Bordersword

Bordersword is a city of soldiers first, citizens second. The majority of its population consists of Everwealth’s military personnel, stationed here either for active duty or to prepare for rapid deployment to Twin-Peak or Stargaze. The rest of its inhabitants are a mix of tradesmen, smiths, alchemists, and laborers, those who support the war effort or profit from it. A smaller portion consists of innkeepers, tavern owners, and merchants, catering to both the army and travelers passing between nations. While mostly Humans, the city hosts a sizable population of Dwarfish blacksmiths, whose craftsmanship is invaluable in forging weapons and maintaining the city's armories. Elfese merchants, those who remain, once played a critical role in trade with Kibonoji but are now regarded with suspicion, their businesses under constant scrutiny. The poorest members of the city are often wandering mercenaries, displaced refugees, and those too poor to flee, left to navigate a society ruled by authority, not justice.

Bordersword is governed not by Count Falkmere, appointed directly by The Monarchy; A pragmatic but ruthless leader whose authority is absolute within city walls. His word is law, and his laws favor order above all else. Beneath him, a council of officers and quartermasters oversee the city’s fortifications, resource distribution, and military readiness, ensuring that Bordersword is always prepared for war, even if that has to be at the expense of those who live there. While the city watch is meant to uphold law, in Everwealthy tradition, it serves the highest bidder more than anything, soldiers and officers alike taking bribes to look the other way or, worse, fabricate crimes against wealthy travelers or merchants to confiscate their valuables. Those caught in the city’s tangled bureaucracy have little recourse, justice is a matter of rank, truth has nothing to do with it.

Bordersword is a fortress first, city second, and its defenses reflect this reality. The city is enclosed by a series of reinforced walls, designed not only to withstand siege but to funnel invading forces into kill zones. Watchtowers line the perimeter, manned at all hours by trained archers and riflemen. The city's southern and eastern gates are heavily guarded, with passage in and out restricted during times of heightened tension. Military encampments lie just beyond the city, housing reinforcements ready to deploy at a moment’s notice to either Twinpeak or Stargaze. Siege weapons, including ballistae and magickally-enhanced trebuchets, line the city walls, prepared for an invasion that has yet to come but is expected at any moment. The city also maintains a formidable cavalry division, capable of patrolling the surrounding lands and intercepting enemy forces before they reach Bordersword itself. Stone “holding vaults” flank each gate, ostensibly for contraband are also full of shackled transit stock awaiting papers that always arrive after coin does.

Though it began as a military outpost, Bordersword has become a hub of trade and production, supporting both its standing army and the constant movement of goods between Kibonoji, Kathar, and Everwealth’s heartland. Weapon forges, armorers, and alchemical workshops dominate the city’s economy, supplying arms, munitions, and battlefield supplies to Everwealth’s forces. Trade caravans from Opulence and the outer provinces pass through regularly, bringing food, textiles, and luxuries, but with tensions rising, many merchants are opting for longer, riskier routes to avoid the city altogether. While smuggling is illegal, it thrives beneath the surface, as merchants seek to bypass military levies and corrupt officials demand unofficial tolls on high-value goods. A gray market in “indenture lots” rides the same roads as grain, changing hands in the Dust Markets by lantern-light. The Arena’s buying syndicates keep prices high, and the forges never lack for backs to break.

Bordersword’s infrastructure is built for war, survival, and efficiency, with fortifications, forges, and supply routes taking precedence over comfort or aesthetics. At the heart of the city lies the Iron Bastion, a towering fortress of reinforced blackstone serving as the primary command center for military operations. Beneath it, deep storehouses and emergency tunnels ensure that the city can withstand prolonged sieges. The Forgeward is the beating heart of Bordersword’s industry, where Dwarfish and Gnomish artisans work tirelessly to craft weapons, armor, and siege weaponry for Everwealth’s armies. Though not as advanced as Opulence’s foundries, the Forgeward produces functional and durable arms, keeping the kingdom’s military stocked. Water is drawn from the Snaketongue River’s eastern fork, sustaining both the garrison and the civilians. Wells and reservoirs dot the city, ensuring that clean water is accessible even in times of siege, though during wartime, rationing is common. Roads leading in and out of Bordersword are reinforced and well-maintained, as the city’s ability to transport troops, weapons, and supplies between Twinpeak and Stargaze is vital to Everwealth’s war strategy. Sewers exist, but they are poorly maintained, serving more as waste runoff channels than true underground infrastructure. Many sections are collapsed, infested with vermin, or used by smugglers and criminals to avoid detection.

Bordersword’s layout is strictly organized, designed for efficiency over comfort. The city is divided into three main sectors:

• The Citadel - The heart of Bordersword’s military command, where Lord Commander Falkmere and his officers oversee all operations. This district is heavily guarded, its walls lined with barracks, training grounds, and storage facilities for munitions and rations.
• The Trade Quarter - Located near the city’s western gate, this district houses inns, smithies, apothecaries, and merchants, catering to both the military and passing traders.
• The Civilian District - The poorest and most neglected sector, where the families of soldiers, displaced refugees, and those with nowhere else to go reside. Many live in squalor, trapped between the threat of war and the corruption of those meant to protect them.

