Cities-And-Settlements

The Kingdom-Of-Valoria and other powers of Aethelgard contain numerous cities, each with unique character and significance. This page surveys the major population centers across the continent.

Kingdom of Valoria

Valoria-City

The capital and largest city in western Aethelgard, population approximately 150,000. Built along the River-Aethon, Valoria-City is the political, economic, and magical heart of the kingdom.

The Royal Palace - Seat of King-Alaric-Iii, a massive stone fortress overlooking the river
The Arcane Quarter - Home to mages, scholars, and the University-Of-Valoria
The Merchant’s District - Bustling center of commerce with the Grand Bazaar
The Lower City - Working-class neighborhoods where most citizens live
The Sunward Quarter - District surrounding the Grand Temple of Solara, home to clergy, healers, and pilgrim services

Valoria-City’s three great stone bridges — the Commander’s Span, the Merchant’s Bridge, and the Old Crossing — connect the Old Quarter to the Merchant Quarter across the River-Aethon, a deliberate design by General-Valorian to ensure no single settlement could claim dominance.

Port-Haven

Major trade hub on the Silver-Coast, the second-largest city in the kingdom. Port-Haven serves as the primary point of contact for maritime trade and naval operations.

Population: ~45,000
Economy: Fishing, shipbuilding, foreign trade
Notable: Home to the Merchant’s Guild and the terminus of the Silver-Circuit trade loop
Character: A cosmopolitan city where sailors, merchants, and travelers mingle freely. Dawnbreak Chapel, a beloved Solaran temple on the eastern harbor cliff, is the first building to catch the sunrise

Fort-Sentinel

Largest military installation in the kingdom, positioned at the western edge of the Great-Rift. Houses the bulk of the kingdom’s standing army and serves as command center for Rift-Watch operations.

Garrison: ~15,000 troops
Commander: General-Marcus-Thorne
Status: Heavily fortified, regular patrols along the Rift’s western approaches
Strategic importance: Controls access to the Sentinel-Bridge, the only reliable crossing over the Great-Rift

Rivergate

A fortified town at the junction of the River-Aethon and King’s Pass road, Rivergate occupies a pivotal position between the Emerald-Plains and the Ironspine-Mountains. Originally a First-Empire waystation, it has grown into a hub of trade, intrigue, and political maneuvering between Crown, guilds, and intelligence operations.

Population: ~12,000
Character: A crossroads town where dwarven traders, Valorian merchants, and mountain folk converge. Known for its annual Bridge Crossing Day festival and the Bargemen’s Guild’s control of river traffic

The Western Frontier

Haven’s Edge

The largest Rift-Touched settlement in Aethelgard, located three miles from the western rim of the Great-Rift. Founded by outcasts driven from human communities, Haven’s Edge has become both a refuge and a symbol of Rift-Touched resilience. The settlement is self-governed and wary of outsiders, though it maintains quiet trade relationships with sympathetic merchants.

Population: ~800 Rift-Touched
Economy: Rift-Shard harvesting, herbalism, unique magical crafts
Significance: Represents the Rift-Touched’s claim to self-determination in a world that often treats them as abominations

Dwarven-Holds

Khazad-Dûm (Ironhold)

The Great Hold and capital of the dwarven confederation, carved deep into the Ironspine-Mountains. Seat of the Stone-Throne and largest subterranean settlement in Aethelgard.

Population: ~80,000 dwarves, plus human and gnome merchants
Economy: Mining, metallurgy, gem trade
Notable: The deepest mines in Aethelgard, rumored to reach forgotten depths. Renowned across the continent for master craftsmen

Copperhall

A secondary dwarven hold carved into the eastern flanks of the Ironspine Mountains, Copperhall specializes in smelting and alloy production at a scale that makes it indispensable to both dwarven and surface economies. The settlement sits approximately twelve miles from Khazad-Dûm along a major Underway trunk route, accessible through three fortified gate complexes designed to control trade flow and prevent unauthorized entry during wartime.

The hold’s architecture reflects its industrial purpose — vast open-air forges carved into cliff faces dominate the landscape, their smoke staining the mountainside with copper-colored deposits that give Copperhall its name. The Clan-Deepforge maintains a significant presence here despite losing their primary forge during the Deepdark incursion, operating three major smelting operations that collectively produce enough refined metal to supply roughly one-third of all dwarven and Valorian steelwork west of the Great Rift.

