Gryphon's Peak

The city that can't be sieged.

The city of opportunity, the stone jungle, the apex of human civilization - this is Gryphon's Peak, the capital of Caledor. Seen as a bastion for the human kingdom, this is gargantuan Fortress City that dwarfs all the others present in Caledor. Lying on the coast of the Vulcan Sea it is impressive in both geographic location and defensive value. Here lies the point of many people's intererests - merchants conduct their business on the balconies of thousand story tall buildings, soldiers train in the courtyards of the military district and the students travel from hundreds of miles away to attend Gryphon University, the most esteemed college of magic in Unicorta. No matter where you come from, the Peak holds whatever your interests and desires demand.

Demographics

For the most part the population primarily consists of humans. However, at least a quarter of the present population within the city consists of other races. The most common races present in Gryphon's Peak are Half-Elves, Dwarves and Dragonborn. The others present are usually found to be heavy minorities, especially Tieflings.

Defences

What makes Gryphon's Peak stand out from the rest is not just its size, but its defensive capabilities.

The Walls

First and foremost are its walls - standing at least a quarter of a mile tall, the walls of Gryphon's Peak make it near impossible to engage the Fortress City directly. Along the walls one might be able to observe several openings with an array of different functions. Some openings may be landing zones for Gryphon or Wyvern riders to fly in and out of, while others may have siege equipment mounted inside. Cannons, ballistae, gatling guns, magic artillery and an assortment more can be found defending the outward face of Gryphon's Peak. At the top of the wall you may find several bastions where anti-flying beast equipment may be found, usually guarding the five towers that house warding crystals. Each tower, evenly spaced along the outer wall of Gryphon's Peak, that houses these crystals are used to power the force field that surrounds the whole city.
Inside the walls themselves are barracks, armories and tunnel systems (with convenient trams) that allow those of the Imperial Guard to quickly traverse the walls. It is common to find entire battalions manning single sections of the wall, meaning at least several thousand troops can be found manning the defensive stations.

Inner City

As for the inner portion of the city itself, the impeccable size of Gryphon's Peak demands order to maintain a defensive composure. In each district of the Peak (there being a total of five) can be found a Tower of the Order. Housing troops, weapons and mountable creatures, these towers essentially act as separate Headquarters in each of the district. Then four guard towers, each one equidistant from both the central tower and each other, are erected as well. Each tower is armed with anti-dragon equipment, several battlement locations along the base and housing for troops.
In each district at least two or three battalions will be stationed, with fresh troops often being cycled every other month to ensure service fatigue is not present in the guards of the city.

The Castle

Along the coast, where the walls end, the keep of the King's castle rests. Despite this, however, this can be considered the weakest part of the castles defenses. Being built during a time where naval warfare was not a prominent tactic, the rear end of the castle is armed with only a few bastions, weapon platforms and landing platforms. These bastions will be armed with cannons and magic artillery at the very least, but no weaponry meant to effectively destroy ships can be found. Anti-flying devices can be found however, alongside the landing platforms meant to house the mounts of Imperial Cavalry. Traveling down to the base, where the ocean meats the rocks, an artificial dock that spans the length of the entire city may be found. The docks themselves are meant for merchant ships and transport vessels, but the Imperial Navy sails from here.

Infrastructure

Much of the power and energy that is generated and used to help the city generate is both magic and mechanical. Since the invention of magically infused steam engines, much of the foundation for today's modern technology has been the Magic Steam Engine. Gryphon's Peak now stands as one of the greatest technologically supported cities, using all sorts of transportation, communication systems and defenses to make the lives of Gryphonites all the more easy.

The Five Districts

As Gryphon's Peak was designed, its structures formed around a central point - King's Square. As one walks through the front gate of Gryphon's Peak, a hulking mass of a door, you will find yourself standing at the beginning of a long road that extends deeper into the Fortress City. When you reach the center, you will encounter King's Square, a radial courtyard that is decorated in gold, stone, flora and gemstone. Extending from the square are four main, large roads that go North, South, East and West. The size of almost an entire village, King's Square is where new Kings are chosen, and the Day of Ascension is celebrated. From here, one may easier navigate the city of Gryphon's Peak.

Roaming District

- Otherwise known as the belt of Gryphon's Peak, this serves as the primary commercial area. The Roaming District travels along the entirety of the East and West roads, providing ample opportunity for an assortment of traders and shops to setup. If one cannot find a place to settle inside a building, often merchants will find themselves setting up a booth on the street - much to the dismay of the Imperial Guard. In this district, one can find almost anything to buy - from traveling mounts to the finest of gems. To traverse all the shops available in the Roaming District would take months - let alone the ones currently there. Often new and old shops will come and go to leave Gryphon's Peak or find a new spot. Coming to this district with empty pockets is ill advised.

Noble District

- In the North-Eastern section of Gryphon's Peak you will find the grandest of homes and inns for anyone to stay. Here, the richer merchants and nobles of Caledor will live. An assortment of designs ranging from Elven to Dwarvish, you will never come short of finding a home that suits your taste - that is to say you have the money to pay for a home. Costing as little as several hundred thousand gold, these are estates that some people can only dream of. To some this is a dreamscape only because they will never attain it - to other more devious minds it is an opportunity to strike rich off the backs of the snobbish.

Military District

- To the North-West you will find the militarized district of Gryphon's Peak. Seeing that this is the home of the Gryphon's Order, it is only natural that a military headquarters would be established here. Aside from the castle of King Sheldon IV, King of Caledor, it acts as an area to plan and setup operations as well as organize cadres of soldiers for mobilization. Unlike the others, this district is much smaller in size and is mainly surrounded by residential buildings. Contrarily, however, it is also the most heavily defended section with extra guard towers and an additional Tower of the Order.

