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The City has a long and romantic history. It has existed seemingly forever, beyond any memory, written or living. It has also been, and it always will be.

The origins of the City are shrouded in the mists of time. No-one knows how it came to be, or even its name. To its inhabitants, its allies, and its enemies it is known simply as 'The City'.

In all likelihood the City began as a small village situated on the legendary site of the Lost City, Karath-Din. Karath-Din, the buried city of Precursors, was reputed to be almost a utopia to those that lived there. Ruled by a hereditary emperor, who presided over a caste-ridden society of magicians and scientists, it was the centre of trade for the entire region, and the Precursors were known as kind and just people. However, an unknown disaster occurred that resulted in the disappearance of Karath-Din. Evidence found during the Keeper expeditions indicates the city was buried in a series of rock falls and earth movements, which caused the emergence of deep fissures and tectonic vents. The cause of the lack of human remains is controversial, but the most likely explanation is that volcanic activity alerted the Precursors to the impeding misfortune, allowing most of them to flee. The cause of these rock falls, in this tectonically passive region, is unknown - the presence of fire elementals suggests the involvement of the Trickster in Karath-Din's fall, while some allege the Precursors began to meddle with magic, particularly necromancy, and where destroyed by it.

The village that grew into the City was probably started by treasure seekers or looters, drawn to the area by the tales of treasures discovered in the ground. It must have been a small place, threatened by both enemies and the minions of the Trickster. As the inhabitants sat around their fires in the dead of night the darkness must have seemed alive, their fears multiplied by the black shield that contained horrors both known and unknown. It is from these early days that many of the City's legends date, the myths of talking apes wielding swords, of huge crayfish, with pincers for arms, and spiders that can entrap a man with their gaze. Due to the nature of the settlers, it would have been a rough, lawless place, where the weakest were crushed and only the strongest survived.

Gradually, a clear power structure emerged in the village that was to become the City. In a system that was a model of feudal obligation, power was concentrated in the hands of a hereditary ruler with the title of the Baron. He was supported by a retinue of lords, who formed the early nobility of the City. They owned the vital farmland surrounding the City, as well as important archeological or treasure sites where Precursor artefacts were occasionally found. Tenants farmed the land, dug at these sites, and paid their dues and rents to the lords. Those who did not become lords became the first of the City's Wardens - the master criminals who extorted money from their 'wards' to protect them from others.

The City grew, as more people flocked to join those already there. The area they settled is the part of the City known now as the Old Quarter. The river was a valuable source of water and conduit for sewage, as well as allowing easy access to the rich fishing grounds of the nearby sea. Being situated at the lowest bridging point, the City also benefited from tolls charged on travellers - the revenues went to the Baron, who was expected to maintain the City with them and the revenues from his own holdings of land. Tolls and taxes paid for the construction of a wall around the Old Quarter, which protected it against brigands in the surrounding country, and was a valued symbol of the City's increasing prestige.

The growth of the neighbouring cities of Cyric, Bohn and Blackbrook encouraged the emergence of trade, helped by the proximity of the City to the sea. The City spread out and surrounded the river where it enters the sea, founding the districts of the Docks, Dayport and Eastport. Fishing became a valued source of food, and the increasing importance of trade led to the gradual emergence of a small, elitist bourgeoisie. It is known that the Order of the Hammer was resident in the City - their characteristic building style dominates much of the architecture in these early districts, and certainly the sewage and power units in this part of the City are far different to any of the later additions.

The district known as Dayport is so called because of the presence within it of the Bonehoard. An ancient burial ground, the huge caverns of this mausoleum are reputed to reach far underground. At one point it was in great use, and many of the early nobles of the city have their tombs there. The Hammers are said to have tombs there that contain the golden bones of their prophet. However, after a time it fell into disrepair, the undertakers, stonemasons and craftsmen refusing to go down there, saying it was the haunt of huge lizards whose breath burnt stone with the force of acid. This was ignored until several of these burricks found their way to the surface, when the Bonehoard was then walled up. The burricks thrived in captivity, and are now widely used as beasts of burden, when tame, or even as pets. The district was given its name due to the fact that men refused to work there at night, for fear of what the Bonehoard might contain. Rumours of fabulous treasures there persist, but few dare to venture into the great crypt.

