Dualgate

The town of Dualgate is, like most settlements, a story of necessity and opportunity intertwined through the years. Originally built as a military garrison manned with a full force to prevent any further incursions from the broken empire of the The Witch Kings, it’s grand design was to be a training grounds for both soldiers and Knights of Saldaron in the skills and knowledge of combat away from 'distractions' that more urban area might offer. This was the birth of the Inbar Mot Fortress (literal translation ‘Devine Block’). It sits astride the top of Endowin Pass in the Pendalat Mountains spanning just over a mile of the summit of the pass.
A short seventeen years in the making, it was expedited by the still fresh wounds of the Witch King’s legions sudden march beyond the Sun Sea. In the aftermath of the unexpected attempt to assault the Andolas Valley after the Battle of Slagthral, more permanent fortifications were begun almost immediately at the very crest of the Endowin Pass. It was believed that this would be a beneficial location to be fortified and guarded, as well as a potential method of regulating access out of and in to the Sun Sea. It would mean that The Credtara Empire would have a powerful force stationed permanently on the doorstep of the former Witch King’s territory should the need ever arise again.
The fortress consisted primarily of two massive gates constructed at either end of the summit of the pass itself. Nearly vertical cliffs on either side provided the two remaining walls. Set just over a mile apart from each other, the Southern wall is nearly 30 feet thick and rise well over 50 feet high in some parts. The northern gate was built second and is only 20 feet deep at its thickest point and not quite so tall, but instead sports two very tall towers to serve as watch points and also signal stations to fortifications down the mountain in the Andolas Valley. Each gate was built with a switchback ramp entry to impede any approaching siege equipment. The massive oak and metal doors set in each gate are so heavy that it requires teams working a winch system to open or close them. Further reinforcements with both stone columns and massive beams provide an additional level of hardening to the defenses.
The intervening space between the two gates was first used for marshaling yard and work camp during the building process and consisted of two smithy shops and several dry goods storehouses and a very large encampment as it was easier to simply house the workers there. When construction was completed in 498, Inbar Mot saw a force of 300 soldiers stationed there, and was complete with a Chapel to Saladron, a 3 story barracks and even a library. The Southern Gate was home to all these buildings, and with the exception of the two smithys that had been built during the constructions process, were the only stone edifice in the valley. Plans were laid for a massive armory, a full academic complex, an amphatheatre and Great Hall for events during the hard and snowy winters.
Unfortunately due to increasing costs and the changing leadership within The Credtara Empire, Inbar Mot would never be fully realized. Once the primary buildings had been completed, it was only fully maned for 5 years before the Knights of Saladron selected a new training grounds in the coastal city of Abacarga (in response to the ongoing conflict with the Mage's Council), and stopped sending trainees to the pass. With the loss of the trainees and the funds that came with them from the Church, the garrison entered a period of decline that saw the fortress reduced to a company of 60 soldiers; the majority of whom had been stationed there as the most expedient means of removing them from other more public posts. By 537 a posting at Inbar Mot was punishment saved for those who could not be simply expelled or were such an embarrassment to the empire as to require hiding them far from prying eyes.
With the knights departure in 503, those seeking economic opportunities quickly moved to fill the needs of such a body of soldiers. The first independent business to open shop at the pass was Rambular & Sons, a tavern erected hastily against the wall of the steep, rocky walls of the pass itself to provide entertainment and opportunities for relaxation for the troops stationed there. They were an instant success. Rapid and ramshackle expansion has continued down through the generations and now The Battered Ram is a towering, if unsteady, fixture of Dualgate.
Where soldiers march, ladies of temporary affection are soon to follow. Originally housed in temporary tents next to Rambular & Sons, when the barracks were abandoned after the third and final reduction in the stationed forces in favor of more economical houses favored by the soldiers, the madam of the day attempted to persuade her lover at that time (the current commander of the garrison), to allow her to use it. When he declined to surrender the building, local legend tells that she instructed her ladies to complain about the commander to their clients, who in turn complained to superior officers back home, and then on to their families and contacts back in more civilized parts. He was removed from his position within the year. In the interim before the new commander arrived at the fortress, Madam Tishmal simply moved the entire brothel into the top two floors of the abandoned barracks. She then ciruiclated the rumor that they had been there for the past 50 years. Any soldier that questioned this story was black listed and unable to take advantage of the services that newly named Bed Fellows provided. Needless to say, it took a very few challenges to determine that Madam Tishmal was deadly serious about her threat and by the time to new commander arrived, he found a brothel that had been established well before his predicessor had arrived and that Madam Tishmal had invited him to dinner. Bed Fellows has thrived ever since.
Hammer & Tongs boast the longest lineage of any stone building in the town of Dualgate, occupying one of the two original smithys that were used during the building of the fort and the gates. The current Smith is not an actual smith but rather the great great grandson of the original smith. What he lacks in skills at the forge he compensates for in deceptively sharp business acumen. Employing a team of master smiths, he has crafted a reputation for quailty at a price. From The Slithering Way  to the Dome Wood, Hammer & Tongs is known to be the best place to have weapons repaired.
Izel's Market; where the world comes to you. It did not take long for traders traveling from Ko to the Andolas Valley to realize that traveling half as far meant twice as many trips. From the early days when Bed Fellows was just a collection of tents, the open air market that sprang up as if by magic became a traders destination as well as a waypoint. One particular stop on the edge of the current market in what was once the old lumber warehouse, is Izel’s Market.
Izel was a trader from Abacarga who grew tired of the constant travel along The Slithering Way. A shrewd negotiator and skilled apraiser, he realized there was opportunty in staying in one place and letting the traders come to him. Over the past two decades, he has amassed a collection of the unique, rare, opulent and necessary from the various traders, travelers and caravans that pass through Dualgate. 20 years after setting up shop he now employs a team of ’sons’ (and a few ‘daughters’) who canvas The Night Market, the tavern, and the other traveler frequented destiations within the city with the sole purpose of locating a good deal for their ‘father’. Recently Izel has even taken to ‘staffing’ the Library. He has begun finding rare books that he loans to the library until he finds a suitable buyer, thus increasing the Library’s prestige and draw and opening new markets for himself.  Of course this requires that a one of his 'sons' is present to provide on the spot appraisals of literary works (and keep an eye on the collection).

