Raymar Kestell

Small Town: Population 1,740 (97% dwarves, 3% forgeborn)

History

Raymar Kestell is a very old naval outpost dating back to the Age of Creation that was created to spy on the Veldunorin ith Derunadel's ("Kingdom of Derunadel") movements and deploy Reshyk's fleets rapidly to northern Arak when needed. It is a frozen forest island, and Raymar Kestell itself is well-concealed by the trees, with little coves obscuring their ships. The spymasters of Reshyk were very good at what they did; so much so that to this day, many outside of Reshyk aren't even aware that the town exists. The town has an outward appearance of a simple colony in the event that someone were to discover it, with military infrastructure hidden deeper in the trees. Despite the Veldunorin ith Derunadel having dissolved over 700 years ago, the colony continues to operate, using their navy to patrol the waters around the western coast of Reshyk to watch for potential trespassers. With the advent of Rundvarek ("Runetech"), the town is more undetectable than ever, using illusory terrain to hide their fleet as well as their infrastructure.

More recently, the facility known as Sva Jorkat ("The Nexus") was used to produce the Forgeborn in secret when King Rangrim was under the corrupting influence of Maven, sending remotely piloted Forgeborn units to nations all over the world to spy on them. These units were being controlled by operators deep within the ground underneath the town in Sva Jorkat, and were even used for political assassinations against foreign dignitaries who did not comply with King Rangrim's "requests" to install Svall Jalmyrnia ("flow generators") atop the Wellsprings of their territory. While King Rangrim's claims that doing so would protect these nations from Wellspring eruptions were accurate, what he failed to mention was that it would cut off these nations' magic users from the Flow required to cast spells unless they had Rundvarek, which only the Dwarves have access to.

At the beginning of the year of 325 AE, the Dwarf known as Dain Brawnanvil, investigating the source and purpose of the Forgeborn who had been based on designs stolen from him years prior, discovered Sva Jorkat. He infiltrated the facility with his companions and managed to destroy the infrastructure being used to remotely control the Forgeborn. However, upon sending out a kill signal intended to shut down all Forgeborn worldwide and destroying the facility, a Wellspring eruption occurred which altered this signal, awakening the Forgeborn instead.

Government

Raymar Kestell is a member of the Sva Jalfar un Felbor, and as such is overseen by a Chamberlain, a Dwarven woman named Irin Elerym. However, with the presence of so much military infrastructure, the town has a number of military leaders present, including Spymaster Skelgar Dvanor, and Commander Wargin Delsyk; the former of which is a Dwarven man of 600 years who has spent nearly a third of his life imprisoned in Sva Tarbyn ("The Vault") outside of Stavandyr for attempting to smuggle Rundvarek into Art Hunahunari in Myr to sell its secrets to the highest bidder, and was only caught because of a linguistic misunderstanding between the Dwarves pursuing him and the locals in Artus; and the latter of which is a Dwarven man who has commanded Raymar Kestell's navy for over 300 years.

Spymaster Skelgar was only released because King Rangrim was so amused at how he was caught that he released him on the condition that he serve as Raymar Kestell's spymaster, and that he not be permitted to leave the island for the remainder of his life. Commander Wargin however, earned his accolades by single-handedly defeating a Kraken without the use of Rundvarek, a tale which has evolved and become more legendary with each retelling, now bordering on myth. The Chamberlain is responsible for handling communication with Stavandyr and day to day town event coordination and food logistics. Meanwhile, Commander Wargin oversees naval operations, town defense, and when necessary, wartime strategy. Finally, Spymaster Skelgar is responsible for reconnaissance, surveillance, and questioning captives. The Spymaster has kept a particularly close eye on the city of Darrakeltir on Arak's northeastern shores.

Economy

The town is completely dependent on funding from Sva Jalfar un Felbor, having no exports of note of their own. Supplies are ferried in from the mainland monthly, including food, weapons, Rundvarek, and other provisions. The town has very little amenities, as the only civilians living here are specialized artisans and service workers who cater to the needs of the Runeguard.

