Glimmerdeep

• Species breakdown:
• ~40% molten dwarves (primary miners, tunnel architects, gem appraisers)
• ~30% kobolds (experts in tight-quarters excavation and gem retrieval)
• ~15% flame elves (mainly rune-artisans, jewel enchanters, settlement leaders)
• ~10% fire genasi (leyline prospectors, arcane engineers)
• ~5% other (salamanders managing subterranean steam flows, occasional dragonborn guards, ember sprites)
• Wealth classes:
  A small, extremely wealthy circle of gem magnates and rune consortium heads dominate commerce. Skilled lapidarists and rune-setters form the solid middle class, while miners, stone haulers, and tunnel laborers make up the majority.
• Professions:
  Gem mining, cutting, rune embedding, arcane crystal resonance tuning, alchemical treatment of raw stones, guiding and guarding gemstone caravans.

Run by a council known as the Gemspire Conclave, composed of the heads of the major gem and rune houses. A representative from Ignis’s court — often a trusted flame elf warden — acts as the Sovereign’s direct voice. Laws focus heavily on mining rights, gem authenticity, trade standards, and protection of leyline nodes.

Taxes are primarily levied on gem exports, rune service contracts, and the licensing of mining claims.

• Portcullised tunnel gates reinforced with obsidian and laced with defensive rune arrays.
• Watch posts at key cavern junctions, manned by squads trained to collapse tunnels if threatened.
• Ley shields — anchored crystal formations that can be activated to create temporary arcane barriers.
• Patrols of rune-armored guardians supported by tamed cave drakes.

The settlement’s wealth revolves around:

• Mining and cutting high-grade gems and pyrestones.
• Embedding runes into crystals for energy storage, magical foci, and advanced enchantments.
• Refining raw crystal into arcane conductors sold throughout Embergarde and beyond.

Exports include cut gems, rune-charged crystal cores, and specialty items like gem-latticed spell lenses. Imports include food, luxury cloths, specialty metals for mountings, and religious iconography from Emberforge.

• Extensive steam lift systems that shuttle ore carts and workers between vertical shafts.
• Leyline channels embedded into the ground that help regulate magical energy surges.
• Natural underground springs redirected into cisterns and cleansing pools.
• Public plazas set into crystal grottos, often humming with faint energy.

• The Facet Halls: Primary residential and artisan areas, filled with gem-cutting shops and training chambers.
• Glowspire Market: Main trading floor where raw gems, cut stones, and enchanted jewelry change hands.
• Rune Caverns: Deep workshops where advanced rune-latticing takes place under tight guard.
• Twilight Grottos: Quiet retreat zones filled with phosphorescent mosses and small shrines to Aurenos, popular for meditation and low-level spell practice.
• Outer Warrens: Narrow passages near recent dig fronts, often home to kobold and lower caste miner clans.

Includes enormous communal vaults holding raw and cut gemstones, ley-stabilizing node chambers, and caches of rune-encrusted weapons reserved for settlement defense.

• Veined Brotherhood: Has a major branch here, regulating gem claim disputes and labor conditions.
• The Order of the First Thought: Operates crystal sanctums for research and certification of magical gems.
• Glowhand Syndicate: A looser coalition of jewel merchants who wield strong influence over trade pricing.

• The Heartstone Plaza: A vast cavern illuminated by a single colossal gem that hums with stored ley energy.
• Mirrorlight Galleries: Shops and display halls showing masterwork rune-embedded jewelry.
• The Resonance Chamber: A sacred hall of the Order of the First Thought used to calibrate and bless leyline attunements.

Draws wealthy collectors, wizards seeking specialized spell foci, and pilgrims to the resonance sites maintained by the Order. High-end inns near the Glowspire Market cater to such guests with lavish gem-inlaid architecture.

Built almost entirely within natural and expanded caverns, with walls often left rough to show off crystal veins. Doors and structural reinforcements are made from dark iron accented with gem studs. Public halls feature vaulted ceilings dripping with stalactites that catch and scatter enchanted light.

Located deep within the Ember Range beneath layers of basalt and granite. Naturally occurring gem seams and geothermal pockets define the settlement’s boundaries. Some side tunnels open into breathtaking subterranean lakes.

Warm to hot underground environment regulated by geothermal vents. Slight humidity from underground springs. Stable year-round temperature with occasional ley surges that can cause flickers of light and warmth.

Rich deposits of pyrestone, quartz, luminous crystals, and gem-quality minerals ideal for rune embedding and arcane focus crafting.