Hresvelg
"The cradle of life comes from a place long-lost, but the cradle of technology comes from the blackened earth of Hresvelg."
A fortress city headed by Kin Hresvelg, a family of dwarves that stretches back to before the Temporan Genocide. Rather than face the evils of the colonial empire, they instead fled to Chaelwyth for safety. Although the population is foremost a Dwarven town, they remain a significant bastion of the Gnomish diaspora (Rock Gnomes, mainly) and possess extremely modern technologies. Hresvelg also possesses the only known man-made entrance to The Underdark.
A fortress city headed by Kin Hresvelg, a family of dwarves that stretches back to before the Temporan Genocide. Rather than face the evils of the colonial empire, they instead fled to Chaelwyth for safety. Although the population is foremost a Dwarven town, they remain a significant bastion of the Gnomish diaspora (Rock Gnomes, mainly) and possess extremely modern technologies. Hresvelg also possesses the only known man-made entrance to The Underdark.
Demographics
The racial breakdown is as follows:
- 42% Dwarf (primarily made up of Hill Dwarves, with a few Mountain Dwarves intermingled)
- 26% Gnome (almost entirely Rock Gnome)
- 18% Human
- 9% Halfling
- 5% others
Government
Hresvelg operates under a Civil Parish government, in which the City Council (led by its Lord/Lady Mayor) is elected by the people and approved by the Rex Arcan. The parish has an annual meeting, in which all of the resident electors are entitled to attend - a sort of 'state of the city' address given by the Council in order to appease the townspeople.
Since Hresvelg is one of the larger cities in the Eastern Kingdom of Chaelwyth, the City Council has more provisional powers than that of smaller local governments in various villages throughout the Kingdom. They can determine tax rates (within the margin designated by the Rex Arcan) and decide what to do with that money with increasing freedom. The town of Hresvelg specifically uses much of the resident taxation to fund industry and recreation.
Defences
Hresvelg doesn't have any militia or other armed forces, but rather, controls a battalion of mithril Golems that can wipe away humanoids with ease. They haven't had to use their entire battalion since CY 1210, when the Hellmouth was first opened and they needed to protect the town from entities leaving the Underdark.
Industry & Trade
Hresvelg has one of the most elaborate systems of manufacturing in Uthilith, with a clear chain of command from 'production line' to 'overseer of invention'. They produce the vast majority of the world's magical technologies, ranging from the Chronurgist's Clock to Wands of the War Mage.
The primary import needed in Hresvelg is food and fresh water. Even with the druids who attend to the Parks systems, there aren't nearly enough living in Hresvelg to maintain a supply appropriate for the large population. Fortunately, the vast majority of towns in the Eastern Kingdom are agriculturally oriented, making it quite easy for substantial trade.
Infrastructure
Hresvelg is home to the first Uthilithian Line of Ley Railway station, as it was the Rock Gnomes here who first figured out how to harness the power of planar energy to cause metal vehicles (called 'trains') to move. It's still in its early stages of development (as of CY 1699), so the railway currently only publicly services Hresvelg, the Aegir Duchy, and Severnia. There does seem to be a connection between Severnia and Fenrir, but it is not open for public usage.
The city also contains the world's largest Parks and Recreation governmental department, an area of municipal government that goes generally ignored in settlements with lower standards of living. Thus, there is an extensive network of magically created parks (grown by druids due to the harsh nature of the soil) that create beautiful scenery to offset the industrial nature of the rest of the city.
Districts
Hresvelg is comprised of four distinct districts, created as to separate the residents' work and leisure in a healthy fashion.
Urbana is the downtown of Hresvelg, centered around three structures - City Hall (the settlement's oldest structure), Grand Cross (the railway hub where both intra- and inter-city trains reside), and the Hellmouth, a high-security entrance to the Underdark. All of the city's specialty and non-utility shops are located in Urbana, as are the vast majority of restaurants, inns, and other nightlife.
Purlieu is the residential district of Hresvelg, and is where approximately 95% of all Hressians live. Not only is it the largest in terms of land area, but the district contains several Highdives - apartment complexes that were magically constructed to be buried deep beneath the earth. Purlieu also contains an underground layer of housing in an elaborate cave system constructed by the first Hresvelgs in approximately CY 950. Although the class divide is nowhere near as intense as in the Occidental Kingdom of Chaelwyth or pre-democratic Tempora, the individuals with lower income tend to live deeper into the earth.
