Dalreme Castle
"There she is, lad- Dalreme Castle. You won't see a fairer sight in all the Kingdom, 'xcept perhaps the fair Queen, mind. May the Creator bless her and the children she bears."Seat of Dalreme's authority for nigh on two thousand years, Dalreme Castle sits in the heart of the kingdom, nestled in a valley where the Begoria Mountain Range splits in two.
Founded when refugees from the Port of Linder fled north to escape the persecution of both Agathodaemon and the Abaisi, Dalreme became a refuge for those who acknowledged the Creator's son as the Savior and were hated by their own countrymen as a result. The refugees found that the Begoria Mountains protected them from the armies of the Wizards in the south, who were not prepared to make the march over the steep mountains the way light-burdened refugees could. Still, fortifications were quickly established, the castle taking shape as Keon, a Xigante well respected by the refugees, became the de-facto leader of the newborn country.
As the influence of Wizards faded and territories solidified into proper kingdoms and countries once more, Dalreme began to trade its iron and wood in earnest, eager to support their former brothers and sisters. It was in Dalreme that technology as the Mortal Lands understands it today flourished first, the power of water, then steam quickly coming to heel under cunning artificers.
At the turn of the century, the world was steaming into a new age. the King and Queen Dalreme were expecting their firstborn child at any time, and there were rumors that the Court Artificers had combined their skills with the technology of the Memoria to create a new method of defending the realm.
And then the Night of Falling Crowns Came...
Demographics
| Being one of the northernmost major cities in the Mortal Lands, Dalreme's Capital city is mostly filled with those from the northern lands; fair skin and dark hair are prominent features. Quite curiously the Mechanicals have become quite popular, due to the rising stature of the Mekanists who have been studying the ruins of the Memoria. The Royal Court that lives within the inner walls of the Castle has not exactly blossomed in recent years, to the point the elders are complaining about the younger generations' nerve of courting outside their class. But when one's only options are Fitz who smells like cheese and your 2nd-cousin Gav, it's easy to see why the ladies of the court would look elsewhere for suitable companionship. | After the Night of Falling Crowns
Today, the city stands as a ruin; its only people those who must use its few passable roads to move between the twin countries of Ruben and Lazuli. Some say this feature makes it a good place to hide in case of trouble, but there's not much left of the castle that offers sufficient shelter.
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Clever worldbuilding with the infrastructure -- I can imagine walking through the city and seeing the differences between the more modern areas rebuilt post-fire, and the older areas with their narrow streets.
Speculative-Fiction Writing