Kan Lodar

The Old World
Kan Lodar, although a bit of a journey to get to, is worth every step of the way. Standing for “The Old World” in a dated Dwarven tongue, Kan Lodar stands as the premiere Dwarven capital on Lower Aneos. Although primarily Dwarven, the city is a melting pot for all like-minded individuals; that is, anybody who likes their weather as cold as their beer. The province is currently ruled by Durak Bronzebeard, leader of Kan Lodar’s military force, and he is assisted by his brother Donjak Bronzebeard and long-time ally, Morolir Glacius.

Once within the Mithril Mountains, the path to Kan Lodar is simple to traverse. The steps, although icy, that lead up the path to the gates have been travelled by many over the centuries. All visitors are welcomed, as there are many places within the city that would be considered a tourist trap. Whether you are looking for a good drink or someone to rabble up your Thaummatech a notch or two, Kan Lodar has everything you’re looking for and more.

Layout of the City
The obsidian gates open wide to reveal the city of Kan Lodar, a bustling hive of machinery that is split into two levels. The Lower Level, where one enters into the city, is filled with four main districts: The Iron District, The Steel District, The Copper District, and The Stone District. The Upper Level of the city is comprised of three main districts: The Mithril District, The Quartz District, and The Obsidian District. Despite there being tangible class disparities between the two levels, dwarves of all status are welcomed on both levels. Both levels are round, with each district being on a different spot in the circle; standing in the middle is the glowing blue Arcanum, powering the city and making everyone just slightly scared for their lives.

The Iron District
The Iron District is the residential area of the city, directly west of the entrance. While many houses were constructed independently from the mountain walls, a vast majority of homes are carved directly into the mountainside. Some homes are intricate, Victorian mansions with sharp, jagged edges in their architectural design to pay tribute to the Dwarves’ mountainous heritage. The culture of Kan Lodar has up to four Dwarven families living together in a single mansion, relying on each other to survive and provide for the entire household. This, coupled with Lodarian Dwarves’ tendency to have up to three children, lead to households with upwards of 20 people. The mansions are big enough to accommodate this, at least. Those who live in homes carved directly into the mountainside are usually only single family residences, due to the fact that the home must be carved and created by the head of a single household in order to be lived in. This district has many wide, winding turns and streets, so it is very easy to get lost in. Mostly Dwarves live in this part of town.

The Steel District
The Steel District is the location of the mines of Kan Lodar. It is a highly regulated working area with many quarries and mining veins, containing many minerals, gems and ores. The mines are open to the public and available for tours and things to get a good look into the life of a working Lodarian Dwarf. It is by far the largest district of the city, taking up the entire western side of the outer circle along with the Iron District. The mines and quarries go down deep into the mountainside, and a Lower Level of the city is the ultimate goal - for now, the levels remain at two.

The Copper District
The Copper District is the trade center of the Lower Level. It is filled mostly with small shops and kiosks. While Kan Lodar does not necessarily house goods from other lands, it has many highly-skilled craftsmen and as such this district offers much in the terms of smithed items. Weapons, armor, Thaummatech and even a special product called a “Cog Shell” can be sold here.

Cog Shells
Cog Shells are items that are a bit of a specialty of Lodarian Dwarves. Years ago, a Dwarven scientist known as “Doctor Chrome Bones” was the resident expert on Thaummatech in the city; at a young age he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, but through sheer scientific muscle he crafted himself an entirely new body and managed to make himself entirely robotic. He is very proud of the fact that he is the closest to an artificial Cog the Dwarven world has yet to see. Because of this, he considers himself an expert on all things Cog, which was the origin of the Cog Shells.

Because he was able to get his own body to possess the Thaummatech skeleton he crafted for himself, he knows how to prime a piece of machinery to make it more likely to be possessed by Juice and birth itself into a Cog. He sells these primed pieces of machinery as Cog Shells. They are a tad expensive, and only have a success rate of a tad over 60 percent, but Chrome Bones knows that having a loyal Cog is an invaluable asset for many.

The Cog Shells were originally crafted with the idea that a Cog could help around the house or give someone a companion, but soon Chrome Bones began developing Cog Shells that were a little more combat ready than the rest of his arsenal. These Cog Shells slowly started becoming the norm, and now Chrome Bones considers his wares a type of makeshift mercenary. The machinery is considered property until it comes to life, where it becomes a person in the eyes of the Dwarven state, and from then on the money paid to Chrome Bones counts as that Cog’s contract. After the job has completed, whether successfully or not, the Cog has the option to return to Chrome Bones, accompany the person who bought it, or start its own life in Aneos. It varies widely around the board on what path these Cogs choose, but there are a handful that reside in Chrome Bones’ shop and are some of his more reliable contracts.

Durak has considered making this shop a civil rights issue, wondering whether the trafficking of these shells would be considered immoral, but as of now, Chrome Bones has gotten off safe in the eyes of the law. Chrome Bones himself is a jolly fellow, if not more well-versed in shady dealings, and the vast majority of his Shells greatly respect him. The only issue Durak has is whether or not this trend will continue in the future.

The Stone District
The Stone District is a controversial place in the city. Despite Durak’s insistence on everybody being treated equally, the Stone District is a residential area that has come to be known as where the “others” live, referring to non-dwarves. The residences are all shoddily put together buildings without nearly as much maintenance and care as the rest of the city, and sometimes even thought of as a separate entity to the rest of the city. It is still a livable area, by all means, but despite being the largest district of the Lower Level, the Stone District also houses the largest slums.

