Dwer Tor

History

No one still alive remembers the founding of Dwer Tor, not even the master archivists of its ancient library. It is at least as old as Kaddish, and is the only part of the Dawnlands never conquered by the Dawnmen, though it was a tributary and ally in their wars against the Hill Elves and hyperborean goblin clans. Centuries ago, the eladrin emigrated from the Kingdom of the Falling Stars far to the south, and joined the dwarves as the masters of Dwer Tor, bringing magical might and much secret knowledge that have allowed Dwer Tor to become the pre-eminent trading city of the Dawnlands. It weathered the collapse of High Kaddish unscathed, and allied with the nomads, equipping them with weapons and armour to keep the revolutionary zeal of Kaddish safely contained.

Government and the Social Order

Dwer Tor is an elected monarchy with several classes that fulfill the functions of an aristocracy. The king of Dwer Tor is elected from the greatest optimate families. Only those families who have at least one of the divine heroes of Dwer history in their ancestry may be nominated or vote, approximately three-dozen families (Two eladrin, the rest dwarvish). Only dwarves have ever been king, with the exception of Hadrach the Pretender, who was an adopted halfing assassinated at his coronation ceremony by the divine hero and patriot Gurdip.

Under the king are the optimate families in general, who form one branch of the aristocracy. They are by tradition land-owners, merchant-princes, judges and warriors, are mainly dwarven, and are organised into families of various sizes. The other branch of the aristocracy are the thaumates who are mainly eladrin. They are organised into ecclesia or colleges, with all members of a college considered related to one another. Traditionally they are responsible for magic and religious observation, but most colleges have members who pursue other specialised trades such as medicine, law, teaching and engineering.

Under the aristocracy are the helots. Helots are mainly halflings and humans, though poorer dwarves and eladrin families may be considered helots as well. Helots are named after the deme they were born in, and are considered related to the members of that deme regardless of actual ancestry. Incest taboos prevent marrying within a deme, though the parents' deme is acceptable (a wife takes her husband's deme, which is also his "last name"). A deme is an area of land outside the city that is approximately 5000 acres (about 20 km^2) and has around 200 families in it. Most colonies of Dwer Tor are considered a single deme (which leads to frequent migration back to the capital to find mates). Inside the city, a deme is closer to being an ecclesia, and is not a measure of land per se. Instead, a deme is a group of people who have the privilege of using a particular set of public facilities - usually a gymnasium, eating hall, baths and one or more public enterprises.

Most helots are small farmers and merchants, independent artisans, foresters, supervisors of teams of slaves, or are workers at public enterprises requiring skilled labour.

Helots are forbidden to touch weapons (Loosely defined as anything that could be dangerous to an armed warrior - knives, clubs and the like are generally considered unimportant) unless expressly given permission to by an optimate or thaumate, who is responsible for any violence a helot may do while wielding them. They are otherwise free - they may marry as they please, move as they please through the domain of Dwer Tor, and owe allegiance to no one other than the king or his representatives.

Under the helots are the slaves. Most slaves are either halflings, elves or humans. Though slavery is common throughout the Dawnlands, nowhere else practices it on such a scale. About one fifth of Dwer Tor's population is slaves. They are criminals, indebted helots, prisoners of war (from Kaddish, the Hill Elves, or the goblins) and Forest Dreamers captured in slaving raids. Slaves are property of the state, and must be respected as such, though they have no real rights. Optimates and thaumates may rent them at a set rate from king. The single most common sort of employment is unskilled agricultural labour, followed by mining, quarrying and construction. A gang of slaves led by a helot supervisor is a common sight around Dwer Tor, and they do much of the maintenance of the city. They are permitted to wear only black clothing to distinguish them from regular citizens.

