Castlegrasp

Castlegrasp, the City of Granite, was the last major city before the Desolation of Ditimaya and the Obsidian Plain that divide the rest of Omeria from the southern end of the continent. Ruled by Khan Hayyan Harrak XI (known by his people as 'Fair Eleven') in 1040 AT, Castlegrasp kept the peace thanks to its strong military and strict, but just, laws.

Castlegrasp was home to some 12,000 humanoids, the majority of which were Ditimayan humans. Indestructible granite walls surrounded the whole of the city. The mighty Castlegraspian Stonearms protected the city and kept the peace while the legendary Castlegraspian Navy patrolled the turbulent waters of the Bay of Suen and the Omerian Ocean.

Thanks to the Castlegraspian navy's watchful eye, southern merchants felt safe traveling along the Scorched Coast. Additionally, as the connecting point between southern and central Omeria, Castlegrasp was a major trade port. Goods from Odonburg, Qey, Yraka, and more touchdown in Castlegrasp.

There, the merchant houses purchased and issued the goods caravans needed for journeys north along the Arrow Road. Castlegrasp itself exported the unusually durable granite from which it earned its nickname as well as plums, sheep, and of course, its famous wines. Due largely to Fair Eleven's just and (some would argue) liberal attitude towards criminals, most of the crime that existed two decades prior had vanished from Castlegrasp by 1040 AT. Still, it had its fair share of black hat organizations. The city's biggest criminal organization, the Crystal Toad handled illegal trade and was rumored to have many of the city's nobles on their payroll. Meanwhile, the shadowy cadre of assassins known as the Owls earn heavy purses of gold as murderers for hire. In the Low Ward, a new devilkin crimelord named Light Beyond the Hills invoked terror among the ward's citizens.

Docks
The epicenter of commerce in Castlegrasp, the docks were easily one of the safest harbors in all of central Omeria—if not all of Omeria—thanks to the protection by the undefeated Omerian Navy. Its twenty-four warships earned the nickname the Azure Curse.” They were fast, tough, and heavily armed, capable of sinking armadas twice their size.

The docks were also the center of operations for the Crystal Toad, where their three merchandise runners smuggle illegal products into the city. Stavros Nanakos oversaw the operations on behalf of his father, Daevid. Stavros had seen the inside of Castlegrasp's Dungeons on more than one occasion. Fortunately for the young noble, his father was an important player in local politics. Still, Captain Allah was determined to see young Nanakos entered into the Yard of Deterrents.

Sweet Olive Ward
The majority of the city's nobles lived in Sweet Olive Ward, north of the Violent Qsar. The ward itself was built into a rocky hill from which a cold-water spring gushed. Afraid to spoil the path of the water, Sweet Olive's streets and homes were built around the natural flow. The waters terminated in a waterfall that filled a large well at the southwestern side of the ward. Then, the well's underground streams flowed out to the Bay of Suen and eventually joined the waters of the Omerian.

The streets of Sweet Olive Ward were lush with greenery. Sleepy willows, plum trees, and of course, venerable olive trees flanked the narrow streets of the ward. Although one of the shadiest areas in the city, it also had the largest security presence. In addition to the usual assignment of Stonearms and city militia, Sweet Olive had its own volunteer defense force called the Blueguard. While most of these young noblemen and women are thought of as "weekend warriors" by Castlegrasp's professional defenses, they have pledged their lives to the protection of the Granite City. During the Attack of Regrets, they joined the Stonearms on the front lines. Seven Blueguard boys died fighting for the City of Granite. The Blueguard's leader is a retired Stonearm named Safura El Khouri. Her brother was the great dragonslayer, Thawad.

