Grand Arches

"There it is! The Gateway of the North, The Thundering City, The Dais of the Mountains! Perched atop a roaring cascade, resting beneath a great mountain, and glowing in all her glory! See how beautiful she is, half resting in the blinding light of a dying sun, half asleep in the shade of the caverns mouth. Behold her great arches vaulting up from the tumultuous waters; they are her throne and her shield. Hear the thundering of the falls, smell the dewy mist in the air! Ah... it is good to be home." ~ The Glorious Tykerantious, gnome bard extraordinaire

Demographics

Grand Arches attracts a wide variety of races, with at least a small representation of almost every demographic.

Government

The city is ruled by a Stone Lord, who is elected every four years via a democratic election in which any documented citizen aged sixteen and older may participate in. The Stone Lord then elects a council of lords consisting of a General (Oversees Military Units and Stone Breaker units), a High Steward (Oversees the Stone Lords personal house), a Chancellor (Delegates several committees responsible for economics, justice, and civil matters), and a Chamberlain (Oversees the Council of Lords). A High Priest or Cleric from the Temple District is also elected by the clergy to represent their interests in the Nobel's Council.

History

The city of Grand Arches in the youngest of the Quarries and was founded after the Dragoons of E'spatar battled a blue dragon in its lair under a mountain which was place over an underground river. The battle was so fierce, it broke through the cave floor, and forced the river up and into the cave. Soon after the battle, treasure collectors, miners, settlers, and adventurers all came to seek out the wealth of the dragon’s hoard, which had fallen into the river and down the falls. As the wealth accumulated, more and more people of all races flooded in. Soon, the Stone Lords of the other Quarries sent in Stone Breakers to create order and run an election for the new settlement. Turnic Mosbre was the first Stone Lord in Grand Arches, and the new ruler wasted no time in warring against the kobolds and dragonkin that had taken over the cavern in the dragon’s absence. It was he that used his cities wealth to hire the best stoneworkers and architects from Melthaldor and erect the cities namesake arches as well as it’s impregnable defenses. Soon, the people of Grand Arches moved their town from alongside the river, to over its now famous falls.

Architecture

The city is built inside an enormous cavern with a powerful subterranean river underneath. Masterfully designed supports uphold the city on magical stone arches and jut out from under the falls to support the famous Mor’Lik Bridge, that leads from the mountainside road, parallel to the falls and the city, up to the city’s Main Gate. The road leading up to the gate passes through the falls, small water gates allowing the city guard to flood the walkway in case of an attack. The gate itself is a marvel, standing 60 feet tall, and decorated with copper reliefs of Dragoons Battling a blue dragon that have corroded into a beautiful shaded blue in the mist.
Grand Arches is divided into 4 main districts: Uppertown lies in the far back of the cavern, and much of it is built into the walls of the cave itself. It holds the Stonehouse, Dragoon outpost, Stonebreaker training grounds, and several noble houses; Middlingtown is the central district, and holds a majority of the cities craftsmen, inns, and middle class; Lowertown is the nearest to the front of the cavern, and so is constantly damp with mist. It is the poorest district, though it does hold the cities marketplace, auction yard, and dozens of taverns, so there is plenty of coin to be had by even the most impoverished; Finally, there's Undertown. Undertown can only be entered through a series of trap doors or side passages, that lead down to the area directly around the falls. Smugglers, illicit guilds, and a variety of monsters call this dangerous district home. Grand Arches is largely made of stone, though there are several wooden or adobe structures in the Lowertown and Undertown districts, and the architecture is a beautiful, balanced mix of elven, human, and dwarven styles.

Alternative Name(s)

The Gateway of the North, The Roaring City, Arches

Type

Large city

Population

250,000

Location under

Haudur Mountains