The Great Crag is the capital of Droaam and the seat of power of the Daughters of Sora Kell. It is a swift-growing but recently-established city, though many hands work tirelessly day and night to ensure that one day it will be counted as one of the greatest settlements of Khorvaire.[1][2][3]
Geography[]
The Great Crag is built in and around a large mountain jutting up from an otherwise flat landscape at the very center of Droaam. The hags' court can be found mostly inside of the mountain proper; however, the Crag's population outstrips its size, and so many of its citizens have either moved into the ruins that surround it or have built barracks, houses, and hovels amid them. One trade route brings goods from Breland and Graywall into the city by road.[1][2]
Trade[]
As the Great Crag is still a growing city, many of its services are limited despite its size. House Tharashk is the only dragonmarked house with a presence in the city.[3] The city's markets sell foreign goods imported from Graywall, as well as local creations. Weapons, pit-fighters and mercenaries, and medusa stonework are the primary goods from Great Crag.[1][2]
Defenses[]
Order in Great Crag is kept by Sora Maenya's elite trolls, supplemented by gnoll mercenaries.[1]
History[]
During the time of the Dhakaani Empire, a great Dhakaani metropolis occupied the plains surrounding the Great Crag. In that time, the mountain did not have its current form, and might not have been a mountain yet at all; according to legend, it was torn out of the ground during the daelkyr war, scattering the city across the surrounding plain. Since then the site was shunned by the inhabitants of Droaam, who believed the ruins to be cursed. Ancient passages dating from this time still honeycomb the mountain, and goblin ruins dot the fertile plains that surround it.[1][2]
The Daughters of Sora Kell were unafraid of these rumors when they appeared in 986 YK and made the mountain the base for their new capital of Droaam. Since then, the city has grown exponentially as monsters flock to the hags' banner, its total population now numbering among those of the other great metropolises.[1][2]
Architecture[]
Great Crag has a variety of different architectural styles, ranging from perfectly restored Dhakaani architecture to sophisticated medusa stonework to rough ogre constructions and temporary structures. The city's architecture reflects the variety of different inhabitants. Harpy roosts dot the mountainside, ogre laborers erect sturdy but rough structures and Znir Pact barracks stand side by side with the hovels housing thousands of goblin squatters. As the Great Crag is still growing, many citizens live in tents until more permanent homes can be built for them.[1][2]
Notable Locations[]
- Court of the Hags: The inside of the Great Crag is used mostly by the Daughters of Sora Kell, warlords staying at or visiting the court, foreign ambassadors, guards, and the servants who serve all of them. Most of Droaam's citizens can see in the dark, so there are no sources of light inside of the tunnel. Foreign dignitaries are dependent completely upon torches and guides to find their way, no doubt a tactic by the hags to put them ill at ease and so gain an advantage during negotiations. The chambers of the top warlords and the hags offer some comforts, but the rest of the rooms and tunnels are quite bare.[1]
- The Arena: The arena is the greatest source for spectacle and entertainment within the Great Crag. It is absolutely massive in order to best accommodate the Crag's large (in more ways than one) population. Races, gladiatorial combat, and blood sports of all kinds are performed here at almost all hours of the day and night. The arena also serves as an execution ground, as well as a training facility for Droaam's guards and mercenary forces.[1]
- The Ossuary: The statues of the city's original inhabitants have not been smashed, but have all been gathered in one ancient Dhakaani building: the ossuary. Here the remains of an entire city (and, somehow, a hydra too big to fit through the gates) slumber, souls trapped in their petrified bodies. Even after thousands of years it is still possible to return one of the statues to life (provided it is whole and unbroken), but long, long years of imprisonment have twisted their minds so that few are willing to try.
- House Tharashk Enclave: House Tharashk is the only foreign power to maintain an outpost within the town, though the one in Graywall is likely more important to their operations.[1][2]
- Various temples to the Shadow, the Mockery and others of the Dark Six pantheon.[1][2]
Appendix[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Keith Baker, Bill Slavicsek, & James Wyatt (2004). Eberron Campaign Setting. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 168. ISBN 0-7869-3274-0.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 James Wyatt and Keith Baker (2009). Eberron Campaign Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 124–125. ISBN 0-7869-5099-4.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Keith Baker, Jeremy Crawford, & James Wyatt (2019). Eberron: Rising from the Last War. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 114. ISBN 0786966890.
Connections[]
| Cities of Droaam |
|---|
| Cazhaak Draal · Graywall · Graywall Outpost · Great Crag · Grimstone Keep · Karthoon Tor · Lost · Mordain's Hall Shaarat Kol · Stonejaw Keep · Suthar Draal · Thrakelorn · Turakbar's Fist · Tzaryan Keep · Vralkek · Znir |