Physical Geography

Dwer Tor is built onto the north-eastern side of a mountain with a large lake at its base. The mountain, also known as Dwer Tor, is snow-capped in winter, though it is geothermally active in the form of a number of hot springs. It is the northermost mountain in its chains, though foothills continue for miles out until they become the plains of Kadiz proper. The snowmelt and the hot springs form a set of streams around the bottom-third of the mountain that feed into the lake. The Dwer have cut an artificial canal from the northern shore around the mountain to a westerly flowing river called the Little Road that has a number of other mountain streams feed into it. It has three falls along it, each less than 100 ft. high, and there is a colony around each one to help transport cargo.

The city itself covers the bottom third of the mountain, encompasses the lake, and has numerous roads going off into the mountains that are used to transport stone and metal from various mines.

If peaceful life only exists in one place- it isn't normal . What is the slave to citizen ratio? Do you see more citizens than slaves during waking hours? And most importantly, can I get lizard on a stick?

I think you answered some of my questions as I was posting.

Quote from: Aos;244480If peaceful life only exists in one place- it isn't normal .

Hah, true. Though the Kaddish were _once_ peaceful too. Between the two cities you've got approximately 1/2 of the total populations of the PC races in the Dawnlands, btw (about 1 million in the two cities and their peripheries, and another million scattered across the ~ 1.25 million square kilometres in the rest of the Dawnlands).

QuoteWhat is the slave to citizen ratio? Do you see more citizens than slaves during waking hours? And most importantly, can I get lizard on a stick?

Slaves are about 20% of the population (50,000 slaves roughly), but you'd actually see fewer than that in the city proper, because they're mostly employed in latifundia or in the mines. Say half in the city, half out. Most would be either sequestered in houses or employed on state-operated work gangs, so the average helot traveling about the city on his daily business would probably only see slaves a handful of times, but he be likely to see a thousand or so at a time when he did. Colonies tend to have fewer, because of the risks of a slave revolt, unless they're colonies devoted to slaving.

And yeah, there's enough lizards and sticks for everyone who wants a bite.

Something really bugs me about that 'one gold mine' thing but...

I wonder at the use of the term Helots and how much you are trying to tie it to the Spartan system of Helotry?  I think a strongly interesting conversation is to be had regardign Hadrip the Pretender, specfically his assassination (the timing in particular...), which was certainly bound to have had repercussions among the halfling population who, regardless of any other factors, are bound to have seen him as legitimate. Also, the race of Gurdip is important on many levels, specifically:If Gurdip was a Dwarf this may have created some sort of undercurrent of long standing resentment that none of the other Optimal races (though Halfling isn't one, yeah?) might have gotten the same treatment had they tried to put a non-dwarf on the throne themselves.  If Gurdip wasn't a a Dwarf this is less interesting, but still a factor. If Eladrin, say, then humans might wonder if the Eladrin Optimals have some sort of understanding with the Dwarves, and vice versa (depending on how evolved you want to take any given racial psychology. D&D, pragmatically, seems to assign them a basic human psychology with flavors thrown in for color)

A demographic breakdown by caste, along with strong indicators of what sort of work is done by each caste may be helpful. It seems likely that Helots would be the most likely level of citizen encounted by random strangers and would powerfully dominate all aspects of the city life except actual governance/high society... but then that leads to the idea that helots may, over time, accumulate enough wealth to participate even there to some extant.  

As contrast with the original Helots, the Spartans used some pretty brutal methods to keep the Helots from ever rising, even socially (for example, having the Helots select their own leadership, which the Similars would then brutally (often secretly, other times openly...) murder just ot remove the most charismatic and influential members... then the institutional theft... and so on and on...

