Mogerdwnn (City)

A major city and capital of the Armorican District of Osismi in western Gallia, it is notable for its geographic location, bowl-like shape, and relative isolation due to its presence within the Letavian Forest. Built around the crater surrounding Nav Tachenn Lenn, a large lake fed by several neighboring springs sourced in the aquifer beneath the region, streams trailing from hills to the south and east, and by the aquifer itself. The lake acts as a reservoir, emptying to the northwest between several hills and feeding a swamp more directly north from there. Mogerdwnn is a very prosperous town despite its relative isolation, sitting atop vast mineral deposits and relatively near the sea, though the quality of the local ports has limited its growth somewhat. It's a quiet city surrounded by trees that pays for itself through mining and logging.

## Impressions

Mogerdwnn has several distinct "looks" depending on where one is within the city, in part due to different periods of settlement and extant ruins. The oldest and most open settlements lie along the north and western shores of the lake. These areas are made of old homesteads that have been expanded several times into manor homes, often with not insignificant farmland surrounding them, and are walled and warded. These estates are quite old-fashioned, with the oldest constructions looking more like military fortifications than common homes... largely because *they are*. Or at least were when they were made. Newer constructions there are made in more modern styles, but these are often additions to the original forts that the Reclaimers built. This area is also dotted with old standing stones, engraved boulders, menhirs, dolmens, petroglyphs, stone statuary, and reliefs, most of which far predate even the earliest of modern settlers and are thoroughly overgrown or actively incorporated into the buildings of these estates. The oldest constructions not predating modern occupation generally have a Pre-Romanesque look, while their newer additions are often Romanesque. Buildings tend to be constructed from stone quarried locally, giving most of these older structures a distinct reddish-brown color. Most of these structures are half-timbered, and wholly of wood construction in newer buildings. Surrounding this is a relatively high wall of stone and wards that once encircled the first settlements of Mogerdwnn and still holds the oldest market and shops of the area. The paths and roads in this area are usually paved with cobblestone from the mines, but there are a few of these old families who prefer to keep the area looking as it once did and use gravel or nothing at all beyond the hard earth, packed by generations of footfalls.

As one move's further along Nav Tachenn's western shore, and moves further away from the shore and higher in elevation even in the previous regions, construction becomes less militaristic and more densely packed, representing the expansion of the settlement due to its longevity and success. These constructions are usually wattle-and-daub works reinforced with waste rock from the mines and are generally more in the Romanesque style, as oriented towards more secular purposes. The single largest structure in the city resides in this region, being a large Romanesque church that was expanded and partially reworked decades ago into a Rayonnant Gothic style, with a mechanical clock incorporated into its rose window and complex bell tower. This part of the town is filled with densely packed homes, businesses, guild halls, and permanent shops, broken up by narrow streets for foot travel. Broader streets meant for horse and cart traffic gather these smaller streets like rivers drink in tributaries, opening into courtyards that sometimes boast covered market crosses, fountains, and monuments (usually depicting members of the founding families, prominent Heroes and Cynosures, Saints, or Gods), and a few that even incorporate ancient standing stones into their layouts. Many of these buildings are surprisingly colorful, being fully or half-timbered and prone to painting by their inhabitants... or unruly children and hoodlums looking for a canvas to graffiti. A rare few sport murals, primarily those who are successful businesses and enjoy the eye-catching advertisements these provide. This part of town is easily the busiest and most complex; it can be easy to get lost here. The streets here are virtually all paved with cobblestone, though some areas are covered in moss lawn or bark and waste-wood mulch provided by the various woodworking industries in the town. These latter two categories sometimes overlap, with moss growing on the mulch. This moss has been known to cling to roofs and exposed wood in the area as well, but generally isn't considered problematic, and is actually a point of appeal for the city's Elven and Half-Elven residents and visitors. The area also has what is essentially park space devoted to groves of trees and local plants. These often incorporate existing ruins, menhirs, and dolmens from prior to the area's current habitation and are generally seen as unlucky to harm or move... but not to lean against, stand on, or sit upon. There are often stools and benches in these places, and in some cases covered pavilions. There are also a number of convenient wells in this area, though they are generally the product of Dwarven plumbing pumping water from the lake or aquifer rather than simply a direct well. A rare few lead into one of the clean cisterns in the sewer system and are intended to be used as access points for individuals needing to perform maintenance under the city. Greenery is common here, though it's often cultivated on and around the buildings by their residents; flowers, small window gardens, pots, and small terraces are common, and secretive little hideaway parks concealed by curtains of planted mosses aren't uncommon either, especially in certain districts and near certain businesses. More than a few of these, however, contain small shrines to various saints and deities, serving as something of a reminder that the Divines are always watching. This area also has quite a few inclines and stairways, especially on its narrow streets; as the city is built around the inside of a crater, it rises in elevation the further one gets from the lake. This increase isn't consistent, however, so different areas rise and fall in elevation with the varying hills along the way to the crater's rim. As there are a number of streams that feed into the lake from breaks in the crater's rim, it's not uncommon to see gutters along the streets that pour water into the sewers or channel it elsewhere aboveground until it reaches the lake proper.

