Fort Preswal

Originally, the fort was populated entirely by Heartport soldiers and led by the batallion commander. Following the end of the First Dragon War, the Trader's Guild of Molkarta moved to expand the Fort's influence (and simultaneously their own) by building infrastructure to support a trading post. For a time, a parliament of individuals posted by the Guild worked alongside the fort's commander to manage the changing nature of the fort.    Since the fort's capture during the Second Dragon War and the Black Wing's occupation, Fort Preswal has remained solely under military control until such time that it can be confirmed that all dangers from that time have been dealt with.

Following the First Dragon War, Fort Preswal was expanded into a major trade hub along routes between the nations of Molkarta, overseen by the Trader's Guild of Heartport. The fort provides a secure location for goods to travel up, down, or across the river, increasing the throughput of trade goods across the country. The presence of Heartport soldiers, while initially seen as a measure of control by one power, was equaled out by the Trader's Guild of Molkarta stepping up as a balancing agent. This arrangement was accepted by each nation of Molkarta for years, until the Second Dragon War began and the fort was sacked and occupied by the Black Wing Army of Draconia. Since then, trade through the fort has ground to a halt while the town is cleared of dangers and rebuilt.

The fort stands across Preswal River and acts as a security checkpoint for goods traveling along the water as well as a bridge between east and west Molkarta to cross the wide river. Their most well-known feature is the Grand Bridge, a construction of stone and steel that spans the almost mile-wide river, which can be lifted on each side to permit ships of varying sizes to travel through the fort. It is held as a point of pride that the bridge's mechanisms are entirely mechanical, requiring no magical resources or rituals to be raised or lowered.    During the First Dragon War, the fort was captured by digger teams from Kelarkthen as they excavated tunnels beneath the fort's defenses and emerged on the inside. Following this, the fort's commander directed these tunnels to be collapsed, and additional defenses were laid within the ground in attempts to prevent this tactic from being used again.    While occupied by the Black Wing Army during the Second Dragon War, Apothecarian Gensui reopened the remnants of this tunnel system and dismantled the defensive measures in place, expanding the tunnel system deeper than even the Arkthenians had dug initially. The mass excavation has severely weakened the infrastructure of the fort and great efforts have gone into repairing the foundation of the settlement.

Fort Preswal is comprised of two main districts, and is built around a small keep. The keep itself was the first construction and the settlement grew around it, expanding into a larger fort and eventually a small town as their capacity as a trading hub was expanded.    The Inner District was originally built to support the soldiers stationed within the keep, comprised primarily of blacksmiths, stables, and other industrial structures. The stations on either end of the bridge are also located within the Inner District, and are guarded and controlled by the stationed soldiers of the Fort.    The Outer District was built to expand the settlement's border and to support a primarily transient population, with inns and taverns popping up to house traders moving from one part of the country to the other. As other settlers were drawn to the growing town, more permanent residences were built, and talks were in progress of designating a third district as the borders expanded before the Second Dragon War broke out and the fort was captured by the Black Wing Army.    Following the occupation during this conflict, much of the Outer District remains in need of rebuilding. Due to the unknown dangers and sabotage left behind by the occupying force, plans to repopulate the settlement are on hold until the safety of its citizens can be confirmed.

Soldiers of Heartport

  Originally founded by Heartport to serve as a base of operations for their soldiers and to create a passage across the wide Preswal River, the army has maintained a presence within the Fort even as it has grown into a larger settlement around them. While a Heartport commander appointed by their respective council remains in power, since the end of the First Dragon War they have shared command of the fort with the Trader's Guild of Molkarta, establishing a precedence of diplomatic partnership by providing security for goods traveling through the town.    In the wake of the fort's occupation during the Second Dragon War, only the army of Heartport has maintained a presence within the settlement, working to ensure the dangers left behind by occupying forces have been safely dismantled and the populace can return to their home.   