The Library was orignally designed to become the academic wing of the garrison. When the Knights pulled out of the training progam they did not remove all the copies of the books they had provided to the endeavor. Because of this, the librarian at the time, a Knight of Saladron named Kimmel refused to vacate the post, arguing that leaving such a collection of knowledge unguarded was clearly a sin and a disservice to Saladron himself.  After many impassioned petitions to the High Inquisitor, he was finally allowed to stay. His descendants, though no longer Knights, trace their lineage back to the original Librarian and both curate and protect the library.
Originally a modest collection of history and tactics of warfare as well as religious treaties from the Church of Saladron, the collection suffered slight damage during the Great Fire in 576. Nevertheless, it repaired and rebuilt, continuing to collect manuscripts, tombs and materials from any and all who would donate or sell, and it has grown over the years to an eclectic and varied collection. They have also grown a small but profitable business in repairing books; skills hard won from the restoration work after the fire.
The Chapel is still technically part of the remaining garrison and under the control of the garrison commander. Generations of neglect and a lack of intererest in the teachings of Saladron once the Knights departed have left the Chapel a hollow, unused building save for the weekly services of the priest and his acolite that have been stationed there by the Church itself. As with the garrison, those sent to Dualgate are not on the fasttrack to higher office or in many cases any other office. Holy days are observed once a week and the priest will hear confessions several times during the week, mostly for those who are traveling through and wish to talk or confess or just need a listening ear.
The Docks; a recent addition to the city, the Crew has taken up residence here to have easy access to both sides of the Pendalat Mountains.  It's independent status within the The Credtara Empire and lack of Church presence is seen as a signifiant bonus as well.
Notable Neighborhoods: Stonemason - located near the site of the old stone masons quary caves. The residents tend toward the working class and Black Wall - The northwest corner of Dualgate is forever branded by the blackened walls from the Feller - Roughly the area where one of the original lumber mills sat. No longer present, it’s presence lives on in the street names left behind. Originally a heavily industrial area, it was co-opted into group housing and then later into more upper class housing after the Great Fire cleared a section of the neighborhood and created space for new building. Smithtown - A nieghborhood that grew up around the Southern Smithy and is laid out in a radial arrangement with the Smithy being the hub.

Type

Town