Thurgadin

Thurgadin is constructed in a heavily defensive posture. Long tunnels lined with murder holes are the only ways to advance into the city. Mines burrow deep into the mountains, some ending in cleverly hidden and easily collapsible escape hatches for quick access to the Great Divide. Carefully disguised guard towers were built atop the peaks surrounding the city to give the dwarves early warning of the presence of any uninvited guests. Guarding the entrance to the city is Breakstone Bridge. The Coldain have carved walls with murder holes on each side of the bridge. When facing a dire threat, they can collapse the bridge with a simple flick of a switch.

At the heart of the city lies Icewell Castle where the Dain and his council of advisors reside and deliberate. Surrounding the castle are the forges and shops that make up the mainstay of Coldain life. Perhaps the greatest architectural wonder of the city lies in the lower caves beneath Icewell, a place known as the Hall of Ancestors. Here the great Dains and Coldain heroes of yore are buried in an ice wall, creating a kind of macabre museum.

The Pit is the bottom-most layer of Thurgadin and is more of a natural cavern than a planned construction. The Coldain rarely take prisoners, and so they took it upon themselves to populate The Pit with some particularly nasty creatures. The Pit has no way down into it save for jumping off Breakstone Bridge or falling down the Icewell. On one side of The Pit, the Icewell dumps out into a frozen lake, while the other narrows to a tunnel leading to a dead-end cave. This cave is the home of a giant Yeti, the most fearsome danger of The Pit. There is only one way out of The Pit, and it is a recent addition. A rebellious Coldain miner managed to sneak his pick under his garb before dropping in. He used the pick to make a hole in the frozen lake and swam out through a series of small underwater tunnels that connect with Daggerflow River.

Remembrance Park is an historical ice sculpture garden. Two of the sculptures in Remembrance Park are of particular import, and are visited quite frequently by Coldain to pay respects to their history. The first is of Colin Dain and shows him fighting against the Frost Giants that drove the Coldain into their first exile. The second shows Glight Snowchipper sacrificing himself to halt the Frost Giant advance. Remembrance Park also houses some specially trained ice creatures that will fight any who threaten a citizen of Thurgadin.

The Mines of Thurgadin are quite extensive. Recent additions to the mines have unlocked a series of caves of unknown depth and complexity. Any Coldain that has entered this newly discovered system has not come back.

There are many small houses just outside the mines. This area is of lower quality than the majority of the city, and houses mostly miners and smiths. The most renowned bar in Thurgadin – The Velium Keg – serves its mighty brew from this location. It has alcohol of such potency that it will even warm the Dain's bones on a cold night.

The Church District of Thurgadin lies through a tunnel to the west of the city proper. Here dwells the clerics and paladins of the Coldain along with the Temple of Lore.