Silasforge Gorge
“I don’t know what I was expecting of Silasforge Gorge. Every canyon dwarf I’d met seemed to have more in common with my frontier scouts than the industrialist of Avisten. Yet, I could see the smoke rising from the gorge at 12 miles. The city was carved directly into the gorge walls, massive, sprawling manors that looked to me like fortresses. The smoke from factory stacks naturally filtered out through the roof of the gorge. The sheer level of industry astounded me.” – General Gabriella Stillwater, First Venitas Army, Envoy to the Canyon Dwarf Territories
Demographics
93% Canyon Dwarf, 4% Sharesessi Elf, 1% Human, 2% Other
Government
Silasforge Gorge is governed by a council of officials elected from the most prominent families. Currently, Councilfather James Robert ‘Jimbo’ Coalbeard rules Forgegorge. He is generally well liked and responsible for the close relationship between the canyon dwarves and the Venitas Confederacy. Individual district-fathers report to Jimbo Coalbeard during regular council meetings. They are separated by tier; Overlook, Midrise and Settleton.
Defences
Natural defenses make Silasforge Gorge an extremely hardened target. Set entirely within the gorge, there are only three ways to access the city. The first is from above, which offers no means of descending into the city. The front gate and associated walls are iron-strengthened stone walls, impenetrable to all but the strongest artillery. The final entry is a gradually ramping tunnel in the back of the gorge, leading to a dry river valley behind the city. A fortified garrison protects this entrance.
Industry & Trade
Silasforge Gorge is one of the most affluent cities in Avistat. Rich iron mines beneath the city produce iron and steel for both the canyon dwarf territories and the Venitas Confederacy. As the largest known city within the Sharesessi Frontier, Forgegorge is a center for trade and commerce. On the north side of the Midrise, Polecat Junction provides research and development. New technology and weapons, produced by a partnership between canyon dwarves and the Venitas Confederacy, flow from the secretive laboratories.
Infrastructure
The surface level of Silasforge Gorge uses a series of well-paved roads to promote travel throughout the city. The lowest level, Settleton, is linked to the Midrise by three ramps. Two are located to the south, and one to the north. The Midrise is linked to the Overlook through a series of passageways that run through the wall behind the Overlook.
A massive series of cables and motors called ‘The Liftworks’ provides vertical access from the city floor to Silasforge itself. Deep beneath the ground, miners and foundry workers toil to produce weapons for the canyon dwarf territories. Additionally, Silasforge includes a station on the canyon dwarves’ subterranean railway, the ‘Zubetube’.
Architecture
Canyon dwarf architecture shares similarities with Mornian dwarven buildings. Large, fortress-like buildings that are set into the gorge walls. Middle-class dwarves live in stone houses along the Midrise, with tall, thin windows. The lower class in Settleton live in modest wooden houses of plain design.
Geography
Silasforge Gorge is named for the gorge in which it was built. The walls of the gorge tower hundreds of feet above the city, nearly coming together at the ceiling. This provides natural venting for the industrial smoke produced by Forgegorge's many factories and the Silasforge complex itself.
Natural Resources
Iron from the mines below, stone and high-quality glass.
Alternative Name(s)
Forgegorge
Type
City
Population
112,00
Inhabitant Demonym
Forgegorgers
Owner/Ruler
Comments