Kraggodan

Location overview

Kraggodan is one of only ten Sky Citadels in existence — towering monuments to dwarven ambition, built when the dwarves first emerged from the depths of the earth thousands of years ago on their legendary Quest for Sky. It sits atop the peaks of the Mindspin Mountains in southern Nirmathas, and its soaring architecture is visible from across the southern hills of Nirmathas and well into the plains of northern Molthune. Stern stone faces of long-dead dwarven monarchs stare out from the mountainside, carved there by masons whose descendants still maintain and expand the citadel to this day. Of the ten Sky Citadels ever built, only five remain in dwarven hands. Kraggodan is one of them, and its people intend to keep it that way.
The citadel has two distinct sections. The Upper Fastness is exposed to the open sky — a mix of military fortifications, market stalls, and mechanical lifts that connect to the lower levels. The Mountain Hold lies within the living stone of the mountain itself, a vast interior city that could sustain its population for centuries without contact with the outside world if it had to. That self-sufficiency is not theoretical. Two years ago, Molthune laid siege to the Upper Fastness — provoked, the dwarves insist, when Molthune imprisoned a delegation of dwarven diplomats without cause or explanation. The Molthuni army has been camped in the eastern foothills ever since, making periodic forays into the upper peaks only to break apart each time the dwarves retreat into the mountain and wait them out. After each attack, Kraggodan reopens its markets within days. The dwarves view the siege less as a crisis and more as a prolonged nuisance — two years being a short span of time in a dwarven lifetime.
Kraggodan is politically neutral in the war between Nirmathas and Molthune, though its opinion of Molthune has cooled considerably of late. The citadel is governed by the Evenhanded Synod, a council of prominent political, military, and religious leaders standing in for King Borom Greathammer, who has withdrawn into self-imposed isolation following personal tragedy and left his people without a clear line of succession. It is, even by dwarven standards, a complicated time to be visiting. Contact with Kraggodan has been lost, and it is believed to be under siege. A representative has requested information about the situation there.