====== The ver Torrun Territories ====== **** ---- {{ :ver_torrun.png?direct&250 |}} ---- **Capital** Rodnograd **Largest City** Rodnograd ---- **Official Languages** Dwarvish ---- **Demonym(s)** Torrun ---- **Government** Guild Republic ---- **Currency** Solar These Dwarven territories encompass the most mountainous region of Solaria, and act as the economic backbone of the Empire, accounting for a plurality of its mining operations and a majority of its industrial capacity. This has been troublesome for the empire as a whole during the civil war, due the the territory's Restorationist beliefs. Its mountainous terrain, as well as the inland sea Zatoplina Dolina that makes up much of its western border, have made it a natural fortress taunting the Emperor from just north of his throne. ===== Between Worlds ===== The residents of the ver Torrun are in a unique position compared to the rest of their country, in several ways. Unlike the rest of the nation, these folk will spend much of their lives underground in major population centers rather than living in a rural village in the sunlight. These territories are also one of the few in Solaria where the industrial revolution brought by the Dryanni Chamber has any foothold. All this lead to the people here living a far more modern life, working in factories and building machines while living in dense cities. But with the old traditions of Solaria still present, with some coded into law, it is often a tug of war between moving into the future and staying in the past. ==== Culture and Demographics ==== Unlike the rest of Solaria, the population of the ver Torrun lands are mostly confined to the cities. While there are outposts and towns scattered throughout the mountains in order to harvest resources, the effort required to carve into the mountains means that growth is most possible within existing population centers. This larger population is made possible by cities that are built under the earth as much as on top of it. While they have no shortage of towering buildings and sun-soaked lands, there is just as much located underground, though beneath the surface the cities tend to become more compact. ==== Politics ==== While nobles have no small amount of power in the Solarian mountains, this power is kept in check far more than in other territories by the guilds that run industry in these lands. Established originally to manage economic practices and affairs, these guilds eventually learned to use their control over the economy of their territories to gain rights and privleges of their own. Their power has only increased during the civil war. As the mountains are surrounded by the hostile ver Hermes territories, the economy of the Dwarven lands has faltered, and if not for the hard work of the guilds it would have collapsed entirely. This effort has translated to a significant increase in political power, enough where the nobility is beginning to fear they have become the lesser powers of their cities. Some believe the nobility may look to restore the balance of power to one more favorable for them, by force if necessary. ===== Major Cities ===== The cities of the ver Torrun territories are some of the most economically important cities in all of Solaria, due to both their raw population sizes as well as their embracing of more modern techniques and tools. ==== Rodnograd ==== The capital of the ver Torrun territories, Rodgnograd is also the largest and most developed cities in this region. As the southernmost and most accessible of the ver Torrun cities, it has also been extensively militarized during the civil war, as an attack from their enemies would certainly strike there first. Rodnograd is also where many of the guilds of the nation are headquartered, sharing the space with the most powerful nobility, resulting in the most cutthroat politics happening here. ==== Vidnorechensk ==== Vidnorechensk is perhaps the most industrialized city in Solaria, with a significant amount of its space dedicated to the operations of huge factories. Warehouses carved into the stone are filled to the brim with supplies, ranging from metal ores that will be smelted into something more useful, to lumber and fabric for chairs and clothing. Most citizens here work in the factories, or at least for them. However, this industrialization has come at a cost. The people of this city are in worse health than nearly every other citizen of the empire, and calls to address this are becoming louder and louder. ==== Yarkograd ==== Embedded in the Dragonspine mountains, Yarkograd is the mining capital of Solaria. Almost all of the city's efforts are devoted toward mining or to support the miners, and everything from ores to gems flows from its darkened tunnels. With this prosperity has come crime, as everyone from simple bandits to proper criminal enterprises look for opportunities to liberate some of the more valuable extractions from their proper owners. ===== Torrun Characters ===== The ver Torrun lands are uniquely modern and industrialized compared to the rest of Solaria, but still featuring many of the traditions of the "old ways" that are more present elsewhere in the country. **Into Modernity.** Characters from the ver Torrun territories would see the effects of modernization first hand, and may have strong opinions about its results. They may believe it is the only path forward, with the conveniences it brings being too great to ignore, or perhaps they would see things like negative health effects or industrial accidents as the true face of modernity. **Urban Upbringing.** Someone born into the ver Torrun lands will almost certainly be raised in a city, with their outlook shaped accordingly. Characters may have completely different outlooks than similar individuals with rural backgrounds, due to the different cultures and ideas they were likely exposed to.