The Low Ward
The newest section of the then still-growing Castlegrasp existed just beyond its southern gates. Many of the locals dubbed the low ward "the Oven" as it caught the heat waves rushing up from the Obsidian Plain to the far south. As such, it was home to the city's growing devilkin population. Still untrusted by many Castlegraspians, the devilkin (called "tieflings" by northerners) eked out a comfortable existence in the City of Granite. Despite the constant racism most Castlegraspian devilkin face each day, they are loyal to their home. Recently, the Low Ward celebrated the induction of the Stonearms' first devilkin, Ember in the Dark.

Unfortunately, Low Warders were frequently exploited by a despicable devilkin crime lord named Light Beyond the Hill. Light, who masqueraded as a simple baker, extorted and tormented his brethren. When Light was crossed, he didn’t go after the one whom he felt wronged him. Instead, he removed the heads of one of his enemy's family members and left it for his enemy to find. Ember tried, repeatedly, to bring Light to justice. Unfortunately, he was alone in his war against Light and his gang.

Tiger Borough
The Tiger Borough at the heart of Castlegrasp takes its name from the legend of Khan Hayyan Harrak IV. Residents of the ward paid their respects to the legend of the Khan and the Tiger by leaving food at the doorsteps for wild tigers who entered the city. When tigers did enter the city, they did not attack, lending credence to the tale. Quietly, the tigers walked through the borough, eating the offerings, and exiting the city as Castlegraspians watched in awe.

The Violet Qasr
The Violet Qasr was the royal palace of Khan Hayyan Harrak XI. Off-limits to outsiders and guarded by the Stonearms' most elite fighting force, the Granite Nine, there were whispers of great treasures hidden within the Khan's palace. It was rumored that hundreds of feet below the palace, Uve the Harrow's ring was locked in a vault of permanent ice and protected by dao Gasta-Harrak's greatest warriors. The Khan often made public appearances from the front of the Qasr upon the great, circular Dais of Khans where he took questions directly from the people of Castlegrasp in a town hall format. The Khan's openness and frank manner of speaking earned him the nickname Fair Eleven.

Orchard Park
The Violet Qasr overlooked a two-acre olive orchard at the center of the city. In addition to the olive trees which gave the park its name, the park had many open fields for recreation and lounging, as well as a large, cold-water pond called Uve's Ire.

Statues of nine of the ten previous Khans were carved to look as if they were hiding among the park's trees. The only Khan whose statue was missing was Khan Hayyan Harrak III, also known as Forgotten Three. His statue could be found two miles outside of the city at the edge of the Desolation, half-buried by the sand.

The Vague Olive Inn
Also known as the Inn of Many Bridges, the Vague Olive was an inn, restaurant, tavern, market, and, of course, a popular gateway into Orchard Park. The inn itself consisted of eight separate buildings, all painted different shades of blue and violet, each connected by ornate, crisscrossing bridges illuminated by willow-lights.

During the Autumnal Equinox (commonly referred to as Ditimayan New Year), the Olive celebrated with its popular Festival of Blue, where the citizens of Castlegrasp donned blue masks and robes to celebrate the cooling of the Desolation and the return of the Weysevain wet season.

The Vague Olive was owned by Kashgar Rapos, a male krig, in 1040 AT. Having lived in the city almost since its inception, Kashgar was one of Castlegrasp's wealthiest and most influential citizens. The eight-eyed noble had a close relationship with the current Khan, as well as five of the khans before him. After all, it's no coincidence that his mighty tavern sat at the edge of the Olive Park with a clear view of the Violet Qsar.

The Beautiful Tigress
If there is one thing that all Castlegraspian nobles loved to do, it was outdoing one another. Seeing the elaborate design of Kashgar Rapos' Vague Olive, Alzahra Nedali went the other direction with her inn. The tallest building in Castlegrasp, the Beautiful Tigress was less an inn than it is a tower with many bedrooms. And the further one climbs the Tigress, the higher the room fee. Supposedly, the suite at the very top costs a tenant as much as 2,000 gp per night.