QuoteI wonder at the use of the term Helots and how much you are trying to tie it to the Spartan system of Helotry?  I think a strongly interesting conversation is to be had regardign Hadrip the Pretender, specfically his assassination (the timing in particular...), which was certainly bound to have had repercussions among the halfling population who, regardless of any other factors, are bound to have seen him as legitimate. Also, the race of Gurdip is important on many levels, specifically:If Gurdip was a Dwarf this may have created some sort of undercurrent of long standing resentment that none of the other Optimal races (though Halfling isn't one, yeah?) might have gotten the same treatment had they tried to put a non-dwarf on the throne themselves.  If Gurdip wasn't a a Dwarf this is less interesting, but still a factor. If Eladrin, say, then humans might wonder if the Eladrin Optimals have some sort of understanding with the Dwarves, and vice versa (depending on how evolved you want to take any given racial psychology. D&D, pragmatically, seems to assign them a basic human psychology with flavors thrown in for color)

Gurdip was a dwarf, and it did cause tremendous long-standing resentment.

I'll be unambiguous about this: The power system in Dwer Tor is racist, and is basically a collaboration between Dwarves and Eladrin to subjugate the other races (though they themselves don't see it as such, of course...). When I get to the factions in society I'll elaborate on this further, but the Halflings are basically on the point of revolt, and there's a radical group trying to inspire a mass revolt amongst the slaves and helots to rise up, kill the Dwarves and Eladrin, and seize power to make the state a "democracy" (that is to say, de facto Halfling-run). The ruling classes are willing to be utterly ruthless to keep themselves in power, and even Dwarven and Eladrin helots believe themselves members of chosen races who are superior to the other helots.

QuoteA demographic breakdown by caste, along with strong indicators of what sort of work is done by each caste may be helpful. It seems likely that Helots would be the most likely level of citizen encounted by random strangers and would powerfully dominate all aspects of the city life except actual governance/high society... but then that leads to the idea that helots may, over time, accumulate enough wealth to participate even there to some extant.

Dwarven and Eladrin helots may be elevated to another class by adoption, and this condition transfers to their children. Halflings (and Humans, Elves, etc.) may be elevated to another class by adoption as well, but this status does not transfer to their children. Demotion is also possible (by decree of the king) but is much rarer. I'll put up some more specific statistics later.

What that possibility of promotion does is give many helots a powerful incentive to stick by the social order to achieve personal advantage at the expense of their fellows. It also allows the ruling classes to co-opt gifted members of the class without threatening the essential social order. Because Dwer Tor is a highly mercantile society, wealth is usually the most important factor. It's important to remember that Dwarves and Eladrin both live significantly longer than a Halfling or Human does, and so can work much longer, make much longer investments, and so on. The need to begin supporting elderly parents etc. begins much later for them as well.

QuoteAs contrast with the original Helots, the Spartans used some pretty brutal methods to keep the Helots from ever rising, even socially (for example, having the Helots select their own leadership, which the Similars would then brutally (often secretly, other times openly...) murder just ot remove the most charismatic and influential members... then the institutional theft... and so on and on...

Indeed. I don't see the Dwer court openly murdering its citizens, but it does move to keep troublemakers in line. The Dwer court has a number of methods it can use. First, it can strike someone with such a crippling fine that they cannot possibly pay it, and must be sold into slavery (possibly with their entire family, depending on the amount of money). It can exile them, either to the colonies or from Dwer lands entirely (it can disguise this as a promotion if it so desires). It can _secretly_ murder a citizen and disguise it any number of ways. It can draft troublemakers into its military and send them off to fight the goblins for the next hundred years, and so on.

Outside of a few revolutionaries though, the Dwer tend to be very law-abiding. The state doesn't care about helots getting wealthy or spending that money on decadent luxuries and the like, it simply doesn't want them to get involved in politics or to start wielding undue influence over the ruling classes. Most helots are as apolitical as they can be, though they may grumble from time to time.

I find this an interesting contrast with the Spartan connection (Helots as a term...though the Helots were essentially the slave caste...)

QuoteDemotion is also possible (by decree of the king) but is much rarer. I'll put up some more specific statistics later.