The City grew further; the new district of Stonemarket, still a major trading post, caused a surge in the City's importance in the region. The increasing urban sprawl began to take up more and more of the fertile floodplain, and farms were increasingly forced onto the less fertile regions around the mountains. Food shortages were occurred but were infrequent, and the ready availability of food from neighbouring cities meant that little action was taken to ensure a domestic agricultural industry. However, the flow of money into the City increased continuously, and a vocal merchant class began to gain power in the affairs of the City. They demanded representation in administration in government, and a say in the affairs of state.

The Baron was caught in an impossible situation - he was dependent on the tariffs and customs duties levied on the merchants' goods for his own revenues, and the same merchants that he taxed to remain in power were now demanding a share of that power. They were also threatening the supremacy of the nobility, upon whom the Baron relied to administer and control the individual districts of the City. The merchants could wield disproportionate amounts of influence, due to their status as the controllers of the City's most important industry.

The solution the Baron found was brutal and extreme, but also admirable in its cunning. The most vocal of the merchants were imprisoned or exiled, and their businesses turned over to nobles loyal to him. Less vocal, but still voluble, merchants were ennobled as a bribe in return for an end to their demands. As a means of satisfying them, a City Council was created that gave them limited power over internal City matters, but none over important issues such as finance, administration or foreign affairs.

The stratagem was successful, silencing the dissenting critics with a minimum of bloodshed, and ensuring that the Baron remained as the undisputed ruler of the City. In a further stroke of brilliance, the Baron embraced the Order of the Hammer. Opinion is divided over whether his motives were genuine or mercenary. Whatever the cause, the effects were gratifying for both the Baron and the City. Although many questioned the wisdom of the move, the critics were silenced as the full benefits of the Baron's move burst onto the City. From being a relatively minor religion possessing power only amongst the faithful, the Order grew in size and stature as it became more involved in the affairs of the City. Hammerite technologies created sewers and power cables that revolutionised the urban infrastructure, and created a boom as living standards rose and buildings spread out over former farmland. Frequent blackouts from unreliable technologies were problematic, but soon solved by the introduction of maintenance cells in Public Works stations in strategic locations around the City. Because of their potential for misuse, the keys to such cells were entrusted to the Baron's police force, and later to the City Guard.

The districts of Hightowne, Downtowne, South Quarter and North Quarter grew onto the fertile flood plains as Hammerite sewers and streets spread out from the core districts. Hightowne became the richest and most exclusive district of the City, as the rich moved away from the Old Quarter with its decaying buildings and increasing industry. The buildings in these districts were built in what has become known as the 'Neo-Classical' style, a style based on the architecture predominant during the foundation of the City.

The Baron's embracement of the Order of the Hammer led to a great upsurge in the number of acolytes to the Order, which expanded greatly and began to build temples throughout many parts of the City. Hammerite patrols began to police the City, in addition to the patrols of the Baron's own police force. City laws and statures were altered to conform with moderate Hammerite practice, and suspects arrested by the Hammerites were turned over to secular courts to be tried by judges and magistrates appointed by the Baron from amongst the nobility. Eventually, numbers grew to a point where the upper orders of the Hammerite clergy felt that they required a building worthy of the size and prestige of their order. Construction began on a great cathedral in the Old Quarter, still the district that was the focus of society in the City.

Intended to be a statement and symbol as well as a place of worship, the new cathedral was a vast construction. Consisting of a massive nave with small ancillary buildings behind it, it was approached by several broad flights of stairs that were intended to induce a sense of awe in all who came before it. As its popularity increased the ancillary buildings were torn down, and the St. Yora's Dormitories built to house the increasing numbers of resident priests. A cloister connected it to the Cathedral proper.