Despite displaying a public persona of a bitter and uptight wine heiress, Nedali was actually one of the most beloved people in all of Castlegrasp. On more than one occasion, the citizenry of Castlegrasp suggested that were the city to elect its next Khan, Nedali should be next in line. Seeing as how Fair Eleven has no heir—male or female—it might have happened.

Armed Lavender Inn
Not all of Castlegrasp's inns were works of art or demonstrations of power and wealth. The Armed Lavender inn, a box-of-a-building pressed close to the city's outer walls, was a warehouse-sized fest hall that catered to Castlegraspians of all stripes. Its proprietor/bartender/entertainer, Rolf Anderberg of Jovelnot delivered his northerner attitude and charm night after night. No one ever saw Anderberg sleep. So, a frequent joke heard in the Armed Lavender was that Anderberg was secretly a Dinzer construct disguised as a northerner. "Splash a little water on him, and he'll likely rust."

The Armed Lavender came with plenty of controversies. Its lack of security made it one of the Crystal Toad's favorite places to do business.

The Amazing Clock
Truly a sight to behold, the Amazing Clock was just that—a gargantuan clock. Fashioned by a silent mage named Oxon nearly 500 years ago and gifted to Castlegrasp shortly after its founding, this eight-handed clock did more than just tell time. It could predict phases of the moon, eclipses, and even seasonal weather patterns. But its greatest function was its ability to predict catastrophic events.

Whenever the clock's eight hands aligned as one, catastrophe followed. As of 1040 AT, the clock's hands aligned themselves seven times in the previous 500 years. Each ominous alignment was given a name: the Hand of the One, the Hand of the Two, and so forth. Because the alignments relied on the clock's unpredictable eighth hand for its forecasts, no one knew when the next alignment, the Hand of the Eight, would occur. And since this alignment woulld be eight on eight, many thought it would be the clock's final alignment which would signal a final catastrophe followed by the end of the world. Hence the popular middle-Omerian expression and toast, "Until the Hand of the Eight" (in essence, "seize the day.") developed.

At all times, the Amazing Clock was protected by the final Dinzer Gear Golem, Constant. Not that anyone could harm the clock if they tried; Oxon's enchantments were unbreakable. Still, Constant stood guard as a reminder of the Castlegraspian-Dinzer alliance that kept central and southern Omeria united for over a century.

The Magic Dart
The Magic Dart was a famous magic items shop. Outside, the Magic Dart looked like an ordinary shop. Other than a simple wooden sign with its name painted in blue and purple, there was nothing special about it. The interior, however, was impossibly deep. The first thirty feet or so of the Dart was where most of the typical common and uncommon magic items one expected to be sold in a magic shop could be found, but the further customers walked towards the back of the shop—of which one could never find the end—the stranger and more unusual the offerings became.

Due to its neverending nature, a tradition, known as "Running the Gauntlet of Dreams," attracted adventurers and arcane scholars far and wide. To run the gauntlet, a visitor to the shop must see how far back into the shop they can travel before they wish to return. A gauntlet-runner could walk for miles into the rear of the shop without ever finding the end. Most turned back in fear of the dangers that hid deep within the bowels of the Dart. Fortunately, the moment someone turned back, they discovered themselves within the front of the shop once again as if they had traveled no further than a few feet.

The shop had only one known employee, Gudner. Gudner sat behind the counter at the front of the shop reading tomes day and night, pausing only to collect gold from customers for their purchase. Even those who had Run the Gauntlet and returned with legendary items received little more than a "thank you, come again" from the tired-looking old man.

Temple of Yrena
One would think that Castlegrasp's position on the border of the Obsidian Plain would make its citizenry shy away from the worship of Yrena, Goddess of Destruction, but quite the contrary. Having seen the effects of her wrath, Castlegraspians held great respect for Yrena.

Yrena's temple was a circular building with a large circular courtyard at its center. A statue of the ram-headed goddess towered at the center of the courtyard, standing over the broken body of her lover, Zealdir, also a statue.