The destruction of Spartan culture can be explicitly linked to the fact that they were exclusively downwardly mobile.  It was easy for a Similar to be demoted, with his decendents following him into the lower classes, but impossible to rejoin the Similars regardless of merit.  Such reductive practices were not at all offset by, say, a breeding program designed to keep the ranks of Similars full even as entire genetic lines were removed for inadequacy (that is, each Spartan male produces many more children than necessary to replace military losses, every generation, so the loss of a son and his decendents to reduction in Caste does not potentially eliminate the family's overall presence in the caste, nor would the loss of an unwed son in battle prematurely... see?).

I notice you didn't seem to address the possiblity that the helots, as the dominant members of society in terms of numbers and presence could essentially stage, even incidentally, a quiet revolt by simply rendering the higher castes meaningless for day to day life.  Eventually the higher castes become parasites (or, if you like, exclusively parasites), utterly dependent upon their helot servants and administrators to accomplish anything at all until they are eliminated or reduced to religious figureheads (say...).

though I am sure I'm missing at least one middleman caste, though that doesn't necessarily render the idea invalid, just a tad more complex.

It is interesting to note that over time all caste based societies eventually see a change in the ruling caste.  In India the warriors became second to the priests, in japan the merchants became more powerful (if not more respected) than the warriors...

Well, Sparta was destroyed by its enemies(thracians...)when their Similars grew too few in number to 'hold the line'... though time would have done them in anyway: stagnant, unchanging cultures eventually fall to more dynamic cultures that adopt new tactics(cavalry as I recall...) and technologies...

I've had a chance to evaluate the God-Emperor in comparison to the other Epic Destinies. On the whole it stacks up quite nicely, being game breaking in such a way that doesn't unravel the entire ruleset. I have slight concerns with the Horde-Slayer power, and get the feeling that under the right circumstances it could turn a challenging fight into mad, pinball-like ricochets of XP collection. Of course that may be intentional on your part, the sample Destinies we've had thus far are uniformly powerful.

I forgot to say that I love the Radiant Reincarnation power. A couple of small amendments for your consideration- 1) Have the God-Emperor's mortal remains disappear at the moment of death (via disintergration or an upward shooting star effect), and  2) Either push the target of the secondary effect at least one square (so the God-Emperor can occupy it) or stipulate that the secondary effect targets an enemy that is adjacent to an unoccupied square that the returning character chooses to 'land' on.

Quote from: Drew;246788I forgot to say that I love the Radiant Reincarnation power. A couple of small amendments for your consideration- 1) Have the God-Emperor's mortal remains disappear at the moment of death (via disintergration or an upward shooting star effect), and  2) Either push the target of the secondary effect at least one square (so the God-Emperor can occupy it) or stipulate that the secondary effect targets an enemy that is adjacent to an unoccupied square that the returning character chooses to 'land' on.

Thanks I've amended it according to your advice.

Municipal Geography of Dwer Tor:

Dwer Tor is sectioned into three zones at different heights on the mountain, surrounded by farmlands. Most of the terrain of Dwer Tor has been designed and built over the centuries - even the lake, Quarry Lake, is artificial, fed by snowmelt and aqueducts, with a canal connecting it to the Little Road River.

The Palace Eternal

One third (2500m) of the way up the mountain, on a specially built terrace it shares with no other section of the city, is the Palace Eternal, the home of the Dwer king. Most of the administrative section of the Palace Eternal is deep inside the mountain, accessed by entrances - some secret - hidden in the lower city. The palace itself emerges from the rock, with a curtain wall projecting out from it. Through a series of cleverly-designed chutes and channels, the snowmelt of the mountain comes rushing over the main entrance in a great waterfall before splashing through more channels cut through the rock to emerge as rivers that flow through the city into Quarry Lake. The only entrance is a glass-covered tunnel with a stone floor that goes from the curtain wall to the palace proper.

