Founding of Oakhaven and the ‘Five’~

It came as a major surprise to the leaders of Krotto when the queen of the scorching drakes, Ashenclaw, led her kin to attack, turning the surface world into a burning cinder and reducing three quarters of the landscape to ash before disappearing altogether. Much speculation exists regarding their disappearance, with the two most realistic being hibernation and extinction theories.

It has been 66 years (At the start of Covenant of the Faceless Knights novel) since the assault of the dragon-kin and the people of Krotto have rebuilt some of the major cities and are in the process of restoring more. Trade has reopened as several people are building and harvesting once more and able to share their gifts or services with the other races. Elves, dwarves, halflings, humans, gnomes and until recently, even the orcs and their kin were trading with one another, reestablishing Oakhaven as a major trading city.

The city of Oakhaven became the lone center for safe trade between the many races immediately after the drakes disappeared. Humans gathered both within the walls and the areas that surrounded the city working diligently to protect the trade routes. High walls worked to keep the citizens safe from the chaos which had torn other towns apart. Following this model, four other cities were restructured or otherwise rebuilt with this architectural model in mind, one in each area of the continent: Norgeld to the northeast, Archinon to the southwest, Veldennia to the northwest and Safehold to the southeast, with Oakhaven at the epicenter. The elves worked in conjunction with the cities and spread their forces throughout the forests of the land to keep the evil forces from gaining additional strongholds.

Crime and Punishment~ 

Oakhaven was the most prominent trade capitol and was kept going with a small military enforcing the peace and honor of open trade, referred to simply as The Watch. Each of the ‘five’ has their own watch and military, differentiating them only by prefacing the city for which they are employed (ie. The Oakhaven Watch), otherwise they are regarded as one major force, with the governing body of each town having the final say when tactical decisions are necessary.

Rarely do any fights or riots break out and if they do, they are stopped with the culprits being escorted to Archinon for punishment. The cities hold criminals for weeks before sending them via guarded caravan to Archinon; this generally occurs once a month, unless the numbers grow too quickly for the city cells to contain them.

Archinon is one of the ‘five’ major cities that follow the architecture and general structure of Oakhaven. It is ruled by King Tallaruk, a fair and just man, whose family and ancestry are untarnished. The rulership of Archinon deviates slightly from the pacifistic ways of Oakhaven however. Where Oakhaven and the other cities allow for gambling and the like, Archinon goes one step further. The citizens therein have a more aggressive community that often enjoys viewing violent and often deadly fights in the arena.

The gladiatorial arena, called ‘The Pit’, is where many trained warriors and many hardened criminals can find either glory or death. All criminals from any of the major cities are sold to the owners of the houses as potential gladiators in exchange for staving off an execution or permanent exile.

  

The contract within the city set by the King is that any and all criminals may fight for a determined amount of time (determined by both the controlling house and the severity of the crime) and may gain their freedom if they survive. They may also choose to buy freedom or continue to earn a living fighting in the arena. Minor crimes such as minor assault, aiding a criminal or minor theft/damage to property would result in a 3-6 month sentence and major crimes such as murder, conspiracy, treason or kidnapping would net anywhere from 5 or more years of service all the way up to life sentences, depending upon the details or circumstances involved.

See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

Photos from Stock.xchng

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios, LLC 2011 unless otherwise noted.

Races of Ashenclaw: Slagfell Dwarves

I have decided to share a few things that will probably be in a supplement of some kind sooner or later describing races that are unique to the Realm of Ashenclaw. So, without further ado, I give to you a sub-race of dwarves called...

Slagfell Dwarves~

This once common subrace of dwarves is referred to as slagfell dwarves by the populace of Wothlondia. They are pale-skinned dwarves that have descended far beneath the earth in search of treasures. They showed an exceptionally powerful greed, even for dwarves, and willingly plunged deeper into the subterrane a thousand years ago and remain there today, embracing it as their home.

They are completely obsessed with treasure and feel shunned by their brethren, the common dwarves, who actively scolded them, thinking them unwise to dangerously pursue their deepest of desires in the first place. The slagfell have spent many centuries beneath the earth’s surface and have slightly mutated to adjust. They have adapted to the darkness and the lack of sunlight over the last hundred years, evolving their nightvision into something keener, while at the same time, are extremely sensitive to the rays of the sun.

Their bodies are similar to the dwarves, but their skin has turned pale and grey in color. They are also slightly less stocky than the common dwarves found on Wothlondia as their diet is more restrictive, which lends itself to a more natural maneuverability and agility instead.

Slagfell brand themselves, mostly on their heads and necks and chest, which represents a family hierarchy or rank within their own clan. The more markings they have, the higher rank they are. This is an accepted and well known feature amongst their own kind.

Shadowmere is the premier city of the Slagfell Clan and harbors the most of their kind, ruled by King Dolgrath Bloodstone. There are further offshoots of Clan Shadowmere and speculation from King Dolgrath is that he believes several of them defected decades ago, but none have been seen since. As far as he knows, they could be anywhere.

Shadowmere is a large civilization hidden deep within the subterrane of the Dragon Fangs Mountains, where there are many dark and deadly dangers that would end a surface folk’s life very quickly. The city is vast and well-protected, surrounded by hundreds of areas, rich with ore for mining and all within several miles of the city. It is located deep within the subterrane on its lowest levels and is essentially dull and dreary, as they avoid reflective surfaces.


See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit my home page to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

(Photos from Stock.XCHANG) 

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios, LLC 2011 unless otherwise noted.