The temple was cared for by eight blind seers, Yrena's Witnesses. In addition to their eyesight, the Witnesses gave up their names and personalities, each referring to himself as 'One-of-Eight.' Although murder is illegal in Castlegrasp, Khan, despite being a skeptic, allowed for the Temple of Yrena to make the eight sacrifices required by the Witnesses' tenets. In recent years before 1040 AT, a movement calling for the end of the tradition gained strength.

Shrine of Naeyer
"At Naeyer's feet!" is the worst curse a central Omerian could throw at his or her enemy. Naeyer, the Sun God, was feared more than both Yrena and Suen combined. Only by the care and wisdom of the Children—the water sprites—were central Omerians protected by Naeyer's cruel hand.

As the god of fire and ifrits, Naeyer was identified by most central Omerians as an evil god. Those who worshipped him were called the Cracked, as their faces were often a blistered mess of damaged, bleeding skin. Despite the presence of the shrine, none of the Cracked were allowed in the city. The small, ramshackle shrine only existed to appease the cruel, chaotic god.

When the first rains fell on Castlegrasp following the Autumnal Equinox, Castlegraspians traveled to the shrine to mock and shame the god, believing that once again the Children had protected them from Naeyer's wrath.

Temple of Suen
Suen was the goddess of storms and worshiped primarily by sailors, fishermen, and others who worked in or around the sea. Seen as neither god nor bad, the neutral goddess Suen could bring destruction just as quickly as she could bring great fortune.

The Temple of Suen in Castlegrasp was more than just a place of worship. It was also a popular tavern overlooking the Omerian Ocean and Bay of Suen. The high priest of the temple/tavern Barsumlin Coinminer served drinks and issued prayers. Half the time he was drunk on his own supply, though, and passed out on the floor of the temple.

In 1030 AT, the worshippers of Suen tried to erect a statue dedicated to the goddess in the harbor. Unfortunately, a southerner fishing boat accidentally bumped into the statue, knocking it onto its side. Later that year, that same boat was capsized by a colossal wave.

Grytias' Fall
In 1025 AT, five ivory dragons fought on behalf of the northern armies during the Attack of Regrets. Four of the dragons were killed south of the Obsidian Plain by Dinzer warblimps. But the fifth, a one-eyed grump named Grytias, turned his attention to Castlegrasp. Dozens of Castlegraspian Stonearms fell to the beast's breath during the battle. Finally, a knight named Thawab El Khouri saddled a griffon and flew directly towards the beast. Grythias' caught El Khouri's mount in its jaws, but El Khouri was able to dodge its teeth and cling onto the dragon's dewlap. El Khouri stabbed Grytias through the neck with his spear, and in seconds, the dragon turned to stone and crashed into the city's Lower Ward. Sadly, El Khouri perished in the fall, too. The petrified corpse of the ivory dragon remains hunched over the city's southern wall. During the Day of Spoken Regrets in the summer, El Khouri's widow, Zayna, embraced visitors who come to pay their respects to the fallen hero.

The March of the Stonearms
Castlesgrasp was founded upon a granite quarry two hundred years ago, and, the granite stones pulled from the quarry made up much of the city's walls, buildings, and even the Violet Qsar. However, the granite did not come free. Soon after the mine was opened, the earlier Castlegraspians discovered that the terrain was inhabited by earth elementals. The elementals' queen, a mighty dao named Gasta the Pure, confronted the Castlegraspians, questioning their presence in Central Omeria. The city's founder, Khan Hayyan Harrak I, met privately with the dao. In a move thought unusual by many of his peers, Harrak surrendered his soul to the dao in exchange for access to the granite. Initially surprised by Harrak's offer, Gasta the Pure agreed to the exchange. Not only could the Castlegraspians mine the granite from her kingdom, but she would enchant the stone as well. Thanks to Gasta's magic, no man-made weapon would ever penetrate Castlegrasp's mighty granite walls. In addition, Gasta blessed the first nine Castlegraspian soldiers with her touch; she turned the soldiers' right arms to solid stone. But much to their surprise, they could still move these stone arms as normal. In addition, any bladed weapon they held with their stone arms would petrify any enemy it pierced.

