Almorel
Located on the shores of the Lake of Mists, Almorel is one of the major trading cities of the Endless Waste. Founded fifteen-hundred years ago as part of Hallstatt, Almorel has long since become an isolated outpost of the west. Because it sits astride the Golden Way, Almorel has survived and has become an important meeting ground for steppe nomads and traders. It is also the last stop for caravans before entering the Endless Waste.
Almorel is a sprawling town. Houses are low and broad, normally only one or two stories in height. Almost all are built of wood taken from the trees growing around the lake. Walls are made from logs, mortared into place. The roofs have broad eaves to provide shelter from the heavy winter snows that blow off the lake. Interiors are warm and cozy, with huge brick woodstoves, white-washed walls, and small glass-paned windows. Most houses have stables and barns built directly off them, reducing the need to go outside during winter. Adjacent to the home are the family gardens and workshops. Wealthier families enclose their properties with a wooden stockade, creating small, rustic villas.
The majority of Almorel is human, but there is a small community of dwarves. Brought in when the town was founded, some of the dwarves elected to remain, digging tunnels beneath the town for their homes. These are marked on the surface by wooden mineheads and a small guesthouse for receiving human visitors. By tradition, humans are not allowed into the tunnels and this has led to many interesting rumors. Some hint that the tunnels are more extensive than the town itself. Another rumor claims that the dwarves are not a minority, that large numbers live in secret below the surface. Finally, there are some who believe the dwarves have accidentally found evil underground denizens and are fighting a secret war beneath the surface. In spite of these rumors, the dwarves are skilled smiths and their steel and copper-ware is noted throughout the steppe. Using metal taken from the Mountains of Copper and the mines of Hallstatt, the smiths of Almorel make high-quality fittings, weapons, and armor. A few items made every year are believed to have magical properties, but these are kept by the dwarves for their own use.
At the center of Almorel is the Raumkreml, a fortress tower built in ancient times. This is a six-story round ziggurat, built of wood. The outside is painted black, so the locals have given the tower the nickname “Chern- kreml” or Black Citadel. The tower is the seat of government for the town.
Almorel is ruled by the Mechnik who is the head of the Gospoda, the town council. The current ruler is Mechnik Nikitsky.
