Golden Valley
Profile:
Population: 150K, consisting mainly of dwarves and a few humans (which are mainly traders from Aldaar that have made this place their permanent residence)
Economy: Exporting gold and rare crystals
Subsitence dependance: ~1%
Ruler: People's Council
Languages: Dwarven
Currency: Salt
Allies: Tinvein, Hul-Vazhatun
Ever since the first dwarf struck the Earth and discovered a seemingly endless deposit of gold, hundreds of dwarves have been fleeing their homes to partake in exploiting this land of all it’s riches, yet, the more they mined, the more endless the veins seemed, almost as if they grew larger each new day. After around 100 dwarves made their appearence at the valley, they all collectively decided to permanently settle this place, calling it the „Golden Valley“. As a way to organise everyone, especially the newcomers, the residents decided to put someone in charge, more specifically, the very dwarf that first struck the Earth and found gold. His name was never documented, instead, all documents reffered to him as „The Founder“. After more and more people flood in, an issue made itself apparent: Food. Whilst there were a few animals and a few spots with a somewhat-fertile soil, there was simply not enough to feed the exponentially growing population. This issue was ignored for a couple of years, until eventually, the people have struck gold, figuratively. After one of the dwarves wandered off on accident, he found another valley behind a mountain, one that almost seemed like a paradise. Plants everywhere, animals everywhere, pretty much an unlimited supply of food. With this, the population could grow much more than expected, although how long would this supply last was not of importance, as all that mattered to the Founder was how much gold could be extracted Of course, having such a massively growing population and so much gold eventually gets to the world, more specifically, the human Empire South-East from the Valley. After long talks with the Empire, it was decided that the Valley would export gold in Exchange for manpower and resources, ones that they would be able to expand the city with. Of course, this was not the only place where the news spread to. Close to the mountains lays a Savannah, one that’s home to [RACE] nomads who are known to make frequent raids on the city of Tinvein. Tune in a few years later, the raiders would strike. With the valley not being prepared, they would quickly overpower them, steal and plunder their lands. But, not everything was lost. Before the last bits of the city were razed, the Founder made a deal with the leader of the raiding party. They would leave the city, at least what remained of it, alone, in exchange for a free access to the forementioned paradise, where they could take as much as they would want. This left the city alive, with half of it’s people still intact as well, but for how long? Que in a few years later, the city has once again grown larger, this time with a military ready to defend it’s lands as well, but another issue arose. Food. Without the land of paradise, the city eventually ran out of their food supply and what followed was a city-wide famine. After nearly 75% of the population either died or fled, a desperate deal was made with the Empire. Nearly all the gold that would be mined for the next 50 years would be exported to Aldaar in exchange for food. This saved the city, and from this moment onwards, only prosperity followed the city. Despite most of the gold going to Aldaar, the little gold left was still highly valuable and helped the city recover, as well as further expand. Shortly after this trade agreement, it was decided that the official currency would be salt, as food was the most valuable thing within the lands And as such, many years followed. After the 50-years long agreement was over, the city has decided to expand on it, with much more favorable conditions of course, and to this day, the human Empire remains the biggest trade partner with the Golden Valley. With food not being a problem anymore, the only issue were the raiders, against whom a strong army, and mainly navy, were raised, ones that could defend both the city and it’s trade.
