02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

226 Iron Kingdoms
108.1.141.197
named for the people who once roamed the region
in wild barbarian tribes. Caught between the cold,
grey Gravewater and the dark, brooding menace
of the Thundercliffs, the city sits at the terminus of
the Iron Highway. It is here the Skirov were beaten
into submission by the Khards in 1,277 BR. They
renounced the Devourer, converted to Menoth, and
swore allegiance to the Khardic Empire. Early in its
history, Skirov relied on the Bitterock River and the
Orlovsk Highway for the majority of its contact with
the rest of the empire. After major silver and gold
veins were discovered in the mountains, its importance
as a mining center quickly grew. Now with iron ore
coming out of the mountains and steel pouring from
its foundries, the city has grown so substantially that it
can no longer function without the rail.
Skirov once served as a spiritual hub with entire
families coming from the wilds to worship at one of the
many temples. Today it still houses some of the most
well preserved Menite temples in western Immoren,
and though they remain somewhat busy they do not
receive the type of unequaled attention they once did.
The men and women of Skirov do more praying at the
mines or foundries than they do at temple these days.
The discovery of iron deposits has led to a powerful
mining boom that is changing the city’s chief focus to
industry. In addition, factories and textile mills receive
raw materials brought in by the railroad and turn out
finished products all along the Iron Highway, the
Bitterock River, and the Orlovsk.
Skirov has a large dwarven population. Immigrants
from Rhul involved in mining and stone masonry
were brought in by early aristocracy to aid in the city’s
growth. Many chose to stay in the town. In fact, the city’s
ponderous stone buildings strongly reflect dwarven
influence. Though hard workers and expert miners,
Stonedelve Mining is having trouble competing with
the cheap slave labor provided by the prisoners of the
nearby Skirov Khardstadt, one of the most infamous
gulags in the Motherland. Stonedelve agents and crew
chiefs consider each miner a valuable worker, and
the bosses treat their workers with the respect they
earn. Meanwhile, prisoners of the gulag are forced
to labor under harsh conditions in the Thundercliff
Peak mines regardless of casualties. These prisoners
provide an endless source of cheap, disposable labor
with which the dwarves cannot compete on a level
economic basis.
Noted Persons
Posadnik Nikolei Mikolovich (male Skirov Ari3/
Ftr3): Posadnik Mikolovich, an aging statesman and
kayaz, has looked after Skirov for nearly thirty years.
His tenure as posadnik has aided greatly in the city’s
growth as an economic power, as he has an extensive
background in the rail industry. In his time he has
seen many men sentenced to the Khardstadt and
has seen many atrocities perpetrated at the behest
of its cruel wardens. Though he has no say over the
practices of the gulag, he has tried to influence the
Motherland’s policies through his role as a kayaz but
finds most Khadorans side against him, uncaring of
what happens to the criminals so long as they need
not suffer their presence.
Kommander Alekseiko Skrabin (male Umbrean
Ftr10/Rgr5): Kommander Skrabin is a hard, lean man
with a face like cracked stone. He commands all Winter
Guard troops stationed in Skirov, both in the city and
the Khardstadt. Skirov produces many precious ores
to fund the war effort, and Skrabin has been placed to
ensure that nothing threatens the empire’s resource
flow. He has personally added dozens of soldiers to
patrol the mine entrances and loading docks, ensuring
the mines run at all times without fail. A devout Menite
and a strict commander, Kommander Skrabin takes his
responsibilities for protecting his community, and the
resources it produces, very seriously.
Warden Jan Vyshkovich (male Skirov Clr5/War8):
Warden Vyshkovich is in charge of the Khardstadt. He
is a humorless man with a heart as cold as ice and a will
that could bend wrought iron. A faithful Menite, he
believes that prisoners can only be redeemed through
fervent worship and hard work. He spends his days
and nights walking the stone halls of the Khardstadt
looking in on guards and inmates alike. He believes
every man reaps what he sows, and every prisoner in
his gulag deserves stern treatment. His Widowmakers
have orders to wound rather than kill uprising
inmates, for the sharpshooters may not decide when
a convict’s sentence is over. If prisoners are to remain
incarcerated for ten years, then he will do all he can
to ensure they do so to the letter of the law, even if it
means removing an escapee’s foot or a vocal prisoner’s
tongue to make it that much easier.