Jura City

About

Jura City sits in the Hadean Mountains. It was once bastion of dwarven pride, but a wave of refugees from the Griff Empire have turned this city into the haves and the have-nots.

History

Jura City itself was constructed by the Earth Lord Cason. He built the walls over a hundred feet high, and guaranteed that the city was virtually impregnable. During a succession battle, Lord Cason died, and was succeeded by Lord Basileus. During another succession conflict, Basileus took the throne, becoming the King of Stone.

Jura City's wealth came from the coal beds under Mount Rifea. The Ironmongers used this coal to make the highest grade of steel in the world. No one else could come close to their technology. For generations, the Ironmongers supplied the warring empire with the best armor and weapons available.

After a thousand years of use, the coal mine became an vast open pit in the ground, and Ironmonger production crashed. At the same time, the Malachites seceded from the Union and the western kingdoms collapse under assault by the Feral Nation. Jura City strangled under the weight of her own industry.

The City

The Inner City

The inner city is the epitome of dwarven cities. Jura City is carved into a canyon on Mount Jura. The city extends, up, down, and sideways. The great temples are there, as well as most of her workshops. (The Ironmongers moved their workshop to the river, as their steel foundry simply grew too big for the Inner City.)

The Outer City

Rrefugees from the west came to Jura City, fleeing the violence there. They built slums outside the city. They changed Jura City from a dwarven enclave to a truly world-sized city, much to the dismay of its inhabitants. Although many dwarves feel that it is their imperial duty to give aid and comfort to refugees of their own empires, others are determined to be rid of them. Calling themselves Reckoners, they are actively plotting to seize power.

The Outer City has rebelled multiple times. Each time, the rebellion has been brutally and bloodied put down. At this point, the Outer City has no formal government, instead relying on militia, cults, criminal organizations, revolutionary organizations, and forcible personalities to solve its problems.

Government

Jura City is governed by the various guilds that comprise the city. Their representatives form a body called the Slagsmal, known more for its bloody fistfights than for quiet governance. Guild representatives are called Fursts (or Furstins). The most senior guilds send representatives called Kurfursts (or Kurfurstins).

The Kurfurstins are (in order of rank): Metallurgists, Golddiggers, Gemcutters, Jade Carvers, Kommisars, Architects, Stonebrothers, and Ironmongers.

The ruling alliance elects the Chairman of the Union. The various senior guilds administer the most important areas of the government, while the lesser guilds.

Guilds

Architects

Outside of Jura City, the Architects are unknown by most people. Their numbers are few, but their influence is great. They are the designers and engineers of the bridges, temples, and aqueducts that provide so much of the empire. It is they who design the great temples to the gods.

Gemcutters

Gemcutters are an alliance of jeweler guilds. They operate numerous secret mines throughout the world, quietly extracting their beloved gems. The Gemcutters have a persistent history of using slave labor.

Golddiggers

The Golddiggers are the goldsmiths of the Union, as well as its Treasurers. Although they are called Golddiggers, their guild actually encompasses the three most common precious petals: gold, silver, and copper. The Golddiggers are well know for their cut-throat politics, especially where money is concerned.

Horsebreakers

Things need to move, and the Horsebreakers are the ones to do it. Although they are not among the most powerful guilds, they are among the most visible, traveling all over the world in their duties.

Ironmongers

Once among the most powerful guilds, lead by Svero Saargi, the Ironmongers have descended in prestige. Svero Saargi was tried and exiled for Transgressionism. His mother took control of the guild, but found her government departments reduced to overseeing the Outer City (which had no government) and the Agricultral Authority.

Jadecarvers

Jade is the holiest of all rocks, and the Jadecarvers are the caretakers of that rock. Mount Kreta is made almost entirely of Jade, and they guard that holy mountain. Jade is very important in both dwarven and Charyastan mortuaries.

Kommisars

Kommissars are the enforcers of the Union. They existed as a religious instution long before the Union came into existence. Their holy job was to protect the dwarven craftsmen around the world from preying employers. Under the Union, the job of forcing other dwarves into the Union fell to them. They also punished anyone who dared hire non-Union dwarves, employing their own private army to do so.

Loam

The pacifist Loam rank as the lowest "guild" in the Great Dwarven Union. They farm the valley both upstream and downstream from the city, pulling out extraordinary yield through terracing, irrigation, crop rotation, and ley-line manipulation. They are of the Agslavit class, which means the other dwarves don't like them or want them around.

During the last human rebellion, the Loam joined the humans. They even de-guilded in protest. The humans and the Loam lost that last fight. At this point, the Loam farmland are an occupied territory.

Stonebrothers

The Stonebrothers are the single most famous of all the dwarven guilds. They are known for creating buildings and roads throughout the world. They are also the best mountaineering troops in the world, able to attack any fortress in any location.

Metallurgists

The Metallurgists are the high-priests of molten metal. They work directly for King Basileus, the Lord of Stone, who dwells beneath Mount Jura. They currently control the Chairmanship.

Adventure Hooks

• The Ironmongers have reduced humans to wage-slavery.
• The Cult of the Red Lady has established a presence in the barios outside of Jura City.
• Someone is selling bad opium in the city.
• The Kommisars are making people disappear.
• Revolutionaries plan to storm the Inner City.
• Pick a side in a turf fight in the Outer City.