A city engineered to keep armies fed, shod, armed, and obedient, no matter the cost to those inside its walls. At the heart of its power stands the Iron Bastion, a blackstone fortress that serves as regional command, armory, and execution ground. Reinforced with thick stone and layered magickal wards, it houses war rooms, munitions vaults, and elite garrisons capable of rapid deployment toward Twin-Peak or Stargaze. Beneath it lie sealed storehouses and emergency tunnels, ensuring continuity of command even during prolonged siege or internal unrest. Supporting this war engine is the Forgeward, where Dwarfish and Gnomish artisans produce armor, tools, and crude modern arms. While lacking the refinement of Opulence’s foundries, the Forgeward’s output is relentless, prioritizing durability and volume over safety. Few who work its furnaces reach old age. Adjacent to the forges lies the Blackvat Tannery Complex, a surviving pre-Schism industrial leatherworks whose chemical vats still churn day and night. Fed by hides from battlefield dead, condemned criminals, and mass livestock slaughter, it supplies the kingdom with boots, straps, belts, and armor bindings. The runoff poisons nearby water and the air reeks of rot and lye, but the army marches in sound leather, and that is what matters. Fueling all of it is Bordersword’s Coal & Coke Refinery, its ovens burning without pause. Coke bricks feed the forges and boilers, while coal dust coats every surface of the city. Explosions, collapses, and suffocation are common. Prison and slave labor keeps the fires lit. The smoke never fully clears. Sanitation, such as it is, comes from the Soap & Lye Presses, another inherited relic of the Lost Ages. Officially maintained to prevent disease among the ranks, these presses consume animal fat and ash in enormous quantities. Unofficially, no one asks where all that fat comes from. Soap stamped with military seals is issued to soldiers first, civilians second, and sometimes not at all. Beyond these sanctioned assets lie the Dust Markets, Bordersword’s true economic lever. Grain, livestock, uniforms, and alchemical components pass through by day; by night, “indenture lots” and penal contracts change hands under lantern light. The Arena of Blades feeds this economy, clearing dockets and filling vats, forges, and caravans with bodies no one will miss.

Power in Bordersword is not held by merchants or noble families, but by those who control the weapons, rations, and soldiers. Among its most influential factions are:

• The Guard’s Garrison - A contingent of elite troops stationed here to ensure the king’s will is upheld, though their presence is more symbolic than functional.

• The Quartermaster’s Guild - Controls the flow of supplies, often using its position to extort bribes and influence military decision-making.

• The Smuggler’s Ring - An underground network that thrives on illicit trade and black-market dealings, ensuring that anything from contraband to weapons, can be bought for the right price.
• The Scholar's Guild - Ever-present, ever-teaching, ever-watching. Ensuring children learn to read, and that they are apprised of the soldier's affairs for their own, surely benevolent ends; Such heretical claims of their ranks selling information to the Elfese or using knowledge of said information to obscure other information from the crown is, as-of-yet, unfounded.

Bordersword’s origins stretch far beyond its official founding, rooted in centuries of conflict and shifting control. Before Everwealth expanded its reach, the site was home to an Elfese city of forgotten name, one of many settlements lost in the turmoil of the Great Schism. Alongside it, a sizable Everwealth military camp had long existed, positioned to monitor the borders and defend against raids from Kibonoji and Kathar. During the hundred years of the Great Schism, as Everwealth solidified its dominance, the Elfese city was conquered, its ruins absorbed into the growing military presence. By CA 138, Bordersword was officially established as a city, no longer just a garrison but a permanent stronghold. Under King Aldric Valmore II, the Iron Bastion was constructed, transforming the settlement into a fortress of strategic command. As Everwealth’s eastern and southern conflicts continued, Bordersword became the backbone of the kingdom’s military operations, reinforcing Twinpeak and Stargaze whenever war threatened the borders. Over time, tradesmen, blacksmiths, and alchemists settled within its walls, drawn by the demand for weapons, armor, and supplies. By CA 200, Bordersword had fully developed into a militarized metropolis, built to withstand siege and serve as Everwealth’s second line of defense. Its outer walls were reinforced, siege weapons lined its battlements, and underground storehouses ensured the city could endure prolonged warfare. However, with the rise of trade along the kingdom’s borders, corruption took root within its rigid structure. Smugglers, bribery, and criminal dealings flourished beneath the city’s strict military rule, creating an uneasy balance between order and lawlessness.In the present day, Bordersword remains on constant high alert, its streets dominated by marching soldiers and watchful officers. The Elfese declaration of war has driven many civilians to flee, while those who remain live under stricter regulations, fearing both the approaching conflict and the city’s own corruption. Though it still serves as a vital trade gateway, fewer merchants dare to pass through, wary of inspections, extortion, and the looming specter of war. Bordersword stands as both a fortress and a warning, a city built for war, now awaiting the battle it was designed to withstand.

