StoneHolt The greatest city on Neyathis - not built by the hand of man, but by long-gone giants. It is a city of superlatives and place of new beginnings.
It is said that within walls of Stoneholt, once could place all of humanity and there would be room to spare. As one sails down the Saar river to where the great city sits at its mouth, one easily can believe this when the city comes into view.
The city was clearly built by a race of beings who would consider humans mere vermin to be ignored or stomped into dust. The least of its buildings is the match of many of man's most impressive structures. A single tower on it's walls capable of holding a force sufficient to fortify a human castle.
As one moves further downstream, the cities walls come to the river's edge, making the river feel almost like some underground channel, as the walls loom more then 100 feet in height. Periodically along the wall on either bank are massive towers that reach nearly 200' in height. One gets the impression that each side of the river is fortified against the other.
Eventually the river forks and the island so formed is similarly fortified. At this point massive structures - impossibly tall, slender towers, huge cathedral-like buildings and other grand structures can be seen over the walls. All three parts of the city sport these wondrous structures.
At this point one would realize just how long down the river they had been travelling! From the first edge of the great city to this massive island the trip was a good ten miles, all walled. After reaching the island, the city carries on for another 30 miles before it reaches the sea.
But enough about the outside - now through one of the gates, wide enough to admit a score of troops shoulder to shoulder, one enters the interior of the city proper.
The uniform stone of the City's exterior makes the myriad of color and textures within a shock, for withing the vast walls of Stoneholt, people from all cultures and races have created homes for themselves. A vast complex of pre-made structures, albeit too large without modification, sufficient to hold the entire world population of humanity was a magnet drawing disadvantaged and dispossessed peoples from the entire globe. Here one could claim their own castle so long as they could defend it. So there are many mini-nations and kingdoms within the great walls - the world in miniature, and each 'nation' shows its own colors and building styles, adapted to the great stonework of the city.
As you move though the great city, you notice the roofs of most buildings are green, overgrown with crops, and so are the many balconies which extend from the upper floors. Within the walls, enough arable land exists to feed itself.
Stoneholt - the city of Giants, the city of Castles, the city of new starts.
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What happened to the giants?
Well, that would be telling...
There are clues in the other World of Neyathis subs relating to this one, and what happened to them will be revealed in time. Oh, but they will be back. Eventually.
Great job, valadaar. I like anything that makes humanity look small and insignificant. This has a nice, dark feel of forboding to it, which I love. /David
What Ouro said.
If normal-sized peoples have since taken up residence here, it would make for a vey interesting set of societies. You already mentionned that the rooves can be used as fields. Imagine a giant-sized room of stone filled with wooden structure to divide it into many rooms... I'm excited. You could have a kingdom the entirity of which is indoors. What would wars and borders be like within a tightly packed city?
Exactly the thoughts I had when coming up with this place.
I was considering how to make dungeons, for example, make more sense.
Also, another take was imagine if you just happened to trip over a largely deserted, but still in good condition, New York city (or other modern megopolis)?
This is wonderfully vivid. I can already see flights of stairs -- far too large for human legs -- being converted into terraced living quarters with multiple houses on each step, and a central aisle with newer stone where human-sized stairs have been added. No matter where you went within, you would feel small and uncomfortable. The ceilings are too high, the hallways too wide, and the massive doorways make you feel far too exposed. I'd love to imagine what great artifacts of legend live within the city now.
Normally, this would be a bit short to get a 5 from me, but this is spinning so many ideas that I couldn't vote it any lower. Well done!
Thanks for the HOH Cheka!