Neran
Location: Within the main mountain range of Ercus, south of Tyranoth.
Description: Neran is a beautiful city with amazing Dwarven architecture, and it exists entirely within the mountains. Massive tunnels open in a few places in the south-west base of the mountain range and all converge as they near Neran. Neran has huge structure that are anchored in both the floor and the roof of the cavern the Dwarves dug out of the mountain. Ornate carvings are everywhere, and beautiful jewels glitter in the light of lamps and torches. On the other side of the cavern is another tunnel, which splits off into several different openings on the opposite side of the mountain range.
History: The Seeker Wars did not decimate Ercus but the racism of the movement still sparked some violence. In 255 A.R. a number of prominent Dwarf merchants got together to discuss a business venture. To prevent infiltration by the Seekers, only Dwarves - some brought from Deisach - were hired on the sizeable construction crew that set out to create Neran. The Dwarven merchants had realized that all of Ercus could benefit from a shorter trade route between thew western cities of Tyranoth and Drethor with Andalora, isolated behind a mountain range to the north. It took the industrious Dwarves only 3 years to construct the first phase of the project. In 258 A.R. Neran held only 3,000 citizens, with very few families. From the cavern where Neran was built a tunnel ran north toward Andalora, and another tunnel ran southwest towards Drethor.
By 262 A.R. trade had picked up. The cavern had been expanded and more buildings carved from the stone, Neran now completely self-sufficient with 10,000 citizens. Another tunnel has been constructed to the northwest to provide a more direct route to Tyranoth. As security became more important, stone gates were constructed at each tunnel entrance along with a single guard tower.
In 285 A.R. another excavation is underway to expand the city and a large pocket of diamonds are found. This boost allows for improvements to ventillation shafts, the construction of a second guard tower at each gate enterance, as well as small guard posts near the openings of the ventilation shafts up in the mountain. The population booms over the next few years as the merchant council that rules Neran allows the first non-dwarven settlers.
Brendan Carlak came to Neran from Deisach in 310 A.R. and showed the merchant council his plans for bringing sunlight to Neran. A network of tunnels with mirrors brought sun from the surface of the mountain into the cavern of Neran. It took two years to do the careful excavation work, but the citizens of Neran celebrated the achievement. In 312 A.R., with sunlight on the city for the first time, Neran held nearly 30,000 people.
Little changed in Neran for many years. Small innovations, such as carved channels to keep melting snow from flooding the city, were thought up as the problems showed. Slowly the city was refined, and the ruling council of merchants started to die off. The final surviving merchant claimed the title of King, as was set forth in the original contract the merchants made for the founding of Neran. Neran stagnated under the monarchy for some time.
In 632 A.R. a bright young Dwarf named Dem Kelo, born and schooled in Neran, redesigned Carlak's original sunlight system. Using some of the new principles of clockwork mechanics Kelo designed a mechanism for rotating the mirrors and opening certain shafts at certain times of the day to maximize the sunlight. Kelo also introduced lenses to the system to make the most of what light they were able to channel into the mountain.
It was in 648 A.R. that the King Termun died without a male heir. Garlow the Wise, his closes adviser, was chosen by a council of Neran's most powerful citizens to take on the crown. Garlow accepted and Neran has flourished under his rule. Garlow is over 600 years old and has already named an heir, his eldest son, Dalmun Lod.
Population: About 112,000 people, about 70% Dwarf, 29% human, 1% misc.
Current Leader: Garlow the Wise, King of Neran.
Government: Monarchy, though the King has several advisers, many of which are appointed to keeping one part of Neran running (irrigation, sunlight, etc).
Empire: Neran is a City-State that refuses to pick sides in any conflicts that reach Ercus, and anyone who tried to make a move against Neran would find the city sealed up, which would also eliminate a major trade route through Ercus. It is simply wise to leave Neran undisturbed.
Army: Neran's standing army is a minimal 3,000 men to patrol Neran, the tunnels, and man the guard towers built near the tunnels and up in the mountains. However, the army has a total of 20,000 registered members (Dwarves and humans, men and women) ready to defend their city in a crisis.