However, this blissful state of tranquillity was not to last. The Baron passed away, and was succeeded by his son after a power struggle that almost led to civil war. The Baron's son was not a devout Hammerite, and the Order had supported the accession of the Baron's brother to power. The struggle split the nobility, and political conflict sometimes spilled over into the streets. Upon his enthronement, the Baron's son made a concerted attempt to destroy the power of the Hammerites, whom he felt represented the greatest threat to his rule. Blind to the benefits that they had brought, the Baron captured and executed the upper orders of the Hammerite clergy, and set his private police force - effectively the City's army - upon the rank and file of the Order. Hammerite watchmen were chased and slaughtered, while temples were desecrated and razed to the ground.

The Hammers were eventually forced into a desperate last-ditch defence at their new Cathedral. Whereas before the Hammerites had manufactured their trademark sledgehammers in locations around the City, they were now forced to manufacture them within the compound. Temporary shacks were constructed to manufacture the weapons, and a cemetery consecrated for the burial of the dead. Arms and armour were stockpiled in anticipation of the final fight.

This final fight never came, due an event unprecedented in the contemporary history of the City. The former Baron's brother, with the aid of some of the nobility, overthrew his own nephew and was installed in his place. A practising Hammerite, he immediately ended the siege of the Cathedral, and ordered the immediate execution of all nobles who had aided it. The siege was ended, and the Hammers were free to preach again.

But it proved impossible to return to the peaceful years that had gone before. The Hammers had been traumatised by their experience, and because they possessed no established leaders were in no position to regain their former power and influence. Hammerite policy became intensely introspective, as theologians explained their misfortune as a sign of the corruption amongst the Order. Purgings ensued, and the Hammers concentrated on routing out heresy within themselves and ensuring that they could never be overpowered again. The temporary shacks in the Cathedral grounds were replaced by the fine stone building of St. Tenors, which contained smelting machinery and thus the potential to produce weaponry for the defence of the Order.

The withdrawal of the Hammerites from public life caused a grave crisis. Formerly they had operated the pumps and machinery that had allowed the City to grow and expand. Now, parts of the infrastructure lay in ruin, and there was no one to operate or repair the vital components of the City. The new Baron established a Department of Public Works, with the brief to repair, maintain and operate the infrastructure of the City. Technicians were trained from scratch, and within a few years the sewers and power grids had been largely repaired.

The additional expense of the Department, together with the necessity to repair damage and maintain a police force, proved too much for the revenues being collected on imports and exports, and occasional subsidies levied by the Baron. A Census Bureau was established to ascertain the wealth of citizens for taxation. Taxes could now be levelled on income as well as goods, greatly increasing revenues as well as civil discontent. The Bureau completed its task, but was retained as an instrument of administration and cartography for a system becoming increasingly dependent on records and files.

A further change that the Baron made was to alter the judicial system. Citizens had become increasingly angry at its harmonisation with Hammerite law, which was stricter and less forgiving. In order to reduce discontent, the Baron relaxed many statures, and reduced the rights of the Hammers to arrest and try suspects.

The Hammerites, more orthodox and extreme after their ordeal, were outraged by this apparent betrayal of their beliefs. Although greatly reduced in numbers, they were still capable of causing a great deal of damage, and the Baron was anxious to avoid any further civil disorder. In the end, an agreement was completed between him and the order. Secular laws could be laxed without protest, so long as the Hammers retained the right to arrest criminals and incarcerate them, subject to the approval of the City Council.

Now that the Hammerites had obtained the right to incarcerate criminals, they required a place in which to do so. As a result, Cragscleft Prison came into being. Work began soon after the agreement, in a disused and worked-out quarry in the Esse range of mountains outside of the City. Former dormitories, offices and storage rooms were renovated or rebuilt into blocks of cells. Remotely operated gates were fitted, together with a power system to allow their operation. The first prisoners were used to renovate the old mines below the gaol, and begin the construction of a new series of levels. Construction was delayed, and then halted, by strange occurrences that eventually led to the disappearance of several criminals, their subsequent reappearance as undead creatures, and the resulting abandonment of the project.

