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 origins several hundred years ago to the issue between a Guild functionary and the local god of the mountain cliffs, Soaring Majestic Father. This family, the Ivory Star Dynasty, rule from White Sentinel. Quite wealthy, they maintain the military of Keldin – known for its siege engineers, tetsubo-wielding infantry 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, Seat of the Ivory Star Dynasty
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. They also provide the most common means of moving large loads from one tier to the next — when the engine system isn’t being used in defense of the city, the lifts provide quick and easy access for even large Guild fortress wagons to any tier of the city.

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.

Layout of the City

White Sentinel is easily the largest and most complex of all the Cliff-Cities, boasting seven full tiers and a population of 200,000 people, not including the agricultural hubs that take up the land between the bottom of the cliffs and the Yellow River.

Clifftop

The clifftop of White Sentinel is wholly dedicated to the defense of the city. A massive wall of First Age construction defends the city from attacks coming from the lands away from the Yellow River, and massive siege towers imbedded in the walls actually feature impressive engineering that allows the siege engines therein to swivel to face threats coming from either direction. Clifftop’s massive gate — a construct of local stone treated with some kind of strange substance giving it glassy smoothness and tremendous strength — usually remains open, allowing access to travelers.

Those areas at the Clifftop that are not open to citizenry include a set of extensive barracks (several levels of which are sunk deep into the rock of the cliff beneath the buildings, providing ample space for more soldiers than White Sentinel has ever hosted) and the drilling ground, which includes a building that connects to the royal apartments below the Clifftop as well, from which members of the royal family or their immediate servants often come to look out on drilling soldiers. This is called the Gate of the Ivory Star and provides general access to the Terrace of the Ivory Star for important officials and members of the Dynasty. A few foundries and engineering workshops — where siege engineers and other war savants work — round out the contents of Clifftop.

The White Sentinels

These massive statues, which literally stand from the base of the cliffs to the very top, standing head and shoulders above the cliff-faces, flank the terraces of the city. Each terrace features a so-called Sentinel Road, which runs from one of the Sentinels to the other, and allows access to the spiraling roadway along the interior of the statue.

These roadways have just enough slope to allow a traveler to move from one level to the next with relatively little exertion, and little chance of wheeled implements “running away” if released. The roads are quite broad, allowing ample traffic, and crafted of a stone similar to that of the gates and walls of the city, though quite rough to allow excellent purchase. Gateways open in the sides of the Sentinels, allowing access to various Terraces, although the Terrace of the Ivory Star tends to remain closed most of the time, and the entrance to the Noble Terrace is well-guarded to make sure that those who enter the terrace have legitimate business there.

The core of these statues features a First Age lift system, fully powered from some unknown source. The system runs on a set of control panels in control platforms in the top, middle and base of the Sentinels, which include the ability to shut out control of the powered systems within. This lift system is generally used to provide lifting access to very large wagons and the like that would have too much trouble traveling up the spiraling roadway, or otherwise cause traffic snarls.

In the head of the Sentinels, however, is stored a whole set of siege weaponry on lift-capable platforms. In times of war, the Sentinels serve as massive siege towers, as the control panels include a means of sliding open portions of the Sentinels to grant open access to the weaponry hidden within; the tops of the head can even be opened to allow the weaponry to fire over the city walls on Clifftop.

Finally, at every level, the White Sentinels also feature emergency housing, with large rooms intended to house thousands upon thousands of citizens at every level. Though the rooms at the top of the Sentinels have been turned into armories for the Keldin military, the rest of them are kept ready, with meager emergency rations and civic plans for the quick transport of more food in wartime situations.

Terrace of the Ivory Star

The Terrace of the Ivory Star is the exclusive terrace of the Ivory Star Dynasty, and off-limits to those who don’t have legitimate business there. The flat, open air area of the Terrace is exquisitely landscaped, and features a number of extravagant constructions, including a symposium, a massive artificial lake with a small central island featuring a stone pavilion, a horse-riding grounds, extensive gardens and even a set of hot baths. The only real buildings are a few clustered around the Sentinel gates, intended for servant and slave housing, as well as drop-off points for supplies shipments coming to the palace.

