Fantasy Setting Pt 1

I thought I'd post the preliminary descriptions/histories for three of the locations for novel I'm slowly working on, The Bent Tower. Please offer any opinions or criticisms you have, these are preliminary.

The Bent Tower

The Bent Tower looms on the cliff before you, its twisted structure the composite of multiple architectural styles and different periods of construction. Seemingly mundane materials, including stone and wood, are joined by silver, adamantine, and a multitude of rare, unknown minerals as well. Supports reach down from various parts of the overhanging structure, some reaching down from as far as 100 ft., while others reach down to other parts of the tower or to the sea itself. A series of docks comes directly out of the cliff face to the water, and it is clear that the caverns in the stone are also interconnected with the tower itself. The tower is, in truth, a city built out of a single, giant, sprawling structure. Some crop fields surround the eastern face of the tower, but no external homes are apparent.
    The Tower was originally merely a headquarters and research facility for the wizard Arquibus Dubar, and in time became a home for his family. The site was chosen in part because of the abandoned Dwarven mines below, which were incorporated into the structure as storage spaces and laboratories for dangerous magical and alchemical equipment and experiments. The mines were abandoned for a reason, however, and a group of Derro who lived in the deep tunnels below attempted to sabotage construction in the later stages. Some well planted explosives damaged the mid-section of the tower, but others which failed to explode prevented the total destruction of the tower. Rather than remove all the construction above the mid section, most of which was still perfectly intact, Arquibus decided to have his architects patch the damaged section and built extensive supports around the tower, allowing the structure to remain strong. The maimed but sturdy tower hence gained its name from its nearly devastated form which now, at its worst point, bent at an angle of nearly forty-five degrees from its original angle.
    As the facility expanded, Arquibus saw fit to hire on full time watchmen, caretakers, and groundskeepers. Several other wizards expressed interest in teaching from the excellent facilities, and all of these people needed places to stay and supplies. Traveling merchants learned to establish a permanent trade with the tower, and very quickly some decided to stay and create shops within the tower itself. Before long, the tower had general stores, blacksmiths, a tanner, and a small but busy port and fisherman’s wharf.  In the tenth year since construction was first begun,  The Bent Tower officially became a city, allowing people to freely come and go so long as they obeyed the laws set forth by the creator and executed by the tower guard.
    Currently, the tower is home to 2 general trade stores, a hunter’s trading post, 3 blacksmiths, an apothecary shop, 3 inns, a potter, 2 tailors, a cobbler, and 4 magical supply stores. An arcane academy functions from the caverns below the city, and an adventurer’s guild operates training facilities as well. A theatre puts on shows daily, and a public debate hall allows the general populace to see philosophical, theocratic, and scientific debates on a regular basis. In addition to the Scarlet Guardsmen, various constructs known as the Grey Watch protect particularly dangerous areas (as well as the private quarters of the Dubar family) from harm. Four temples exist, each dedicated to a separate god and fully staffed by clergy. The port can accommodate up to fifteen vessels in addition to the five fishing ships and five warships which patrol the harbor. The tower and caverns are home to approximately 4,200 residents and on most days around 1,000 “guests”, temporary visitors including traveling merchants, sailors and adventurers.

Chivarius, the Gleaming City

The gleaming Alabaster walls of the city of Chivarius promise safe dwelling to all of good intent, and unyielding resolve against those who would do the city harm. Inside the city the splendor continues, from the beautiful marble surface of the buildings to the perfect right angles of the roads and passages. Streets paved with silver and gold form the latticework of a pristine city of order and righteousness.
    Chivarius serves as the “capital” of the Alliance of the Grand Council, merely because meetings between the members are held in the Bronze Sanctum in the very center of the city. The grand structure is the only round surface in the city, a perfect circle in the center of a perfect square.  It is visible from anywhere in the city, as no other building is taller or wider. Inside, great murals painted with gems depict a hundred battles, and a hundred triumphs of good over evil. In the Inner Council Chamber sits a round table of platinum sheen with a chair for each of the council members, one from every city of the Alliance.
    The city is home to some of the greatest crafters and most renowned merchants in the Alliance, or even in the realms. However, all of the raw materials must be imported to the city, as local resources are basically non-existent. The city sits in the center of a desolate wasteland, as per the instructions of the god Marollus, whose followers founded the city as an act of faith.  For a time, food fell from the heavens for those who constructed the city. Four great fountains, at the four corners of the city, magically provided water. While food no longer  rains down, the water still flows freely from the fountains and into deep reservoirs which stretch along the inside of the city walls. Though the population of the city, and the number of structures within has increased since the foundation of the city, the exact size and layout was planned from the beginning, so the original structures, including the walls, fountains, Bronze Sanctum, and innermost homes, have remained unchanged for the last seven hundred years. The temple to Marollus sits atop the Sanctum, and no other temples exist within the city, due to the followers of Marollus still controlling the city, and this seems unlikely to change. Nevertheless, members of any race or religion are allowed within the city, so long as they cause no trouble.

