Castonath

**Castonath** (Old Castanorian for "Castan's Town by the River") was the capital of the ancient Castanorian Empire. The city is famed for having been built from carved stone, by the legendary dwarf, Balgar the Builder, in an imitation of dwarven architecture.

## Population

In the days of early Castanor the city was a bastion and haven for humanity against the wilds of the Escann, with its thick walls providing refuge against not only warring human tribes but also satyrs, centaurs and other fey. As Castanor grew into a continent-spanning empire the city also grew to cater for the Castanorians and their vast subjects.

Since the fall of Castanor, the city has largely been regarded as a city too big for its inhabitants, a place where the issue was not lack of housing but the crumbling state of that housing after millenia of disrepair - as such no one in the city is really homeless as there is always a building to squat in. The issue in this case was the roaming bands of hired thugs hired by respective building owners and stewards to chase off squatters and illegal tenants.

It was only in the mid-to-late 19th century that the city had begun to fill to the size of ancient Castanor.

## Areas of the City

### North Castonath

Dating back to Ancient Castanor, North Castonath has traditionally been reserved for wealthier citizens. However, ever since the fall of Greater Castan's Empire, North Castonath has seen a great decline in inhabitants, with many buildings empty and slowly crumbling to ruins.

* Imperial Quarter: at the heart of the city lies the home of the Imperial Palace and many urban estates. A great many parks and other assorted greenery have been built atop the stone foundations of the city here, with some even being placed on top of the buildings themselves.
	+ Charred Tower: an imposing tower blackened by the flames of Zaamalot the Black during the Dragonwake
* Upper District: named simply due to the fact that it is overlooking much of the Lower District. The Upper District is the most active (meaning least crumbling) part of North Castonath, and is where many well-to-do individuals find their home. Many patricians made their home here, occupying the tallest spires and towers of the district.
* Pantheonway: the principal religious district of the city. Many statues depicting deities, heroes and events pertaining to the old empire can be seen here. Pantheonway is oft regarded as the quietest part of the city, if ever there is such a thing.

#### South Castonath

What most visitors would refer to as the 'core' of the city, South Castonath is known for its mazes of old and often crumbling stone buildings. It is said that beyond the wide roads of the district is an endless maze of back tunnels and hidden alleyways.

* Dragonforge Hill: this district centers its namesake, the Dragonforge, a colossal foundry that sits atop the main hill in the area that resembles a massive dragon's head. This district is known for its many crafters, workshops and most mercantile. The Balgarsmiths were headquartered here as custodians of the forge, and were the perhaps the only living beings who knew how to operate it to full effectiveness. It was theorized by some that the Dragonforge somehow used ancient dwarven runic magic to tap into nearby Trialmount's massive magma chamber to fuel itself, something that later artificers were keen to unravel and exploit.
* The Crags: a loose term to refer to the main residential quarters of the city, known for its towering blocks and buildings three, four, five or more stories high - something that wouldn't be seen in the surface the halfling concept of Stacked Houses.
* Legion Square: known for its incredibly wide and organized roads and low but sprawling buildings, this district was once the home of the Castanorian Legions. It is said that the Legion Square was built directly opposite the Imperial Quarter to allow the patricians of old to watch parades and army exercises from the comfort of their own homes. After the decline of Castanor and its Legions, much of Legion Square was repurposed by the inhabitants of the city. Many of Castonath's eventual universities and institutions of learning were centered in and around Legion Square, as former barracks and soldier's quarters were repurposed into dorms, while administrative buildings and training centers were turned into classrooms.

#### Lower Castonath

The "newest" part of the city and often regarded as the most impoverished. Lower Castonath is seen as a sprawling slum where many of the ancient stone buildings have been built over and repaired with makeshift wooden structures over the centuries.

The final confrontation between Corin and Korgus Dookanson happened here.

* Silverfall: refers to the waterfall that splits Lower Castonath from the other sections of the city. It is known by many as 'Shitsfall' due to the river's usage in the city sewage network.
* The Old Bazaar: once home to the Grand Bazaar during the days of ancient Castanor, the Old Bazaar refers to a massive commercial complex that towers above many of the buildings in the district that has now been converted into a miniature slum-city in its own right.

## Patricians

The Castonath patricians were a quasi-mercantile, quasi-noble ruling class of ancient Castanorian origin, known for being the de-facto rulers of the city. It was said that no ruler of Castonath would be able to effectively control the city without the express consent of the patricians, who held immense influence and sway even after the Greentide.