Editing Drakkengarde (section)

==History==
Drakkengarde was originally constructed by hill dwarves as a natural port for export of stone, metal and gem works; the buildings in Old Town are mostly constructed of granite, marble, and slate. Given the prevalence of orcs and giants, in addition to the very real threat of attacks from the [[Dragon Lands]] in the city's early days, the city was built to withstand assaults.

When the [[Champions of the Dawn]] established the kingdom of Orodeth in [[Calendar#Year 2291|2291]], the merchants and nobles of Drakkengarde and [[Northeron]] anticipated a significant increase in trade. To take advantage of this, they formed a loose coalition in order to intercede with their new kings and ensure financially favorable policies. This coalition persisted even when the Champions' bickering led to the [[War of the Dawn]], and when the war ended in [[Calendar#Year 2318|2318]] with the mutual destruction of the last of the Champions of the Dawn and their armies, the Mercantile Alliance swiftly moved to take official control of the region. The citizens of Orodeth gladly accepted their rule, as the Alliance not only promised stability and prosperity after years of warfare but had proven their effectiveness during the war. It was decided that Northeron and Drakkengarde would serve as dual capitals, with official meetings moving between the two cities.

In [[Calendar#Year 2964|2964]], the weather in Orodeth began to grow chaotic and unpredictable. Earthquakes became more frequent, as did attacks by monsters. An adventuring group known as [[Drake's Company]] determined that four elemental cults were behind these disturbances, and reported this to the leaders of Drakkengarde. Unfortunately, Drake's Company was stymied by local bureaucracy. In addition, many whom they spoke to were hesitant to put resources towards fighting what they saw as a minor threat--and one they saw little direct profit in--and trusted Drake's Company to do what needed to be done on their own. Less than a month later, the [[Cult of the Black Earth]] and the [[Cult of the Crushing Wave]] summoned the [[primordial]]s [[Ogrémoch]] and [[Olhydra]] into the Material Plane. The clash between these two beings created a series of cataclysmic earthquakes that caused what would be known as the [[Shattering of Orodeth]]. The western half of Drakkengarde was utterly destroyed as the very land it was built upon crumbled beneath the waves. The eastern half fared little better, the ground dropping below sea level before tidal waves swept through the city. Though the sturdy, dwarven-made builings mostly survived, the vast majority if the city's inhabitants perished, including the entire ruling body of the Mercantile Alliance. Most of the survivors fled soon after.

Soon after the city's destruction, treasure hunters and salvage ships began weighing anchor as they searched for the city's riches that had been scattered beneath the sea. Conflict was common, and many ships were sunk when fighting broke out, adding to the illicit underwater bounty. Eventually, a group of pirates known as the [[Crimson Fleet]] arrived. Under the leadership of the Pirate Queen, they swiftly began imposing order, at the point of their swords. Laying claim to the much of the mouth of the [[Shattered Sea]], any salvage ships must now pay for the privilege of searching, as well as a portion of their find. Recently, the Crimson Fleet has also begun exacting tribute from ships merely seeking to pass through their waters.

===Drakkengarde before the Shattering===
Prior to the Shattering Drakkengarde could actually be considered two cities, one on either side of the nearly three-mile-wide mouth of the Belsimar Strait.  The western half was established after the War of the Dawn as the Mercantile Alliance expanded its reach. The buildings were primarily of human construction, and of varied and frequently modern styles. High levels of ornamentation were not uncommon. This half of the city was completely obliterated in the Shattering, though treasures and other artifacts from the doomed city can still be found by those willing and able to search the sea floor. 

Drakkengarde was an important point of international trade, resulting in a cosmopolitan population that was a blend of different races, cultures, and nationalities. Major temples were built to [[Zilchus]] (in the western city) and [[Moradin]] (in the eastern city), though there were several smaller temples to other gods (such as [[Bahamut]]) throughout both sides of the city as well.

The city was governed entirely by the Mercantile Alliance, and served as their seat of governance for the entire realm of Orodeth. Representatives from all of Drakkengarde's major guilds (jewelers, smiths, shipwrights, masons, and textiles) were once active within the Mercantile Alliance, with a variety of more minor guilds having varying degrees of influence as well. While there were no export taxes, import taxes were high. Though the Mercantile Alliance made it a crime to bribe officials, they were not uncommon; one simply had to learn which officials could be bribed.

Drakkengarde also maintained an elite unit of griffon riders, whose mounts were descended from those the dwarven founders bred to fight off dragons. As attacks on the city were considerably more rare than they were in its earlier days, a larger portion of these riders were relegated to more bureaucratic tasks such as visiting ships to inspect cargo manifests and collecting import taxes.

[[Category:Orodeth]]
[[Category:Cities]]