Drelvar Hold

“We do not retreat. We endure until the world forgets why we stood.”

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Overview

Drelvar Hold is a militant flame-citadel built into the volcanic cliffs bordering the Shattered Reach. Carved from obsidian and blessed iron, it stands as both a divine anvil and a warlord’s tomb—a bastion whose only luxury is endurance.

Founded by decree of Solmara’s Embered Synod, Drelvar was built directly atop the Hellrift to The Wound Eternal, the second layer of Azhi-Kael’s Nine Hells. There, it acts as a moral crucible and metaphysical lock, reforging the virtue of Endurance to counter the infernal curse of Endless War below.

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Seal Function: The Wound Eternal

• Beneath Drelvar lies the Wound Eternal, a plane of constant siege, unyielding violence, and eternal battle fatigue.
• Its Helllord, Barzhaan, was once a paragon of righteous war, now twisted into a general of eternal attrition.
• His influence leaks through moments of stalemate, fanaticism, and violence-as-purpose.

Drelvar’s core doctrine teaches that to endure is not to survive—but to remain unbroken in service to order.

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Architecture & Geography

• Built into the Blistered Spine, the city clings to cliffsides above sulfuric chasms
• Multi-tiered bastions rise like broken teeth—each connected by chain-bridges and braziers that burn unceasingly
• The Crucible Heart, located at the city’s base, is a subterranean temple-fortress sealed over the Hellrift itself
• Lava channels are redirected through liturgical forges that cast holy weapons and chain armor

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Key Districts

• Ashhold Barracks – Home to Flamebound infantry, all sleep with chain-wrapped weapons under their bunks
• Crucible Garden – A holy proving ground where penitent pilgrims and military aspirants fight in ritual duels
• The Red Vault – A prison-forge where heretics are tested through fire until repentance or death
• The Chain Spire – Headquarters of the Flamewarden and the site of annual Seal Oath renewals

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Cultural Identity

• Citizens are referred to as Ashborn
• Everyone from blacksmith to priest undergoes battle conditioning and spiritual fasts
• Injury is sacred—to bleed in service is to echo Solmara’s suffering
• Children are taught to memorize the “Nine Laws of Flame” before they learn to read

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Military Significance

• Drelvar serves as the mustering ground for all western campaigns into the Shattered Reach
• Flamebound officers are trained here in siege doctrine, planar warfare, and divine endurance
• Siege engines are often constructed from blessed iron and sealed with soul-bonded chains

Type

Citadel

Population

~43,000 (65% Human, 15% Dwarf, 10% Aasimar, 10% Other)

Inhabitant Demonym

Cathlidian

Location under

The Flamefolds of Cathlidia

Owning Organization

The Ironfold

Characters in Location

• Duran Vorr, The Iron Pillar