The Cadwës know little about these legends. Only the most erudite and most forthcoming Daïkinee elves tell of an ancient people whose territory stretched over here, a powerful yet bloodthirsty people allied to the most evil dragons of the whole Creation. Concerning these matters, and especially concerning the alliance with the venerated reptiles, the Cynwälls have always refused to express themselves, so there is nothing to confirm the Daïkinees’ claims.

A Cynwäll settlement

When Elhan and his followers embarked on the path of exile to found the Cynwäll nation* they settled the land now known as Lanever. Lying at the mouth of the Ynkarô and Leâk Shear, they built a stronghold that quickly became an important trading post between the peoples of Aarklash. Th e only place where the nations were allowed to walk the ground of Lanever without attracting the Cynwälls’ isolationist wrath, the city grew quickly. No one can agree on this city’s original name. Once again the Cynwälls stick to their usual discretion and only speak of Cadwallon.

Then Cadwallon the Prosperous rapidly vanished, smothered by the voracious vegetation of a bewitched jungle. The Cynwälls were then attacked by a horde of undead warriors led by a powerful necromancer, Sinlis Mantis. Though the threat was eventually thwarted, the lake became infested with rotting bodies that contaminated the city’s water supply. Within a few days Cadwallon was deserted by its inhabitants. Even today, the Cynwäll resent the city as they feel it to be cursed.

The Dogs of War

Many decades went by before a group of rogue warriors settled in this accursed place. Surely on the hunt for riches, these men were the founders of Cadwallon as we know it today. These men went by the unflattering terms of mercenaries, outlaws, bloodthirsty warriors and rejects. Having dubbed themselves “Dogs of War,” they blindly followed their leader, Vanius. They discovered the ruins of an ancient Cynwäll city and decided to settle there, hoping to unearth timeless artefacts left behind by the elves. The 200 Dogs of War were organized into 21 free companies, each one led by one of Vanius’s lieutenants who began to clear away the rubbles

The Battle of the Wall of Earth

The secrets buried in Cadwallon also caught the attention of others. The forces of the Meanders of Darkness, which had already been the cause of the fall of the Cynwäll city, tried to push out the new comers. The Necromancer Sophet Drahas was leading an army of walking dead to claim the city for his master, Feyd Mantis, the most powerful lord of Acheron.

The assault was bitter and the battle dreadful, but Vanius’s companions managed to drive back the attack. The sudden appearance before the battle of a deck of 22 tarot cards endowed with magical powers was surely linked to this miraculous victory. Before the offensive, Vanius handed out a card to each of his lieutenants and kept one for himself: the Emperor’s card. At the end of the battle the Alliance of Light’s troops arrived to provide support. The city’s ruins were thus taken back from the enemy.

Independance

In spite of their exemplary bravery, the Dogs of War remained nothing more than outlaws in their allies’ eyes. Thanks to his charisma, Vanius nevertheless managed to preserve the independence of his Cadwallon. According to the tale, while Alahan’s emissaries were mocking his wish to build a kingdom on this field of ruins, Vanius pulled out an old battered gold coin and threw it at the Barhan’s feet, replying: “Sir, these remains please you so little that I make them my kingdom for a ducat!”. Thus, aware that he couldn’t give himself the title of king without upsetting his allies, yet refusing to recognize Alahan’s authority by becoming a baron, Vanius took the title of duke, an old Barhan military rank.

Birth of a duchy

Vanius’s tour de force gave birth to the free city of Cadwallon in 832. The officers who remained with their leader founded the city’s first noble lineages and were able to mine unexpected riches from the ground. Three years after it was founded, Vanius carved out a domain for each house, thus establishing the first fiefdoms. At the same time he gave the city a militia. No one knows what happened to Vanius, as he is said to have gone underground, never to return again. As for Sophet Drahas the necromancer, he never surfaced again, though it is rumoured that he still lives, somewhere under Cadwallon, plotting his return...

Today, more than a hundred and fifty years after the legendary battle of the Wall of Earth which saw these adventurers battle against the Meanders of Darkness, the free leagues, the heiresses of the Dogs of war, are the guardians of the independence of Cadwallon. Their members are the free leaguers. Thanks to them, the Jewel of Lanever is spared by the Rag’narok. Nevertheless in its heart, somewhere along the border that separates shadow from light, lies the secret, which will seal the destiny of Aarklash, therefore the destiny of the Creation.

Cadwallon is the City of Thieves.

Fortunes are made and lost there along its winding alleys. Silk and rags mingle when night comes. The powerful and the miserable mix in a ballet of merciless and murderous intrigues. Far from the wars that set the continent ablaze, emissaries coming from all over Aarklash meet to negotiate in the corridors of the prestigious embassies and the backrooms of the most infamous inns.

Cadwallon is a Venomous Rose.