The wall that stands on the cliff-face separating this Terrace from the Noble Terrace stands a dozen or so feet high, and has three buildings built into them: the Hall of Dignitaries (a palace-like construction with a great number of guest suites and its own staff of servants intended for important guests of the Dynasty), the Heir’s Keep (the central and quite impressive palace built into the wall, which includes several towers that descend down to the Noble Terrace) and the Great Stables (where the Dynasty’s prize horses are kept, along with an expansive set of servants, including several genealogical savants that specialize in horse-breeding, and a rampway to allow passage down to the Noble Terrace).

The actual palace is inset into the cliff-face of this Terrace: it is a massive wall of intricately carved walls featuring impressively detailed foliage, scenes from some sort of long-lost legends, and along the top of the walls, a star-filled sky scene filled with constellations, some of which don’t even actually exist. More three dimensional carvings are inset into this wall as well, including the Grand Fountain, a lion’s head (identical in appearance to that in the city of Lionroar) at the top of the wall, which spouts water from its roaring mouth, which gathers into a basin that splits it into two spouts, each of which plummet at least ten feet before falling into another basin built into the wall, on down until it has split and rejoined several times, and flanks the primary gate to the palace with cascading pillars of water, before being directed off to provide water for the gardens and eventually the lake.

There are more than simply architectural art built into the cliff-face, however — entire balconies, some of which are as large as a ball-room, others of which clearly come off of bedrooms, with breakfasting furniture and the like just out from the walls, interspersed with an incredible proliferation of glassed windows. The palace, which is built to honeycomb the cliff-face, is multiple stories in height, and halfway up the cliff-face — surrounded by three spouts of water to either side of it — is the massive stained glass window featuring the symbol of the Ivory Star Dynasty, which looks into the throne room of the palace.

The most important wings of the palace are set up against the outside wall of the cliff, allowing luxurious natural light to shine through the massive doors and windows, while storage areas, sanctuaries and servant quarters are tucked further back into the cliff-face, deep in the heart of the mountainside. There are more than twenty five luxurious, multi-room suites, some of which are four modest rooms (a master bedroom, a servant room, a common room and bath chamber), while others are huge affairs that take up nearly an entire level of the cliff-face (in particular, the royal suites). Somewhere, tucked away behind secret passages known only to members of the Dynasty and their faithful servants, is the spiraling stair passage that leads to the Goral Passage for White Sentinel.

Outside White Sentinel

The lands from the base of White Sentinel's cliffs all the way to the river are nothing but mile after mile of agricultural settlements, with a small town every half-day or so.

• The Great Shipyard (Water-Aspect ••••): This manse is partially submerged in the river, and serves as the foundation for the many docks that serve White Sentinel, some half-day's travel away. This manse serves as the naval headquarters for the Keldin river-fleet, and its hearthstone is in the care of Admiral Rushing Waters, a Water-aspected Dragon-Blood champion of the Dynasty. See Keldin Manses for more information.

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.

• The Quarry Manse (Earth-Aspect •): This manse is located in the center of the massive stone quarry just outside of Delbrennan, and its hearthstone held by the Master of Architects, an earth elemental-blooded sorcerer and engineer that works for the Lord of Delbrennan. See Keldin Manses for more information.

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.

• The Temple of Stone (Earth-Aspect ••): Though its original purpose is unknown, this manse now serves as the temple to the Soaring Majesty Father in Goral. The high priest of the Soaring Majesty Father is Archprelate Epiphany of Granite, an Earth-aspected Dragon-Blooded that bears the manse’s hearthstone. See Keldin Manses for more information.

Lionroar

Seat of the Ivory Star Heir
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.

Layout of the City

The city of Lionroar is divided into the Upper Gate, which sits above the city on the top of the cliff, three tiers above the ground level, and then the ground level.

The High Gate

The Hihg Gate consists of a series of towers along the very top of the wall, with one of those towers - one of the large two anchoring towers - serving as a means of entry into the city proper.

The Prince's Tier

The Prince's Tier is named for the fact that for several generations now the Ivory Star Heir has held Lionroar as Lord and dwelt in the fine palace in this tier. Unlike the palace in White Sentinel, however, it doesn't take up the whole of the tier; instead, it is flanked by other bureaucratic, religious and noble establishments as well.