Notable Locations

• Sva Jorkat - A multi-purpose compound that was constructed deep beneath the island only two decades ago, which is now in ruins, collapsed due to an explosion. Meant to serve as a surveillance station, it later became a production facility for the automatons known as Forgeborn. The facility's operators remotely controlled Forgeborn drones, using them to spy on foreign politicians and civilians. The facility was destroyed in 325 AE by Dain Brawnanvil and his companions, an event which would inadvertently result in all Forgeborn worldwide being awakened. All entrances to the facility have since been sealed.
• Skaa Valmodem - A military prison located deep in the forest in a large clearing, this facility houses only a couple dozen individuals at present. Most of those kept captive here are those who have been captured trying to enter the Reshyk mainland in the last hundred years. The prison is also used for prisoners of war, though none have occupied these walls for that reason for centuries. It can also be used to contain Runeguard who are being court martialed or awaiting sentencing. With its long history, many have occupied these halls, and many have reported seeing shadows out of the corner of their eye and hearing odd sounds at night. One particular cell in cell block 1 has been confirmed to be haunted by the spirit of a former prisoner from Veldunorin ith Derunadel.

Culture

Far from any cultural centers, Raymar Kestell is populated mostly by bored soldiers who don't have the luxury of fancy food or festivals. They occasionally receive shipments with better food to keep morale up, which warrants a celebration during which the soldiers gather in town and drink and eat while singing traditional songs. They can't celebrate using traditional Dwarven fireworks, however, as it would risk giving away their position. Due to how depressing it can get being stationed here for long periods of time, Runeguard are typically only required to be stationed here for up to 5 years, though many only stay for 2 to 3 years.

Boredom breeds creativity, and while the soldiers don't have access to much, they have invented a number of games to pass the time in between shifts. Two popular games in town are Dalan Gwenir ("line smith") and Darnak! ("attack!"), with Dalan Gwenir being a simple board game; and Darnak! being a more flashy display of skill with simple magic. Dalan Gwenir is a game played using a 5x5 board of octagons. Each player has three colored pieces on their side separated by one space, and an uncolored seventh piece is placed at the center of the board. The players alternate taking one of two actions on their turn; they can move one of their pieces one space forward, backward, left, or right; or they can swap one of their pieces with the uncolored piece, or with one of their opponent's pieces. You cannot swap the uncolored piece with your opponent's pieces, only your own. The first player to make a contiguous line of 3 of their pieces in any direction, without the uncolored piece separating them, wins. Darnak! is much more simple, and involves two players opposite each other with three targets behind them, who can use whatever magic they want to try to break the opponent's targets; however, if they hit the opponent, they lose. Darnak! can get very fierce, and the number of points required to win varies depending on the whims of the players.

Defenses

One of the most secretive and well-defended locations in Reshyk, Raymar Kestell is safeguarded by all of the most recent developments in Rundvarek. There is a sizable navy fleet hidden behind illusory camouflage flanking both sides of the town. The town's military infrastructure is hidden well in the dense forest behind the town. There are Runeguard patrolling most of the island, with the majority in the town and watching over the beaches where a ship could potentially approach. All Dwarven ships are required to communicate with the town's navy via magical messages prior to their approach, otherwise they will be considered intruders.

There are a number of Svall Gevekia ("flow shooter") along the cliffs near the town to defend against attacks, as well as a Svall Kravenik ("flow obliterator") atop a building in the center of town to defend against potential Voidspawn attacks. There is not enough static Flow in the area for a Svall Jalmyrn to be practical, so Svall Torikia ("flow cells") are returned to the mainland to be charged and brought back to fuel the town's Rundvarek.

Crime

Being a military outpost, crime is taken very seriously. Fortunately, there is very little crime to be spoken of here, with only a handful of isolated incidents in the last two hundred years. Typically, these crimes involve disputes between soldiers; with only a single murder in those two hundred years. Crimes are punished harshly given the decorum expected of the Runeguard, with minor infractions having a three-strike rule after which a Runeguard is discharged dishonorably. Soldiers can even be exiled from Reshyk depending on their crime. However, murder is punished by execution.

Raymar Kestell has not seen many prisoners of war, but several foolish outsiders have been captured attempting to enter the mainland; after which they are imprisoned in a compound known as Skaa Valmodem ("royal prison") within the forest. Given the clandestine nature of the island, those captured by Raymar Kestell's fleet are not simply turned over to their home government or killed. Those captured in the waters surrounding the island are thrown in a cell, and may never again leave the island. The circumstances of their intentions and capture influence their treatment, with many being given cells that are veritable homes, and plenty of reading. Given Reshyk's push towards reintegrating with the rest of the world, there have been talks of releasing all captives still held here, though the thought of revealing the island has created some anxiety.