Steelhart

Steelhart is a town of 3000 souls. It lies on both sides of the Neptas River.

Economy

Foundries, Neighboring mines, Warehouses, Inns, Guilds, Bath houses

Imports: labor, entertainment, grains Exports: refined metal (tin and iron with some gold and silver)

Tower of the Iron Apparition made by a wizard or by calling Daenthar; It has lead as mortar. Both stories agree the stones come from the collapsed cliffside. The tower is now the administrative hub of Streelheart. A bridge spans the river from tower, mines, and the Sludge over to the living quarters.

The mines are atop the cliffs. Water flow; dependent on the ice pack for thaw. The mining operations ship ore by barrel down these sludge trails. Workers collect the barrels at the Sludge, an artificial pond lined with lead near the Tower of the Iron Apparition.

The mines are through out the mountain / cliff-side.

Considerations

Sludge Trails - the channels that are used to send the mined material down to Steelhart

Smells of Sulfur

Guilds

  • Miners - mining, prospecting
  • Teamsters - moving, handling
  • Entertainers - music, theatre, narcotics, other vices
  • Brewers - alchohol
  • Builders - carpenters and masons
  • Undertakers - responsible for the dead
  • Smithing - converting raw materials into something more refined
  • Guardians - caravan guards, warehouse guards
  • Dwarves - smelling gold and silver, seeing crystals and gems

Churches

Tses the Arbitrator who Waits

Lawful, responsible for contracts written in Steelhart (Local)

  • Ceremony: whips, full face mask, leather gauntlets, whistling, celebrating new religious leader Arbitrator
  • Large temple – functions as an archive, building surrounds courtyard; has left arm Tses’s body

Dis Pater

Lawful God of Death, the Underworld, & Riches (Divinities & Cults II)

  • Large temple – Ziggurat functions as ecclesiastic court; has Blessed Helmet of Dis Pater
  • Ceremony (Funeral): drums, while nude, wearing a helmet, weeping

Brigid

Lawful Triple Goddess of Fire, Water, Poetry, & Craft (Divinities & Cults II)

  • Holy ground (the bridge) – defeat of a hero through trickery
  • Ceremony (celebrating achieving new level) – carrying rune-stones, nude with a vest, playing pipes

Notes

Ruled by Guild, strict enforcement on guild controlled services, but respected and accepted. If it doesn’t impinge on a guild, it’s acceptable.

  • Notable Traits: Sinister reputation
  • Known for its: Decadence
  • Current Calamity: Religious sect struggles for power (The Church of Justicia (Justice and mercy))
  • Proud of the Size of Local Fair - the Metal Fair (veins of metal in bizarre form, smiths, competitions)
  • Use giant goats for transportation and beasts of burden
  • Distinctive swear word: Vash-Dahk
  • Cultural center of gravity - stamping out scholarship
  • Large Central Open Area: public park and gardens
  • Cultural Change: secular belief that elfs are peddlers of deviltry begins to spread

Rumors

Table 95: Rumors in Steelhart
d16 Rumor
1 With the Metal Faire coming up in the first week of Summer’s, I hear that the proprietor of The Pick and Flagon is looking to secure a winning entry amongst the taverns. (False)
2 A company of Dwarves arrived three days ago, they are signing up at different mines; These dwarves all have nose hoops (True).
3 A gatehouse guard told me that she has seen three different caravans this week that had cargo marked with the symbol of Justicia (a balance, with upside down sword as fulcrum) (True).
4 A person complaining that this is the 3rd Sludge Trail he’s fixed this month (and someone is sabotaging the Sludge Trails) (True).
5 I heard from one of the prospectors that one of their buddies found a pass higher up in the mountains (True).
6 I heard that the Guild Elders are forcing the old Master Guilder, Gentle Steve, to step aside. (False)
7 I was digging a grave for this wealthy jerk. I saw one of the old mausoleums had a green glow. I dropped my shovel and came back in the morning, because I don’t get paid enough to deal with that (True).
8 Last month, one of the caves had an explosion. To this day, you can hear the howls of the dead (False).
9 The guild leaders are electing a new Master Guilder and de-facto governor. I hear Boney Bess is a front runner (True).
10 The other night, I was drinking and this elf came in. Someone had mugged him, his ears were bleeding and clipped (Fin ve Quill is a prominent playwright in Steelhart) (True).
11 Yesterday morning, I saw this weird woman with long hair and heavy robes walking all herky-jerky, kind of stilted. She was entering the Tower of the Iron Apparition (True).
12 Yesterday, or was it the day before, I heard a guy talking about finding a cache of old silver coins in the cliffs (False).
13 You have any of that recent batch of witch liquor? I’ll pay you good money for anything you’ve got. Why? I heard that anyone drinking it gets the senses of a dwarf for a few hours. Quite popular if you wanna go prospecting (True).
14 I heard that someone to the west found treasures from a buried king (Partially True, references the characters and Bitterweed Barrow)
15 I hear there is a bounty hunter, she’s currently at the archives, looking for information concerning an infestation of puppet larva (True)
16 Hey, you’re new here…you looking to get rich? I need to know if you are interested. Any concerns about legality? (See Heist from Metal Gods of Urhadad)