Trader's Guild of Molkarta

  Second only to the founders of the fort, the Trader's Guild made a large push to expand the operations of Fort Preswal to turn it into a well-established trading hub of Molkarta. Providing a place of secure transit through the Preswal River and drastically shortening the time needed for trade caravans to cross the country proved invaluable to all involved, and each of the nations of Molkarta have supported this cause of expansion. While the Trader's Guild is not based out of Fort Preswal, they maintain an official guild hall to manage their affairs and act as a point of connection between the fort and the guild at large.    Since Heartport's insistence on keeping the guild out of Fort Preswal until "it is safe", the Trader's Guild has become increasingly opposed to the army's existence within the fort, arguing that Heartport seeks to use this chance to wrest control away from the Guild and control the trade traffic flowing through the rich town.   

Tunnel-Rats

  While publicly decried as little more than a minor nuisance, both the army and guild know of a small faction that hid within the quickly-expanding trading hub between the First and Second Dragon Wars. With entire caravans and shipments passing through the town, thievery became an increasing concern and, despite the emphasis put on security by both factions, it was impossible to protect everything at once. A small band of thieves and smugglers grew beneath the gleam of Fort Preswal, known as the Tunnel-Rats for their propensity to use the existing tunnel systems the Arkthenians dug during the first war. During the surprise assault by the Black Wing Army during the second war, many citizens found their way to safety by following scrupulous individuals into the dark tunnels, including members of the Trader's Guild themselves. While no official statement has come out on this event, whispers abound of the payment the guild members will owe to the underbelly of Preswal.

The Gem Passage

  Building a defensive fortification around a river comes with its own challenges, but the one that Heartport was not going to suffer was the act of transporting soldiers and supplies across the expansive river. At its slimmest, the Preswal river still stretches almost a mile wide, and the fort was built over a wider portion with the knowledge that they would be building a bridge to span the distance. Built of stone and metal by masons and crafters of Heartport, the bridge was built to be sturdy enough that an army could march across without issue, but also designed to split and come together to allow the passage of ships traveling along the river itself. When built, it was a point of pride by the builders that no magic was used in its maintenance and usage, creating one of the largest entirely-mechanical structures in Molkarta.    Since the expanse of Fort Preswal, the bridge became a focal point of trade routes across Molkarta, and the Trader's Guild championed to improve the structure to represent the shifting culture of the town. Now more than a way for soldiers to traverse the river, the guild financed a restoration by Arkthenian artisans to improve upon the original design (while maintaining its magic-less structure) and to beautify the construction. When completed, the bridge was officially named The Gem Passage to represent its intended use and as an acknowledgement of the artistic design the dwarves had taken.   

The Labyrinth of Preswal

  During the First Dragon War, Fort Preswal was besieged by the dwarven army of Kelarkthen. While they were prepared for a frontal assault, the dwarves instead dug a series of tunnels beneath the city and sprang up out of the ground in the dead of night, capturing the fort in a surprise attack from within. After reclaiming the fort during the war, the commander in charge ordered the tunnels collapsed and that subterranean defenses would be erected to protect against a similar assault in the future. While many entrances were sealed, vast stretches of dwarven-dug tunnels remained beneath the city, even delving beneath the Preswal River itself and connecting the two halves of the town. During the Black Wing's occupation during the second war, High Apothecarian Gensui reopened the tunnels and expanded them, turning the dizzying array into his personal sanctum as he performed his dark experiments and built his machines of war.    Following the Apothecarian's expansion of the tunnel system, a full map of the space has yet to be completed and what he left behind in the tunnels make exploration difficult and dangerous. The threat to the fort's structural foundation is a prime focus of Heartport's efforts in rebuilding the fort, and until the safety of the town can be secured the Labyrinth remains an unexplored mystery, a creation of decades and at least two different intentions, and stashed with the remnants of a madman's imagination. Treasure hunters and adventurers alike have made several requests to the Council of Heartport to explore the depths, but in the name of safety the majority of these have been denied. A few have ignored Heartport's official stance and gone in anyway, and those that emerge speak of magical constructs gone rampant, nigh-undetectable traps laced throughout the walls, and an exceptionally difficult time in navigating the tight spaces.