As the city grew more and more prosperous, so did The Founder’s greed. Being the defacto leader, he could issue any edicts and laws to his liking, which has lead him to declaring the Golden Valley an Absolute Monarchy, one with him in charge. In his search for more and more power, he further strengthened his power, instituting stuff such as Censorship, Taxes (which were beforehand non-existent due to the pure profits of mining operations), State-ran Police Force, and much more. The new laws were strengthening his power further and further, and although the people were not happy, they were still doing exceptionally better than most around the world, as such, they let it slide. Eventually, the king died at a rather young age of 86 and was replaced by his heir, „Thirhal Goldenforged“, who, unlike his father, didn’t care much about his own influence, but at the same time didn’t want to loosen the laws. As such, the politics of the city became sort of… stagnant. His reign is known as the „Dormand period“. But, his successor would change everything. With Thirhal’s dead, the new king who came to power was „Arakkazir Goldenforged“, whom, depending on who you ask, is referred to as the „Tyrant“, „Savior“, and much more. He was a fierce believer in the supernatural and believed that a great tragedy is about to hit the world, and it was his destiny to save it from such fate. As soon as he got into power, he started working on a way to unite the world to fight this supernatural threat. Of course, no nation would agree to being annexed by another, as such, his only option was to conquer those around him, so that he could stand as the defender of all species. First of all, he needed money. A lot more money, and as such, a new decree was issues. One that turned the 8-hour workday, which was as much as the people needed to work to live a comfortable life, into a 14-hours long forced workday, so that he could build up wealth much faster. Of course, this was met with huge backlash, but there was nothing the people could do against the powerful military. Second, he significantly raised taxes, making sure to siphon as much money as he can from the people. This act alone raised the Subsitence dependance up to 50%, essentially making life a living hell for every dwarf living within the city. With all this money, he planned on buying many different mercenary companies that would help him win the upcoming war, as well as building a large military capable of taking over his first target, the humans to the South East. Of course, to do so, he would need a lot, LOT of mercenary companies, ones from lands he was not familiar with. It would happen that one of such companies was one loyal to the humans, and as such, the news of an upcoming war have spread quickly. The people, sick of how they were treated and not wanting a war, have decided that they had enough. Riots have spread across the streets, all demanding for the king to abdicate. The king, not wanting to do so, ordered the mercenary companies to help him solidify his power. After this act, and the fact that his commanders were unhappy with him relying more on foreign mercenaries than his own men, he lost the complete support of the military, most of whom did not want to fight for someone willing to kill their own population just to keep his own power. As such, the military issued an ultimatum for the king before the mercenaries could arrive. Abdicate, or die. The decision for the king was clear, and just as quickly as he rose to power, he lost it all.
But of course, not everyone was against the king. Many understood the situation that they found themselves in, and many sympathised with the king, believing his words about about the supernatural. Alongside that, the king had powerful nobles who, despite demanding for him to depose, still stood by his side. They didn’t want a war, but they still stood loyal to the king. As such, after it was decided for the king to be exiled from the city, he departed with both the nobility and the people loyal to him to a new place, to build a new city, one that would be known as the King's Refuge. Of course, the king still has dreams of returning to the city and creating an empire capable of defending the world, and is willing to go to questionable lengths to achieve this. His goal is one with the right intention within his heart, yet many call him foolish for what he’s trying to do.
After the king’s forced abdication, the people have decided that they no longer want a system with a single person ruling over everyone else, as that has lead them to almost getting into a war with their greatest ally. As such, the people have decided to put a council in charge, one consisting of the most powerful guilds and elected representatives, one for each region of the city. They called it the „People's Council“. This council rules over the city and has reverted all the laws imposed by the previous kings, bringing freedom to the city. Alongside this, with a vote that was won with by a single point, taxes on all individuals were completely abolished as they once were, lowering the Subsitence dependance to mere ~1%, as everyone but very few are now able to afford everything they need. After a recent breakthough by one of the dwarven researchers, an efficient way to grow mushrooms within the granite mountain soil was discovered, and as such, the city is experimenting with growing it’s own food within the mines... yet, a serious issue would present itself. The Arakkazir Partisans, an insurgency from the King's Refuge have started terrorizing the local populace, and as such, no real scientific progress can be made. No progress whatsoever can be made in fact, as only the essential parts of the city are functioning whilst the people spend most of their time at home in fear.
Something that no dwarf was prepared for was the partisan operations that took place shortly after the king was exiled. Whilst the nation was full of promise, freedom and hope, it would all be shattered as families were torn apart, people murdered and stolen from. It all started with granaries being lit up on fire and raids being executed on some of the high ranking government officials. No one knew what was happening, but after some time, one thing became clear: It was not going to stop. Martial law was declared, several guards could be seen at every corner of the street, chaos present everywhere one would look, not one person dared to walk the streets in fear of being killed either by the partisans, or anxious guards. This situation would eventually become more stable with the government putting more and more security measures in place to ensure the safety of its people, but it still remains far from actually stable. This is about the time we find ourselves in right now. Guards everywhere you look, streets being empty despite the densely populated city simply due to fear, occasional destruction, may it be from explosions or fire. Whilst the city used to be a thriving economic center just a few years prior, it remains highly stagnant nowadays. Trade still takes place, as that is the only stable source of food, but every single ship that comes and goes is throughoughly checked, as well as the ports being more heavily guarded than military checkpoints.
