Othrund

City Description

Population: Unknown

Founded: 1000 (1,390 years ago)

The result of Galdarion's Exodus from Lyr'Lowain is the city of Othrund and the nation of Galdarion Forest. On the western bank of River Lyric, as if in mockery of the Elven world of Lyr'Lowain, Eve Galdarion rules a kingdom of undead and the worship of death. This practice has drawn many who are not welcome in more civilized lands, but either due to her wishing it so, or her utter indifference, such people have found a home in her forest and the city of Othrund.

In Common, Othrund means "others," especially the undesirable otherness of disagreement. It is upon this idea Othrund exists and thrives. The manner in which Eve Galdarion was exiled, or rather took her leave, had to do with her obsession with bringing back the peaceful deceased to an unsettling state of undeath. She left her home a budding necromancer, and rules Othrund as the most dangerous Lich in the known world. Her city reflects her nature and her visage. Disturbing. Dispassionate. Striking. Beautiful. Flawless. Impervious. Dangerous.

Othrund itself is run by the dead, but exists for the living. Eve has never conflated the two. The city is powered by the tireless work done by those who need no sleep and never deviate from direct orders. The undead act as servants, workers, soldiers, and citizens. They have every right a living person has, and mistreatment of the dead is met with the same penalty as mistreatment of anyone else. Undead are not abominations in Othrund. They are the people who make up Eve Galdarion's empire. And a mighty empire it is.

The stark landscape of Othrund brings to mind a midnight cemetery, the canopy of the Deadwood in and around its walls creating a dismal dark even in the middle of the day. Pillars of grey and aged stone line the streets, some crumbling from wear, while the River Still runs through canals throughout the cobblestone roads. Even the vegetation seems to have a muted filter of grey cast over it. The denizens are garbed in black, white, and varying shades in between. A fog sits heavy throughout the city, and a chill is ever present.

While Eve rules Othrund, due to her isolationism, a Parliament makes the decisions for the city. It is a group of several individuals, the identities of whom is unknown. All that is known is that they are severe, ruthlessly efficient, and rarely disagree. Their like-mindedness has created a stability most nations only dream of; though it is a stability not to everyone's liking. Those people do not last long in Othrund.

Many of the structures of Othrund are built to be open and accessible. Plazas open to the thick canopy above house many markets and services. Despite the austere nature of the city, Othrund is home to all the amenities found in any other city of its size. Additionally, though it is widely believed to be untrue, it is the case that Othrund is open and welcoming to all within its walls with the exclusion of the Elves of Lyr'Lowain.

To that end, Othrund's defenses are the greatest in all Core Vandal with perhaps the exception of Run'Thar. It's spiked walls tower in the mist, masonry impenetrable and crafted with the care of the devout. Those who keep the city safe are sleepless, ever-watchful, and steadfast. They do not tire and they do not relent. And it is known Eve Galdarion has more than the undead guarding her gates. Those who may someday breach Othrund's walls will likely wish they had not.

Those who follows the rules in Othrund can make a life of peace and solitude within its walls. Those who rebel against the strict protocal of Eva Galdarion are met with her passionless disdain. And while she is rarely seen, and is nigh unapproachable, there is never any doubt of whose will controls the fate of Othrund. And that of Core Vandal.