Ashmodai

Dorton

• City-state of Dorton

  Dorton was the capital of Norvale, until industrial uprising and political turmoil that lead into a civil war between the rest of the country and the cities in it and Dorton. Dorton managed to rip itself apart from rest of the country, which was seen as a justified thing due to the economical thing among the people in Dorton, while rest of the country grew sour. There has been numerous tensions after, but so far Dorton has evolved into an even bigger cancer of a city in middle of the large island.

  Dorton is a massive complex of different kind of areas divided into sectors by giant walls that run through the city. There are overrall eight sectors in the city itself, while the nearby lands are considered still greater Dorton area. One sector around the north bank of the river is occupied by the military, one by the Clergy and the King, while two sectors are shared by most of the bigger noble Houses of Dorton. There are a lot of sectors with living quarters, while the sectors themselves are controlled by guilds and factions inside them.

  
  

  

  
  

  The King - Dorton is lead by a small council, chosen by the King of Dorton. Dorton monarchy is more of a title established according to the legend of Norvale and it’s past, while having little to nothing to do with actual royal bloodlines. There are several noble houses inside Dorton that struggle for power. A new king is chosen, when the old one is disputed unfit to lead by majority of major powers and factions, mostly guilds and houses inside the city.

  The Army - Dorton is managed by the ruling elite, which command the vast army, divided in three major factions. Army is both technologically advanced and well financed due to the ongoing tensions between rest of the island and Dorton. The Legion is part of the army that operates most of the actual warfare on a grand scale. The Watch is the guards that patrol the city and are part of the army itself, acting close to as one would imagine police. The Forge is the scientific and manufacturing side of the Army, though relies heavily on services and resources provided by the Houses inside Dorton to operate.

  The Clergy – Dorton has always been a city of power and a vast amount of population and with those combined comes many forms of sin. The Faith came to Dorton from foreign countries decades ago, but through violence and religious cleansing, Norvale’s original religions were pushed far away from Dorton and deep into the north woods of the big island. The King’s castle in middle of Dorton is surrounded on all sides with the religious district with it’s different temples, shrines and holy places. Many see the Clergy as corrupt and politically inclined, but they hold great power in the city still and are by law supported by all of the houses, the Army and the King. They have their own small paramilitaristic faction, but are mostly forbidden to field a proper army due to political tensions and power structure inside Dorton.

  
  
  The Nobility
  House Amnar – famed for it’s economical advance during recent decade due to seemingly endless supply of resources for both Dorton itself and it’s army. The family itself is quite large and also operate the Steel Vault, which is the city-state’s biggest bank. They hold a great grip on Dorton’s imaginary throat and are feared for a reason.
  
  House Sokolov – If one House could be put above others in the civil war and it’s ending, it would be House Sokolov. The pious house orchestrated the first steps into the civil war, playing all others to their best roles. After Dorton was freed from the rest of Norvale, it was a joint decision of all the factions to promote Pietyr Sokolov as the newly found King of Dorton. The man has reigned ever since, mostly supported by the religious groups of the city-state.
  
  House Gryffin – main ally of House Amnar and with history in the Forge of the Army, house Gryffin has been the imaginary and innovative strength of Dorton’s independency. The family has had many great scientists and engineers, contributing to and financing many of the guilds in the area. Also on House Gryffin lands resides the University of Dorton, where new intellicent and young dortonians emerge from.
  
  House Zelkova – the third biggest house is renowned for it’s long history on Norvale and carrying on the legacy of the island and it’s biggest city. In beginning the House came from the north side of Norvale, but migrated to Norvale with the ruling elite long before the civil war took it’s toll on the island and it’s other cities. House Zelkova are fabled for their art and cultural heritage, though have somewhat faded in political power after the civil war.
  
  House Faust - long ago the family was big and strong, having vast power on the south and middle sides of the island, but due to political changes and Dorton’s uprising as the island’s focus and main port, the power and resources of House Faust depleted over the course of time. Until recent years, there were only three living members left in House Faust, but out of the three siblings only Ashmodai Faust is alive. Being a renowned leader of a battalion in the army, working on a massive airship project side by side with the Forge, Ashmodai Faust lead the long lasting project. Most tell he went mad, as before the official parade day and the unveiling of the two airships could take place, Ashmodai’s battalion betrayed the Legion and took over the Iron Sky. The airship’s functioning armanents rained destruction on it’s sistership and half of the port in the military district. The Iron Sky managed to make a narrow escape from Dorton, though was crippled heavily with the Legion unable to chase the airship.
  
