Dolenna

Small City: 6,328 (71% vesperkin, 15% human, 5% letheni, 9% other)

History

Late in the Tol Helnar period, surveyors inspecting the mountains along the western coast of southern Myr discovered that one particular grotto, now known as Hedran Ludenos, had an unusual number of stable portals to Obscurus within the underground cavernous regions known as the Deephollow. These portals, known as Reveneli, are typically highly unstable and disappear within hours; but within the grotto, these Reveneli appear to be totally stable, with some having been in the same location since the city's founding. Surveyors also noticed that the grotto and surrounding subterranean regions were very rich in precious metals and other valuable materials. This caused a large number of prospectors and adventurers to flock to the area around the grotto hoping to mine these materials, as well as explore and plunder the treasures located in Obscurus.

It did not take long after settlers began making their way to the new city that miners began to have encounters with pale creatures deep under the ground, describing them as "pale, fat Vesperkin". A scholar made contact with them, and identified their language as a distant dialect of Dwarvish. After consulting with Mendonar'as Fendeth and contacting the Dwarves of Reshyk, it was discovered that these were the Deskarfolk; a rare variety of Dwarves who had ventured into the Deephollow thousands of years ago before even the Letheni were created, fleeing prosecution from one of the earliest Dwarven monarchies, and who simply vanished. The Deskarfolk seemed to have an innate ability to resist the crushing pressures of extreme depths underground, and could reach areas of the Deephollow that none had been able to yet. Being a bit skittish and sensitive to sunlight, the Deskarfolk refuse to come to the surface, and have avoided the surface-dwellers in Dolenna for centuries.

Shortly after the outbreak of Maldor Entus, the Rathmora Colmir and Art Hunapendari were both devastated. However, with the majority of the Rathmora Colmir's military being Human, their numbers were greatly diminished. Knowing that they were vulnerable, they decided to launch a covert attack against Dolenna in an attempt to open a route of attack to weaken Art Hunapendari further. With so many adventurers occupying Dolenna, an outright assault was bound to fail, so they sent several Myrmidoni in disguise to enter the city under the guise of novice delvers. With them, each brought a chunk of Esciten, and made their way into the Deephollow, where they used these chunks of Esciten to absorb the magical energy of the Reveneli, causing them to collapse violently. They believed that if they could destroy all of the stable Reveneli beneath Dolenna, then their economy would collapse and the delvers would have no incentive to stay there, and the Rathmora Colmir could launch an attack against the city. However, the Myrmidoni were not aware of the presence of the Deskarfolk beneath the city, and after collapsing several Reveneli, they were caught in the act by the Deskarfolk, who immediately killed the Myrmidoni. When these events were revealed to Dolenna, they were extremely grateful, and gave a gift to the Deskarfolk in the form of one of the latest inventions of the relatively new field of At Matica; steam-powered auto-hammers. While these early models were fairly primitive compared to the ones used today, they were an enormous boon to the Deskarfolk, who began to trade with Dolenna in thanks.

Several centuries later, adventurers from Dolenna, using magic to delve deeper into Hedran Ludenos, witnessed the Deskarfolk mining and making use of a metal that had never been seen before; a metal which seemed completely invulnerable. The adventurers managed to convince the Deskarfolk to trade a few ingots for some books and one of their artifacts from Obscurus, and brought them to the smiths of Dolenna. However, upon working with the metal, the smiths believed the adventurers were making up stories, as the metal was only about as hard as bronze when the smiths began to experiment with it. The adventurers were outraged, believing they had been fooled, and returned to the Deskarfolk demanding an explanation. They would discover that the metal, which has come to be known as Muteniten, hardens under pressure; becoming nearly indestructible at the deepest depths of the Deephollow. The applications of this became immediately apparent to At Matica machinists, who were able to use the metal to create indestructible steam boilers, which paved the way for extremely powerful At Matica weapons, drills, and other devices. However, concerned that the surface-dwellers would now want to take all of their metal from them, the Deskarfolk cut all contact with Dolenna and refused to provide any more of the material. As Dolenna's miners do not yet have the ability to safely mine at the depths at which Muteniten is found, they are currently unable to acquire more, and what little they do have is reserved for research.

Government

Dolenna is a member of Art Hunapendari, and is considered highly important to their economy and infrastructure. Art Leppogen has a garrison within the city used to train newer soldiers, patrolling the countryside around the city and acting as a first line of defense. The town is overseen by Olcaden Athissa, a Vesperkin woman who was once an accomplished adventurer, having completed several gauntlets within Obscurus. However, she retired when while training a new delver, the inexperienced man conjured a light spell while within Obscurus and was promptly killed by the light, which also badly burned Athissa's face, leaving her blind in one eye. Due to her experience, she was elected by a popular vote because of her experience with the grotto.