Bordersword is a city of steel, stone, and tension, where every street is shaped by military necessity and the uncertainty of war. Some of its most notable locations include:

• The Iron Door - The city’s main entry point, a fortified passage where travelers must endure thorough inspections, tolls, or bribes to pass.

• The Bloodied Ledger - An infamous tavern where mercenaries, soldiers, and criminals gather, known for its dangerous clientele and lucrative, often illegal, job postings.
• Castle Ironspire - The towering fortress visible from everywhere in the city and for miles around, a jagged and imposing reminder of The Monarchy's iron-grip on the region; And the cold consequences that await those who defy it's laws in the bloodied, torture chambers and wailing halls of dark dungeons beneath. beneath, their final moments spent alone, joining the choir of the ram's damned that never stops singing.
• The Foundry - A bastion of The Lost Ages, a large metal working facility where iron workers of old once constructed great machines from mounds of molten metal. Still sputtering molten metal to this day, though it's machines far cruder and its workers far less safe.
• The Arena of Blades - The city’s blood-soaked centerpiece, where criminals, slaves, and condemned soldiers are thrown to the sand in the name of justice, spectacle, and profit. By day, it parades executions as entertainment; by night, it becomes the stage for illicit pit-fights where coin is wagered on a menagerie of unwilling participants locked in hopeless struggle. Every cheer in its stands is another link in Bordersword’s chain of cruelty. A great many traveling gladiators of the Maned find themself here, not in change, but willing participants of the bloodshed; Battle is their life, the thrill of the audience witnessing their dominance as a warrior their ultimate vice. Cards are set by the Pit-Syndic in concert with quartermasters; “penal bouts” clear dockets and fill coffers. Some fight for coin, some for a parchment promise, most for someone else’s laughter.

Bordersword is rarely a city for sightseeing, it is a battleground waiting to happen. Few come here willingly, save for mercenaries seeking contracts, blacksmiths looking to prove their craft, or opportunists hoping to profit off of war. However, one infamous draw is the Arena of Blades, a combat ring where warriors, criminals, and desperate souls fight for coin, freedom, or honor. Some fight willingly, others are forced; But all who enter must prove their worth. Foreign dignitaries and spies often visit under false pretenses, seeking to assess Everwealth’s military strength or influence key officers before the inevitable war begins. Foreigners come to “study logistics,” then leave with private pit boxes and an education in prices no academy teaches.

Bordersword’s architecture is practical, defensive, and militarized. Walls are thick, streets are narrow, and homes are reinforced stone or fortified wood, designed to withstand raids and sieges. Buildings are functional rather than decorative, with little care for extravagance or aesthetic appeal. Taverns and inns cater to soldiers and traders, their interiors dimly lit and reinforced against brawls or riots. The Iron Bastion looms over the city, an imposing reminder that Bordersword is not a place of peace, but of preparation.

Bordersword sits at the crucial crossroads between Twinpeak to the south and Stargaze to the east, roughly 100 miles from each. It is one of the only direct paths into Everwealth, making it a vital point of control for both trade and military movements. The surrounding land is a mix of rocky terrain and sparse farmland, with rolling hills and natural fortifications making it difficult to besiege directly. The Snaketongue River’s eastern fork provides freshwater and a transport route, though it is too narrow for naval engagement beyond supply barges. To the west lies the Ashwood, a cursed and smoldering expanse where infernal magicks have tainted the land. Few enter willingly, save for those seeking rare alchemical ingredients, or exile.

Bordersword experiences harsh, unpredictable weather. Bitter cold winds from the north bring harsh winters, while hot, dry summers bake the stone streets. The city rarely sees gentle weather, always caught between searing heat, freezing nights, or torrential storms rolling in from the distant mountains.

Bordersword’s surroundings offer little in natural abundance, forcing the city to rely on strategic trade and military control to sustain itself. Agriculture is minimal, with small farms outside the walls cultivating hardy grains and root vegetables, while sheep and goats provide meat, wool, and leather. However, frequent raids and conscriptions often leave the civilian food supply strained, making supply shipments from Opulence essential for survival. The Amber Hills north of the city provide iron, copper, and coal, fueling the forges of the Warforge and ensuring a constant supply of weapons and armor. Quarries produce rough but durable stone used for fortifications, though finer materials must be imported. Timber is scarce, with small-scale logging operations eastward near Stargaze, though wartime tensions have made access difficult. Water comes from deep wells and rain collection systems, ensuring survival even under siege, though prolonged conflict can lead to rationing and shortages. While the Ashwood’s cursed forests offer rare fire-resistant wood and potent alchemical reagents, few dare to harvest them, as the land itself is tainted by infernal magicks and predatory wildlife. Bordersword’s true wealth lies not in its land, but in its control over trade routes, ensuring that every merchant, caravan, and army must pay its due before passing through Everwealth’s only open gateway.