Asarius

Asarius, the City of Beasts, is a mid-sized city near the western border of Xhorhas, established by the Kryn Dynasty on the banks of the Ifolon River as a communal home for the many tribes of goblinkin, gnolls, and orcs that lived across the northern wastes, as well as a central military hub for the Aurora Watch.

Description
Asarius is surrounded by a ten feet stockade wall of sharpened purple vermaloc planks with watchtowers towering along the outskirts. The city is built around a large cracked hill. Most buildings in Asarius are built no taller than a single floor.

The Pits
The southeastern district of the Asarius, the Pits is named for its multitude of breeding pits for livestock and war beasts, contributing heavily to the smell of wet animals and manure found throughout the city. Poorer citizens make their homes here.
 * Zorth's Pits: A moorbounder breeding pit and livery owned by the armless goblin Zorth.

The Creets
The Creets are a large residential district on the southwest side of the city, home to many neighborhoods of goblinkin making their homes on the backs of horizonback tortoises, as well as many of the city's farmers.

The Northroads
The northern half of the city, the Northroads are the more affluent region of Asarius. At the center is the Aurora Hold, the seat of government within the city.

Scowl Square
Located within the Northroads at the crossroads between two major streets and many alleys, in the center of which is a patch of grass and a single tree. Around this is a marketplace of tents and stands, as well as many other businesses.
 * Four Corners: A large and rowdy tavern with a fighting pit, owned by Resk the Mad.
 * Timoch and Ude Make Things: A craft store.
 * Madam Musk's: An alchemy shop owned and named for the mysterious Madam Musk.
 * Baron's Meats: A busy butcher shop owned by Baron Visco.

Exterior
Outside the walls, there are fields that surround the eastern end of the city, growing "roots, tubes, and other strange and hardy produce" in the unexpectedly cultivable land among Xhorhasian wastelands.

In 836 PD during the War of Ash and Light, Asarius had a heavy military presence of armored and armed soldiers in a state of preparation for conflict and protection of the city. In the same year, it filled with smells of "animal hair, wet earth, and dung" and was a parking place for horizonback tortoises carrying settlements on their backs.

Demographics
In 835 PD and 836 PD, Asarius was very diverse with populations of bugbears, kobolds, gnolls, goblins, ogres, orcs, minotaurs, drows, and few humans. 41% of the population were goblinoids, 32% were gnolls, 10% were dark elves, and 17% were other races with the total of 48,025 individuals.

Religion
Kryn Dynasty soldiers and den members, as well as some inhabitants of Asarius, worship the Luxon.

Background
Asarius is a cultural and military hub established by the Kryn Dynasty as a home for the waste folk of northern Xhorhasian. Prior to the founding of the city, the land was fought over by various factions of waste folk. The Kryn persuaded these folk to join their civilization by promising protection, resources, and religious enlightenment. While the establishment of Asarius was initially rocky, the city eventually became a symbol of unity and community for northern Xhorhasians.

War of Ash and Light
During the war, the Kryn Dynasty capitalized on Asarius' strategic location and turned the city into a major military hub. Many Asarians were enlisted into the Kryn army, and military tents littered the western outskirts of the city.

When the Mighty Nein stopped in Asarius, they discovered two abyssal rifts beneath the city. One rift was in an underground moorbounder breeding pit owned by a goblin named Zorth, and the other was in a cavern adjoining a well in the middle of the city. The source of these rifts was an Abyssal Anchor, which had been deliberately placed by agents of the Angel of Irons cult.

Trivia

 * Nott referred to Asarius as "Monster Land".
 * The city was misspelled "Assarius" in and.