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Principality of Durham: Located on the Keller end of the Lesser Farspar Trail, the Principality of Durham is large and wealthy, its coffers swelling from the volume of trade between the Keller Lands, the Pershamon Empire, and the Northlands. Durham is best known as a source of Dwarven goods, purchased from the kingdoms in the Farspar Mountains. It was founded in the early years of the Keller Empire, out of an alliance between several Keller march lords and the Dwarves who resided within Mt. Dramm; the intention was to remain independent of any of the various newly forming empires after the destruction of Fermas Vorokhoi. The alliance worked far better than either party could have hoped for, and now Durham is one of the middle-tier powers of the Known World. The Principality's wealth and the unique structure of its capital city mean that neither the Keller Empire nor the Pershamon Empire pose a real threat to it.
Most of Durham is a relatively typical feudal state, with various counts, earls, and barons holding title from the Prince in Durham, by far the wealthiest and most powerful individual domain in the Principality. Durham's government is actually somewhat republican in nature. Power rests largely in the hands of the "Aerie Council", a council made up of the ruling Human and Dwarven nobility. As part of the founding charter, Dwarven votes count as greater than their numbers would indicate, allowing them to protect their interests in spite of much higher numbers of humans. The Prince, the ruling executive, is selected from among the "Aerie Council" and serves for life. This office is de facto hereditary, passing from parent to eldest child following confirmation by the "Aerie Council". The city of Durham itself has a voting representative on the Aerie Council, selected by the Lord Mayor and his advisors.
Culturally, Durham is a diverse place. It is a center of trade between two empires and the Northlands, and has a large transient population centered from all over the Known World. Durham is religiously tolerant - officially Selectionist, but openly tolerant of any faiths not actively threatening to public order. Despite its proximity to the Pershamon Empire, Durham has remained Keller dominated unlike Silverwater to the South. In part this is due to the strong Dwarven influence. Most non-Dwarven subjects of Durham are able to speak at least a little Dwarvish, and their Keller Common is heavily accented and flavored with Dwarven idioms and sayings about beards, axes, stone, gold, and mining. More than a few humans adopt Dwarven personal names, a custom which irritates and baffles Dwarves unfamiliar with Durham's bi-cultural ways.
Durham is the capital city of the Principality of Durham. It covers the slopes of Mount Dramm, a large extinct volcano near a ridge leading to the FarSpar Mountains. The volcano towers several thousand feet over the surrounding countryside, itself occupied by the headwaters of the Jotun River. The city actually covers only a small part of the mountainside, making for an unusual city layout – generations of mining and construction have expanded the Dwarven city into a metropolis. The older Dwarven city is mostly located within the mountains, and it is accessible through a series of huge gates. These are normally left open, except in times of crisis. the interior is three tiers, each one devoted to one of the three Great Clans residing therein, with various residential galleries and mines. Here and there, the surface is pierced by galleries bristling with siege engines of all sorts, including a few giant cannon. Durham has not been attacked in generations.
The human part of Durham is equally interesting. Transport up and down the mountain is accomplished either by a winding series of roads and endless staircases, or by a network of cable-car arrangements, powered by steam, treadmills, or by muscle power. Instead of neighborhoods, Durham is divided into "Wards", each one a shelf densely covered with buildings and a few tunnels, with its own system of cisterns for water, and its own government. Each ward is almost its own village, though all are beholden to city authorities and to the Principality. Each ward has a small wall and gate, and maintains its own security forces.
Durham has a relatively straightforward pattern to its residences. The flat regions surrounding the city are either farm fields or slums, occupied by those unable to afford the relatively expensive Ward real estate. Like most slums, they are crowded and dirty, and are inhabited by the poorest laborers, farmhands, dockworkers, and the indigent. The Principality makes a daily allotment of free bread available to the poor, maintaining public order. The lower slopes are home to the lower class permanent residents of the city, mostly craftsmen, low-level merchants and shop employees, the numerous workers of the artisan and trade districts, and the servants of the estates higher up. These neighborhoods are crowded, but not usually as dangerous and dirty as the slums. The homes tend to be in better repair, and there are working sewers of sorts. Most homes have small basements or are even constructed partially underground.
The higher wards hold the homes of the middle and upper classes of Durham; wizards, merchants, business owners, skilled craftsmen, minor nobles, and other sorts of people - some are even exclusive, gated and patrolled by private guards. Middle class residents have small houses or apartments over specialty stores, while the wealthy actually maintain various villas, manors, or small compounds. The upper class districts also host a variety of cultural centers – temples, theaters, a university, and various other such highlights. There is even a prestigious magical college, the "Dursain Academy". The various culverts of the city are continually filled by water flowing from either magical springs provided by the Dursain Academy, or by the Dwarven engineers who live here. The highest ward is the "Aerie of the Prince" and various government offices. The palace is surrounded by a tiered garden, and is quite spectacular. This ward is surrounded by various governmental and military offices, and is a popular place to visit for those allowed access to it.
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