Above the streets of Eisin'dorf, courtesy of the Fat Goblin Art Patreon!
As the capital city of Grigoria, the Eisin'dorf I envisioned is one that proudly declares itself the greatest city of Vathak. Whether or not this is true, it is the heart of an empire that stretches an impressive distance and has (so far) held back impossible foes. So I wanted Eisin'dorf to be a place that told that tale from a glance alone. A city that told stories of the broader threats to Vathak that might not be Lovecraftian horrors, but the people themselves.
My players weren't going to stay in the capital long--just long enough to do some business and resupply before heading off to take care of a pressing lycanthropy problem. Which meant I had only a bit to try and establish a few key elements of the city. I drew up a map (I am not good at this) that I thought highlighted some of these elements and drafted a quick side-trek that might involve a few different factions and loyalties around the city. It wasn't much, but it was supposed to introduce them to four different groups that I felt told part of the story of not just Vathak as a whole, but the unique culture the capital cultivates.
This is why I don't get paid to draw stuff.
The Military: The city is highly militarized and extraordinarily fortified. Built in the mountains where no city has any right to stand, it relies heavily upon vindari technical ingenuity. A great dam blocks the flow of a mountain stream, creating a massive lake from which the city can pull its clean water. A pair of massive fortresses oversee the valley before the gates, with rows of bombards looking down upon any that approach. Soldiers are respected, regardless of rank, as they are essential in keeping the city safe from the things that yet lurk in the mountains. As happens to any given too much power, however, the soldiers of Eisin'dorf can be haughty and troublesome. Some push for new offensives, while others play the politico to gain new power for their own regiment or their hometowns across the continent.
The Crown: The Church of the One True God controls a lot of Vathak with a theocratic dominance that actively seeks out and prevents "heresy" in whatever form it might take. But in Eisin'dorf, the Crown remains the primary authority. This is not to say that the OTG is not revered, but things that may not fly in other cities are allowed to persist by the blessing of the king. One might see romni caravans actively discussing the Court of Signs, svirfneblin speaking to ghostly ancestors, and cults of various religious orders meeting in dark alleyways. This means that Eisin'dorf has a problem with cultists and other secret organizations, if only because the king does not approve of unadulterated slaughter of citizens under his direct protection. The Crown scrambles to hold onto its power, not wishing to cede any more of its control to the Church of the OTG--no matter how "faithful" he might be.
The Republic: One of the factions I added to the city that has no bearing in Vathak lore is a small minority of political activists lobbying for some measure of control in the world. Left feeling helpless against a world of evils incomprehensible to them and being instructed left and right by Crown and Konig alike, these average folks have felt like their own willpower has been stripped away. They do not wish to overthrow the king (for such talk would surely end in their execution) but rather to create a system to advise him that takes the will of his people--whatever size or shape they might be--into account. But their organization is not all good, democratic souls. Anarchists and rabble-rousers use the banner of this faction to riot through the streets. With greater numbers of commoners than guards, even in this highly militarized city, it would not take much to overturn the city and throw it into complete chaos. Thieves that act under the guise of "justice for all" mar the public face of these hopeful individualists.
The Cults: This isn't so much one faction as a catch-all for divergent thought and the shapes it might take. These cults need not even be based in religion or the Old Ones. The common factor is their secrecy and their (typically violent) response to the world beyond their walls. For my game, the side-trek took the PCs into the depths of the Eisin'dorf's sewers, to the border where the overworld and the dangerous underworld of the Filth Reaches met. Here an orphaned cambion, abandoned by her noble parentage for her disfigured, corrupted appearance, had begun building a cult of personality around herself. Sharing her corruption with true-blooded vindari, she believed that only embracing Vathak's corruption could bring true security to Eisin'dorf. And with a dozen newly created half-cambions enthralled by her mesmerist powers, she had begun to grow increasingly bold. She would twist others into an image of her "perfect" form--or see them executed. Was she influenced by the Old Ones, or just a mad woman? Are cambions truly the evolution of humanity in a world assaulted by the Old Ones? Or perhaps it was all nothing but a ruse, one that enabled her to sate her own narcissism and hunger for power--reclaiming a title she deserved by birth but was denied by blood?
But that is just one such corruption festering beneath the surface of [my version of] Eisin'dorf. What lurks in the heart of yours?
No comments:
Post a Comment