Population: 150K, consisting mainly of dwarves and a few humans (which are mainly traders from Aldaar that have made this place their permanent residence)
Economy: Exporting gold and rare crystals
Subsitence dependance: ~1%
Ruler: People's Council
Languages: Dwarven
Currency: Salt
Allies: Tinvein, Hul-Vazhatun
The riches of the Golden Valley
Ever since the first dwarf struck the Earth and discovered a seemingly endless deposit of gold, hundreds of dwarves have been fleeing their homes to partake in exploiting this land of all it’s riches, yet, the more they mined, the more endless the veins seemed, almost as if they grew larger each new day. After around 100 dwarves made their appearence at the valley, they all collectively decided to permanently settle this place, calling it the „Golden Valley“. As a way to organise everyone, especially the newcomers, the residents decided to put someone in charge, more specifically, the very dwarf that first struck the Earth and found gold. His name was never documented, instead, all documents reffered to him as „The Founder“. After more and more people flood in, an issue made itself apparent: Food. Whilst there were a few animals and a few spots with a somewhat-fertile soil, there was simply not enough to feed the exponentially growing population. This issue was ignored for a couple of years, until eventually, the people have struck gold, figuratively. After one of the dwarves wandered off on accident, he found another valley behind a mountain, one that almost seemed like a paradise. Plants everywhere, animals everywhere, pretty much an unlimited supply of food. With this, the population could grow much more than expected, although how long would this supply last was not of importance, as all that mattered to the Founder was how much gold could be extracted Of course, having such a massively growing population and so much gold eventually gets to the world, more specifically, the human Empire South-East from the Valley. After long talks with the Empire, it was decided that the Valley would export gold in Exchange for manpower and resources, ones that they would be able to expand the city with. Of course, this was not the only place where the news spread to. Close to the mountains lays a Savannah, one that’s home to [RACE] nomads who are known to make frequent raids on the city of Tinvein. Tune in a few years later, the raiders would strike. With the valley not being prepared, they would quickly overpower them, steal and plunder their lands. But, not everything was lost. Before the last bits of the city were razed, the Founder made a deal with the leader of the raiding party. They would leave the city, at least what remained of it, alone, in exchange for a free access to the forementioned paradise, where they could take as much as they would want. This left the city alive, with half of it’s people still intact as well, but for how long? Que in a few years later, the city has once again grown larger, this time with a military ready to defend it’s lands as well, but another issue arose. Food. Without the land of paradise, the city eventually ran out of their food supply and what followed was a city-wide famine. After nearly 75% of the population either died or fled, a desperate deal was made with the Empire. Nearly all the gold that would be mined for the next 50 years would be exported to Aldaar in exchange for food. This saved the city, and from this moment onwards, only prosperity followed the city. Despite most of the gold going to Aldaar, the little gold left was still highly valuable and helped the city recover, as well as further expand. Shortly after this trade agreement, it was decided that the official currency would be salt, as food was the most valuable thing within the lands And as such, many years followed. After the 50-years long agreement was over, the city has decided to expand on it, with much more favorable conditions of course, and to this day, the human Empire remains the biggest trade partner with the Golden Valley. With food not being a problem anymore, the only issue were the raiders, against whom a strong army, and mainly navy, were raised, ones that could defend both the city and it’s trade.
