The Keldin Cliff-Cities

The Keldin Cliff-Cities are ancient settlements dug into the very faces of the cliffs that overlook the flowing of the Yellow River. The cities that make up this nation all share a similar design – each city is arranged in levels of terraces, with actual dwellings consisting of several tiered levels of balconied buildings. Each terrace-level has an impressive railing-wall that stands perhaps four feet tall, but is fitted with clever engineering that allows them to be fitted with larger bulwarked walls in times of war.

The terrace-streets themselves are utterly massive, often with park-like strips of greenery and gardening along the open side, allowing peaceful enjoyment of the view while not impeding the normal traffic of day-to-day life. Each terrace ends in a ramp that connects it either to the level above or below it. Each of these ramped areas are fitted with a gate that can be sealed in times of war, and the entries to the city both at top and bottom are fitted with stout gates crafted during the First Age, which have never been breached.

These cities are resplendent with tall granite pillars and incredible amounts of statuary. The cities themselves are quite wealthy, for they have excellent defenses without the need for expensive building materials – they construct their homes from the solid stone of the cliff-face, creating the honeycombed cliffs that the Cliff-Cities are known for.

Over the years, the Keldin Cliff-Cities have been ruled by any number of modes of government, from republics to military dictatorships. Currently, the Keldin are ruled by a dynasty of merchant-princes who trace their lineage to a Guild functionary from several hundred years ago. This family, the Ivory Star Dynasty, rule from White Sentinel. Quite wealthy, they maintain the military of Keldin – known for its siege engineers and sledge-wielding cavalry – as well as a small host of champions both Dragon-Blooded and god-blooded. In times past, one or more of these champions have come close to attempting to take the throne, only to be thrown down by others of the champions.

White Sentinel

Capital of the Keldin Cliff-Cities
The largest of all the Keldin Cliff-Cities, White Sentinel is named for the several-hundred foot tall statues, hewn from the rock of the cliffs that flank the city proper. These statues are actually impressive towers that include First Age engineering that allow various sections of the statues to open and a hollow core with a chain-driven siege engine platform, allowing the city to launch attacks from various heights.

The city itself is very prosperous and clean, a place of white stone and fine rich brocades and tapestries in jewel tones. Its people are skilled, thanks to the Guild sensibilities of the Ivory Star Dynasty, who believe that their populace should be made up of skilled craftsmen, supported by an underclass that remains in the small settlement-farms at the feet of the cities proper.

Delbrennan

The Quarry City of Keldin, Delbrennan provides impressive granite and marble to much of the Scavenger Lands. The quarries proper of Delbrennan are found on the plateau-top a half-day from Delbrennan proper, but they are well-guarded and walled-in. The impressive slabs of stone are taken to a market at the foot of the city proper, down a set of complicated gear-driven lifts along the eastern side of the city. The city itself is populated by all manner of architects, engineers and sculptors; as a result, Delbrennan is perhaps the most elegantly decorated city in all of Keldin.

Goral

Goral was obviously designed as a supremely defensible city. Its terraces are actually tall, impressive walls with soldier's walkways. This causes the terrace-streets to feel more cramped than those of the other cliff-cities, but creates a sense of security that is well-founded. All of the other cliff-cities have a single retreat-tunnel that leads to Goral in case of defeat in battle. These tunnels can be collapsed at a variety of junctures, and the "central hub" where all of the tunnels connect before entering Goral is supremely well defended. As a result, Goral is where the troops of Keldin are trained.

Lionroar

Located where a small river flows into the Maruto, the cliff-city of Lionroar is dominated by the waterfall of the river, which is surmounted by a massive bridge constructed during the First Age. Where the bridge overlooks the waterfall, it is crafted to look like a roaring lion's mouth, so that it seems to be roaring the river into existence. Lionroar is where much of the river trade to the Cliff-cities takes place, as it has an extensive set of docks set a small distance from the city itself.

Venrathi

Venrathi is best known for its skilled weavers, who maintain a trade secret for producing jeweled hues in cloth that isn't duplicated anywhere save by alchemical means. Rich brocades and embroidery can be found everywhere here, and there is a thriving textiles market at the foot of the city that features impressive fashion fairs once a season.