Blademarket

In the industrial heartland of Volfor, Blademarket is it's thriving centrepiece.

The forges never cease, the presses never stop. Whatever you need made or crafted, there'll be someone open to do it - if you have coin.

—William Sunderforth, A Visitors Guide to Blademarket

What the city lacks in beauty, it makes up for with its atmosphere. A place where people make things, design things, build things. The Amahi run most of the industry here and it's rare to see a workshop or alchemists without the guild crest on the building. The center of the city is dominated with the large guildhouse and it's towering clocktower. Tall buildings and towers in the center give way to more sprawl of workshops and warehouses as you head towards the walls with the sprawl extending further in some cases.

One of the unique points of the city are the steel cables and ropes criss-crossing the streets from building to building. These are called skylines and are used by some of the locals as a means of quickly reaching the ground or crossing to other buildings through the use of skyhooks, small greased jockey wheels with a leather strap to hold on to. As most of the buildings have doorways on the higher levels for hoisting loads of timber and metals, this gives easy anchoring points fot the skylines.

History

There's always been some kind of settlement here, from the earliest days of Osuvanne. Located at the crossroads of the natural North/South path through the continent, and the east/west path between the two sets of mountains in Volfor, has always been a natural place for trade and industry.

Layout

The city is roughly separated into 4 wards, with each encompassing one of the city's always open gates. The North and South wards make up the center of the city, running straight through the middle with the East and West wards either side. These days the city has spread outside of the old walls with homes and smaller businesses clustered around each gate.

The center itself is a busy mix of workers and crafters, merchants and apprentices, all going about their business.

Kingsgate

Located at the Southern end of the City, the Kingsgate is named for its historical purpose of being the road leading to The Kingdom of Sudvanne. In this area you'll find the major trading outposts and merchants, everything from wagons and weapons to artisans tools and farming tools.

Volgate

At the Northern end of the city is the gate leading to Vol and Furangar. The key feature amongst the merchants and traders here is The Shambles. A large marketplace of smaller vendors, each trying to make their own coin.

Irongate

To the East of the city is the Irongate. Originally made of wood and now permanently unlocked, this is named for the traditional shipments of Iron and other metals that entered the city through these gates. Foundries and forges can be found here, with the red glow lighting up the sky at night and smoke hanging over the city by day.

Felgate

To the West of the city is the Fellgate. Close to the nearby forests, it's traditionally been a center for woodworking, carpentry and stonemasonry.

Taverns

The reputable taverns serve ales for every taste and traditional food for traditional people

—William Sunderforth, A Visitors Guide to Blademarket

The city is littered with smaller drinking establishments but there are a few that have some renown in the city.

The Forge

The largest, busiest taverns and most prominent tavern in Blademarket, located around the corner from The Amahi guildhouse in the center of the city. There's fair food and good lodgings provded by the landlord, a dwarf called Bernam Lasthold. Many see it as the first point of call on entering the city and there's always traders passing through. A private lounge in the back is used for guild affairs.

The Drunken Alchemist

Located near the Kingsgate, this is a tavern that has practically turned brawling into a sport. It's rare the town guards aren't called to a disturbance here most nights. A raucous atmosphere and a place where quiet people are able to blend in.

Hammer and Anvil

In a small side-street in the Western ward, the gated entrance leads to a small courtyard containing a well and beyond it the main taproom and lounge. The cellar has been turned into a second taproom and there are stories of tunnels leading outside the city, but those are just urban legends.

The Rusty Bellows

To an outsider, it looks like this tavern is built into the Eastern wall of the old city, but as the locals know - the wall was built onto the Rusty Bellows. The oldest tavern in the city and one of the smaller places, the people here don't like to be disturbed, they come to drink and drink is what they do.