Sky Citadel

Sky Citadels are mighty dwarven fortresses that can be found throughout Avistan and Garund, the first to be built by the stout folk when they emerged onto the surface world during the Age of Darkness.

History

At the end of the Age of Darkness (ca. -4987 AR), the dwarves emerged on the surface world, ending their century-long exodus from the Darklands (see Quest for Sky). In order to make a mark upon their new-found home and establish an enduring dwarven presence, they built ten Sky Citadels, fortified cities and massive engineering feats. Typically metropolis-sized creations, they were decorated ornately in the dwarven fashion, and contained many murals and depictions of events from the Quest for Sky. They were almost exclusively of stone, and such is their craftsmanship that time has only slightly worn away their splendor.

Although ten citadels were built in total, only a few have survived intact to the present day, and fewer still are held by the dwarves. In the years following the end of the Quest for Sky, many of the cities were overcome by the very creatures of the Darklands the stout folk had displaced during their quest, especially the orcs. These battles continued for millennia, with the tides of war flowing back and forth, until a final push of orc power in 1551 AR overwhelmed many of the remaining dwarven holdings.

Surviving Sky Citadels

Only a few of the ten original Sky Citadels are held by the dwarves today. The others lie either in complete ruin or are overrun by other creatures. Those still actively inhabited by the dwarves usually maintain connections to the Darklands realm of Nar-Voth that are all heavily guarded and patrolled. In addition, such connections are heavily reinforced by countless doors of stone, iron, and adamantine, not to mention devious traps, deadfalls, fields of fire, and sally ports.

Cloudspire

Located in the Terwa Uplands of the western Mwangi Expanse.

Dongun Hold

Located in Alkenstar, this city is connected by the Bridge of the Gods to Alkenstar City; its access to the Darklands has been blocked.

Highhelm

Located in the Five Kings Mountains, this metropolis remains the center of dwarven culture in Avistan to this day.

Janderhoff

Located in Varisia's Mindspin Mountains.

Jormurdun

This Sky Citadel is located in the Wolfcrags, a largely uninhabited section in the northwest of the Worldwound's Frostmire region. The dwarves here fell to a hryngar incursion long ago. These hryngar controlled about a third of the city, the remainder being filled with ancient traps and guardians set by the dwarves before their defeat. The citadel was partially populated by hryngars who recently converted to the worship of the demon lord Shivaska.

In 4715 AR, Pathfinders led by Jorsal of Lauterbury and joined by dwarves of the Five Kings Mountains laid siege to Jormurdun and defeated the hryngars, and it has since been the subject of reclamation efforts.

Kraggodan

This Sky Citadel is located in modern day Nirmathas.

Kravenkus

Located in the World's Edge Mountains in Taldor.

Lost Sky Citadels

Helderdan

Located in the Realm of the Mammoth Lords, behind a glacier. Reputed to be cursed and ghost-haunted by local clans.

Koldukar

Located in the Hold of Belkzen, this citadel fell to the orcs in the Battle of Nine Stones, and today is generally known as Urgir. Few outside the dwarven community are aware of the fact that it once belonged to the dwarves.

Tol Doakar

Located on a sunken island off the coast of Rahadoum. Its former inhabitants are thought to have been researching a strange form of transmutation, based off of magical relics that periodically wash ashore.

Possible Sky Citadels

Some claim that Spiro Spero on the Mwangi Expanse side of the Shattered Range is a ruined Sky Citadel. However, this is disputed by most dwarves as it appears to predate the accepted time period when dwarves emerged on the surface world.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.