Uthodurn


 * &rarr; For the episode of the same name, see .

Uthodurn is a city north of the Ivory Lake and southwest of Kravaraad in the Flotket Alps of the Greying Wildlands. A rare haven for both Dwarves and Elves, Uthodurn has become a center for the highest levels of craftsmanship and blacksmithing. "Uthodurn" roughly translates from Dwarvish as "the new under salvation".

Origins
Uthodurn was founded by dwarves in the wake of the Calamity, shortly after 35 PD. Long afterwards, between 535 and 585 PD, a great tragedy struck the elven city of Molaesmyr, driving many of the elves to flee their home in the Savalirwood. The refugees found sanctuary with the dwarves of Uthodurn and together they have since created a dual society known as the Diarchy of Uthodurn.

The Diarchy
The city is ruled simultaneously by dual monarchs, a dwarven queen and an elven king who each are advised by their own small council who share the responsibility of governing the city. Each community looks primarily to its own monarch for leadership and guidance, but the two have worked together remarkably well, for centuries.

Glassblades
Glassblades are the military and ranger force that guard, hunt and watch over the perimeter of Uthodurn. They gained the name when Uthodurn was founded.

Demographics
Uthodurn's citizens are mostly dwarves, with a large elven population and a sprinkling of other races. Dwarven, Elvish, and Common are the most used languages in Uthodurn.

The population in 835 PD is 26,240. More than half (56%) are dwarves and more than a third (36%) are elves. There is a small population of gnomes as well (4%).

Description
Located about 300 to 400 feet up a mountainside, the entrance to the main city is marked by a perimeter fence and a dozen or so stone towers, four of them around the central structure. There are small buildings, liveries, and stables. In the center is a large heavy gazebo-type roof structure over a 50 to 60-foot wide pit descending 100 to 150-feet deep into the mountain rock. Numerous spiral staircases descend into the city proper, about 15-feet wide each.

The staircases descend into a large semi-domed area about a hundred feet across. The air is much warmer than outside, and it smells like wet earth, burned wood, soot, and iron. Barracks (called the Glassblade Kaserne) are built into both sides, with balcony pathways and storage for weapons.

The stairs continue into a very wide opening that leads to a central 30 foot-wide road, the Augur Trail, which is roughly hewn with numerous pillars throughout that rise up to meet the ceiling to both maintain the weight and give it a grandiose, massively scaled grand hall feel. Passing through, it opens up into a massive 120-foot high by 1500-foot wide underground cavern, filled with buildings forming an underground neighborhood that continues to descend, curving like a gargantuan auger slowly spiraling into the earth. There are mining works off to the far right. To the left are other residential buildings in both dwarven and elven styles.

Each of the Disks of the city further below contain immense pillars holding up the ceiling of the caverns, some of which have been built into with mostly elven-styled homes to utilize every available bit of space. The Disks are each bounded by huge heavy dark metal gates drawn up to the ceiling, which can be dropped in case of invasion.

Points of interest
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Volition Disk
The Volition Disk is the oldest and top level of Uthodurn which houses most of the citizens.
 * The Broken Stool: a tavern and inn run by Luda, an older dwarven woman

Deliberation Disk
The Deliberation Disk, nicknamed the Liber Disk, is the bustling market center of the city, filled from floor to ceiling with homes and emporiums.
 * The Anvil of Smeltborne: forge and blacksmith
 * Moradin's Mantle: massive temple to The Allhammer
 * The Softer Stoneforge: a bakery
 * Plexus Post: an odds-and-ends shop
 * Vellum Steeple Archive: on the boundary between the Liber and Grand Disks, a for-profit library with a Teleportation Circle
 * The Tumbling Tankards: a dive bar with root mead and live music, run by Von Bragg.
 * The Tumblecarve Residence: home of the Tumblecarve noble family, located in Demerant Circle.

Grand Disk
This is where a lot of the richer folk live, and where the Luddenbrock mines are. The Grandcast Citadel is located here, where most of the town is lawfully taken care of. It looks like a frozen tornado.
 * Underrest: high-end inn for dignitaries.