Poverty can never completely be eradicated in a city, but Durak does not do much to help those who live in these slums. He is very much proud of his Dwarven heritage and isn’t too inclined to show otherwise. He rarely spends any time here, and it is easy to tell what few minutes he does spend here are not enjoyable to him. This separation of dwarves and non-dwarves is one of the biggest downfalls of Durak’s leadership, but with his extreme military power and capability as a leader otherwise, nobody has said a word.

The Mithril District
The Mithril District is the city’s residence for all things magical. This is the first district entered when ascending the stairs to the Upper Level; these exact stairs are magical as well, floating of their own accord thanks to a few spells in place by local sorcerers. It is the district most “out there” compared to the rest of Kan Lodar, with winding roads, steep hills, many magical portals popping out in random buildings and alleyways of the district, and numerous headquarters for many sorcerers. This district is the location of the Council of Fire.

The Council of Fire has been around for just about as long as anybody can remember, blooming when Kan Lodar was first founded. The members of the council all wear billowing red robes with golden dragon masks covering their faces, rarely ever being removed. Dragon worship is at the core of this cult - the many shrines dedicated to dragons throughout the city are managed and patrolled by the council. Despite their relative adherence to the rules, the Council and Durak have some bad blood between them as the cult desperately pries at the citizens to donate to their cause.

This dragon worship is a bit of a strange aspect of Kan Lodarian culture. Nobody questions it publicly as it has been around for years, but Durak is slowly trying to distance his people from the worship of such volatile creatures. Naturally, the Council of Fire is not too fond of this movement. Its members speak in strange metaphors and symbolisms, warning of the consequences ignoring their pleas will have. Durak pays them no mind; there is no telling whether this decision is foolish or not.

The Quartz District
The Quartz District is Durak’s residence, the massive castle known as Terrus Keep. It is crafted of the finest stone and gems, surrounded by massive statues and pillars of never-melting ice, including depictions of each of the former Kan Lodarian kings. The castle is six stories tall, each story being roughly as large as an entire district, with dozens of rooms and halls in each. It could take someone months to navigate the place in its entirety. Durak thinks the sheer size of the thing serves as a great form of defense from intruders, and as long as he is within the walls, he doesn’t anticipate that ever being an issue.

The top of the castle protrudes out of Kan Lodar, and some of the walls are built right into the mountain face. It is really and truly part of the Mithril Mountains. Should one make it to the top, they will be able to look out over the entire mountain range, and be able to spot both Lugnut Basin and Victorix in the distance. It is truly a sight to behold.

Being on Durak’s council, his brother, Donjak, and Morolir Glacius both take residence up here as well, each of them living on a different floor of the castle. The castle is swarmed with the Kan Lodarian guard, heavily armed with both magic and firearms, making it the most highly fortified place in the entire city.

The Obsidian District
The Obsidian District is a district dedicated to two things. The first of these is the Hall of Kan Lodar, a building showcasing the many war heroes, kings, and influential figures the city has previously seen. It is a museum of sorts, housing many artifacts and things from ancient times when Kan Lodar was first founded. Not only does it hold great importance to the residents, but it is also their biggest tourist attraction. Durak makes visits here consistently to remind himself just how big of shoes he has to fill.

But, this makes up but a small portion of the Obsidian District. The rest of the district, lined up right next to each other down each street, is nothing but bars, pubs, restaurants and breweries. All residents are welcomed here, because even Durak could deny no one the right to a warm meal and a cold beer. This district is obviously one of the most popular ones at all hours of the day. Some people think the Dwarves have a drinking problem, considering their pubs are filled to the brim 24 hours a day. Those people would be wrong, because it’s only a problem if it is unhealthy, and many, many studies have shown that daily binge drinking is good for your health. Granted, each of these studies was performed in Kan Lodar by Dwarven scientists, but who is one to argue with science?

The Pork Belly Run
A big cultural event that goes on once a month is the Pork Belly Run. Starting at one end of the street, patrons enter each bar in groups of ten to have a famous drink from each separate pub. At the beginning, this is easy; the Earthen Maiden bar, for example, provides a delicious pumpkin lager for its patrons, while the Maritime Hero tavern down the way provides a drink called the Whale’s Tooth, a deep blue beer garnished with authentic blubberfly bone that tastes like seafoam and apples. The further down the street you go, though, the stranger the drinks get - culminating at the end at The Pork Belly, the most popular tavern and the place where the event gets its name. Here, the bartender serves its patron a drink called The Snout. This is a beer flavored with pig’s blood, all manners of spices, a mixture of every alcohol behind the counter, and garnished with a hog’s hoof at the top.

The point of the Pork Belly Run is not to be the first in your group to complete the task; in fact, it is rude to leave without your entire party. No, the point of the run is to puke the least out of your party. With a total of twenty-seven pubs and drinks like the Snout, it’s just about impossible to get through the gauntlet without losing your lunch, and whoever pukes the most pays for the entire event. To this day, the only man to have ever completed the challenge without vomiting was Donjak Bronzebeard, whose portrait is now hanging behind the bar of The Pork Belly...right next to the pig head mounted on the wall as well.