Years later, as the Khan grew ill, he tasked the Nine to bring him before Gasta. As promised, he surrendered himself to the dao. Gasta, cherishing her long, peaceful relationship with the Khan, placed his soul within a sky diamond. She then set the diamond next to her heart, forever keeping him close. Their souls merged and the king and the genie queen became one.

When a Castlegrapsian soldier proved himself or herself during training, demonstrating immeasurable virtue, they were encouraged to take the March of the Stonearms. The soldier entered the first mine and sought the dao Gasta-Harrak. From there, he or she knelt before the dao and offered his or herself to the dao just as the first Khan did two-hundred years prior. If Gasta-Harrak detected the spirit of the Khan within the soldier, they were granted her blessing—an arm of stone. However, if she sensed any impurity within the soldier's heart, she commanded the earth to devour them.

Dek Bazaar
The Castlegraspian mercantile lifestyle involved more than just a way to earn a living; it was also a competitive sport of sorts. Seven mercantile houses called Castlegrasp their home by 1040 AT. While the seven were fierce competitors, they also respected and admired one another.

Each day when Naeyer's eye banished the twin moons, the seven houses played what they call "The Big Game." Once the shops opened in Dek Bazaar, they raced to 7,777 gold coins. As the day progressed, the vendors shouted their numbers so the housemasters could hear. The housemasters then marked their earnings in chalk on a large column of slate at the center of the bazaar. Once a house reached 7,777 coins—typically in the early afternoon—the gamekeeper rang the bell, double-checked the numbers, and announced the winner. While all seven of the houses shared one or more turns as The Big Game's winner, by far, House Ibn Al-Hasan claimed the most victories. Ibn Al-Hasan traded in wine.

Barracks and City Dungeon
When the laws were broken in Castlegrasp, criminals were placed in the city's dungeon below the militia's barracks. The leader of the militia, Captain Farida Allahpersonally oversaw every arrest and incarceration.

All criminals were given a fair trial by a jury of four representatives and the Khan. Those who were found guilty by the jury received the same punishment: petrification and temporary residence in the Yard of Deterrents.

The Yard of Deterrents was a large courtyard filled with the petrified statues of the city's convicts. Convicts sat on one of the yard's stone benches. Then, one of the Stonearms touched their spear to the convict's spine and, within seconds, the convict turned to stone. The statue had to remain in its petrified state until the criminal served their time, typically a year, but sometimes longer depending on the severity of the crime for which they were charged. Once the time was served, the family of the convict could pay to have them returned to flesh. However, if no one claimed the body within a year, the stone body of the convict was placed on a cart and delivered to the Petrified Labyrinth where it continued its mission as a deterrent—this time to the armies of the north.

The Maktaba
The outside of this long, narrow building betrayed the awe and wonder within. Once one passed through the tall, arched doors of Castlegrasp's main library and scroll vault, their breath quickly ushered from their lungs. Arranged almost like a honeycomb, the Maktaba was home to thousands of scrolls, texts, and books, some of which predate even the Desolation itself.

The Maktaba was not a public building. To gain access, one had to apply for one of the 1,000 available memberships, then go through rigorous background checks and tests of intelligence. Once accepted, one paid an annual fee of 1,000 gold pieces. Even then, the Maktaba's rules were very particular.

Fortunately, the Maktaba's scholars were willing to perform research on behalf of those with the right amount of gold to spend. The price was steep, of course. Hiring one of the Matkaba's scholars cost 2 gp per day (for a minimum of 10 days), and often, research could take as long as a year. "We are neither cheap nor fast. What we are is thorough," the scholars were fond of saying.