Diwydiant is the industrial district of Hresvelg, where the majority of Hressians perform various jobs that range from manual production to invention. Thanks to an extensive collective bargaining agreement created by the socialistic Black Earth Society in CY 1632 between themselves and various industry leaders, Hressians who work in Diwydiant have four-day workweeks of only six hours of labor. That shift caused production of technologies to actually speed up and create a higher quality of life among the workers, causing Hresvelg to surpass even Severnia and Misty Run in GDP per capita.
Addysg is the educational district of Hresvelg, centered around the Hresvelg Institute of Technology. The Institute is partnered with several smaller primary and secondary educational institutions that prepare Hressians for careers in industry. Since the Institute is so large and intensive (in comparison to a lot of other similar provincial schools of higher education), the majority of residents who don't live in Purlieu reside in dorms in Addysg.
Assets
Despite the Eastern Kingdom's general demeanor as one of peace and innovation, Hresvelg (in direct collaboration with the Rex Arcan) has created several arcane weapons of mass destruction in case of invasion by the Occidental Kingdom or Thur Nirkhum. It's probably the worst-kept secret around Hresvelg - there are weapons stored in this town that could easily wipe away a city comparable to the size of Zonaius or St. Cethleann's Landing.
Since Hresvelg is such a well-oiled machine, if the city were to be isolated from the rest of the world for any reason, they could sustain their population for at minimum two centuries upon their surplus of rations. This completely ignores any new production as well.
Guilds and Factions
The most significant guild in Hresvelg is the Inventor's Guild, a society of artificers sponsored by the Hresvelg Institute of Technology. All of the mainstream production lines in town report to them and are generally headed by members of the particular guild.
Other guilds encompass smaller artisan trades or magical professions, such as the Clocksmith's Guild and the Arcanist's Circle.
Hresvelg also has an extensive history of unionizing as to advocate for better working conditions between production worker and overseer. The Black Earth Society has spearheaded the majority of these movements.
Points of interest
The two largest draws to Hresvelg are Grand Cross and the Hellmouth.
Grand Cross is a train station that serves as the hub for not only the four districts of Hresvelg, but also the other two major cities in the Eastern Kingdom. Most visitors to Hresvelg enter through this point of entry - a beautiful (and enormous) location based in Temporan Baroque architecture.
The Hellmouth is the sole manmade entrance to the Underdark in Uthilith. Viewing the entrance is a massive attraction for visitors and citizens alike, but only individuals who have demonstrated feats of extraordinary strength or wit are allowed to actually enter due to the dangers within the Underdark. Doctoral scholars from all across the world come to Hresvelg to participate in fieldwork.
Architecture
The architecture of Hresvelg is generally rooted in the Dwarven Gothic style, demonstrated by incredibly elaborate carvings of stone and earth that manage to be perfectly structurally sound. Masonry generally depends on the amount of money or status you have - some of the wealthiest individuals of Hresvelg have homes crafted of marble, while most of the working-class live in homes of clayfired brick - but they all have such fine details that cannot be found in any other society.
Any woodwork found in Hressian architecture is generally made of beautifully polished dark oak, harvested from the northernmost parts of the Boundary Forests. Thus, the color palette of most structures in town is generally quite dark - however, Hresvelg has magical lighting technology that far surpasses anywhere else in the Kingdom.
Geography
Hresvelg was built atop sprawling plains of dark earth, south of the Cliffs of Division, north of the Boundary Forests and the Hressian Hills, and just east of the Uthilith Great Sea. Although the soil was quite inhospitable to growth, Kin Hresvelg turned to one born with the Blood of the Soothsayer coursing through her veins - and she envisioned this place to be one of prosperity for millennia to come.
Natural Resources
Hresvelg's most profitable natural resource comes from their unique ability to harvest and harness energy of the Ley Lines that run throughout Uthilith. Once consolidated, they export it to other major settlements in the U5 for a vast profit.
Founding Date
CY 922
Founders
Alternative Name(s)
The Obsidian City
Type
City
Population
21,722
Inhabitant Demonym
Hressians
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
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