Hedran Ludenos is central to the town's entire existence, and is heavily regulated to protect both the grotto itself, and the delvers venturing into it. In order to maintain the grotto to prevent the collapse of tunnels, funding scouting operations, and paying the Covaneli to patrol the tunnels and keep them safe; a small entry due is paid by all entering the grotto.

Economy

Dolenna has a very strong economy due to the precious metals and minerals found in the Deephollow beneath the city, as well as the sale of magical artifacts recovered from Obscurus by the city's delvers. Adventurers flock to the city from far and wide to delve into Obscurus to brave its unique challenges and recover the rare magical goods found within. The city has a market street along the road leading to the entrance of Hedran Ludenos which caters to the needs of the city's delvers, selling equipment of all kinds. Local patrons supporting the city's delvers have also been known to sponsor events where special bounties are posted with rewards pooled from various artisans around Art Hunapendari.

Notable Locations

• Hedran Ludenos - The defining feature of Dolenna, this grotto is the main passage leading into the Deephollow in which an unusual number of stable portals, called Reveneli, leading to the plane of Obscurus are located. Unlike other portals of their kind throughout the world, the Reveneli are the only ones which remain in the same location indefinitely. This has allowed the local adventurers easy access to the plane of darkness, in which there are structures called gauntlets that can be located which contain challenges that lead to some sort of reward; usually in the form of an artifact or some sort of valuable item. None are sure how these structures come to be here, though the local Vesperkin assert the claim that Umos herself has created these challenges to test them and reward those who are worthy. The challenges are not typically deadly, though the creatures within Obscurus, and the natural properties of the plane itself can be. Casting any light, whether from a torch or magic, will burn anyone the light is shed upon. This has been weaponized by some, including those ambushing adventurers exiting the Reveneli, in order to rob them of their rewards. The grotto is also the home of a population of Deskarfolk who live in small settlements throughout the caverns below the city. They are able to survive extreme depths inaccessible to those on the surface, and have been able to gather materials that Dolenna has been unable to mine; including Muteniten, a valuable metal which becomes harder and more indestructible as the pressure of the surrounding environment increases.
• Descan Selnatheni - The "delver's guild" is the first stop for any delver before entering Hedran Ludenos. Funded by Art Hunapendari and sometimes wealthy patrons, the guild issues bounties for various creatures throughout the Deephollow and Obscurus. Their scouts are constantly hunting for Reveneli and gauntlets within Obscurus, and they are paid for the information they bring back. The guild pays delvers for completing bounties to kill creatures, recovering the spoils of a gauntlet, protecting miners and explorers, or recovering materials or the remains of other delvers. Generally bounties will pay significantly higher if the gauntlet's reward is delivered to the guild, but many delvers keep the spoils for themselves, as it is rare for the bounty to be more valuable than the gauntlet's reward. The guild lobby has several Descudini which handle registration of new delvers and handing out bounties which are appropriate to the experience level of each delver's party. It is the busiest place in town.
• Drunhiras Glenmarin - This casino named after a creature called the Drunhiras that is found within Obscurus that is infamous for devouring gold, commonly found snacking on the coins in delver's pouches, is very polarizing among delvers. On the surface, it is a place where you can bet your hard-earned coin on various games an attempt to win prizes. These prizes are always artifacts recovered from Obscurus, and even for those who are skilled at the games being played, your chances are slim. The casino only accepts gold as currency for their games, which has raised some eyebrows given its namesake. Many rumors have spread about the casino due to the fact that there is a central area within the spiral-shaped casino that is locked and under heavy guard. None have ever reported seeing anyone entering or leaving this central guarded room, and some Letheni who haven't been immediately shooed away approaching it report hearing some strange noises behind the door. These rumors intensified when it was discovered by a random delver that after a Drunhiras consumes gold, it leaves behind platinum in its droppings.

Culture

Despite being a collection of many different cultures, Dolenna is home to many unique expressions of their own customs. Being inhabited by thousands of adventurers, local festivals and activities have a strong focus on entertainment and celebration of the delvers that keep Dolenna safe and prosperous. The local Oratori are always gathering stories from delvers of their expeditions into the Deephollow and Obscurus, putting on dramatized plays re-enacting these fantastic events, and often embellishing them. Bards sing songs of great heroes and tragedies, and carry these songs to lands far away. There is a holiday known as Vist Selnatheni that falls on the first day of Umen, during which a special bounty is posted at Descan Selnatheni. This bounty details clues leading to a valuable reward hidden somewhere in the Deephollow or Obscurus, usually recovered from a gauntlet. During this day, Hedran Ludenos is overflowing with delvers searching for this reward, and the competition can get ugly quickly.

The main road leading to Hedran Ludenos is very active, and is lined with numerous market stalls selling all kinds of equipment for delving; but most of the money made on this street is due to the wide variety of food. With every race in the world present here, even a few of the elusive Dwarves, the food is a reflection of the tastes of everyone. The most popular street food is Zebora Nademos, literally the "everything skewer", which consists of mushrooms, peaches, Acotekethi, Dalazir, fish or meat, which are packed onto a skewer and covered in a batter with mixed nuts that is then fried. Quick snacks are very popular given how busy everyone in the city is, and by far the local favorite is Letani Catar; shortbread cookies made with Catarazir from Catarvoss, giving it a distinctive blue color, and drizzled with a sweet honey glaze.