The Palace Eternal is the greatest fortress in the Dawnlands, even more imposing than the goblin bastions of the north. The parts of it outside the mountain are large enough to be just barely visible from the base of the lower city when the smoke of cookfires clears. Many secrets are hidden in the depths of the mountain, and a handful of men could hold it against an army of raging helots. Specially trained servants of the crown who are capable of dealing with the rarefied air are constantly coming in and going out to the lower city bearing messages. They rely on a series of staircases and pulley elevators, some inside the mountain, and most higher-castes who must come to the palace travel up inside the mountain, where the air is thicker. Helots are not welcome unless they are palace servants.

The only structure higher than the Palace Eternal - by decree of the ancient kings - is the sacred pyre where the bodies of kings and divine heroes are immolated to hasten their journey into the night sky.

The Middle Terraces

The middle terraces are a series of loosely connected terraces. The lowest is only a few hundred metres above the low sections, while the highest is perhaps a kilometre up. There are several series of terraces, each with a varying width, length and number of terraces. Each level forms a "neighbourhood", normally supporting several optimate families and several thaumate ecclesia. This typically mean 3-6 compounds, with multiple residences and subisidary buildings. A small compound might only be four buildings and a wall: A residence for the upper-castes, servant's quarters (always separate), a guardhouse and a storehouse. The largest compounds might be a third of a kilometre long and feature multiple warehouses and training grounds, astronomical observatories, temples, graveyards, schools, barracks, or even a vineyard.

The middle terraces circle the mountain, with the most privileged and important residences underneath the Palace Eternal facing east, and the north face preferred to the south face otherwise (because the canal passes the mountain on its north side).

Broad walkways encircle the mountain from one terrace to another, wide enough to allow carts to pass one another, but without railings. This is perhaps where one is most likely to see slaves in the city, as they grade and recut roads and terraces. A number of slave graveyards have been made out of cracks and small caverns in the mountain, and the spirits of the dead are often blamed for landslides, avalanches and falls.

[more]

Shoot. I thought I'd posted the next section of the municipal geography entry already. It's short, anyhow.

Lower City

The lower city of Dwer Tor is where most of the city's helot population lives. Most of the lower city is sorted into neighbourhoods of about 20 demes (~15-16,000 people), ruled by a single optimate family that administers it for the king. These families change every generation or so (by Dwarven standards ~100 years). The different neighbourhoods are broken up from one another by internal fortifications, orchards, coliseums, theatres and hippodromes, slave barracks, aqueducts and especially markets. It is customary to punish criminals in these interstitial spaces, to show that they no longer have a deme and are cast out. Much of the lower city is clean and peaceful, though occasional reminders of discontent can be found - one of the main tasks of the slaves each day is to scrub our revolutionary graffiti that went up during the night.

The exception to this clustering is the Stranger's Quarter in the northeast of the city, where the Little Road meets the lake. This is Dwer Tor's port, and home for its foreigners and sailors. It is a wild place, unlike the rest of the city. It is the only part of the city that the Kaddish are allowed into (even the Kadiz are allowed more leeway), and the quarter is jammed with religious fanatics, freebooters, and merchants. All visitors to Dwer Tor are considered part of the "Stranger" deme, though this is a customary title without legal standing. Dwer Tor's criminals congregate here as well, having been banished from the rest of the polis. It is the place in the lower city where slaves are most likely to be seen, since they often work as porters, but it lacks the maintenance of the rest of the city since no particular family or deme is responsible for it. In heavy rains it floods very slightly, perhaps half a foot, (the rest of the city is on higher ground) and this is the only time it is ever cleaned.

Interlude: Divine Heroes

Since time immemorial, the people of Dwer Tor have periodically given rise to legendary figures whose fantastic deeds earn them a place amongst the gods in the sky. In times of peril or great need, they ride down from the sky as a falling star and reincarnate as a seemingly-ordinary mortal who rises to defend the city and turn the world to their will. These are the divine heroes of Dwer Tor.

The largest number of divine heroes ever known to be active at once was 12, and there have been dim centuries when none could be found, but there is usually at least one divine hero are the Dawnlands, slaying dread gods and other unclean things. They are rarely found in the city, though they do return to it when its very existence is imperiled. Rather, they go forth and confront threats whose very existence may not even be known about for centuries.