Common District

- This is where a majority of the citizenry can be found. In the South-West section of Gryphon's Peak, persons whom wish to find permanent residency will often find their homes here. With the base of the buildings often implying being closer to crime and poverty, those who wish to live higher up in the buildings will find that the price of their home will increase significantly. As such, small time merchants or noteworthy adventurers will purchase their suites in the upper levels. Peasants and the like will commonly be found living in the lower levels.

Imperial District

- The South-Eastern section of the city is dedicated primarily to politics, business and guilds. Here people will find several inns to stay at, the guilds of interest and the embassies of other countries. Often times adventurers will find themselves here or the roaming district more than the other locations. Most job and business opportunities (at least those that lie outside simple buying and selling) can be found here, especially due to the presence of the Adventurer's Guild. Mages interested in expanding their experience beyond the Colleges that Caledor has to offer may find themselves drawn to the Guild of Arcana. These places and much more provide ample opportunity for the working man.

Transportation

Since the development of magic based technology and the magical steam engine, Caledor has been blessed with ease of transportation within the walls of its Fortress Cities. The best example of this, though, is the origin of these technologies in Gryphon's Peak.
Electric Tram-Way - Levitation achieved by lightning magic. Propulsion created by steam engine. The Electric Tram that circuits itself throughout all of Gryphon's Peak allows citygoers to travel up and down (both literally and figuratively) Gryphon's Peak. Often used by commuters and tourists, the tram way is almost never at a stand still. Should it break down at any point (as it has done so before), it would be suffice to say that much of the city would fumble into hysteria. As such, engineers and tuning mages are always hard at work to ensure no problems can occur.
Fire Zeppelins - Using fire crystals, heat resistant silk and (again) a steam engine, engineers of Caledor are capable of flying across Gryphon's Peak to transport citizens from the upper levels of one district to another. This alleviates some of the stress from the lower level travelers since some citizens find that their business only occurs in the upper zones. Additionally, some Fire Zeppelins are used not only to traverse Gryphon's Peak, but also to travel between Fortress Cities. Rather than dangerously putting carriages atop large flying animals (or even better, trusting a Pegasus to drag one), humans have developed air ways to allow for safe travel between cities. Guarded by the Imperial Cavalry, citizens can trust they will reach their destinations safely in a matter of days if not hours.

Guilds and Factions

Political Structures
With Gryphon's Peak being the central hub of Caledor, it would not be uncommon to find an assortment of different organizations and structures within. With political relationships being rather important, Gryphon's Peak has dedicated four separate buildings to house the ambassadors of each of the three major countries: Sagesh, Synesthal and Asphodel. Each one boasting a separate design, the ambassadors of these embassies live in the lap of luxury - the Asphodelian embassy drawing negative attention for obvious reasons.
Religious Sanctuaries
Although several religious institutions may be found, the most prominent one would have to be the Cathedral of Ezreal. There the Pope resides with his acolytes and many paladins. Many patrons, from the city and beyond, will visit this location to pay their respects and give offer to the Pope. And if not for religious reasons, many may come here to seek medical attention from professional healers. This, however, does not come free of charge...
Guilds
One of the most famous institutions of Unicorta would have to be the Adventurer's Guild. Hamlets, towns and villages alike all need help at some point, an entrepreneur simply saw an opportunity and developed the Adventurer's Guild. Acting something like a job searching apex for mercenaries and sell swords, the core property of the guild itself resides within Gryphon's Peak. While the outer branches of the guild contain basic traveling amenities and some shops, the home guild is in a league of its own - some might even compare it to being its own town.
As for other guilds of note - the Guild of Arcana, Shadow Stalkers, Golden Hands and the Carriage Company all call Gryphon's Peak its home town.

History

The city of Gryphon's Peak was originally not intended to be the first capital of Caledor. Long ago, during the inception of the kingdom, Ezreal had intended to erect a city in the center of Caledor. However, as time progressed and Ezreal saw the disadvantage of being susceptible to invasion from all sides. Traveling north to the coast, he began construction of what would become Gryphon's Peak. Ironically, this was not the first Fortress City of Caledor. Crandor, the original capital, became the first Fortress City. Acting as the first bastion for any invasion, Caledoran engineers decided to make sure the city was impregnable. Delighting in this design, Ezreal requested that those same engineers help with the construction of Gryphon's Peak.

Architecture

The design of Gryphon's Peak is as discombobulated as the citizens it protects. With King's Square lying at the center, the city takes on a radial design, a total of five sections being the end result. As time progressed and people of all races slowly migrated to Gryphon's Peak, the design of the city naturally took on the look of other cultures. In the Roaming District, for example, you will see stone designs of the dwarves, wooden designs from elves and a mixture of both from Dragon Republic citizens. All in all, the city takes on the shape and form that its citizens demand, a wonderful amalgamation of architectural prowess being found in every corner of the city.

A large ballistae (below) normally found within wall stations or atop bastions. Usually they will be mounted atop mechanical pivots meant to allow for easier aiming of the weapon.

Alternative Name(s)

Some endearing names that Gryphon's Peak has earned include the Unbreakable Fortress, the Caledor's Crown and King's Castle.

Type

Citadel

Population

According to the last census recorded using the help of the spell Greater Detect Life, the recorded population seems to have been just over 1.5 million residents. If they were to include visitors, it would most likely be just over 3 million.

Inhabitant Demonym

Gryphonite

Owner/Ruler

King Sheldon IV, King of Caledor

Owning Organization

Caledor

Characters in Location

• King Sheldon IV, King of Caledor