  
  The Guilds
  
  There are numerous different kinds of guilds in the city, from smaller organisations to massive factions orchestrated in different manners. Most of the guilds are not registered at all, though the bigger ones are reported directly to the Court and the King's own office due to taxation and bureaucracy. The laws dictate in Dorton that no guild should be possessing enough power or military strength to compete with the Clergy or the Army, but some shadier organisations known by their own public statements as guilds might be able to veil their true strength from the Army's supervision. There are few guilds that are worth mentioning before others due to their power, size and influence.
  
  
  

  Narthar Slagworks - The large guild on the east side of Dorton District Seven was a massive complex originally consisting of many smaller guilds. A decade ago House Amnar and an individual named Jacob Narthar managed to combine these smaller guilds under one company name due to coercion, blackmail and politics. The Watch were unable to pinpoint any wrongdoings, so the Slagworks could operate properly soon after, providing service to the fabled city by producing massive amounts of raw materials for House Amnar. Slagworks iron, steel and other metals are renowned through the whole archipelago around Norvale Island, though most of it's production capacity is aimed to serve the great city of Dorton. It has been nearly impossible for other companies to compete with the enermous organisation, but considering how Slagworks also provides salary (even though minimal) to a large portion of good and honest dortonians, the King has not intervened with the policies enforced by Slagworks.

  Steel Vanguard - the fabled mercenary batallion during the civil war lead by Elijah One-Eyed won many battles and worked alongside the Legion on almost all main fronts of the war. It was the courage and relentless advance by the heavy infantry of the Vanguard that got them most of the reputation, even though majority of the mercenary batallion came from around the archipelago, rather than the island itself. After the war and with new laws around Dorton regarding military presence, the Vanguard was forced to rebuild itself - with most of the veterans leaving the island, but the ones left re-organising themselves as a mercenary group working under as a private security company. The Vanguard nowdays provides security for some of the Houses, which do not have their own security and for many of other guilds. They work from Dorton District Seven under the stern command of the old Elijah, whom is rumoured to be in quite a bad condition.

  
  
  
  The Society of Dorton
  
  
  Dorton city is illfamous for being extremely divided by classes. The outskirts of the massive city resemble more like farms and ghettos, these areas are often run over by travelling diseases and violence. There are a lot of different kinds of disorganised gangs and attempted guilds trying to form in the Outskirts as well, though if seen as a threat, usually destroyed by the more established factions. The poor in their rags and shacks represent the lowest part of the class spectrum.
  
  The working class is the solid background where Dorton city and it's ideals are built on. You get up in the morning, do your duty, earn your bread and go home to your family, only to repeat the next day. The working class is the workhorse of labor that the guilds feast on, be it the Slagworks, the mercenary guilds or anykind of an artisan. Most people go uneducated through their life, as it is priviledged to be part of the Dorton schooling system. Many of the working class citizens apply to the Army, as it tends to help getting forward in life, mostly ending up as middle class - leading a smaller company or running a small faction.
  
  The Clergy is perhaps the smallest of factions, but the loudest and most loved by the vast majority of the city: the poor and the working class. Due to the support of the largest factions, the nobility, the King and the Army are rightfully intimidated by the Clergy and usually submit to their more reasonable demands. Throughout Dorton history there has been many dark times when the religion took the wheel, leading the city to dark waters and an omnious future. But currently there was a stalemate - the Clergy were fed enough not to demand more power, though they were actively looking for a new bishop to lead them as the old one disappeared with so many rumours from work of demons to escaping the King...
  
  The aristocrats are the real rulers of the city-state. They own most of the guilds directly or indirectly, most of the infrastructure around the city and they control the Army. The noble Houses of Dorton have always been in power and it has always been one among them who has ascended to become the King. They separate themselves well and deep into their own Dorton Districts, away from the poor and the workforce - many never even seeing the ghettos and whatnot surrounding the city.
  
  
  
  History of Norvale
  
  (OOC: no specific years set to fit in other rp settings if needed.)
  