The exact number of divine heroes, both latent and active, is known only to the king and his most trusted advisers. He and the ecclesia are responsible for propitiating those that remain in the sky, and its is the work of many skilled astrologers to watch the stars and note when one goes dark, signalling that the time of its hero's return is at hand.

Kakarna Night-Slayer  (Solo Soldier 30)

Initiative +23
Senses: Perception +23, darkvision

Faltering Glower - Aura 6, Enemies within the divine hero's aura may only use basic melee attacks to attack him or his allies

HP 1365 Bloodied 682
AC 48 Fort 46 Ref 42 Wil 44
Immune: Radiant, Fire
Saving Throws +5
Speed 5
Action Points 2
Special: Any power that shifts, pushes or pulls Kakarna moves him one less square

Meteoric Hammer (basic attack, standard, at will, radiant, weapon) +37 vs. AC 4d8+10 and the enemy is stunned (save ends)

Shining Star of Destiny (standard, at-will, radiant, weapon) Close Burst 10 +35 vs. Fort 3d8+10 The target is dazed (save ends) Miss: The target is immobilised (save ends)

Mountain Cleaving Charge (standard, encounter, recharge 4,5,6, weapon) Effect: Kakarna may move up to 10 squares, and attack any suitable target (+37 vs. AC 4d8+10 and enemy is dazed [save ends]) that comes within reach. He may attack each eligible target once for each square he moves. He provokes attacks of opportunity as normal.

Impact Crater (standard, encounter, recharge 5,6, weapon) Close Burst 5 +35 vs. Fort 5d12+9 Targets that are hit are dazed (save ends) and are pulled up to 5 squares towards Kakarna. Kakarna may immediately attack all adjacent enemies +37 vs. AC 4d8+10. Miss: The target is immobilised (save ends)

Background

Kakarna is the mightiest of the mighty, first in renown amongst the divine heroes. He is the first dwarf, companion to the Dawnmen, and it was his iron grip that held the eternal Night still while the Dawnmen murdered it at the beginning of time. In the struggle he was badly injured, and his dripping blood became the iron veins his heirs mine. When his wounds healed, he took the first star as his wife, fathered the mountains and the dwarves, founded Dwer Tor, invented mining, smithing, the cultivation of rice, armour, hinges, the axle and the pulley, and dwelling in houses. Upon his death, his body could not be burnt because it was solid iron, and he became the mountain known as Founder's Grave in the Stormbreaker Mountains.

He has been reborn twice before in recorded history, slaying the vampire  Tegon at the brink of godhood, and wrestling in his famous match with the Carnean Worm when it awakened. The current incarnation has not been seen in nearly a century, but Kakarna's star remains absent from the heavens.

Edit: Changed his basic attack to a stun, giving him a reason to use it.

It's worth pointing out that the divine heroes are parochial and classical in their morality. They are not good guys like the PCs - they are super, star-powered, immortal figures interested in saving Dwer Tor alone. They are proud, cruel, and demanding. They'd happily smash you to pieces for not showing enough respect to them. On the other hand, they are statted, so kill away!

Which is how good old fashioned gods should be. None of this crap ass feel good modern deities.  He Who Should not be Named was a vengeful god.... etc.

That said, regarding your comments about the lower city: are you aware of the cultural practices of large hab-block communities in Central Asia?  Essentially, any neighborhood or housing complex will... er... elect an elder figure as the 'leader' of their 'block'... not a familial thing but as a neighborhood thing, and these guys have some serious cultural power.  An anecdote related to me that illustrated it was a young punk (essentially organized criminal, though not the romantacized type we get in fiction, glorfied gang leader is a better description) was exiled when he didn't show enough respect to the block boss.  Yeah, neighborhood watch leaders with more power than gang bosses... and bigger balls.

Your thing with the demes made me think something like that would fit in very well.