The noble towers of the upper city, which challenge the heavens each day, take root in the back alleys of the low city, choking in poverty and despair. The balance of the precarious alliances allows the arrogant aristocrats of Cadwallon to sit with the most powerful sovereigns of Aarklash. They have numerous enemies, but allow themselves to impose their rule when one dares to challenge them.

Cadwallon is the Jewel of Lanever.

Like a ring of darkness set with a glistening diamond, the Free City draws the banished, the dispossessed and all those who refuse to die in the name of the glory of the commanders of the Rag’narok. A lost people from diverse horizons live there, united by the laws of the dukes of Cadwallon.

Cadwallon is a Free City

Once cursed and deserted, lost in the jungle of Lanever, Cadwallon was conquered by a handful of adventurers seeking glory and wealth: the Dogs of war. The latter, led by Vanius, had to face a thousand hazards to reach their goal, but they were met with fortune. Since the exploits of the Dogs of war, Cadwallon is a free city.

Surrounded on all sides

Cadwallon sits at the far north of the peninsula of Lanever between two gulfs. The city faces the strait of Larônn, up north, in which the Immobilis archipelago can be found. Further north is the goblin kingdom of No-Dan-Kar. South of Cadwallon starts the mountains of the Lanever Republic (Dragon), home to the Cynwäll Elves. Though Cadwallon is situated on their territory, there is no clear frontier with the elves which leads to an odd relationship between the two nations. Across the western river lie the twin forests : Quithayran (Scarab), the Emerald forest home to the Daïkinee elves and Ashinân (Spider), the Web forest of the Akkyshan elves. South East are the kingdom of Alahan (Lion) while North-East are the arid steppes of Avaggdu, home to the Sessair Kelts (Minotaur). The free city is at the crossroads of several nations, and therefore is a major trade centre of Aarklash. Such wealth also attracts the attention of all nations and home to a ferocious political war to influence the city....

Inside the Jewel of Lanever

The City of Thieves sits atop of a slope that slowly goes down to the north, where the Kraken bay lies. The Easter border of Cadwallon is the famous Wall of the Earth, a great cliff which dives into the Syrlinh gulf. Because it is built on top of the ruins of a Cynwäll city, the upper city is in an enclosed citadel. The lower city, on the other hand, has developed outside of the great walls lying at the feet of the legendary Dyrsin Tower, which tip can not be seen from the ground, and which pillars overlook the upper city. The works planned by the various dukes haven’t always been very successful. Even though the city has prospered in all parts, many of its districts are especially crowded, making circulation in the higher city as bad as in the lower city.

The Cadwës, at the urging of the more advanced communities (dwarves and goblins), have developed several ways of getting around in their city. The Jewel of Lanever has thus known an unrivalled technological, scientific and industrial revolution on the continent. This metamorphosis was accompanied by economic and social advances that also came from No-Dan-Kar and Tir-Nâ-Bor. This is so true that many immigrants think that the city’s motto is “In Cadwallon, everything can be bought” instead of “My kingdom for a ducat!”. No matter where one might be in the city, visiting Cadwallon demands either unfailing courage and health or enough wealth to be able to pay for effi cient yet extremely expensive means of transportation.

On water

Cadwallon lies across a vast peninsula. For strategic reasons the city occupies the whole stretch of land to allow for better surveillance of the waters lying on either side of it. Th us the Free City protects the lands of Light from potential invasions. As for the upper city, it engulfs the northern part of a lake that Cadwës call the “little sea.”

By way of the sea

In the north of the peninsula the Kraken harbor is the continent’s biggest merchant port. It harbors vessels of the open seas as well as a squadron of goblin pirates that ensures their “protection.” Once on land, the visitor has a choice of several means of locomotion: the bravest can walk, others can take a carriage, and the wealthiest can use the Tractor. One can also reach Cadwallon by Shipwreck Bay, to the east.
The naval forces of the Ways of Light often choose to drop anchor in these waters, for they are defended by an Akkylannian fort built on a small island. Whoever wishes to use this route must get clearance and strictly follow the instructions given by the fort’s garrison. A cutter is then used to reach the upper city. This journey requires a generous donation to be made.

Cadwë is a language that perfectly refl ects the nature of the City of Thieves. Based on the jargon of the Dogs of War and Akkylannian grammar (which is especially easy to learn), it is now a potpourri of various influences. Barhan, Akkylannian and Syhar are the tongues that influence most Cadwë. Other sources have durably affected this language: many technical terms come from the dwarven language of Gheim and Goblins navigation terms. Ogres insults are surely the most commonly used and widely preferred.

Cadwë is thus a language that is rich in multilingual references, in neologisms, and in original sayings. Under perpetual construction, it absorbs all cultures and tends to spread all over Aarklash. The language used in the upper city is nevertheless more structured and less changing. It is based mainly on the languages of the four embassies (Alahan, Akkylannia, Syharalna and No-Dan-Kar). The use of elvish terms, however, is always impressive!