Alaghôn

Alaghôn, the capital of Turmish, was an ancient city that saw its share of trials and tribulations over the years, ranging from terrible fires to occupation by the blue dragon Anaglathos during the Reign of the Wyrm. Throughout all of this, Alaghôn survived as a trade center known as the "throne of Turmish."

Architecture
There were numerous stonemasons involved in the creation of the stone buildings, vaults, houses, and drains that comprised Alaghôn. This construction created "a thousand thousand" hiding places. This fact was especially true where the works of a human stonemason covered up the older workings of a dwarven craftsman. The secret passages and cubby holes created by such overlapping workmanship were popular places for children to play. Sometimes, the children ran into monsters - never again to run through the city streets of Alaghôn. When a child went missing, adventuring companies are sent to investigate.

Districts
Alaghôn was divided up into city districts.
 * The Military District was north of the city and includes the naval shipyards and ports reserved for their ships.
 * To the south lay the Merchant District
 * To the east lay the Assembly, or Government, District.
 * Houses continued out from Alaghôn farther west.

Surprises
Sometimes, children came across long-forgotten vaults that most likely once belonged to ancient rulers of Turmish. While it was rare for a child to come out from the maze of tunnels with a gold coin hundreds of years old, it was not unheard of. In 1370 DR, a young child came stumbling from the catacombs that ran through the government sector of the city, carrying a silver coin from the time of Dempster Turmish. The child feverishly related a story of walking into a huge chamber filled with gems and coins and meeting "an old woman with glowing red eyes." No sooner had he spoken these words when he slipped into a deep sleep and never recovered, so the rest of his story went untold.

During the time of Anaglathos, the blue dragon allowed a lich queen from Unther to reside below the palace. When Anaglathos died during the revolution, the lich queen continued to live quietly below the city. She cast a spell on the child when she found him wandering around her domain, sending him back to the surface so she could see through his eyes. The spell finally consumed the lad, but the lich queen did get a glimpse of the surface world again (in which she had only passing interest).

Culture
Hambra's Horncall was a popular periodical chapbook published in Alaghôn. It had a polite and neutral attitude towards theater, music, and other cultural events it advertised and reviews. The publication was used to print public announcements for the citizens, and shady organizations often published dummy announcements hiding coded messages.

Adventuring
Adventurers seeking employment to investigate lost ruins and ancient cities were normally referred to Chondath "or one of those other cities within the Vilhon," by the harbormaster of Alaghôn. There was a common belief in Alaghôn (and Turmish) that the monsters were elsewhere, which was not always the case.

Like elsewhere in Turmish, mercenary companies performed many of the jobs normally associated with a local militia. They were hired out to perform odd scouting jobs and patrols along the more "wild" areas of Turmish. Occasionally they ran into a powerful monster they could not overcome, but more often than not they chased off whatever it is they come across.

Races
A strong elf presence existed in Alaghôn, as many of them decided, for one reason or another, not to follow their kindred on the Retreat. There was not a segregated population of elves within the city, however, for they lived comfortably around humans.

History
The god Tyr burst forth from a portal near present-day Alaghôn in the in what would become known as the Procession of Justice. For the next nine years, Tyr and a host of two hundred archons would pacify the remnants of Jhaamdath, making the land suitable for settlement by the Turami tribes who would soon migrate to Turmish.

Alaghôn was founded by Chondathan settlers as a trading port in. It was the first recorded settlement of what would later be known as the nation of Turmish. Initially Alaghôn was simply a stopping point for ships moving along the inner sea, it grew into a major port that trafficked in goods coming from the dwarves of the Orsraun Mountains and the nomadic tribes of the Shining Plains.

In the a great fire destroyed much of the city, causing considerable damage to the shipyards and granaries, crippling its naval capabilities and causing widespread famine. The ruling families argued amongst themselves about who should pay for the damages, and for ten years pirates ravaged the coast of Turmish and flourished across the Inner sea.