The policies of the Baron and his successors ensured that the growth of the City continued for many years, and that new houses and industry sprung up in the districts of Undermarket, Newmarket, and Shalebridge. Trade grew in scale and importance, as did the middle classes of the City. Strategic ennoblement and expulsion by a series of Barons ensured that the status quo was not disturbed, and that the City maintained an essentially feudal social structure. However, problems that would dog the City in later years began to rear their heads at this time. The population and urban growth meant that less and less farmland was available for agriculture, and that increasing amounts had to be imported from neighbouring cities. Additionally, the increase in prosperity and trade led to new types of crime. Pirates emerged for the first time, as did powerful Wardens and allied guilds. The policy of ennoblement, although successful in preventing too much unrest amongst the middle classes, began to annoy the nobility. In order to provide districts for the lords to administer - the definition of a lord was a noble man who had control over an area of land - districts were trimmed and subdivided to provide new districts for these new lords to administer. This, understandably, was not popular with the established nobility, but the problem was lessened by the Barons' policy of allowing the nobles to squabble amongst themselves so that they did not turn on the Barons.

The increasing prosperity also caused another problem with which the City has become all too familiar: that of slums. Attracted by the lure of coin, immigrants poured in from the surrounding countryside, and a shortage of cheap housing meant that these migrants were forced to build their own shanty towns. Because the City refused entry to these migrants, fearing that they would turn to crime or else become a burden, a whole district grew up along the main approach to the City as rejected migrants decamped and attempted to enter the City. With no sanitation or infrastructure other than the nearby river, the new district of Wayside soon became the haunt of criminals, prostitutes and other unsavoury elements.

Soon after this, prosperity again increased dramatically as gold was discovered in the Western Forest. Entrepreneurs, attempting to clear land for the purposes of agriculture, found gold nuggets and gold dust in the streams of the area. Soon vast groups of prospectors began making their way to the Forest, building shantytowns reminiscent of the early days of the City. The extra gold entering the City began to cause massive inflation that drove up the price of basics such as meats and greens. However, it was soon found that the gold reserves were nothing like what they had first seemed, and the City went into recession almost as fast as it had boomed.

The Baron of the time, alarmed at the recession that was threatening trade revenues and general prosperity, engaged in a building program intended to provide jobs for the unemployed, thus keeping discontent at a minimum, and also glorify the City. The large district of New Quarter was built, plumbed and powered by the Department of Public Works, who extended the sewers and power lines beyond even the boundaries of the new district in anticipation of increased urban development.

However, this was not to be. Over the years the Hammerites had gradually regained power and influence, especially amongst the lower classes of the population. In a move coinciding with an increase in street crime, the Hammers began once again to send out extensive patrols of night watchmen. The Baron felt threatened by this display of Hammerite force, and implemented a policy intended to counter this emerging threat. A Department of City Guard was established, comprising the Baron's private army that had struggled to maintain order while the Hammers had retreated from public life. Control of the new Department was vested in the Baron, a Commissioner chosen from amongst the nobles organised the Guard, and elected Sheriffs directed the effort in individual districts. The establishment of the institution was understandable, but its effects were unfortunate. The large numbers of districts - both large and very small - meant that the efforts of the new City Guard were fragmented and ineffectual, while the Sheriffs proved amenable to bribery and corruption. Even worse, many people saw the City Guard as an effort to more closely control them, and so resented the institution.

However, the City Guard was intended to serve as both a police force and an army. Previously, the Baron had been forced to rely on a motley private army and the private armies of the nobles, who were bound by feudal obligation to support him. This system had resulted in a feeble fighting force, with no clear chain of command, non-standardised weaponry, and also the existence of private armies within the City confines - a threat to the Baron. The new force was intended to act as an army in times of conflict, with standardised weapons and armour, in a force loyal to the Baron.

The abilities of the City Guard were soon to be put to the test. Digging in the Eastern Forest had discovered no gold, but instead vast reserves of coal and iron ore. With little native heavy industry, beyond what the Hammers had set up, this was exported at low prices to neighbouring city-states. This was in direct competition with the city of Blackbrook, who had previously had a monopoly on coal production. The coal the City sold undercut prices in Blackbrook, and led to a dramatic fall in that city's income. They decided to take action, and a military expedition was sent to occupy and annex the coal-rich regions within the City's domain. The City Guard marched out to meet them.

