AENGMOR (City of)

Location: Old World, continent of Brun, former Broken Lands.

Area: 60,000 sq. ft. (5,400 sq. m.); the area of the Eastern Broken Lands is also under the city's jurisdiction, both aboveground and belowground.

Population: Estimated 17,000 (75% shadow elves, 20% various humanoids, 5% Schattenalfen).

Languages: Elvish (Shadowelf and Schattenalfen dialects), humanoid tongues.

Coinage: Bright (gp), shine (sp), glint (cp), kalafi (varnished strips of hard, bark-like fungus, they come in 10 gp, 50 gp and 100 gp denominations); also Oenkmarian coins: quetzal (gp), axolotl (cp), ixitxachitl (jade ingots).

Taxes: Unknown.

Government Type: Independent city, formerly part of the Shadow Elves' Kingdom.

Industries: Military, mining (gold, copper, tin, jade), fungus production.

Important Figures: Xatapechtli (High Priest, elf, male, M15).

Flora and Fauna: Mosses, fungus, leeches, mosquito, striders (bipedal lizards).

Further Reading: GAZ10 The Orcs of Thar, GAZ13 The Shadow Elves, previous almanacs.

Description by Balinor "Silverblade" Audriel.

Aengmor, the former Jewel of the Depths, a dark city sacred to Atzanteotl and imbued by evil.

The Land

Situated atop a rugged lava hill in the central Broken Lands, Aengmor is a walled city full of mysteries and dangers.

The city is a nightmarish maze of winding streets and narrow alleys, surrounded by heavy stone walls and steep lava cliffs that make a massive assault impossible and a flight from inside very difficult... unless you can command some sort of aerial travel. I had that chance, and I flew over the city many times during the war. Here it is what I saw.

The city is built on a series of concentric plateaus over what was probably the top of a rocky hill. Though usually wrapped in smoke it is sometimes possible to see a huge maze of narrow, chaotic streets. Except for the heavy walls there are a couple of notable buildings in the city. On the top of the central plateau there is a big temple, not different in shape to the Temple of Rafiel in the City of the Stars. Northeast of the temple there's a circular arena. The city has also a park and a couple of lakes.

It was in that park that my skinwing fell when we were shot down, and it was in that dark fungal forest that I hid until our army finally broke into the city, eating fungus and drinking foul water. That "park" is really a dangerous place, with lots of spiders and other dangerous creatures that I hope you will never meet.

The People

Wicked, renegade shadow elves, who live side by side with orcs, serving the evil cult of Atzanteotl, trying to spread chaos in the western Old World and beyond.

After the recent Shadow War about a thousand of Schattenalfen found shelter in the City of Aengmor. Rumours say that even some human brigands moved to the evil city.

Given its central position the City of Aengmor could quickly become a pain in the back for Glantri and Darokin, much like what the Broken Lands were under Thar's rule.

Recent History [by Dorrik Stonecleaver.]

Before the Great War the Broken Lands, probably the most desolate and inhospitable land in all Brun, were home to thousands of goblinoids. Forgotten by Immortals, humans and dwarves alike (not to mention elves) these rugged lands were probably the most dangerous area in all the Old World.

But things changed dramatically on AC 1006 when a meteor crashed in the Kurish Massif creating the Great Crater. The feared orcish leader Thar and King Kol IV of the kobolds moved their hordes to the Great Crater (a.k.a. Western Broken Lands) to better raid on Glantri as well as Darokin. Only a few tribes remained in the Eastern Broken Lands.

In AC 1010 brave dwarf scouts found the lost City of Aengmor floating on a lava lake in the caves beneath the Eastern Broken Lands. The mighty dwarven army left Rockhome to defeat the hated orcs and conquer the lost city.

In Flaurmont AC 1012, after many bloody skirmishes, the humanoids surrendered to the dwarves, but joy was to last very short, because shadow elves attacked the city. In the following months Aengmor was conquered and lost many times by dwarves, shadow elves and humanoids with heavy losses on all fronts. Dwarves abandoned the city in Felmont, then Alebane's ogres ransacked the city in Ambyrmont just a few days before the shadow elves' final attack.

In 1014 shadowelf mages managed to raise the city back to the surface and their troops secured all the Eastern Broken Lands. After the shadow elves' civil war two years ago, rebel followers of Atzanteotl elected Aengmor as their stronghold rallying the few scattered humanoids in the area and using them as slaves.

Do Miss

If possible avoid crossing the Eastern Broken Lands, especially by night. If you go and you are surprised by shadow elves immediately drop your weapons and keep silent until they capture you. Maybe they will spare your life and you will have the chance to go back home, although it is rumoured that they use captives as slaves in their mines.

Fleeing from the City of Aengmor is almost impossible, either on the surface or underground (where, anyway, you will certainly meet shadowelf patrols).