The Sunrise Gate
The eastern gate had multiple nicknames: The Noble Gate, The Purple-Foot Gate, Third's Path, Naeyer's Curse, Little Naqqad, and, its true name, The Sunrise Gate. Situated east of Sweet Olive Ward, it was one of the most popular gates in the city as it offered Castlegrasp's sister villages, wineries, and desert-borne merchants the most direct path in and out of the city.

The nobles of Sweet Olive Ward lobbied to keep the gate's exterior free of merchants and homes. Regardless, Naqqadi refugees congregated around the gate, using it as their favorite camping spot. Because it faced the direction Naeyer's eye rose each morning, anyone who stood near the gate could hear Naqqadi prayers at sunrise.

Jaul Serhane was the Stonearm captain of the Sunrise Gate and easily one of the most beloved templars in the city. Jaul didn’t look like a typical Stonearm. He was overweight, balding, and loud, but his heart was as large as the Violet Qsar and his passion was deeper than the Omerian. During the festivals, he loved to dress up as The Tiger and chase the children who dressed as the Tiger Khan. He was also an unrequited flirt, and loved to hand all of the women who passed through his gate lilacs.

Attiq El Aoufi Winery
"Purple Foot" Attiq El Aoufi was the wealthiest independent winemaker in Castlegrasp. His vineyard, El Aoufi Msanie Alkhmr, was the best selling Central Omerian wine on the continent in 1040 AT. While some of his competitors—especially Ibn Al-Hasan—referred to his wine as "cheap dog wine", El Aoufi's was truly a wine of the people. A bottle of Sweet Fruit Red was available for as little as 2 gp at most wine-sellers along the Weysevain. El Aoufir's winery covered nearly 20,000 acres of the verdant belt that borders the Desolation.

El Aoufi enjoyed walking around his property, examining the grapes and making conversation with the devilkin pickers. A victim of racism himself in his youth due to his mother's Naqqadi heritage, El Aoufi understood the plight of the Castlegraspian Low Warders.

Sabbag Farm, The Farm of the Penitent
Once the daughter of a wealthy trader, Amina Bouzfour committed murder in 1023 AT. She was found guilty by Khan Hayyan Harrak IX and sentenced to four years in the Yard of Deterrents. Sadly, once her sentence was up, Amina's family had left the city. There was no one to claim her. Just as she was being loaded onto the statue cart, an aging sunflower farmer named Mutah Sabbag paid her stone-to-flesh fee and gave the young girl a job on her farm. Mutah died two years later and left the farm to Amina. Paying Mutah's kindness forward, Amina spent the last eleven years managing Sabbag's sunflower farm. Using the funds from her crop sales, she purchased expired statues from the Yard of Deterrents, and like Sabbag, gave the restored ex-convicts jobs working the fields.

Bouzfour was extremely intelligent and heavily involved in Castlegraspian politics. She was one of the leaders who pressed for the introduction of a jury to try criminals versus the sole decision being left to the Khan. And while she believed that Khan Hayyan Harrak XI was a fair man as his name implied, she felt that the Eleventh Khan should be Castlegrasp's last and that the city should turn to democracy as many of the northern kingdoms had.

Mansouri Estate
Baariq Mansouri lived in the Sweet Olive Ward with his third wife Aalia and his three daughters, Nadia, Rashida, and Lina. Mansouri was one of Castlegrasp's most important nobles and politicians. He sat on the jury as a representative for Castlegraspian commerce and had a close, personal relationship with the Khan. Politically and economically conservative, many of Mansouri's campaigns within the city made him a target for progressives.

Although Mansouri hoped for the continued tradition of Khans and authoritarian rule in the city, he did believe that Fair Eleven should introduce a senate or committee of representatives to "unburden" the Khan with many of the day-to-day decisions. Naturally, he proposed that he should be a member of such a board, were it to be formed.