Dahgweta

The last city of the Degshun to hold out against the Sorcerers Kingdom. The siege to take the city lasted for eleven years before they could no longer holds the gates. Built atop a large plateau it was a difficult city to attack as any position on the plateau could be reached by the siege weapons mounted on large towers inside the walls. The sides of the plateau was high enough moving pre-made siege engines was nearly impossible.

• Name: Last City of the Degs
• Location: Under the Utmarii Plateau

  • Founded: Degs 724 CA
  • Destroyed: 1000 CA
• Holder: none
• Liege: none
• Etymology: none
• Land Area: 6 km² (1,500 acres) [cavern]
• Population: 0
• Military: none

The war began with the Sorcerer Kingdom massing a large army on their shared border, but the next morning they were marching into Degshun. For two years they attacked, looted, and burned every town and village they found. Nothing of value was left behind and the soil salted to deny anything to the defenders if the land was taken.

In the Spring of 989 CA the army surrounded the plateau. For the first months they tried hasty attacks to gain the walls, but the morale of their soldiers broke before they could reach the city's walls. A large group of sorcerers tried a complex spell that killed them and did nothing to the city. The plateau was above a large iron vein causing magic to fail unexpectedly.

in 993 the outer Gatehouse that controlled the only road into the city fell. The defenders collapsed the small tunnel that ran from the city to the gatehouse allowing it to be resupplied. This denied the attackers an easy route into the city, but the army of the Sorcerers Kingdom had control of the road. This allowed them to move into place large siege engines.

In 995 CA when all hoped seemed lost Aegrin and Blackthorn Silverhammer arrived in the city. Although only two people they held off dozens of attackers. They appeared on the wall where the defenders were most hard pressed and threw the Marakii back.

Between 997 and 998 Aegrin, Blackthorn, and some hand-picked soldiers raiding the supply camps of the besieging army. They burned their stores, set fire to their siege engines, and killed anyone of rank they could find. The army of the Sorcerers Kingdom had to pause for three years to rebuild their strength and morale before they could once more push the attack.

In 1000 Aegrin was killed and within weeks the city fell to the besieging army. The attackers looted, raped, and pillaged anything left of value in the city. Over ninety percent (90%) of the population was killed over the following months, very few of them quickly, while the rest were shipped off as slaves. It was another two years before the last of the defenders alive in the city were killed in a final public execution. The remaining soldiers of the Sorcerers Kingdom army left the ruins.

In the Fountainhead arc of the Legacy of Marak campaign the PCs discovered the remains of the city in an impossibly large cavern below Fountainhead. It is a domain claimed by the Mistress of Darkness and populated by ghosts and darkspawn. They found the Tomb of Aegrin beneath the ruins of a small shop.

This mineral spring rises up from under the plateau and was used to feed the fountains found in the city. This provided a source of water for the length of the siege. This spring has been dry since the shelf of Fountainhead burst out from the earth.

When it was on the surface, the climate is moist subtropical receiving 1500-2000 mm of rainfall yearly. There are numerous rivers and streams that cross through near this city with the largest being the Flumen Dei Animas (River of Souls). This large river will often overflow its banks during the winter months. It is deep enough to support shallow-keeled boats and wide enough to permit passing traffic.

The climate inside the cavern is cold and moist. Nearly every surface is wet to the touch with a oily slickness. The water that covers the surface of the ruins is not safe to drink.

when in control by the Degs the city was ruled by a city council chosen by random lots by the priests. Each person wishing to serve put a token into the box and fifteen tokens were pulled out. The council then selected one of their own to serve as chief council. Each councilor was given a single district within the city to represent as determined by the chief council. This enabled the chief to select their supporters for the best districts.

The city was divided into fifteen districts by the church. The inner most was controlled by the chief councilor and overseen by the church. The church then divided the rest of the city by the temples within the city.

Initially the city was nearly one-hundred percent degs, with others only passing through for trade. As nearby lands were conquered by the Marakii refugees reached the city. The city welcomed the first refugees and put them into labor camps. As the refugees grew in number they were forced to turn away any not fit for manual labor.

The final military was comprised of a large-scale militia and armed laborers. The Degs were conquerors in their past, but for over a hundred years before the siege they settled in the city. Before the Marakii began to attack the Degs the only soldiers were the night watch.

The Degs worshiped Techiuan as the provider of the earth. They built thousands of small shrines anywhere they could feel his presence. In the city fifteen temples were constructed. Fourteen of these were dedicated to his hand of earth that brought forth the crops to feed his people. The largest was dedicated to the hunt and is where the city council met.

The city was intolerant to any outside religion although the priests were tolerant of those who worshiped Techiuan in a different way. The priests themselves could never agree on a single way to honor their god.

The plateau itself had rich iron deposits below it and the inhabitants dug many tunnels beneath the city, some of these eventually became the sewers to drain the slop. The land immediately outside the plateau was rich and harvest plentiful. This made the city entirely self-sufficient on crops and herds from nearby locations.

The council set the prices of each market for the goods sold and controlled what could be sold where.