• The Prince's Palace: Most of the area allocated to the palace on this tier is used for expansive gardens, with the majority of the palace proper dug into the walls of the cliff.
• The Hall of the Roaring Peak: Temple to the Soaring Majesty Father, the Hall of the Roaring Peak is manned by a contingent of geomancer-priests and Jade Mountain style-martial artists who serve the god of the Keldin.

The Guild Tier

The Guild Tier is an impressive sight, filled with busy mercantilism and other such endeavors. By agreement with the Ivory Star Dynasty, only Guild members may open shops here, and only members of the Guild lay claim to homes on this tier.

• The Factor's Tower: A tall tower that rises from the largest building on the Guild Tier, this is where Silver Threnody, the city's Guild Factor is based out of.
• Three Coin Barracks: These barracks, established by the Guild, are intended for the inexpensive housing of Guild mercenaries attached to caravans in the city. Because many of the Guild's informational leaks are committed by mercenaries who have been drinking, the Barracks also houses an ale-house that is open only to Guild mercenaries.

The Common Tier

The Common Tier is where the non-noble, non-Guild city thrives. It is a tightly packed part of town, with a great number of extensive, hive-like apartment housing carved into the face of the cliff. This sort of housing is open to most commoners; only those who are a bit better off or own shops in the tier generally have housing away from the wall proper -- generally speaking, the closer a shop or house is to the wall, the poorer its residents, with large, elaborate housing literally built into the outer edge of the Common Tier.

The Dock-Grounds

The Dock Grounds are basically the slum areas of Lionroar. Those who cannot afford housing in the tiers usually live in one of the boarding houses of the Dock-Grounds. Such individuals often work in the docks on either side of the waterfall, or in fields that flank the river further away from the town. There are a number of scummy bars and brothels that cater to the criminals and sailors that infest these warrens.

Lionroar City Lore

City History & Geographic Details

• Located where a small river flows into the Maruto over the Keldin Cliffs, Lionsroar is dominated by a waterfall with a First Age bridge/dam built over it, decorated with an impressively carved head of a lion that spews out the waterfall through a roaring maw.

City Government & Mercantile Structure

• Lionsroar is where much of the river trade in the Keldin Cliff-Cities takes place, with an impressively extensive set of docks a short distance from the city proper.
• The Guild holds a lot of influence in the city of Lionsroar; it is basically the location of their factor for the Keldin Cliff-Cities. It is also the traditional holding of the Ivory Star Heir, the heir to the throne of the Keldin Cliff-Cities.
• The Guild Factor in Lionsroar is a woman named Silver Threnody.
• The current heir was the First and Forthright Son Unfettered in Endless Triumph, until he was recently assassinated.

City Military History & Reputation

• Lionsroar is well-defended by a small force of Keldin military – specifically, the tetsubo-wielding infantry and sledge-wielding cavalry.
• Lionsroar also has the largest contingent of mercenary companies in residence of any other city in Keldin, given the large Guild influences.
• The Champion of Lionsroar is a god-blooded son of the city-father of Lionsroar, a skilled fighter named Worthy Conflict. The Champion of Lionsroar also traditionally acts as the bodyguard of the lord of Lionsroar.

City’s Martial Arts World

• The city has almost no martial arts community to speak of, save for the priests of the Soaring Majesty Father. The high priest of the small temple is a man of enlightened Essence that will teach others the Jade Mountain Style only if they take vows.
• Though the Champion of Lionsroar is not himself a martial artist, his lover, Decisive Conclusion, is, though he does not participate in the martial arts community due to some old tragedy.
• It is said that there are gangs in the city who are part of the Five Shades Association, a criminal syndicate known for their subtle and deadly martial arts.

City’s Spiritual, Religious & Supernatural Traits

• There is only one temple in Lionsroar, dedicated to the Soaring Majesty Father. It has a small contingent of the geomancer-priests and martial artists who serve that god.
• The only other god of note in Lionsroar is Golden River Hunter, the god of the waterfall and city-father of Lionsroar.
• The nearest known Manse is located in the cliff-face between Lionsroar and Venrathi, and Earth-aspected Manse called the Forbidden Cliff-Manse.
• The Forbidden Cliff-Manse is a rating 3 Earth Manse that no one has ever managed to enter into without being killed by its built-in defenses.

