Dawnspire

The Dawnspire is a stark and imposing landmark too the north, nestled in the Mother's Hand. Built 5,000 years ago, full-scale habitation is a relatively recent event with the surviving elgfreyn population fleeing the Midnight War three-hundred years ago under Aoid and Emrys' guidance. Built of pale stone quarried from the mountains themselves so long ago with the Spire's very foundation built into the mountains themselves, it's unknown how far below the network of tunnels and dungeons that make up the underneath of the Spire extend, however the highest point being roughly a mile in the air, the diameter being just over a mile at ground level. With a population of roughly 520,000, the Dawnspire narrowly beats out Udara for population size, though living conditions are possibly the worst on the coast for much of the Spire's population.

Though once to be considered a throne, the Spire is seen more as a prison of sorts in modern times with the elgfreyn empire rarely extending outside of its massive walls, save to the small harbor city of Seahold. A highly militaristic theocracy, a single throne typically rules the Spire, aided, enforced, or even disposed of by the many guards that make up its military force. As of the past three hundred years, much has change but even more has remained the same.

Geography and Cityscape
A massive structure (with much of the diameter being made up by the supports worked into the walls themselves) that tapers dramatically as it rises, the Dawnspire is composed of some 264 floors, each being at least 600 feet across with the lower levels being incredibly sparse and cramped, running rampant with disease and turmoil, while the upper levels boast a rich extravagance reserved for the highest ranks. Built into the mountains themselves with a foundation that runs deep, much of it forgotten in the many years the Spire lay for the most part uninhabited.

Mother's Hand Mountains
A group of five immensely tall mountains running east to west at a slight slope, the Mother's Hand shielded much of the north from the impact and subsequent seeding of iskra on the Amarantine Coast. Made of pale stone.

Burned Mountain
The furthest west and south of the Hand, the Burned Mountain was once fairly lush, looming over Westgate's forests. Now charred and smoking, with pockets of flame occassionally flaring up every now and again, the Mountain is said to be haunted by the spirits of the three clans that held land on its slopes, taking the form of the disaster that killed them and jealously guarding the lands so that none may settle them again.

Gutsink
In an almost permanent valley of shadow cast by two mountains and the glacier itself, Gutsink is a partially frozen bog best famed for being a rather large doresh graveyard, littered with the partially preserved bodies and belongings of the dead. Strangely, though very few trees grow beyond the mother's hand, four seedlings have managed to grow up in the center of this miserably place, only to be killed by the silvery parasitic climbing vine that disguises the bare black branches and catches what little light falls in the Gutsink.

Valley of Promise
The valley in which the Dawnspire is built. Far from promising, the valley is, in fact, very sparse, with only tough, hardy grasses, succulents and lichens that can scrape together a living from the stony soil. Populated largely by dragons, the territorial mountain goats making their living in the crags, and the sure-footed horse-like creatures known for their terrible temper, the wildlife is appropriately intimidating.

Seahold
A small harbor built into a natural bay just half a day's march from the Spire, Seahold is home to the bone-white ships of the elgfreyn fleet, now largely in disrepair with the warring days done and over with. Though small, Seahold has a fairly strong trade in wool and excellent mounts while providing the main source of meat and milk products for the Spire farmed from domestic herds of those very same goats and horse-creatures transplanted from the Hand into neat little pens by the sea.

Culture
Strict and militaristic, elgfreyn exist within a caste that can best be put into example by the Spire itself. At the base exists the barest of architecture to accommodate the lowest orders of the hierarchy, including those deformed or otherwise incapable of work and those impure of blood. Consisting of numerous stables, cramped marketplaces and numerous accommodations for non-elgfreyn that visit the Spire, rarely are these visitors permitted above the first three levels. It is important to note that before the abolition of slavery within the Spire that while slaves were considered part of the lowest tiers they were held above the impure and deformed, closer to the level of commoners.

Higher up come the common folk and tradespeople with vocational skills holding a high level of esteem in the Spire. Teachers and religious leaders come next, a trend toward more lavish, spiritually-slanted decoration beginning at this point with "noble" families occupying the highest levels. Second only to the throne by title comes the guards and soldiers, a military life being the most celebrated of positions, elevating one's status to "highborn". Serving the throne, the guards have a large say in who takes power, regardless of the politics played out by the rest of the noble families and have been known to seat and dismiss leaders at their discretion. Being the law itself, the guards run a code of honor and respect, most similar to that of a pack with a naturally emerging hierarchy that rewards strength, cunning, or skill.

Religion
Traditionally monotheistic, the elgfreyn empire has been built around the concept of a single female goddess with religious leaders accounting for a portion of the noble houses, though the goddess’ identity itself is not permanent. The oldest incarnation of the paragon was that of a mother, usurped some 10,000 years ago by the cooler, stricter, crueler, more formidable Mistress who gave way to the military-backed, physically present Aoid three centuries ago. While the Mistress introduced many of the stark concepts that made the foundations of elgfreyn society, Aoid’s doctrine is considerably different and arguably only managed to gain control thanks to the efforts of Ryscdan Sicycre.

Credited with the formation of the original Whiteguard, an order of holy warriors that express undying loyalty to their goddess, Aoid, Ryscdan Sicycre undoubtedly had a highly influential role in Aoid’s rise to power, though it may be argued that he only expedited her rise to power, with much of her success being due to both her characteristic determination and charisma.

With Aoid’s recent disappearance from the Spire, the Whiteguard has taken control of the throne leaving the people without a leader’s guidance or oversight. While political matters abandoned by the queen stagnate, Mistress worship has begun to reemerge.