Kingsmount
Era
Location
Kingsmount is the most northerly city of Atlantis, located at the end of a coastal peninsula.
Description
Kingsmount lies at the tip of a long, finger-like peninsula on the north coast of Atlantis, and so is almost entirely surrounded by water. The only landward approach is by the Great North Road, which runs up the centre of the peninsula and enters the city from the south.
Historically the southern approaches were guarded by a wall which stretched across the width of the peninsula. In later years it had fallen into disrepair, but during the war against the Demon Queen it was repaired and rebuilt. The wall is made of enchanted stone and is a quarter of a mile long and over thirty feet high. The only obvious point of entry are large wooden gates in the centre, though there is a small postern gate towards the eastern end.
The city itself is built almost entirely of stone, as trees are scarce on the peninsula but stone is plentiful in the quarries of the aptly named Stone Island just east of the city. The stone is a dark grey granite, weathered by the passing of centuries.
The architecture is a jumble of styles and the streets are narrow, twisting, and unplanned. Narrow, pointed arches and vaulted ceilings predominate, in contrast to the more graceful columns and curved arches of other cities such as Poseidonopolis. The city is said to feel very old.
Kingsmount is built on a steep hill, and the main thoroughfares run in spiraling circles around it. Steep alleys and narrow staircases between buildings connect the levels, and in many places a road on one level might lie on the roofs of the buildings on the level below, or a low wall might conceal a lengthy drop to a lower street on its far side. Going anywhere in Kingsmount is a frustrating business for the visitor not versed with its streets. In general, any road that appears to go in the correct direction either turns in a different direction or comes to a dead end at a featureless stone wall.
At the top of the hill stands the castle keep, a massive fortified structure. Around the castle, the city is divided, though not formally, into distinct districts. At the higher levels, around the castle and mainly to the north and east, are the houses of the city's wealthier inhabitants, while the poor sections are lower on the slopes and mainly to the south and west. The library, observatory, and other great buildings lie to the north. To the east are orchards, paddocks, and stabling for horses. To the south can be found most of the streets of merchants and tradesmen, surrounding the main market square which lies roughly mid-way between the wall and the castle. On the west are the docks, surrounded by the very poorest parts of the city.
The city is unique in Atlantis in having no patron deity and therefore no major temple or religious colleges. There are smaller temples to all of the gods, however. Notably the temple of Poseidon is east of the castle.
As a city surrounded by salt water and with no river serving it, obtaining fresh water in Kingsmount required an ingenious solution. The early rulers of the city constructed massive underground cisterns and a drainage system that collected rainwater for storage in them. Pipes connect the cisterns to the buildings of the city, providing on-demand fresh water for all. This miracle of engineering is all but forgotten, with most citizens taking their water supply for granted and not questioning where it comes from.
Three islands lie close to the city's western shore and are considered part of the city. These are: Fire Island, site of the northern lighthouse and the temple of Hephaestus; the Isle of the Dead, site of graveyards and mausoleums and the temple of Hades; and Pilot's Island, site of the southern lighthouse.
History
Kingsmount was the historical capital of Atlantis, its name literally meaning "the mountain of the king". The king was a hereditary role, but while he was theoretically all-powerful he was in reality a puppet whose only power came at the whim of the priestly class. As centuries passed, the other cities, each built around a single god's temple, grew individually more powerful and stopped paying lip service to the king, leaving Kingsmount a quaint, isolated backwater, with no major temple of its own and a king whose kingdom was little more than the city itself.
Kingsmount continued to prosper, however, as an important port. The Atlanteans were a seafaring race, and as the only major city on the north coast Kingsmount formed an important communications link between east and west coasts, as well as being ideally situated for trade with both the nations on the eastern continents and the Atlantean colonies on the western continent.
In time, the role of king vanished, though the story of how and when that happened is shrouded in legend, the facts being long forgotten. A group of wealthy merchants seized authority, forming a ruling council. The idea of a king lived on, however, in the form of a hereditary Regent, who was said the rule "in the King's name". Despite the grandiose styling, the role of Regent was entirely ceremonial and without power, though that began to change under Ebeneezer, a man with great ambitions and great political cunning.
In the time of the great war with the Demon Queen, Kingsmount became the last city to stand against the Queen's forces and a haven for refugees from all over Atlantis. The last great battle of Atlantis would be fought there, deciding the fate of the continent and, ultimately, the entire course of world history for millennia to come.
The Garrison
The permanent garrison of Kingsmount numbered less than two hundred men, more than enough to guard the city and its inhabitants during peace time. A quarter of this number were mounted knights, whose duties included patrolling the Great North Road and keeping the surrounding farms and villages safe from bandits. The rest were foot soldiers whose duties were to patrol the city streets to maintain law and order. A small group of soldiers served as ceremonial guards at the castle.
Foot soldiers were equipped with leather armour and short swords, with approximately half of them also carrying bows. Knights wore chain mail armour and carried lances, with short swords for fighting when dismounted.
The captain of the garrison was Sir Avant, a veteran knight renowned across Atlantis for his prowess in combat and his honorable nature.
The garrison's livery, for both mounted knights and foot soldiers, was a surcoat of blue and yellow checks, with the emblem of the five-pointed crown in silver.
During the time of the war with the Demon Queen, the garrison swelled to many times its normal size, bolstered by escaping soldiers from other cities and conscripted and hastily trained civilians.
Locations
- The Wall
- The Castle
- Docks
- Marketplace
- Clagg's Shop
- King's Head
- Temple of Poseidon
- Library
- Observatory
- Pilot's Island
- Isle of the Dead
- Fire Island
- South Island
- North Island
- The Prince's Island
- Drake's Island
- Stone Island