Dolenna has several At Matica workshops that study the various materials and artifacts recovered from the Deephollow and Obscurus. Several of the most significant discoveries in the field have come from Dolenna, including steam-powered mine carts and drills. This has allowed Dolenna to mine ore at a much more rapid rate than almost anywhere in the world besides Reshyk. Between the refineries and workshops, the sky above Dolenna is frequently thick with smoke. Some of those living in the city have imported masks from Catarvoss to help them breathe in the manufacturing district. With tensions high between Art Hunapendari and the Rathmora Colmir in recent years, the city's workshops have spent the majority of their research budget on weapon development, and have created potent steam-powered ballistae that can fire several rounds in quick succession. These workshops have been clamoring for access to the metal known as Muteniten to create steam boilers capable of withstanding any pressure, hoping it can create even more devastating weapons; and they are willing to pay a fortune for it.

The plane of Obscurus is inexorably associated with the goddess of darkness, Umos, and she has had a great influence over the religious beliefs and superstitions in the city. Many in the city believe that she is personally responsible for the appearance of the gauntlets within the dark plane. The local Vesperkin tell that she creates these gauntlets to test the skill of mortals, rewarding them when their talents please her. This, they believe, is why these gauntlets are almost never truly dangerous, instead testing mental fortitude, cunning, and physical prowess. Because of the association with Umos, those who believe in the influence of the three moons on the world believe that entering Obscurus while Umos' moon is in its new phase is a death sentence, believing that if Umos is resting, the gauntlets can become tainted and filled with deadly traps. While many dismiss this as superstition, it is not without precedent, as more and more reports have been recorded at Descan Selnatheni of delvers being found dead in these gauntlets. Many believe that it is more likely that these incidents are due to increasing numbers of the terrifying creatures that inhabit Obscurus, or criminal groups ambushing delvers who have found something valuable.

Defenses

The city has large 10 ft. thick walls; a necessity due to their location, as the Myrmidoni have several routes by which they could attack the city. There is not much worry of this actually happening due to the large population of strong adventurers within the city. Art Hunapendari already has conscription laws requiring a period of military service of its citizens, but in Dolenna, delvers and adventurers are only permitted to register with Descan Selnatheni and explore Hedran Ludenos if they agree to defend the city in the event of an attack.

There is a large presence of the Covaneli in the city to protect and regulate the coming and going of delvers and adventurers. The entrance to Hedran Ludenos has several checkpoints where registered delvers must present their identification from Descan Selnatheni to enter, or register as an independent adventurer, which imposes a larger entrance fee. Before entering or exiting the grotto, all must pass through a gate which was constructed by Mendonar'as Fendeth that will alarm if any illicit items are detected within someone's equipment. This gate also has the ability to detect certain creatures from Obscurus which have been known to kill delvers and take on their appearance to sneak into the city; something which has happened on several occasions. In addition to the Covaneli, Art Hunapendari has a garrison in the city for Leppomen in training. The Leppomeni patrol the countryside surrounding the city and occasionally are brought into the grotto for combat training.

Crime

Dolenna is well-known for the Panebarcat, or "deep market"; an illicit underground exchange operating within Hedran Ludenos which sells items recovered from Obscurus and the Deephollow which are illegal within Art Hunapendari. The market sells anything from magical equipment to the Deephollow's many mushroom variants. Much of what is sold here cannot be brought through the main entrance to the grotto without being detected, so those who purchase these goods often brave more hazardous passages to other exits from the mountains north of the city in order to avoid being caught. There has been an increasing demand for the material known as Petroxiten; a soft mineral which becomes unstable as the pressure level around it decreases, until it eventually explodes violently. It can only be kept in pressurized containers on the surface, and it is the single most illegal material in all of Art Hunapendari, as a single fist-sized lump of Petroxiten can create a blast powerful enough to topple a city wall.

The other problem facing the grotto is the presence of the Panecurden, a faction dwelling within which will wait near the Reveneli for delvers returning from Obscurus so they can ambush them to take any artifacts they may have recovered. They use dirty tactics such as hiding on the Obscurus side and using hooded lanterns to illuminate unsuspecting delvers, quickly killing them. Many delvers have turned up dead after being robbed of all their possessions. The Covaneli have found it incredibly difficult to effectively patrol the tunnels, so they are posted outside half a dozen of the most popular Reveneli to protect inexperienced delvers. The Reveneli which are guarded typically don't have gauntlets worth exploring, however, so more experienced delvers take the risks of seeking out other options. The Descan Selnatheni almost always has bounties posted to hunt down the Panecurden plaguing the grotto.