Bandle City

From Aleen-gha

Sections: Main | Campaigns | Characters | NPCs | Locales | Culture | History | Artifacts | Maps
Continental, Oceanic & Airborne Regions: Altha-Feor | Bottenhavet | Gignes | Jatua | Millagea Ocean | Nack | Ro'thas
Nack: Runeterra | Spatera
Runeterra: Bandle City


Bandle City

City, Population approx. 15,000

A view of Bandle City.
The southwestern walls of Bandle City.
A map of Bandle City, including top and side views.
The mysterious Pit of Alfan.

"After several hours of trekking down the Bandle River, cliffs looming on both sides, you come across a large, cavernous opening. You find within a bustling dwarven metropolis. Large dwarven cogs and fishing ships line the harbor within the cave. Beyond, you can make out the dim glow of candlelight escaping through the windows of small shops. Massive pillars support the cave-city's interior, carved out centuries ago by the same hardened peoples who walk the dimly lit streets. A sense of the grandeur of civilization surrounds you, but you cannot help but imagine the horrors that may lurk further beneath the stony streets."

Demographics[edit]

The vast majority of residents in Bandle City are dwarves. There are dozens of familial clans, but four noble clans make up the elite, ruling class. These are the Alfansire Clan, Nommaksire Clan, Silfdor Clan, and Stonethrow Clan. Clan-less dwarves residing within the mountain are usually outcasts; homeless beggars with no perceivable influence in any military or political realm.

Outsiders rarely stay here long due to the particular climate of the city. For those unaccustomed to it, living underground for any length of time can be very taxing to the body, mind, and spirit. A few from other races, however, do live here for many years. Some of these individuals do this relatively against their will. The ambassador and Royal Council member Serris Waterlight is a prime example of this situation.

Leadership[edit]

For many dwarven generations the Alfansire Clan has ruled Bandle City, with the throne being passed down through family. The eldest child, whether it be a boy or a girl, of the current sovereign is the rightful heir to the throne. The current leader of Bandle City (SH 670) is Queen Myrtle Alfansire. Her eldest son, Gron Alfansire is next in line to inherit the throne.

Military[edit]

While each influential clan of Bandle City tends to keep a retinue of guards and men-at-arms for their own private use, a centralized unit known as the Maces acts both as a standing army and an internal police force. They are under the current (SH 670) leadership of one Lura Stonethrow.

Economics[edit]

The dwarves of Bandle City use the Bandle River to import and export goods from neighbors in Runeterra and the rest of Nack, in particular with Namara and the Empire of Nack. The Guild of Merchants conducts most of the major trade agreements with Nack, and the Nack Steel Company has gone into a very lucrative relationship with Bandle City and their wealth of metal ores that are mined in the depths of Runeterra.

Locations/Districts[edit]

Docks of Nommak[edit]

(Area 1 on the map) Constantly bustling with fishing and cargo ships going to and fro, the Docks of Nommak are named after one of the legendary fathers of the Bandle City dwarves known as Nommak Rivermaker. The front lines of the river trade rest upon the Docks of Nommak.

Silfdor Merchant Square[edit]

(Area 2 on the map) Named after Silfdor Goldgiver, an enormously wealthy and charitable dwarf-mother in the dawn-times of Bandle City, the Merchant Square is, as the name suggests, where all mercantile activity takes place. Shops abound, selling products as varied as the cultures throughout all of Nack. These shops include smithies, magical sundries, textiles, foodstuffs of all kinds, and much more. The economic affluence of Bandle City allows its inhabitants to have access to the trade goods from the rest of the realm.

Falimea's Alchemical Sundries[edit]

This small shop is owned by the rather crotchety dwarf known as Falimea.

SH 670, November 25-26: An altercation took place between the owner and the dragonborn known as Umer Deszeld.

Church of Alfan Skystone[edit]

(Area 3 on the map) The Church is the only church in the whole of Bandle City. Peasants and royalty alike congregate in its massive cloisters for their daily sermons and to pay homage to their creator god Alfan Skystone. The current (SH 670) high priestess of the Church of Alfan Skystone is Margrun Alfansire.

SH 670, November 26: Margrun Alfansire has suggested at the Royal Council that Jayce Borgas, whomever he is, is not the rightful owner of the Orb of Dragon Command.