Copperhall’s economy extends beyond basic metallurgy into precision alloy crafting — combining crystallized magic with traditional techniques to create materials that resist wild magic corruption, a specialty in high demand since the Cataclysm. The Coin-House operates a major exchange office here, as Copperhall’s output represents one of Aethelgard’s most reliable sources of tradable metal goods. The hold maintains diplomatic ties with Port Haven merchants who transport finished products via sea routes from the Silver Coast, and with Valorian military contractors who purchase armor and weapons at preferential rates during periods of heightened Rift tension.

Deepforge (Destroyed)

The legendary dwarven smithy lost during the Deepdark incursion forty years ago. Once the greatest metalworking center in Aethelgard, Deepforge’s tunnels remain sealed by order of the Stone-Throne. The Earthbound-Order maintains that the forge’s fall was a spiritual wound as much as a material loss — a place where stone, fire, and magic converged in ways that may never be replicated (see Deepforge).

Elven Settlements

Greenhollow

The largest permanent elven settlement (~2,000 elves) in the Whispering-Forest, center of elven traditionalism and ironwood craftsmanship. Greenhollow’s living-tree architecture — buildings grown from and integrated with ancient trees — is considered the finest expression of elven magical engineering.

Economy: Ironwood crafts, herbalism, diplomacy
Character: Conservative and inward-looking, Greenhollow is the seat of tradition within the Elven-Enclaves

Starfall-Glade

A militant elven settlement originally established as a sacred astronomical clearing. Starfall-Glade has evolved into a community pushing for a more assertive Enclave posture toward external threats. Its warriors and scouts are among the most skilled in the Whispering-Forest.

Population: ~600 elves
Character: More outward-facing and militaristic than Greenhollow, representing a growing faction within elven politics

The Whispering-Court

Not a fixed city but a mobile gathering of elven elders that meets in different locations within the Whispering-Forest. The Circle-Of-Elders convenes here to make decisions affecting all Elven-Enclaves, guided by consensus and ancestral authority.

Silverleaf

The second-largest elven settlement (~12,000 elves), known for its blend of natural beauty and arcane architecture. Trees grow through and around the buildings, shaped by centuries of elven magic. Silverleaf is the intellectual heart of elven civilization, home to the Conservatory holding the most complete collection of Primordial-Ones oral records.

Population: ~12,000 elves
Specialty: Arcane research, herbalism, diplomacy
Access: Difficult for non-elves to find without a guide
See: Silverleaf

The Wildlands

Edge Settlements

Several small Rift-Touched communities and orcish clans inhabit the periphery of the Ash-Wastes, their inhabitants uniquely adapted to the magical contamination. These settlements are self-sufficient and fiercely independent.

Marches Strongholds

The Iron-Marches host approximately two dozen warlord-controlled fortified settlements along the eastern edge of the Great-Rift. The largest, Redwall, is controlled by Warlord Kragen the Iron and serves as the closest thing to a capital in the region.

Other Settlements

Shadowfen

A dark and forbidding settlement carved into deep underground caverns beneath the Shattered Coast, Shadowfen is home to drow and other subterranean peoples who fled surface persecution centuries ago. The settlement’s true size remains unknown — estimates range from 500 to 3,000 inhabitants, but no outsider has ever been allowed inside long enough to verify the count. Shadowfen’s existence was only confirmed through intercepted communications between Shadow Council operatives and their contacts in the Shattered Coast region.

The cavern complex that comprises Shadowfen is built around a system of underground rivers fed by wild magic seepage, creating bioluminescent pools that serve as both water source and primary illumination. Drow architects have expanded these natural caverns over centuries using techniques that blend traditional subterranean construction with First Empire-era enchantments — the result is a settlement that feels less built and more grown from the living rock. The Earthbound-Order has expressed concern about Shadowfen’s potential connection to Deepdark incursion routes, though no evidence has been found linking the two phenomena directly.

