Caer Goldhelm

Caer Goldhelm is an old dwarven citadel; like Hammer Peak, historians don't really know just how old it may be. It sits as the eastern terminus of the Underroad, and was for many generations the breadbasket of the Starfrost citadels, before the coming of men and halflings and the settling of the Vale.

Layout

Unlike Hammer Peak, Caer Goldhelm is worked into a single level, made up of multiple concentric circles, its heart the ancient tower known as the Clanhold. Dwellings in Caer Goldhelm are all hewed into the living rock, rather than individual structures erected in the empty spaces as with so much of Hammer Peak. By and large, these structures are shops and other public buildings on the ground floors, with alleys between them that grant access to staircases that lead up to the apartments above them.

The Clanhold

Its center is the old Clanhold, a towering edifice of dwarven craftswork that once gave over dwelling space to any of the Great Clans that wanted the space and intended to aid in the support of Caer Goldhelm. Today, the Clanhold is the local headquarters for the Guilds. The grounds around the Clanhold have long been open, a parade ground for pride dwarven soldiery in the days before the Guildsrule. In the time since, it has been used for festivals, markets, and other similar gatherings.

Once, the circle directly around the Clanhold were allocated to city bureaucracy and business of various sorts, but in the years since the establishment of the Guildsrule, the Great Clans – ousted from the Clanhold – have bought up the buildings around it. Today, it is divided into eight distinct clanholds (all four of the Hill Dwarf Clans, plus Clans Bronzemask, Gempeak, Ramspur, and Thunderwall). From here they glare at the Clanhold, muttering publicly at every misstep and scandal that befalls the Guilds.

The Guildsround

The next circle outward retains its name from the days when the various guilds were founded here, in this great circle of craftsfolks' shops. Today, all of the buildings are owned by the Guilds rather than individuals, and Guildsfolk are given first chance to renting the shops and living spaces here. Incredible statues and fountains are interspersed at intervals along the thirty foot wide corridor-avenue, and all shops are expected to maintain a high standard of presentability.

The Folksround

A massive circular corridor, the Folksround is so large that it has evolved distinct neighborhoods within it.

• Brightlamp Arc: The Brightlamp is well-named, for the establishments here are baroque and gaudy, brightly lit and fetchingly presented. Brightlamp is a destination for those who seek something more wondrous than what Finecoin has to offer, and the theaters and bardhalls seek to offer it here in abundance.
• Stenchwater Arc: down and out area, furthest away from the water pumps, so occasionally deals with bad water flow, basically a slum
• Finecoin Arc: nightlife district, filled with Society Houses: membership-based clubs that offer delights and entertainments to their members. Usually costs a yearly membership fee, but then the space is open to members all year-round.
• Garden Arc: A wide garden space, lit by bowls of alchemical substance set on fire, and plants fed with substance that allows them to derive nourishment from this fire as though it were sunlight.

The Shieldsround

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