Lanox

The air is hot, the land is scorched, and the people are strange. This blacksmithing city located on a volcano is Lanox, while the volcanic island is also Lanox. Being the only populated settlement, the island shares a name with it. Full of master blacksmiths and home of the Gates of Volcanic Flames and its accompanying temple.

Due to the unlivable wasteland the surface of the island is known to be, the city is built within a large cave system where the denizens are protected by the many meters of rock above their heads. Unfortunately, due to the constant threat of earthquakes and sudden lava leaks, the buildings are all built with metal supports to help reduce damage to infrastructure. With the dwarfs special way of crafting metal, they were able to refine their metal to the point where building supports to protect against earthquakes became possible.

This city, located in the side of an active volcano is known for its extensive skill in blacksmithing and nearby bubbling ocean waters.

It is also less heard of due to its location on a volcanic island, the extreme heat it experiences year round and frequent ashfalls, barren land and the dead look of all its vegetation and the ferocity of the native beasts, meaning that visitors are usually dissuaded to try and locate the city.

## History and Trade

The settlements name is Lanox, and because the island is unnamed, It shares the name Lanox. The city is a blacksmithing city in a volcano to the far west, and it was founded and settled because of the volcanoes first actual eruption. Back when the gods still walked on the land, Axar and Peniel, the twin gods of fire, settled on the volcano that rose from the sea, feeling that the land that spewed fire would suit them.

On this small patch of land, they built themselves a grand home, but long story short, they wanted to see what the other gods were up to, and ditched it. Their home is "The Volcanic Gates," A grand cathedral carved into the volcano itself, and buried deep within was a doorway to enter the gods realm, at least that's what is rumored.

The story claims that they had built the cathedral, but after having done so, they wanted to make sure the volcano would forever retain it's heat, and would forever be the fiery home they had come enjoy, And so they made a gate between their worlds in the heart of their labarynthian home, Lost deep within the volcano.

The volcanic lands remained untouched for a very long time after that. Up until a clan of dwarfs crossed the sea to this island in search of rare metals. They most definitely found these metals in this land, and due to the constantly active state of the volcano, They were able to use the heat from the earth to nearly perfect their craft.

As time passed, and the land and waters became more hospitable, Merfolk moved into the shallows, and the city expanded and adapted to include them in its citizenry. Despite the constant mining that the dwarves partook in, their source never seemed to diminish. Due to the volcanic nature of the island, the currents around it were treacherous and difficult to navigate. Travelers and merchants had begun to stop coming to trade with the island dwellers and merfolk and the once flourishing city quickly shrunk with less and less contact with the outside world.

In the outside world, the great dragon wars were beginning, and the volcanic island was soon forgotten. The Lanoxian smithing method was also developed at that time, and was then very closely guarded. All weapons that have been forged from this method have proven near indestructible when paired against a normal weapon, and these weapons are very rarely exported from Lanox, and even then, only for very close and personal friends of the residents of the smithing city.

Lanox is very rich in minerals due to its volcanic location. Due to that richness, the inhabitants have taken up Smithing as a trade for hundreds of years. Weapons and armor shipped from Lanox are very durable and strong when made using ordinary smithing methods. But with the Lanoxian Smithing method, they are unparalleled in durability and lastability in every nation. Even rivaling most enchanted weapons.

In modern times, The smiths beneath the ground have taken up Golem making, and will often send their failed experiments to the surface to roam, or rust.

## Structure

Due to the many years of being disconnected from the outside world, the entrance to the city has deteriorated and can be hard to find, unless you know what you're looking for. The entrance is located in a rather large crack within the beginning of the mountain side, with dwarven statues located by the entrance. The large staircase from the entrance leads down to the city, built within a gargantuan cavern. This cavern is mostly natural, but was obviously expanded as more beings came to live there.

The city is separated into the different sections, with moats being the cut off point for each one. The very outer layer is where most of the merfolk live. The very first moat surrounding this section is filled with water, bought in from the pathway that was built to the ocean. Much of the housing in this section is interconnected with this aquatic moat, allowing ease of access for the Merfolk.

The middle layer is separated from the outer by another aquatic moat, and is by far the largest of the three layers. In this middle section is where most of the city's dwarven population live. On the very inside tip of this section is where all the smithies are located, as the final moat separating the middle from the center consists of lava, and is a very good source of heat for any dwarves who choose to smith.

**Not large enough for king/queen, Declining population**

## Politics & Religion

**Ill fill this out later--- Ignia (creator of Lanox and its territory)**