Eartholme

One of the youngest cities in the Empire, Eartholme lies within a semi-circular mound of hills that forms the lower end of the range that then horseshoes north and forms the nearly enclosed territories of Deci. Lying beside the River Spittle, abutting the Western Trade Road and extending its influence over the passageway to the lands that were formerly free of influence from Prince, Republic or Magiarch the site has been variously a military camp at the hands of the Sallow Princes, a free trade town, a vagrant fortress under the control of the old Mocker Lords of Deci, and then a border post of the Kesselharn Magiocracy. None survived the test of time, and indeed it was the first place claimed by the Magiocracies to fall to Amora's Long Ride and the eventual foundation, scant decades ago, of the Empire.

With Deci forced into the young Empire and the sweeping away of the old, brutal and often horrific systems of Governance in return for Imperial justice much of the territory about Deci fell into the wilds. Without the effective, if thoroughly evil, dominion of the former Deci over its lands the old entrance to its territories decayed, sagged and in effect vanished.

Perhaps eight years ago Shaderos Del Dets discovered that here was a source of power to the Earth Dragon. He and his gathered companions established first a town and then, gaining Imperial Charter, a city at the site. Promising much and fulfilling nothing Shaderos built his city but swiftly lost control as his allies, their friendships stretched and their debts un-honoured, crumbled about him. Finally capping his rule by effectively inviting destruction at the hands of Ragravagh of Ishma, Shaderos vanished when the city faced one of the last great ritual strikes. Only the efforts of the Golem Jaynus saved enough of the city for it to retain its name but even he could not prevent the small cities decline. By the time the true Final Dawn had come and gone only a handful of people remained, primarily the Kallah and the devout of the Dragon. Most if not all dwelt in the extensive catacombs under the city and only with the aid of Jaynus and Queen Gereaxe did the city gasp into something approaching life once more.

The city was given entirely to the Dragon and gradually people given to such a force came to settle there. The people came to hate Shaderos and all he stood for. They turned their backs on lies, on deceit and indeed on much of the outside world. A disproportionate number of the settlers were dwarves, miners, even craftsmen and they set to drag what they could from the land about them. What actually was about them proved to be mines. Lots of mines. The people worked without much central leadership, trusting in themselves, the dragon and their neighbours. Certainly they put not their faith in troublesome, shiftless, lazy vagabonds with swords and spells. Adventurers became the epitome of all that brought trouble.

Recent History
There the city might have remained - a mining town that by now would doubtless be a dominion once again of Deci - had not two people come to the settlement. Fidgit, drawn by the Dragon, came to heal the city and to glory in the breath of the Dragon. Foretold, a councillor under Shaderos, and always the most lawful, trustworthy member of the pack, was woken from where he had remained battered since the ritual strike from Ishma.

Fidgit became Governor.

Choosing his council well he led the city ever onwards and upwards. The population swelled, the Guilds flourished and within months the city became a fine, prosperous place to live. Under the auspice of the Lady Alcaster the old Noble Academy, destroyed in Ickybiggle, was rebuilt in Eartholme. Under Brangorn and Tanfolio mines were established and then a flurry of recruitment and armament occurred that forged the city's Militia, who but recently sought out and destroyed a brigand army that stood fortified in the cities territory.

Visitors possessed of vitae are often confused on revisiting the city if they had been there before. Though the locals would earnestly claim the city had always been so, such travellers are often sure that the city used to be entirely above the ground. For now, or perhaps as it always was, four out of five Quarters of the settlement lie firmly below the ground.