The rise and fall of the king
As the city grew more and more prosperous, so did The Founder’s greed. Being the defacto leader, he could issue any edicts and laws to his liking, which has lead him to declaring the Golden Valley an Absolute Monarchy, one with him in charge. In his search for more and more power, he further strengthened his power, instituting stuff such as Censorship, Taxes (which were beforehand non-existent due to the pure profits of mining operations), State-ran Police Force, and much more. The new laws were strengthening his power further and further, and although the people were not happy, they were still doing exceptionally better than most around the world, as such, they let it slide. Eventually, the king died at a rather young age of 86 and was replaced by his heir, „Thirhal Goldenforged“, who, unlike his father, didn’t care much about his own influence, but at the same time didn’t want to loosen the laws. As such, the politics of the city became sort of… stagnant. His reign is known as the „Dormand period“. But, his successor would change everything. With Thirhal’s dead, the new king who came to power was „Arakkazir Goldenforged“, whom, depending on who you ask, is referred to as the „Tyrant“, „Savior“, and much more. He was a fierce believer in the supernatural and believed that a great tragedy is about to hit the world, and it was his destiny to save it from such fate. As soon as he got into power, he started working on a way to unite the world to fight this supernatural threat. Of course, no nation would agree to being annexed by another, as such, his only option was to conquer those around him, so that he could stand as the defender of all species. First of all, he needed money. A lot more money, and as such, a new decree was issues. One that turned the 8-hour workday, which was as much as the people needed to work to live a comfortable life, into a 14-hours long forced workday, so that he could build up wealth much faster. Of course, this was met with huge backlash, but there was nothing the people could do against the powerful military. Second, he significantly raised taxes, making sure to siphon as much money as he can from the people. This act alone raised the Subsitence dependance up to 50%, essentially making life a living hell for every dwarf living within the city. With all this money, he planned on buying many different mercenary companies that would help him win the upcoming war, as well as building a large military capable of taking over his first target, the humans to the South East. Of course, to do so, he would need a lot, LOT of mercenary companies, ones from lands he was not familiar with. It would happen that one of such companies was one loyal to the humans, and as such, the news of an upcoming war have spread quickly. The people, sick of how they were treated and not wanting a war, have decided that they had enough. Riots have spread across the streets, all demanding for the king to abdicate. The king, not wanting to do so, ordered the mercenary companies to help him solidify his power. After this act, and the fact that his commanders were unhappy with him relying more on foreign mercenaries than his own men, he lost the complete support of the military, most of whom did not want to fight for someone willing to kill their own population just to keep his own power. As such, the military issued an ultimatum for the king before the mercenaries could arrive. Abdicate, or die. The decision for the king was clear, and just as quickly as he rose to power, he lost it all.
The King's Refuge
But of course, not everyone was against the king. Many understood the situation that they found themselves in, and many sympathised with the king, believing his words about about the supernatural. Alongside that, the king had powerful nobles who, despite demanding for him to depose, still stood by his side. They didn’t want a war, but they still stood loyal to the king. As such, after it was decided for the king to be exiled from the city, he departed with both the nobility and the people loyal to him to a new place, to build a new city, one that would be known as the King's Refuge. Of course, the king still has dreams of returning to the city and creating an empire capable of defending the world, and is willing to go to questionable lengths to achieve this. His goal is one with the right intention within his heart, yet many call him foolish for what he’s trying to do.
The new Golden Valley
After the king’s forced abdication, the people have decided that they no longer want a system with a single person ruling over everyone else, as that has lead them to almost getting into a war with their greatest ally. As such, the people have decided to put a council in charge, one consisting of the most powerful guilds and elected representatives, one for each region of the city. They called it the „People's Council“. This council rules over the city and has reverted all the laws imposed by the previous kings, bringing freedom to the city. Alongside this, with a vote that was won with by a single point, taxes on all individuals were completely abolished as they once were, lowering the Subsitence dependance to mere ~1%, as everyone but very few are now able to afford everything they need. After a recent breakthough by one of the dwarven researchers, an efficient way to grow mushrooms within the granite mountain soil was discovered, and as such, the city is experimenting with growing it’s own food within the mines... yet, a serious issue would present itself. The Arakkazir Partisans, an insurgency from the King's Refuge have started terrorizing the local populace, and as such, no real scientific progress can be made. No progress whatsoever can be made in fact, as only the essential parts of the city are functioning whilst the people spend most of their time at home in fear.