Hammer District[edit]

(Area 4 on the map) Known commonly as the lower class district, the Hammer is the den in which the rest of Bandle City's civilization finds itself in more of a state of decay than elsewhere. Those living in the Hammer District usually scrape by, living in small huts and trading measly products to get through the day. Many of the less honorable activities take place down here, including drug trade, prostitution and petty crime. Still, one may find a useful trinket here or a surprisingly accurate palm reading there. The district is home to many unusual and unlikely individuals, many of them clanless dwarves.

Anvil District[edit]

(Area 5 on the map) The suburbs of Bandle City, the Anvil District is home to the prominent middle class clans. Some small shops and meeting halls dot the district in what is otherwise filled with stony homes of honorable dwarves.

Mace Ward[edit]

(Area 6 on the map) The Mace Ward houses the bulk of the military of Bandle City, known collectively as the Maces (hence the name of the district). Training is constantly taking place within the massive fortress. The locals say that this area is in many respects the last line of defense should the city be attacked. The bottle-necked shape of the area as well as the proximity to the Royal Palace serves as a sturdy defense for the nobility of Bandle City. The Mace Ward and the Maces are headed by Lura Stonethrow.

Forge District[edit]

(Area 7 on the map) The Forge District is the seat of noble and royal power in Bandle City. A common dwarven saying about the Forge District goes as follows: "The hammer strikes the anvil, but the forge makes the toil worthwhile!" The city's wealthiest and most powerful elite reside within the Forge District, and it is also the location of the Royal Palace. While travelling through the district, one will see a slew of splendid mushroom and lichen gardens, magnificent manses and luxurious town halls. Other than these frivolous sites of leisure, the throne and governmental Royal Council are the only true contributing entities to the betterment of the city as a whole.

Royal Palace[edit]

This massive building houses both the throne room itself for Queen Myrtle and the grand hall of the Royal Council. Beyond these two instrumental rooms, there are luxurious living quarters for all those on the Council, the royal clan members and several other rooms for other noble clan members that are not part of the Council. Beyond that, there is an entire wing devoted to the staff that tend to all of the needs of the noble residents. There is also a large segment devoted to the guest quarters of noble emissaries and other influential parties. The Royal Guard -- a branch of the Maces -- are constantly keeping watch within and without the palace walls.

SH 670, November 27: The adventurers have been placed under house arrest in the luxurious guest quarters, under the watchful eye of the Royal Guard. In two days hence, the second meeting with the Royal Council will take place.

Throat of Alfan[edit]

(Area 8 on the map) Discovered before the establishment of Bandle City, the Throat of Alfan is thought to be a holy site related to the dwarven god Alfan Skystone. Much of Bandle City was built around this mysterious location, and the "Throat" is centered on the notorious Pit of Alfan. Some say the Pit leads to the layers of the Abyss, others state that the Pit simply leads to the underside of Runeterra and comes out the other side. Either way, the Pit is an ominous symbol that holds significant religious relevance. Priests of the Church of Alfan send their dead here, believing that the departed are joining their god in the afterlife and Alfan is literally consuming his creations. Ironically, the Throat is also the execution site of many powerful and influential prisoners or enemies of Bandle City to be eaten by the righteous Alfan Skystone.

Spiral of the Ancients[edit]

(Area 9 on the map) Leading eventually to the Bandle Mines, the Spiral of the Ancients houses the royal and noble dead of Bandle City. It serves as a constant reminder to the dwarf clans of the city where they came from and what they fought for. The spiral continues for well over a mile with small and larger catacombs lining the darkened halls. The spiral also doubles as an historical museum of sorts, and any dwarf with a clan can walk the spiral whenever they please. The entrance to the spiral at the top and the entrance to the mines at the bottom are the only places that are constantly under guard by the Maces.

Bandle Mines[edit]

The mines reach deeper than any other location in Bandle City, other than the ominous Pit of Alfan. Within, veins of iron and gold are in abundance and there seems to be no end in sight since the founding of Bandle City. For more than five hundred years the mines have been able to produce an alarming amount of iron that has in no small part been the cause of the economic boom that Bandle City has enjoyed for the past couple hundred years. They are still very active, but only in the deepest reaches of the mines. The primary tunnel of the upper mines is now (SH 670) the only well-used segment of the area. There are countless pockets in the pitch blackness of the upper mines that are home to dwarven hermits and other mysterious beasts and monstrosities.


Sections: Main | Campaigns | Characters | NPCs | Locales | Culture | History | Artifacts | Maps
Continental, Oceanic & Airborne Regions: Altha-Feor | Bottenhavet | Gignes | Jatua | Millagea Ocean | Nack | Ro'thas
Nack: Runeterra | Spatera
Runeterra: Bandle City