Anvulmar
Home of secretive people who only leave with as little skin as possible showing, home of outcasts with nowhere else to go and no idea how they found the place, Anvulmar has managed to stay off the map of most humans. Even those people that know of their existence often know little about them.
Demographics
92% Scalebound, 4% Kandar, 1 red dragon. There are occasional beings of different species and ethnicity entirely, but they tend to be unique in their presence.
The majority are miners or otherwise involved in the mining business. The second highest profession is merchant, followed by professional fighters, though it must be noted that merchants receive considerable training in combat as well. There are also specialist jobs more suited to study, though often practical study, such as flora identification. There is not much difference in wealth distribution in a practical sense; merchants tend to get more luxury items more on a case of 'first come first serve' but apart from that everything has what they need in equal measure.
Government
Though there is something that is called Monarch/King/Queen when translated to Common, the position is more accurately that of stewardship with the real leader being their "Grandfather", whether he likes it or not. The Monarch doesn't actually have much control over the citizens of the mountain unless in wartime, where they are given almost complete control. Otherwise, they mostly proceed over decisions in the court and are in charge of their personal guards and the Wanderers as a whole.
There is not much of an official economy, running on more of a barter system with mostly merchants vying for coinage to spend in other places giving it value, but there is something of a 'taxation'. Wanderers and trained escorts have to hand over 50% of their makings outside to the monarch to be spent on vital infrastructure and assistance, and many citizens make donations to the few clerics in exchange for their services.
Defences
The most obvious defence is the double-gated entrance to Anvulmar, with its weighty stone and the parapets above. They were made more for defence against wildlife but more than serve to delay humanoid enemies. The meandering manner of the halls provide themselves a vital defence if any invaders manage to breach the walls, as they are liable to getting lost or ambushed.
Then, of course, there is The Landing. The large open area overlooks much of the surrounding area and has plenty of space for archers, siege machine and, say, a large red dragon to rain down on the head of attackers. There are even holes in the middle areas to pour fire down on anyone climbing up under the cover of The Landing itself. If invaders were to somehow scale the mountain under the fire and take The Landing, they would then have to break through the giant set of sliding stone doors reinforced with steel.
Industry & Trade
The specially coloured red iron mined in Alnvulmar is highly prized by the Redlocked Dwarves and there is much trade with them. The weighty manpower of the more powerful Scalebound also tends to bring in income as they roam abroad or assist Kandar caravans or the occasional visitor to Kandar from Antarak or Candala. Some also seek apprenticeship under the dwarves of Razad-Khad and earn a keep that way.
Infrastructure
One of the most impressive parts of Anvulmar, the one that can be seen from miles away, is The Landing. It is essentially a giant terrace built onto the side of the mountain and going partly inside, ringed with a small stone barrier to prevent anyone falling off and supported by thick chains that are dug into the mountain above it. It is currently being used to host a small garden in the centre as well as being used as a watchtower.
Outside of the mountain itself, small buildings have been erected beneath and between nearby spires, serving as trading posts and farms and using the spires themselves as supports.
History
Anvulmar was settled not long before the Second Sundering , escaping much of the destruction due to already living in a wasteland. When some Da Jin adventurers (already a rarity) found a red dragon egg after the killing of its parent, they hid it from the rest of their party and retired with a Kandar friend in what would become Anvulmar. Over time their culture began to establish itself. The Third Sundering was a pivotal time for Anvulmar, with the rise of the Godhunter motivating them to continue their fight. It was also when the Quiet One, before retreating alongside the other gods, spoke to the man that would become their 'king'.
Architecture
The construction of Anvulmar has been haphazard, to say the least. There is of course The Landing, large as it is with its looming sliding doors and carefully constructed for its variety of purposes, but the rest of Anvulmar (apart from the fortified entrance) is less so. It tends to be that after a mine is tapped out, the already dug tunnels are used to develop new neighbourhoods. Homes are carved from the dirt and stone in square shapes where possible with small glassless windows for ventilation and doors of bright cloth in the family colours. Most inhabitants can see in the dark, so homes and walkways tend to be lit with mining gems bartered from the dwarves or the occasional torch.
Geography
Anvulmar is a mountain with a neighbour in a circle of spiked stone in the centre of a magical wasteland, which obviously provides unique challenges to survival.
Natural Resources
Stone and red iron from the mountain itself is one of the most important for trade, though other things dug from the earth are often used. In terms of food, Anvulmar has slightly more options than other residents of Kandar due to the hard work of particular spellcasters over the years leading to some clean soil around the base of the mountains and fed by the same groundwater the people use.
Of course, they still exist primarily on mushrooms, hardy grains, legumes and tubers, underwater fish, wide-ranging hunter-gathering and the occasional products from what passes for livestock in Kandar. The main livestock in Anvulmar is large snakes, which are usually kept around the outdoor farms to reduce vermin attacking the crops. And, of course, a lot of herbs and spices to make the nastier stuff downright palatable. Fruit and nut trees and shrubs are actually fairly common if limited in variety. In the cleaned farm space is the more 'exotic' vegetables. In reality most of their food is essentially the same as Kandar people out of necessity; for example, bread as the people of Candala know it is very rare and instead they eat something more along the line of Roti. Alcohol is rare as well, as it is seen as somewhat of a waste of food, and things tend to be turned to jams or pickles using the slightly more hazardous dwarven methods. And though eggs are somewhat common to the Anvulmar diet (though from nothing so simple as bantams), milk and its products are virtual unknowns, making most sick if they try it.
Founding Date
193 PS
Alternative Name(s)
Translated to Outcast's Home from simplified Draconic
Type
City
Population
700-900
Inhabitant Demonym
Anvulmarans/Scalebound
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Characters in Location
Related Professions
Related Materials