The Arakkazir Partisans
Something that no dwarf was prepared for was the partisan operations that took place shortly after the king was exiled. Whilst the nation was full of promise, freedom and hope, it would all be shattered as families were torn apart, people murdered and stolen from. It all started with granaries being lit up on fire and raids being executed on some of the high ranking government officials. No one knew what was happening, but after some time, one thing became clear: It was not going to stop. Martial law was declared, several guards could be seen at every corner of the street, chaos present everywhere one would look, not one person dared to walk the streets in fear of being killed either by the partisans, or anxious guards. This situation would eventually become more stable with the government putting more and more security measures in place to ensure the safety of its people, but it still remains far from actually stable. This is about the time we find ourselves in right now. Guards everywhere you look, streets being empty despite the densely populated city simply due to fear, occasional destruction, may it be from explosions or fire. Whilst the city used to be a thriving economic center just a few years prior, it remains highly stagnant nowadays. Trade still takes place, as that is the only stable source of food, but every single ship that comes and goes is throughoughly checked, as well as the ports being more heavily guarded than military checkpoints.
Last newspapers article by "A Free Worker" studio before state censorship was introduced as a way to contain public dissent
#1694 Vol. 104 No. 4
By Krazarak Longbeard
In continuation of recent events, yet another explosion has occured. This time at the royal port, where unsuspecting workers were struck by a hidden explosive which has left 27 dead and 68 more injured, as well as leaving a major port inoperable for the forseeable future. The people are struck by how someone could sneak in through such tight security, and the council is once again trying to convince everyone that things are under control. More workers have gone on strike, demanding for the government to take action and invade the Kingss Refuge, who is believed to be responsible. These strikes were swiftly dealt with using force, although the people involved were promised better working conditions, something completely unrelated to the real issue at hand. The future of our city remains uncertain, but one thing is clear, things cannot continue this way. The people demand action, whilst the government strives further and further into authoritarianism, the very thing we fought against years prior!
#1854 Vol. 74 No. 2
By Gruzzon Goldenbelt
Once again, another one of our workers has saved the lives of many and helped our nation further recover from the damages commited by the terrorist cells. Thanks to him, we've caught a lead and captured several insurgents, whom are all being humanly interrogated to get more information about all future operations. We thank the government and their recent policies for this turn of events. If it weren't for their ability to react so quickly, who knows what damages might have been done to the common people of our precious Valley! Remember, it is your devotion to our cause that holds this nation together!
A Free Worker
---------------------------------------------
Another explosion in the royal port
"Everything is under control" - Greygore Deepminer, speaker for military affairs and national sovereignty of the Peoples Council
By Krazarak Longbeard
In continuation of recent events, yet another explosion has occured. This time at the royal port, where unsuspecting workers were struck by a hidden explosive which has left 27 dead and 68 more injured, as well as leaving a major port inoperable for the forseeable future. The people are struck by how someone could sneak in through such tight security, and the council is once again trying to convince everyone that things are under control. More workers have gone on strike, demanding for the government to take action and invade the Kingss Refuge, who is believed to be responsible. These strikes were swiftly dealt with using force, although the people involved were promised better working conditions, something completely unrelated to the real issue at hand. The future of our city remains uncertain, but one thing is clear, things cannot continue this way. The people demand action, whilst the government strives further and further into authoritarianism, the very thing we fought against years prior!
Last newspapers article by "A Free Worker" studio AFTER state censorship was introduced
#1854 Vol. 74 No. 2
A Free Worker
---------------------------------------------
Explosion Prevented By A Brave Worker
"Our workers have once again showed supreme excellence and showed their devotion to the cause" - Greygore Deepminer, speaker for military affairs and national sovereignty of the Peoples Council
By Gruzzon Goldenbelt
Once again, another one of our workers has saved the lives of many and helped our nation further recover from the damages commited by the terrorist cells. Thanks to him, we've caught a lead and captured several insurgents, whom are all being humanly interrogated to get more information about all future operations. We thank the government and their recent policies for this turn of events. If it weren't for their ability to react so quickly, who knows what damages might have been done to the common people of our precious Valley! Remember, it is your devotion to our cause that holds this nation together!
Type
Metropolis
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