The ensuing engagement was inconclusive, with both sides suffering grievously. The City possessed an advantage in numbers, but Blackbrook had fielded a proper army of cavalry, archers and infantry that had driven through the lines of the City guard, and only been stopped by a last-minute attack from the Shoalsgate City Guard contingent. Both sides had retreated to lick their wounds and recuperate, and also to take stock.

In the case of the City, the situational analysis was not good. The City had solely won by massive strength of numbers, and even then it had been a close call. The fighting had been disorganised, with the large numbers of individual contingents obeying only their Sheriffs, who had little idea of the tactics of war. Moreover, while the police force had been away, crime had risen dramatically in the City, as had the power and influence of the Hammers. The Baron was forced to adopt a new strategy - the formation of a proper, standing army.

The City Army was developed in a remarkably short space of time, considering the problems then facing the City of a hostile army at the border, a demoralised militia, and an upsurge in crime and Hammerite influence. Five fighting divisions of men were organised and raised, by conscription of criminals and the unemployed. A clear chain of command was established, and an officer corps developed from amongst the nobles. The Baron remained in control of the City Guard and the new City Army, while a Commissioner-General lead it.

However, events such as the war and the necessity of immediately raising an army lead to another increase in taxes that revenues from coal and iron ore were unable to cover. Civil discontent once again rose, and people began to complain of the avaricious nature of the Baron. After several years the complaints turned to cheers as the new City Army pushed back Blackbrook in a notable series of victories, and eventually forced a reluctant and humiliating peace upon them. The Baron, secure in the adulation of the crowds, was able to organise an assault on organised crime that was to threaten the City Wardens, and lead to the beginning of what was to be known in later years as the 'Golden Age'.

Spurred by the ready availability of coal and iron ore, and aided by the gradual diffusion of Hammerite technologies into general circulation, heavy industry began to grow in the City. Iron foundries and blast furnaces sprang up all over the City's remaining farmland, and settlements began to grow around them. The iron and steel produced was increasingly used in other heavy industries, especially for renovation of the City's infrastructure and new building work. The City became the centre of industry in the region, turning out sewer pumps and machinery, power systems, and control mechanisms that were exported for a huge profit to other cities in the land. The growth of the City as an industrial power gave it huge wealth that was used for grandiose building projects, and enabled new and exotic luxuries to flow into it. Trade received a large boost from the new industry, as well as from the final, belated introduction of a standardised and universal coinage. However, the gradual disappearance of most of the City's farmland under brick and stone became a source of worry to the Baron and the City Council, as the City became more and more dependent on food imported from potentially hostile cities. A moratorium on development was announced, and eventually extended to a positive ban on urban development beyond the contemporary city limits. Renovation, rather than expansion, became the new emphasis, and housing densities became higher and higher. To even have a small garden became a sign of wealth and status, and only the very wealthy could afford the land for a garden in which to grow flowers and fresh vegetables.

However, this Golden Age was only to last for so long. The Hammerites had lost their monopoly on machinery and technology, and felt their influence declining as a result. They tried, in vain, to boost flagging interests and applications, becoming desperate as their numbers fell and the great Hammerite Cathedral became empty. Eventually, they tried a tactic that was to be their downfall. Somehow, somewhere, the Hammers had discovered the Eye; the gemstone gifted with necromantic and anarchic powers. They brought it to the Hammerite Cathedral, in an attempt to subvert its power for the benefit of their order.

Unfortunately, the attempt failed. The Eye overpowered the minds of its guardians, and transformed them into the undead. These macabre creations proceeded to slaughter the sleeping inhabitants of the Cathedral, with the exception of Brother Martello, who escaped to the bell tower and proceeded to alert the surrounding area to the situation by ringing the great cathedral bell.

