However, the magic users of Garthedd were able to shield and protect the city and its peoples. The magic users were further empowered with the defence of Garthedd and eventually with leadership of Garthedd itself.
After the Siege of Runia, the kingdom of Garthedd was reforged into the Crystal Catalyst. Whilst the Crystal Catalyst began as a utopian dream, a meritocracy where magic could reign. The dream soon became a nightmare, and the Crystal Catalyst dominated five centuries of the Age of Blood as it sought to extend its Dominion over all of Runetalras. It was in this period that the Lich Lords used arcane to raise the whole city above Runetalras as they created the first floating cities in Ages.
The Crystal Catalyst’s bid for the domination of Runetalras was ended by a coalition. It was widely believed that the entire city of Garthedd was obliterated in an arcane explosion, which brought an end to the Age of Blood.

Age of Contempt

Rather than being destroyed, Garthedd was teleported to the Weave. There the Triarchy of Lich Lords continued to rule Garthedd and their greatly diminished Crystal Catalyst. The peoples of the Garthedd suffered, not only from the Triarchy, but from the very Weave itself as Weave Winds and Arcane Tempests wore away their very bodies over time.
The over five centuries of exile were brought to an end in 533:Contempt when the Lich Lord Terraxia betrayed the rest of the Triarchy and teleported Garthedd to the Prime Material Plane. Terraxia renewed the Crystal Catalyst's efforts to dominate Runetalras; in this effort the Free State Harthban was obliterated and most nations came under terrorist attacks. These attacks, the Crystal Catalyst, and Terraxia were ended by the Heroes of the Free States.
Garthedd was freed from the Triarchy and the Crystal Catalyst, but its future had to be determined. The Conference of Velfauna 533:Contempt decided the fate of Garthedd, with interventions from the Heroes of the Free States, it was determined that Garthedd would remain free but under a protective stewardship of Aarelan.
In 537:Contempt Garthedd elected its first First Lord Sarthen, a member of the Glyphwork Academies and a person who assisted the Heroes of the Free States in the downfall of Terraxia and the Crystal Catalyst. Much of Garthedd's resources and efforts were spent restoring, rebuilding, and establishing itself in a world it has been apart from for over five centuries.

Lay of the Lands

Garthedd is maze and sprawling tapestry of towering structures, narrow streets, and bustling markets. The architecture of Garthedd is a blend of gothic and arcane influences, with buildings characterised by tall spires, pointed arches, and intricate carvings. The cityscape is adorned with gargoyles, statues of powerful liches, and weavestriken figures. The city itself is intricately planned as it forms interconnected runes of centuries old arcane spells.
The streets of Gathedd are paved with cobblestone that snake through districts teeming with life and activity. The streets are lined with enchanting shops, where merchants peddle all manner of magical artefacts, potions, and spellbooks. The air is filled with the scent of incense and the faint crackle of arcane energy, infusing the atmosphere with an otherworldly ambiance.
Greenery is not common within the built up and ancient structures of Garthedd, however, strange and Weave tainted flora and fauna are common. Entire gardens and parks of strange flora are also present within the city.
As day turns to night, the city takes on a different persona. Glowing orbs and magical lanterns illuminate the streets, casting an ethereal glow upon the darkened alleys and hidden corners. The night air reverberates with the hum arcane energy of Garthedd’s incalculable enchantments.

Landmarks

Caverns are a vast underground labyrinth consisting of tunnels carved for more than a millennium by dragons. The Caverns are most obviously seen in one location in the east of the city where it reaches down over 1000 feet.
Citadel of Steel is a formidable fortress located to the west of Garthedd. It once stood as a symbol of strength and power, a bastion of defence and a focal point of military operations of the Crystal Catalyst.
The Citadel is a sharp and gnarled structure made entirely of black iron. Its imposing presence dominates the surrounding landscape, and the fortress seems to dance in the mystical glow that suffuses the city. The walls, towering up to 30 feet high, are reinforced and closed off by sturdy gates, creating three conventional entrances into the compound. Three structures now remain within the walls which accommodate various functions such as barracks, armouries, training grounds.
Conflux Palace was once amongst the grandest locations in all of Runetalras, gilded and filled with plunder from almost five centuries as the greatest power of Runetalras. It stood at the centre of the city as a beacon of the power and grandeur of the Triarchy and later the Lich Lord Terraxia. Now it is but a ruin and impact crater which has been left as testament to the downfall of Garthedd, the Crystal Catalyst, and those who devote themselves to evil and foul ambition.
Glyphwork Academies are a renowned institution dedicated to the study and mastery of magical knowledge. The academy is amongst the most esteemed centres of learning throughout Runetalras.
The academies are housed within a large cluster of ornate buildings, forming an intricate arrangement that resembles arcane sigils when viewed from above. The architecture of the academies reflects the mystical nature of their teachings, with elegant facades, towering spires, and intricate carvings adorning the exteriors. The buildings are connected by open courtyards and park spaces, providing students and faculty with peaceful areas for reflection and discussion.
The ambient energy within the academies is more pronounced than in other parts of the city, as if the very air crackles with arcane potential. The corridors and classrooms are filled with the constant hum of incantations and the soft glow of magical illuminations.
Students move between buildings, carrying ancient tomes, scrolls, and quills, while engaging in animated discussions about the intricacies of glyphwork. Professors, masters of the craft, can be seen imparting their wisdom, guiding students in the delicate art of inscribing and activating magical symbols. The academies also serve as hubs for research and innovation.
Grand Catacombs are a sprawling underground labyrinth that serves as a vast and ancient graveyard. It is a place of solemnity and reverence where the deceased are laid to rest in ornate tombs, graves, and catacombs arranged in a grand circular rune. The Catacombs are a place of resting only for the elite and the incredibly gifted.
The Catacombs are tended to by skeletal figures, the undead caretakers who solemnly carry out their duties. These skeletal beings move with an eerie grace as they go about burying the deceased and maintaining the resting places. They pay visitors on mind as they pass through, but are known to become hostile to those that disturb the sanctity of the Catacombs.
At the heart of the Grand Catacombs lies a chamber known as the Catacomb of Knowledge. This particular area is distinguished by a large mausoleum constructed of strange marble, pulsating with the flow of Weaveite. Stone caskets line the walls, each adorned with skulls and plates bearing names and subjects of specialty, representing the wisdom and knowledge that rests within. These dead are able to be contacted and sought for advice for as long as their bones remain.

Garthedd - The City of Remnants

Founding Date

Current State 537:Contempt (Historic State Age of Conquest)

Type

Large city