Shadowfen’s governance structure remains mysterious but appears to operate through a council of elder matriarchs who control access and trade relations with surface peoples. Their relationship with the Rift-Touched communities in the Shattered Coast is cautiously cooperative — both populations share an adaptation to wild magic exposure, though cultural differences create persistent tension. Occasional contact with surface merchants for rare goods suggests Shadowfen produces specialized underground crafts that cannot be replicated above ground, including enchanted stone artifacts and drow-developed poisons derived from cavern-dwelling fauna catalogued in Fauna.

Rift Watch Posts

Small fortified settlements along the edge of the Great-Rift, maintained by volunteers and scouts who monitor activity in the wasteland beyond. These posts serve as early warning systems and are the first line of defense against Rift-spawned threats.

Trade Centers

Grand Bazaar of Valoria-City — largest marketplace in the west
Mountain trade routes through King’s Pass connecting dwarven and human markets
Silver-Coast port network centered on Port-Haven
The Silver Circuit — the primary maritime trade loop connecting Port-Haven along the Silver-Coast
River traffic along the River-Aethon, controlled by the Bargemen’s Guild at Rivergate

Border Outposts and Waystations

Beyond Aethelgard’s major cities lies a vast network of smaller settlements — fortified outposts, border trading posts, and waystation communities that serve as critical nodes between civilization and the wild territories. These locations are often overlooked in favor of larger population centers but play essential roles in continental security and commerce.

The Sentinel Bridge Checkpoint

The single most important border crossing in western Aethelgard, situated directly on the Sentinel Bridge itself. Controlled jointly by Fort Sentinel garrison forces and Valorian customs officials, this checkpoint processes every individual and cargo vehicle attempting to cross from the eastern wasteland into civilized territory. The daily toll averages 200-300 travelers during peacetime but spikes dramatically during periods of migration or economic disruption. Rift Watch agents embedded at the checkpoint conduct magical screening using crystallized detection equipment, though sophisticated Shadow Council operatives have been known to bypass these measures through enchanted concealment methods.

The Kings-Pass Caravanserais

A chain of fortified waystations spaced approximately eight miles apart along the entire length of King’s Pass, these caravanserais serve as rest stops, trade exchanges, and defensive positions for merchants traveling between Valoria-City and the Dwarven-Holds. Each caravanserai is staffed by 10-20 guards paid jointly by Valorian and dwarven authorities — a system that has functioned remarkably well despite occasional disputes over toll collection and jurisdiction. The largest facility, known as the Stone Rest, can accommodate up to 500 travelers simultaneously and includes stables, armories, and emergency shelters designed for use during wild magic storms that frequently sweep through the pass.

Shattered Coast Fishing Villages

Scattered along the unstable coastline east of the Great Rift, these small settlements (each typically housing 100-400 residents) serve as forward bases for maritime fishing operations that extend into the most dangerous waters of the Azure Sea. The Rift-Touched communities among them have developed unique boat-building techniques using driftwood and salvaged First Empire materials — vessels capable of surviving the magical turbulence that makes conventional navigation impossible in these waters. Several villages maintain informal intelligence-sharing networks with the Gardener’s operation, reporting unusual magical disturbances or creature sightings along the coast to Valorian authorities in exchange for supplies and protection.

Iron Marches Border Trading Posts

Small commercial outposts established at controlled crossing points between the Iron Marches warlord territories and Valorian-controlled land. These posts operate under tense diplomatic arrangements, with each side maintaining armed guards while allowing limited commerce to proceed under truce conditions. The trading posts serve as the primary conduit for Rift-Shard goods moving west from the wildlands into regulated markets — a flow that both the Crown and the Shadow Council compete to influence through bribes, threats, and covert operations.

Urban Planning and Architecture

Aethelgardian cities reflect their builders’ values and resources:

Human cities favor stone construction with fortified walls, organized around market squares and temple courtyards. Valorian architecture emphasizes permanence and civic order
Dwarven-Holds are carved from living rock, with engineering precision that dwarves consider a form of art. Ventilation, water management, and structural integrity are paramount
Elven settlements blend with natural features — living trees, cultivated groves, and water features integrated through centuries of magical shaping. The result is cities that feel grown rather than built
Wildlands settlements are pragmatic: fortified stone and timber, designed for defense over aesthetics. The Iron-Marches’ strongholds are crude but effective, reflecting their builders’ priorities

Quartz 4

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