As one moves out of this area and crests the crater's rim, the lip is dominated by large estates. The largest of these is the Duke's estate, which spans the city's north gate and land to both the east and west, but primarily the east. This estate technically descends all the way back to the lakefront proper, having derived from the lands of the leader of the first settlers to successfully hold the territory through the Pact of Reclamation... though that family no longer holds this position for political reasons. As one moves around the rim to the west, the sprawling estates of the town's nobility look out over the city and the lake. Large manor houses stand out in stark contrast to cultivated gardens, hedge mazes, and extravagant fountains and artificial ponds, and even personal woodland. These are the homes of the most successful families to come to the city since its founding, outstripping the old blood nobles who settled the area. Most of these structures are in the Romanesque or Gothic style. Some of these incorporate streams that pour over collapsed portions of the crater's rim, giving them small waterfalls on or near the edges of their properties. These newer estates are generally separated from the other parts of the city by their own private walls and further separated from the wilds beyond with the city's outer wall, which is connected to the Duke's garrison.

Moving beyond the walled estates of the city proper lies its Sprawl, a shantytown of crude structures made from cheap lumber, scavenged stone, sticks, and straw, cloth, scrap metal, rope, and whatever the residents of this area can repurpose. Such structures are usually made of cobbled-together wood and nails, with roofing little more than planks of wood or sheafs of straw. These structures are often made in ways reminiscent of the homes of Mirelurkers from the north, with single rooms that may at best be partitioned with hanging cloth. At least those that are more than shacks. Some are expanded upon, integrating different styles, but most are crudely made rather than the comparatively refined roundhouses. The Sprawl spreads in some fashion or other outside of the city on all sides, even on the east banks of the Nav Tachenn where the city proper doesn't exist. Much of this construction is completely haphazard, with no real planning whatsoever going into its layout. Instead, it's simply housing, with much of it falling into ruins over the last sixty years as Beasts have become serious threats and the elements and simple use have worn away at the work of untrained carpenters and planners. Especially on the eastern shores of the lake, these areas are actually occupied by Monsters, who spend an inordinate amount of time contending with Beasts that sneak into the area to prey on them. The northern section of the sprawl is mostly abandoned, save near the Riven district, where it's occupied by a tribe of Bumblin Goblins and acts as a sort of quarantine for Undead that approach the city. It's *also* plagued by Beasts, with much of the construction here having fallen into ruins. As one travels around the western side of the city, the hovels are increasingly occupied by the Races of Men, particularly refugee Vernal Elves, Humans, and Turnskins, until coming to the southern section of the Sprawl, which is walled and protecting, having undergone extreme renovations in recent years to more closely resemble the middle tier of the city proper as a district known as Beggar's Borrow. While Beggar's Borrow's streets are paved like those of the city proper, the rest of the Sprawl's streets are nameless tracks of packed dirt that turn into muddy morass during rain.

The city on the whole is alive with the sounds of both Man and nature; the forest presses close and even invades significant portions of the Sprawl. Insects are common, frogs and birds sing depending on the weather and the season, and the scents of the forest and the not-so-distant sea mingle with those of the lake.