Old Fort Two Rivers

Where the Red River and Serpentine River first nearly meet, a fort of ancient construction found new life as the home to an intrepid leader. This fortress city, now known as Old Fort Two Rivers, was tantamount to the formation of the Alliance as the headquarters of the man that first began taking on the greatest evils of the continent, Joran Kalnos.
    When Kalnos first came across the fort, which used to be called Shal’Na Rey’Na, the old stone was crumbling and debris filled the upper halls. The old fort was the place of the last stand of the Mul’Shar’Eth, a mixed race empire which stretched across the continent, against the barbaric forces lead by the half-demon dragon Krallishthisthex. Though the dragon’s siege lasted nearly fifty years, and though he eventually was victorious, the walls were never breached. The Mul’Shar’Eth were defeated by themselves, as they finally splintered and fought a civil war within their own fortress, until the few hundred survivors surrendered to the dragon and opened the gates. Though nearly all of the riches of the old empire were stolen, the inner structure of the fort remained intact and Kalnos realized that the old fort was a great deal stronger than it appeared to be from the outside. With the aid of his followers, he spent a year and a half clearing the old halls and rebuilding the walls in secret, as no one locally suspected that anyone would ever use the fort again, save for vermin and possibly the local lizard man tribes. In fact, the lizard men would prove to be some of Kalnos’ first regional allies, who happily agreed to aid reconstruction of the facility in exchange for the metal weapons that Kalnos’ men provided.
    The stone of the fort’s construction was normal granite, though the walls were built from exceptionally thick and heavy blocks. The original mortar was a mixture of an alchemical glue, adamantine, and magic null stone, which gave the walls the ability to absorb magical attacks. This paste was still usable, and so new blocks and repositioned ones were replaced approximately the same as they had originally been. The old empire was a combination of Elven, Dwarven, and Orcish people, and the architecture was an appropriate mix. The walls rose as sturdy, angular bastions of hexagonal shape into round, almost organic forms on the upper battlements. Spikes lined the outer walls and towers, and arrow slits were cut in regular intervals in the walls, while the great stone towers had tactically placed murder holes to protect against wall climbers and battering rams.
    The fort now functions as a small city in addition to being a military stronghold, as the increased activity after foundation of the Alliance inspired increased trade and need for services. The fertile lands around the rivers, which had lay unused for over a thousand years, once again became a home for farmers who bring their crop in to the fort and are protected by its army. The lizard men that still live in the region still practice their old ways of life, hunting and fishing along the rivers, but many have begun to adopt a more “civilized” way of life, living as farmers, craftsmen, or even merchants in the region.

Those people...

So, Sunday my brother wrecked the car. More like destroyed it. Oh, he's fine, thanks for asking. But, of course, we had to take care of the road, and tow the car, and all that happy stuff. Luckily, Ryan's friend was able to drag the car up the road a piece to a property that some friends own, and they let us keep it there until we could pick it up. Which we did with the help of his girlfriend's step father, who used his trailer to tow it to my dad's. Luckily, everything is taken care of. And now that I have a minute, I want to tell you about some other people, that didn't help us.

It was about 2:00 Sunday and a church bus rolled up the street. The car was in the middle of the road, so they stopped and were just looking at us. I thought maybe they didn't know the detour, which was a side street just a bit behind them. So we went to make sure they knew where they were going.

When we got there, this entire bus of "good Christians" from the Mt. Orab Bible Baptist Church didn't offer assistance, or condolences, or even well wishes. Instead we got a nice heaping helping of judgment with a side of criticism from a fat woman on the bus, and vacant stares from everyone around.

"I guess you should have been in church," she sneered, with a look that was either derisive or hungry (she was very fat). My mother, far less confrontational than I, simply said "Maybe we were." Not content to leave us alone, the fat woman responded with "At this time of day? I don't think so." And then had the nerve to hand my mother a welcome pamphlet from the church.

Are all church people like this? Of course not. I used to be one. I knew plenty who were good people, in fact still know a few. But then there are the others, those people, who look down their noses at everyone. God knows if their sins were laid bare the Devil himself would laugh and say welcome to the party. But instead they sneer at their "lessers" with glee and delude themselves into thinking they are good people.

I laugh. I know enough of these people to know they aren't worth my time. Even so, it does me wonders if I get to put one in their place, to let them know how pathetic and sorry they really are. So, I urge you all, if you know people like this (and I know you do) to tell them to shove their worthless judgments and stuck up attitudes. They can keep their shoddy self-worth and personal snooty mandates to themselves. Tell them to go take a hike. Better yet, tell 'em to fuck off. That'll really get their panties in a knot. Anyway, that's all. I'm off.