Awoken by the clamour, the people tried, in vain, to halt the undead as they burst from the Cathedral grounds and spread out into the City. People who were killed arose as zombies, impervious to the swords and arrows of a desperate populace. The fighting spread along Cathedral Street and Auldale Street, despite the attempts to halt the undead by destroying buildings in their path. Eventually they were halted at Rubin Street, where the construction of a barrier was begun. Guarded by contingents of the City Guard, workers struggled to construct a wall capable of resisting the undead. Soon the Barricades were erected, and the contaminated section of the Old Quarter sealed behind stone. It was declared a 'closed area', and entry was forbidden. But the warning proved unnecessary - of those who went back to find family or possessions, few ever returned. We Keepers sealed the Cathedral with the Elemental Talismans, and scattered them to prevent the Cathedral ever being opened except in extreme emergencies. The use of the Elemental Talismans attracted the attention of the Brotherhood of the Hand, who soon took up residence close to the City in order to practice their magic while they tried to find them.

This episode marked the end of the Golden Age. The attack from the undead was a severe blow to the morale of the City, as well as its pride. The Hammerite Cathedral had been a symbol of City honour and majesty - not only the Hammers suffered from its loss. Trade slackened and revenues fell, while the Baron was illogically blamed for not having prevented the attack, or saving the Cathedral.

The Hammerites experienced an upsurge in numbers, as distraught people found sanctuary in their teachings. New temples were built throughout the City, as they spread their teachings once again. The Baron died soon after, and his son became increasingly identified with the Order as his new reign progressed. This was to prove disastrous for the City; Hammerite theology was found to be incompatible with the demands of an economically and industrially advanced urban area. To the approval of the Hammers, but the despair of the merchants and industrialists, the Order regained its monopoly on all things mechanical, including taking over the operation of the City's sewers and power systems and relegating the Department of Public Works to a subsidiary role.

The situation was not to improve in the years ahead. Falling trade and industry profits led to a recession, and an increase in unemployment and civil discontent. The Wardens found rich pickings, and built up their organisations to such a point that they were able to bribe even the Sheriffs and the Commissioner of the City Guard. Street crime increased, as did the Hammerite patrols to counter it. Cragscleft was regularly filled to capacity, and the Hammers were given free rein to arrest and incarcerate whomever they saw fit, in defiance of the secular judiciary.

The Baron's son and grandson did little to reverse the trend. Falling employment and profits led to a severe depression that was not aided by several recent years of drought that ruined domestic agriculture. Prices rose dramatically as supply fell, and more and more food began to be imported from external sources. The populace gradually became angry with both the Baron and the Hammerites for failing to rectify the situation, and for the increasingly draconian measures that the Order was resorting to in order to combat crime. The numbers of the Hammerites gradually fell, as more and more people became disillusioned with them and attempted to make their way in trade and industry. While the nobility retained resident Hammer priests, increasing disillusionment with their falling standard left many receptive to alternative forms of worship.

The Baron eventually came up with a plan intended to boost his flagging popularity. Acting on a spurious pretext, he launched an attack on Blackbrook; the ancient enemy. The initial victories such as those at Castle Morendrum were well received, but, as Blackbrook's armies mobilised, the Baron found it increasingly difficult to remain predominant. A series of abrupt reversals threw back the City Army into the Northern Territories it had occupied, and led to increased taxes that, it was claimed, were to support the Army. In fact they were intended for the Baron's personal gratification, a fact that did not escape many of the population. The move also angered many of the nobles, who, for the first time ever, were expected to contribute both the taxgelt from their district, and also from their own personal holdings.

This brings the History of the City to the present day, at which point the history may only be written after it occurs. The outlook for the City is not good. Increased civil discontent and Hammerite orthodoxy are likely to cause trouble, as are the activities of the Baron. Food prices continue to rise as profits and revenues continue to fall. Crime is again on the increase, and the City Guard is hard pressed to even deal with street crime, riddled as it is by corruption and incompetence. And, of course, the glyphs tell us that the Trickster will soon be making his bid for domination.

Keeper Raputinez

Treatise, 'History of the City'. Keeper Library; City, History of - 4956

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