Crandor

No deal goes unmade.

Standing in the center of Caledor, Crandor is the famed city of trade for the human kingdom. From trade caravans to deliveries made by Giant Tortoises, traffic in and out of Crandor is almost non-stop. Rivaling the defenses of even Gryphon's Peak, the Fortress City stands as a beacon of hope and prosperity to all those that lay their eyes upon it. Despite having a dark history of death and destruction at the hands of a black dragon, the people of Crandor walk proudly. Remember to come with a lot of coin in hand should you visit this grand citadel, there are literally hundreds of shops to choose from when shopping here.

Demographics

The population is comprised of mostly humans, however races from all over take residence in Crandor. However, this is not uncommon of any of Caledor's cities.

Government

There is a single City Lord that runs the operations within Crandor. Acting as an extension of the King himself, the City Lord acts as a supreme leader in the absence of King Sheldon IV.

Defences

The city of Crandor does not come short when it comes to the defenses of its people. With 500ft tall walls and even larger towers, it is as difficult to attack Crandor as it would be all the other cities of Caledor. Unlike the the others, though, Crandor has a dark history of having been conquered by the black dragon Scourge. During that time, the deaths of thousands of citizens and soldiers scarred the city's streets. After having been liberated by the Lord Commander at the time, the Crandorians wasted no time in learning from their past mistakes. The idea of being attacked by a dragon was fresh in the minds of the engineers that designed Crandor after the disaster. Since then, it is believed that no dragon could ever take Crandor again. This, of course, is yet to be tested.

The Walls

Aside from the glorious banners of various companies and guilds that hang proudly along the walls of Crandor, they are adorned with various defenses. Following common wall design of the other Fortress Cities, every wall segment is capable of housing a thousand or so soldiers to man its defensive equipment. Capillary tunnels within the walls lead from barracks out to defensive inner platforms that face outwardly. These platforms may act either as weapon emplacements where gatling guns, cannons, ballistae or magic artillery will be placed, or a simple landing platform for Imperial Cavalry to come and go with their mounts.

The Towers

In total there are eight large towers that reach a height of about 575ft, making them only 75ft taller than the walls themselves. Small protrusions are planted around the towers, acting as platforms for handgun snipers or downsized ballistae. At the top of each tower you will find weapons called Dragon Bows, modified ballistae mounted atop oscillating turrets. These weapons, designed by both Dwarven and Human engineers, are capable of firing two bolts at the same time while being automatically loaded by a gear-work mechanism. With only ten seconds in between each volley, a Dragon Bow is capable of firing 12 bolts in a minute, where a normal ballista can only do half as much. While these weapon defenses certainly make Crandor formidable, this means they forgo the defensive abilities of the Power Crystals that Gryphon's Peak uses, for more offensive power.

The Inner City

Unlike Gryphon's Peak, Crandor's security forces operate primarily out of Dragon's Keep. The city consists primarily of large buildings and skyscrapers that stand as tall as the defensive towers of its walls, if not taller. Rather than building additional defenses, the Gryphon's Order simply built on top of the pre-existing buildings and created weapon and landing platforms. With a numerous number of these planted throughout the city, regular shift changes and active troops mean that Imperial Guard are constantly going through the city streets. However, this alternative choice in design comes to the expense of having a barracks deployed beyond the headquarters, meaning guards out on patrol have to return to the center of city in order to rest or trade shifts.

Dragon's Keep

Sitting at the very center of the city is Dragon's Keep, home of the City Lord and headquarters of the Gryphon's Order. Being the tallest structure in Crandor, it is a large castle designed more for practicality rather than noble grandeur. Four landing platforms for Air Ships and Imperial Cavalrymen extrude from the middle base of the castle, Dragon Bows mounted on each of them. In all directions, parapets for handgunners and bowmen are planted within its walls and towers. Finally, above the central throne room, the prized Cyrstal of the Keep. No one is sure what it does, but most people whom live in Crandor know that it serves some type of defensive function... just not what.

