The City of Parodos

[David]

I will post a map and general description of the city here. Later this thread will be used to track changes in Holding ownership and power. I will also try to keep track of the military situation and troop disposition here if and when that becomes an issue.

[David]

Political Map



Major Territorial NPC Factions:

Army: Olive Green

Artificer's Guild: Yellow

Arquite: Maroon

Florent: Light Green

Toxotis: Light Brown

Twin Crowns: Orange

The River King: Dark Brown

The Farmer's Consortium: Yellow/Green (southwest corner)

Unaffiliated/Citadel territories: Purple



Terrain Map


Bare City Map

[David]

The City at the Crossings is old, and has gone by many names. The first recorded settlement was called Toxotis in one of the the old tongues of humans. When Toxotis declined, much of its territory was abandoned, the rest subsumed into another culture and renamed Arquite. Both of these names translate as "Archer," in apparent reference to the humongous statue buried in the cliffside, half-revealed by the action of the waterfall over a geologic period.

The civilizations of which Toxotis and Arquite are both long gone, but their legacy lives on in the names of many of the districts in the city.

The modern name of the city, Parodos, derives from the Citadel of Parodos that dominates the plateau west of the waterfall, between the modern districts of Arquite and Florent.

[David]

The Citadel of Parodos is closely associated with an enigmatic and apparently immortal figure known as the Maker, who has shaped much of the city's history from Arquitan times forward. It is not clear whether the Maker found, built, or conquered the Citadel. Likewise, scholars disagree on who Parodos was, whether Parodos and the Maker were the same person, or if Parodos was even a person at all.

Two facts are clear: First, Parados is a word of Toxotian derivation, and the Toxotians had been gone for some time when the Maker first appeared. Second, the Citadel is at the center of a vastly powerful Ley Line network drawing magical energy from Sources across the region.

Over the ages, the Maker used this power to reshape the city, creating both the citywide Andron network, which allows individuals to walk at greatly enhanced speed along its length, and the Great Lift on the eastern cliff. The Maker also installed sophisticated plumbing and waste disposal systems throughout the city region. These improvements made the region attractive to settlement and commerce, and laid the foundation of modern Parodos.

The Maker's activity came in spurts, with long periods of silence or absence. It is as if the Maker were trying to create a modern city, but had no interest in ruling it. Instead, it has been left in the care of the Maker's Servitors: first Warforged, later Shardminds. These Servitors of the Citadel have an overriding command to defend the structures deemed essential by the Maker.

[David]

In the Maker's absence, the Servitors (and therefore ultimate control of the city) have been placed in the hands of of a Council of the City's denizens.

The members of this council, known as Masked Lords, are selected seemingly at random from among those living in Parodos. Their work is carried out in secret, and their identities not revealed until the time of their death, when a small fortune is paid out to their next of kin. Some of the power granted to them is obvious, including the ability to summon Shardmind Servitors to their command. It is rumored that a Masked Lord who willingly reveals their identity would be stripped of power. It is known that they would be targets for those who wish greater power in the city.

[David]

I've added political and terrain maps. The political map doesn't have a key yet, but you can get an
idea of where some major factions are. Purple is neutral or unincorporated.