City Criminal Element

• With the strong Guild presence here, crime tends to remain at an all-time low, thanks to the city’s dedication to keeping trade prosperous.
• In actuality, the city has two competing gangs of criminals, each belonging to one of the Five Shades Associations syndicates. These two gangs compete to control things better and work with the local constabulary against their rivals.

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.

• The Forbidden Cliff-Manse (Earth-Aspect •••): Inset into the cliffwall between Venrathi and Lionroar, this manse is off-limits to anyone. Over the generations, multiple individuals have attempted to gain access it, only to be killed by the built-in defenses. As such, a small contingent of guards remains on the approach to the manse, primarily intended on warning anyone away from the manse’s dangers, and to quickly send word if someone should manage to enter the manse and claim it. See Keldin Manses for more information.

The Ivory Star Dynasty

The Ivory Star Dynasty has ruled the Keldin Cliff-Cities for nearly four hundred years now. Though they are descended from Soaring Majestic Father, the god of the Keldin Mountain Range, there is no real trace of divine blood left in their lineage any longer, save for the occasional child born with chalk-white skin and deep green hair.

The Ivory Star Dynasty are known for their flowery, baroque given names, an affectation picked up from Soaring Majestic Father, who named his first son First and Worthy Son of the Mountain Wholly Resplendent in Truth and Strength. The first-born heirs of the Ivory Star Dynasty are always named "First and [Something] Son" as the initial part of their names.

Women who marry into the family - particularly those who end up with the title of Ivory Star Lady - always take a name that includes the word "daughter," which becomes "matron" should she take the title of Ivory Star Dowager. Only women who will hold the title of Ivory Star Lady ever take the word "Daughter" in their names, so the daughters of the Regent and Lady are never named "Daughter."

The Ivory Star Regent, The First and Sagacious Son Ascending to the Horizon

The king of the Keldin Cliff-Cities, and the eldest son of the last king, First and Sagacious Son Ascending to the Horizon is getting quite old. Though he is still strong in mind and body, the years are clearly weighing on him. Those closest to him have all heard him state that he is "simply exhausted" with his years of rulership, and now the simple pleasures of life entertain him far more than the duties of state. Though he wishes to pass on those duties to his heir, he does not feel that the Ivory Star Heir is quite ready yet, and so he waits.

The Ivory Star Lady, The Glorifying Jewel-Hued Daughter Resplendent in Virtue

Though the women of the Ivory Star Dynasty are rarely accorded the respect and power that its men are, no one who is part of the Ivory Star Courts has any doubts who rules the Keldin nation currently. The Glorifying Jewel-Hued Daughter Resplendent in Virtue (who used to be named Jeweled Virtue before her marriage to the king) has long stood in the background, assisting her husband where she can. Now that he has become tired, she has stepped forward to take over the most onerous of his duties, assisted by a cabinet of perfectly capable bureaucrats and ministers, all of whom know that she has the king's utmost trust and welfare in mind.

The Ivory Star Dowager, The Ever-Wise Matron Bounteous in Cerulean Nobility

The Regent's mother is a sickly old woman who rarely leaves her apartments any longer. She is somewhat senile and forgetful with age, though she certainly doesn't always suffer from such impairments. When her wits are about her, she is a queen-mother most regal, one who considers the honor and legacy of the Ivory Star Dynasty to be of the utmost importance. Now that the Regent is less interested in active rulership, mother and son spend more time together.

The Ivory Star Heir, The First and Forthright Son Unfettered in Endless Triumph

Lord of Lionroar, the Heir of Keldin feels that he is more than ready to rule the Cliff-Cities and do justice to the legacy of the Ivory Star Dynasty. Forthright Triumph is a man concerned with his future, and often overwhelmed by the duties merely as Lord of Delbrennan, to say nothing of his future as the Ivory Star Regent. Despite this, most of the populace is sure he'll grow into a fine ruler. Forthright Triumph has always tried to be the son his father wanted him to be, though he was not immune to jealousy over the favor shown Alabaster Mountain. Age 33

The Fortuitous Promise Sworn Beneath the Pearlescent Moon

The oldest of the Ivory Star Maidens (as the three sisters are called), Promise has long avoided the duties of marriage. Though she has no intention of ending up like her "maiden aunt," she has yet to discover the husband that she is interested in leaving her family for. She courts a great number of young hopeful men, however, and enjoys balls, picnics and the exchanges of courtship. She is also something of a fashion-plate in the Keldin Cliff-Cities, always both taking advantage of the best ideas and innovating some of her own. Of course, the one thing that is least-known about Promise outside of family circles is her combat skill: she is a very skilled fighter, quickly surpassing her fighting instructor's ability by the age of sixteen. To this day, she often spars with the captain of the guard at White Sentinel to keep in fighting trim, and prefers to wield paired daggers.

