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

228 Iron Kingdoms
108.1.141.197
similarly, the malgur forest provides the charcoal necessary
for copper smelting. the copper mines are rather remote from
skirov making if toilsome and costly to transport the ore, But
skirov remains the ideal location since running Water and
timBer in the mines’ vicinity are scarce.
Silver—after discovering numerous silver ornaments in
ancient BarroWs in the thundercliff peaks, explorers
theoriZed that large deposits of silver might lie nearBy. With
silver scarce throughout khador, the discovery of ore in
the mountains guaranteed interference from the monarchy.
it Was not long Before skirov’s mines Were taken over By royal
decree, and skirov Became the major silver mining center of
khador producing ninety percent of khadoran silver—16.5
tons annually. skirov’s smelting Works consists of thirteen
furnaces and is run By the prisoners of the khardstadt.
Gold—several gold mines have also Been estaBlished on
the treacherous slopes of the thundercliffs. the Best
knoWn is the infamous khaga rusk, a mine historically
plagued With mishaps. the ‘rusk Was recently aBandoned
after the main shaft collapsed, though the miners are sure
it Was adeQuately reinforced. currently prison laBorers are
attempting to re-open the mine But have made little progress.
the collapse appears to have Been extensive, and Bogrin
raiders continually harass the Workers and their guards.
Skrovenberg
In Power: Posadnik Dmitri Meshik
Population: 70,000 (human, mostly Khard and
some Kossite, few gobbers)
Military: Skrovenberg has a heavy garrison of
Winter Guard soldiers, a small contingent of warjacks,
and hundreds of marines in port at any given time.
Imports: Artwork and luxury items, manufactured
goods, meats
Exports: Books, fish, tar
Skrovenberg, sometimes referred to simply as
the “Ancient Port,” has endured a great number of
calamities. It was once a busy Khardic port that saw
many ships in its time, including Orgoth longboats
whose sorcerous sailors razed the city. Under Orgoth
subjugation, it grew back into a sizeable town until the
start of the Rebellion when a local liberation force
set the city ablaze with oil. Again the city was ruined.
Later, after the locals had rebuilt much of the town,
the Scourge struck like a typhoon, razing the city yet
again. While Skrovenberg was being rebuilt for at
least the third time, the other port cities of Ohk and
Vladovar surpassed it in use and importance.
However, the ancient port has remained useful in
its own way. Much of Khardov’s river trade begins in
Skrovenberg, although many dealings have moved to
the railways much to the locals’ displeasure. The whole
city is more or less surrounded by either marshes and/
or coast, making it nigh impossible for a railroad to
come within fifty miles.
To combat the fact that this generation of powerful
nobles only cares for wealth and power, the city’s
kayazy have focused on supplementing Skrovenberg’s
face in any way they can. They revolutionized the city by
turning it into a center for schools and knowledge. The
kayazy have taken great lengths to beautify the city, but
constantly fighting ocean storms and vermin from the
swamps is an uphill battle. Housing is simple and nearly
always adorned with oil lanterns. Larger mansions are
decked with luxurious carpets and tapestries to impress
visiting nobles. Businesses are small but profitable and
generally include jewelers, clockmakers, and libraries
among their numbers—all crafts nobles tend to desire.
Noted Persons
Kapitan Andrei Dereiv (male Khard War11):
Kapitan Dereiv commands the Winter Guard garrison
at Skrovenberg. He takes the law to draconian
extremes and happily punishes criminals openly and
ruthlessly, for he feels it stems the overall flow of
crime. Dereiv is a humorless widower with one married
daughter and no incentive to marry again. He invests
all of his time ensuring Skrovenberg runs smoothly,
forcibly removing vagrants to gobber-run shantytowns
miles outside of town in the swamps “where the
upper class need not see them.” The kapitan’s biggest
challenge comes not from the citizens, but from the
sea which often floods parts of the waterfront during
high tide. He stops in periodically to view the recent
construction of bulwarks along the more troublesome
parts of the city’s coast.
Posadnik Dmitri Meshik (male Umbrean Ari2/
Ftr12): Posadnik Meshik was a kommander with a
grand service record who retired after suffering a
respiratory ailment that continues to this day. He
endures painful shortness of breath if he does not
take periodic treatment. Despite his role as a political
head and his convalescence, Meshik is fond of drink
and women, but the handsome and stately man does
a respectable job of keeping his vices from leading to