Infrastructure

The city of Crandor contains many advancements and structures that offers residents and visitors alike plenty to explore and experience.

The Radial Train

Powered by lightning magic and steam power, the famed Caledoran trains run through the entirety of the city. Since the city is circular in design, this gives ease of access to anyone within Crandor. There are a total of 3 railways that run through the city, each one acting as a separating border to the cities three major sections. The smallest one is the Central Rail that separates Dragon Keep from the High District. The Midline Rail travels between the High District and the Commerce Belt, while the last (and largest) rail, the Common Line, separates the Residential Zone from the Commerce Belt. Each rail is connected to each other via perpendicular lines that travel towards the center.

The Three Rings

While Crandor may look complex in design, it can simply be broken down into three sections: The High District, the Commerce Belt and the Residential zone. The High District acts primarily as the residential area for many of the richer merchants and nobles that live in Caledor, but also acts as a gathering area for many guilds to establish branch extensions or guild halls. As for the Residential Zone, the outermost ring of Crandor, a majority of residents will find themselves living in this ring.

The Commerce Belt

The most notable thing about Crandor is its expansive selection of merchants. While the central line in Gryphon's Peak certainly boasts its own selection, the Commerce Belt dwarfs it in comparison. Merchants from all over the world will find themselves comfortable in Crandor as travelers and traders from all over the world will find themselves here. With itinerant visitors coming and going in the thousands every day, there is no shortage of customers to be found. With shops literally going on for a mile in each direction, whatever you need you will most likely find it. From trinkets to magic beasts, a merchant of any kind will be there to serve you. Even ones that might not legally be allowed to be there... but none the less, the Belt has something for everyone.

Notable Establishments

Aside from the many merchants, Crandor is also home to many guilds and establishments that travelers from many backgrounds come to seek audience with.

Crandor University

A school of high esteem and a wide selection of students, Crandor University is the most accessible college in Caledor. As opposed to having a focus in training Wizards or Bards, like Hamerfell or Ranotoll University, Crandor takes a focus in primarily teaching academic practices. To put it frankly, it is essentially the largest trade school in Unicorta. From entrepreneur-ism to carpentry, Crandor boasts professors from all sorts of trades and backgrounds to teach its students unique and time-tested techniques to ensure success. The nature of the college certainly reflects the nature of the city it lives in.

Guilds

Several guilds have taken residence in the High District. Aside from the extended guild branches, the major guilds that call Crandor home are:
The Lucien Trading Company - Boasting a large portion of the trading capital that travels in and out of Caledor, the Lucien Trading Company does more than just deliver goods. From its own private militia to the retrieval of exotic goods, the LTC has a saying: "If you have the money, we have the goods." Often being criticized for their "no holds bar" way of doing things, the LTC are certainly a competitive guild. Often times when an adventurer loses membership at the adventurers guild for misconduct, they may find employment here.
Mugveld's Merchant Guild - Peculiarly enough, one of the most influential trading guilds in Kyrased happens to be owned primarily by Gnomes and Halflings. Dealing in mostly exotic treasure hunting and prized works of art, the Mugvelds employs adventurers often for jobs that involve retrieving treasures that normal delivery men could not handle. On that note, they share a particularly vicious relationship with the Lucien Trading Company for various business related and personal reasons.
The Iron Blades - While there are many mercenary guilds in Caledor, one that has made quite the name for itself are The Iron Blades. Hailing from the Lunar Isles, mercenaries from this guild can be distinguished by their use of martial arts and equipment that come from their home land. A rumor has been going around that rather than being front line warriors, they are actually trained assassins. Groundless rumors, nonetheless.

While there is certainly a wide array of merchants to buy from, one must still be careful not to deal with shady merchants.

Alternative Name(s)

Fortress of Trade, City of Trade, Apex of Commerce

Type

Citadel

Population

Approximately 700,000 people.

Inhabitant Demonym

Crandorians

Owner/Ruler

King Sheldon IV, King of Caledor

Owning Organization

Gryphon's Order

Mercenaries from the Lucien Trading Company planning out their next job.