  (527 years before independence) – the Faith arrives on the island of Norvale. The religion is brought by foreign power and great shrines were built in Dorton area to proclaim the one true power. Old norvalean gods were deemed pagan in the capital area of Norvale, their worshippers pushed back to northern and eastern sides of the island. Current King of Norvale helped the island’s conversion, by accepting the Faith with marriage to the foreign princess as a part of the marriage agreement. Where the old norvalean worshippers resisted, sword made sure the religion would spread on the island. But the Faith remained generally still in Dorton area only, not taking deep roots in the north.
  
  (495 years before independence) – the followers of the Faith cause friction between the religious factions of the old gods and the new Faith. Trying to spread the Faith over the smaller provinces beyond Dorton outskirts through force. The bishop Jonas Boylan creates a company of soldiers working directly underneath the Clergy with the support of the King due to the close ties of the throne and the Clergy. The newly formed organization inside the Clergy – the Red Templars of Faith (or the Red Hand, as called by the commoners) – was quickly harnessed in oppressing the provinces with forcing the Faith. Countless amounts of commoners and low born nobles were deemed heretic and were either hung or burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft or believing in the old gods. The civil unrest following Norvale due to the works of the Templars was soon enough causing bigger problems and guerilla war broke out in the smaller towns of Norvale. With the First Great War also stirring in the greater archipelago area, the Clergy was unable to keep the Red Hand in the countryside and the King was forced to transfer the zealous faction over to the Army. With death of the king, the Red Hand was soon forced to disassemble and new laws were set to protect Norvale and the King so that the Clergy would not grow too big and powerful to field an army of their own. Commonly these times were deemed very dark in Norvale history and most members of the Clergy even claimed that the faction was not lead by the bright light of the Faith during the dark times.
  
  (321 years before independence) – the Faith’s grip on the capital of Norvale was still strong, but due to the providences slipping back into the old religion, the Clergy’s plans were once more to root out the old gods worshipping out of the island. With close ties to the King, bishop Anatoli Sokolov and marshal Yuri Amnar of the Legion orchestrated the Legion’s support in the religious conflict. There was a lot of propaganda among the common folk used, which stirred civilians taking the justice into their own hands and many old gods worshippers were killed during the following years. The great House Wynter, a long lasting noble family in middle of Norvale, was accused of witchcraft and with political play from both House Amnar and House Sokolov, all members of the House Wynter were either put to jail to rot or burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft. House Wynter was outlawed by the King as well, no surviving members were ever reported. In the eyes of old gods followers, House Wynter was seen as the last true blue blood on the island of Norvale, even though it was not clear if they really followed the pagan believes.
  
  (13 years before independence) – The past four decades were very good for Dorton’s economical and industrial growth, leaving Dorton almost single handedly as the backbone and workhorse of Norvale’s geopolitical situation. With the rest of the providences as a hinderance and a load to drag along, countless dortonians saw the city as the real and only part of Norvale that mattered. House Sokolov started to look out for possibilities regarding the situation and started to steer the wheel so that the island would be separated in two countries – the city-state of Dorton and Norvale around it. House Sokolov’s long power over the Clergy was an easy route for the current leaders to show possibilities for other great houses regarding the change; with only House Zelkova against, but in end forced to cooperate with other houses. House Amnar allied itself with House Gryffin, providing the materials needed to provide Dorton army to wage war on the rest of the island. The civilwar was bloody and long, having many fronts on it – many heroes rose and fell, though in the end both norvalian army was defeated and the Clergy’s own actions made the pagan religion driven away from Dorton once more.
  
  (Independence) - The week after idependence was declared a great parade was hosted with the Legion and all other parts of the army along with noble houses’ guards and the mercenaries marched along the main route into the city. It was under disguises of the Clergy that norvalian terrorists managed to infiltrate the parade, causing havoc with a serie of explosions, which took many innocent lives – but also most famously the King’s life. King Alexander Gaval was a hero of the civil war, but now seen as a martyr for the city-state.
  
  (59 years after independence) – Dorton’s economical and industrial might is renowned across the archipelago and the city-state is a crossroads of trade. To enforce it’s independence and freedom, Dorton spends great amount of resources into building new military technologies – including two dreadnought class airships. Due to events inside the Legion and the Forge, Commander Ashmodai Faust managed to betray the Army and lay waste to the other airship, escaping barely with the other. Many suspect the last member of House Faust got assist from norvalian separatists.