Qohor

Qohor is the easternmost of the Free Cities, and considered by many to have the most exotic and ill-mannered residents of the nine cities. As such, many compare it to Asshai-by-the-Shadow, in the far east.

## Location

Standing on the banks of the river Qhoyne, a tributary of the Rhoyne, on the western edge of the Forest of Qohor, the city is seen as a gateway to the east. Qohor is surrounded by strong stone walls.

Northwest of Qohor is Norvos and to the south Volantis. The Qohorik rule the Qhoyne north of the ruins of Ar Noy and the eastern bank of the Darkwash, although that river's western bank is within the domains of Norvos, but following recent events, the land is largely shared between the two.

## Layout

The city initially started as a lumber camp upon the major trading route between Andalos and the Dothraki Sea and Bone Mountains, and much of the city still reflects this origin. Foresters and hunters remain two of the most popular occupations within the Free City, but a great wealth of other talents, skills and past-times have been brought with the wealth of the peoples passing through. The other art that has made the Qohorik famous across the Known World is their skills with hammer and anvil, as products of the forges of Qohor are considered to be rivaled only by the surviving artefacts from Valyria.

* The Forest Palace - Home of the Eranel Family, the greatest and most prosperous of all the families made rich by the wealth of woods within the Forest of Qohor, the Forest Palace is a sprawling construction of wood and pale stone. Surrounded by walls populated with towers shaped to resemble Sentinel trees, the residency houses all the members of the Eranel family, as well as their servants, soldiers and lumberworkers. Also contained within the walls are the barracks of the guardsmen that patrol the Palace, and just to the north the largest timberyard in the Known World can be found. Members of the Eranel Family title themselves 'The First Woodsmen of Qohor.'
* The Steel Hold - Home of the Mott Family, the most famed and skilled of all the families that heat and shape steel and other metals into keen blades, steadfast shields and a myriad of other items, the Steel Hold is a colossal monolith of dark stone and metal. It is protected by two concentric rings of high walls upon which guardsmen in fanciful armour patrol. It is said that the very dirt around the Steel Hold is warm to touch from the never-ceasing forges found at the heart of the construction. Members of the Mott Family title themselves 'The Master Forgelords of Qohor.'
* The Iron Street - Sitting between the Steel Hold and the third gate of the city, near the tall stone walls, sits the Iron Street. The street is littered with blacksmiths and minor Forgelords, from back ally smiths to large businesses, the Iron Street has them all. At the mouth of the street sits a large gate of black steel and iron, forged in intricate ruins. Leading in is the massive Forge of Yarn, the largest of the smithies in the Iron Street. Along the street is the Firery Tavern, a place where customers, workers and Smith-Owners alike come together for food and drink. The further one goes along The Iron Street, the cheaper the products get; and in poorer quality. Many of the disgraced or small smiths are consigned to working down the street, having to be content with the down-flow of coin coming from the bigger sellers.

## Recent History

In response to the growing strength of the Kingdom of the Three Daughters in the Disputed Lands, the Norvoshi Bearded Priests sent the magister Vargen Ahrohr to Qohor to parley a formal alliance between the two Free Cities, so that if the Targaryens did set their gaze northwards, they could stand together in solidarity to repel the Dragons. Ever since the Treaty at Dagger Lake, the Qohorik and Norvoshi have traded with preference between each other, and effectively share the territories of the northern Rhoyne and its tributaries.

More recently, the city of Qohor was visited by the Dothraki khalasar of Khal Azho, comprised of nearly 12,000 riders. Unlike the city of Norvos, which were sacked after their refusal to pay tribute to the unknown Khal, Qohor bestowed him an arakh of Valyrian steel, which he called Jaqqa, meaning *the Killer* in the horselord tongue.

Khal Azho is not the only Dothraki horselord that the Free City of Qohor has parleyed with in the past, as in 268AC, the might of Khal Viqallo was utilised to clear the ruined Rhoynar city of Ny Sar of bandits, the skirmish known there after as the Scouring of Ny Sar.

In 278AC, a party of ten maesters from the Citadel of Oldtown arrived at the gates of the Steel Hold of the Mott Family, requesting that the Master Forgelords share the secrets of the reforging Valyrian Steel. Despite the Westerosis insistence that the information would simply be documented and stored privately within the Citadel's vaults, the Mott's refused, threatening the Archmaester Florian first with whips, then a life in chains, and finally the point of a sword. When the group was caught attempting to break into the forges at the heart of the Steel Hold, the entire party was put to the sword, and their bodies, seemingly drained of their blood, sent to the Citadel in a crate hewn from Qohorik timber.