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

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during a fiery sea battle off the Cygnaran coast near
New Larkholm, Vrace retired to take command over
Dreggsmouth. Representing the interests of the Lich
Lords, she holds a tremendous amount of authority,
and in Dreggsmouth her word is law. All of the city’s
mercenaries must answer to Derevnia whom they call
“The Iron Lady.” Most inhabitants are terrified of
her dark moods especially since she has had entire
crews of men flogged to death for the most minor of
infractions.
Locales of Dreggsmouth
Caves of the Father: A portion of the sea caves
beneath Dreggsmouth is dedicated to the worship
of Toruk. These holy chambers spill forth light from
foul balefires day and night. Monstrous steps carved
into the rock lead from a row of docks to gaping
cavern mouths. Inside the caverns are larger than
most mainlander cathedrals or temples dedicated to
the lesser and more distant gods of Urcaen. The walls
of the main chamber have colossal images carved in
relief depicting Lord Toruk, His eternal triumphs over
death and mortality, the rewards awaiting those who
serve Him well, and the punishments for those who
betray Him.
Dragon’s Docks: Dreggsmouth is a city of
cyclopean architecture, and the Dragon’s Docks are
no different. The fleet of blackships assembled in
the port dominates the docks. Though most of these
vessels have only recently been completed and await
their crews, a number of them are used to patrol the
cove. The docks also serve as the city’s first line of
defense. Numerous towers and battlements dot the
piers though few are regularly manned. The docks are
well illuminated by lanterns and torches giving it an
eerie ambience at night though the fog from the cove
and the smoke from the rigs tends to obscure these
sources of light.
Rigs, The: The monstrous facility known simply
as “the Rigs” is a nightmare of steel, steam, and soot.
Built on a reinforced pier jutting into Broken Skulls
Cove, the building siphons large quantities of water for
use in the boilers powering the machinery that process
the necrotite brought to it. Within its smoky confines,
humans and thralls slave away to ensure that Cryx’s soul
furnaces have their required fuel. Mechanikal actuators,
driving steam pistons, and grinding gears clash in a
tremendous industrial profusion adding to the ordered
chaos of the place. Keeping the assembly lines moving
is the primary goal of the overseers employed at the rigs,
and they will sacrifice anything, including their workers,
to see that production is not disrupted.
Skell
In Power: Lord Toruk and the Lich Lords
Population: 30,000 human (mostly Scharde),
3,000 black ogrun, 3,000 trollkin, other races in the
hundreds
Military: Unknown, though certainly formidable
Imports: None
Exports: None
The capital of the Nightmare Empire is a maze
of titanic stone buildings towering above strangely
empty streets. The whole of Skell, in fact, may rightly
be considered a black temple devoted to the undying
power of the Dragonfather. It is home to Toruk’s black
clergy, all of whom gather to chant His praises day
and night in countless dark temples and shrines. All
those who dwell there are directly tied in some way to
the service and worship of the Dragonfather; the Lich
Lords govern Cryx, warwitches learn their fell craft,
and death stalks the dimly lit streets.
The taint of dragonblight is so strong it corrupts
the very air giving Skell its well-deserved nickname
of the Blighted City. Though devoid of the refuse of
human life, the place is covered with a thin coating
of ash and soot at all times. The swift breezes blowing
in from the Pitted Plains pick up the soft dust and
often impart the city with the constant look of a grim
snowfall, imparting it with another nickname: the
City of Ashes.
Outsiders are unwelcome in Skell, and few would
venture there on their own volition; even those paying
a sanctioned visit, however brief, are tainted for the rest
of their lives. The inhabitants of Skell seldom remain
outdoors for long, for the sickly ash makes breathing
difficult. In fact, Skell has no standing garrison, and it
is not patrolled. The mere presence of the Lich Lords
and the many thousands of Toruk’s unholy agents, not
to mention Toruk Himself, seems enough security for
the Blighted City.
World Guide 323