The Enchanting Song Sung Beneath Gleaming Stars

The middle of the Ivory Star Maidens, Song is very aware of what is expected of her. She is very studious and academic, having begun reading from a very early age, and has a scholar's mind. Though mysteries such as thaumaturgy and sorcery fascinate her most, she is also a capable bureaucrat, and has long since taken over the most onerous duties of running the Dynasty's legal matters from her mother and father. She and Promise often quarrel, as Song knows that she won't be allowed to marry until Promise does, and while Song isn't really interested in marriage for the reasons her sister is, she is anxious to be in charge of her own destiny, and to have her own household to run.

The Purest Joy Won Beneath the Golden Sun

Joy is the youngest Ivory Star Maiden, and she is as golden as her sisters are pale. Joy is a gifted musician and singer, with talents that would win her renown across the Scavenger Lands were she permitted to travel and make her mark. She is also the most fascinated with the cult of the Soaring Majesty Father, her family's divine ancestor, often journeying up to the mountain-top temple and adding her own sweet singing voice to the hymns there.

The Beautiful Alabaster Son of the Radiant Mountain Eternal

The prodigal son.

The Triumphal Righteous Son of the Exultant Blade Beneficent

Righteous Blade, as he prefers to be called, is something of a trouble-maker. Having just come of age as an adult, he has already gained something of a reputation as a womanizer and drinker. Though he claims to merely be "enjoying his new freedoms," his parents wonder if he will ever choose to stop doing so. It is common knowledge that his mother is already looking for a wife for him.

The Noble Iron Son of Unending Reverence

The younger brother of the Regent, Iron Reverence is the acknowledged Lord of Goral. It would be hard to find a more capable lord in his situation, though it is a well-known fact that he is quite jealous of his brother's power, believing himself to be more capable in every respect. The worst part is that he is probably right: he seems to have a skill and passion for governance that the Regent lacks.

Jubilant Faith

A former lady-in-waiting to the Ivory Star Lady, Jubilant Faith is Iron Reverence's devoted wife, and the mother of his son. She has no real head for governing herself, though she does use her influence to aid many good causes in the Keldin Cliff-Cities, from founding orphanages and poor-houses, to organizing aid for families whose crops yield poorly.

The Righteous Adamant Son of Infinite and Regal Truths

Adamant Truths, cousin to the Heir and son of the Lord of Goral, is an innocuous young man. He's never made much of a public impression, some say because he believes that kind of attention belongs to the ruling family proper. Clearly he has impressed the Regent at some point in the past, however, because he was made Lord of Delbrennan. It is generally agreed that he is a tremendously eligible bachelor, though he doesn't quite take the same advantage of that fact that some of his cousins do.

The Radiant and Incomparable Rose Treasured Eternally

Radiant Rose, the Lady of Venrathi, is the middle sister of the Regent and the Lord of Goral. Where all their other sisters were long ago married off, Radiant Rose has seemed quite disinclined to do so. After her stated intention of remaining unwed, her doting brother made her Lady of Venrathi. It is an open secret that she prefers the intimate company of her own gender, and is apparently devoted to the woman who serves as her major domo and bodyguard, who is only called the Maiden of Razors.

Martial Arts in the Keldin Cliff-Cities

• Palace of the Heavenly Lance: In Kalishar, the temple to Ko-Fuso, the God of Spears trains those priests who manage to enlighten their Essences in the techniques of the Crimson Pentacle Blade Style. The discipline and just nature of the Heavenly Lance Priests have made them welcome, leading to the establishment of smaller temples in The Keldin Cliff-Cities, The Girian Protectorate and other cities in the eastern Hundred Kingdoms, as well.
• The High-Peak Cloister: The monks and priests of the mountain-god Soaring Majestic Father, god of The Keldin Cliff-Cities, study the techniques of Jade Mountain Style martial arts in the cliff-top monasteries across the Keldin Cliff-Cities.