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Overview:
Lucien’s Hold is the emerging capital of the Road North, built atop the ruins of an ancient bridge that once spanned the chasm dividing northern and southern Siar’Morrin. Commanded by Lucien Draven, it serves as both a fortified city and a symbol of New Birania’s ambition to reconnect the continent.
Description:
The city is a striking blend of old and new. Towering fortifications have been grafted into the ancient stonework of the bridge’s remains, creating a defensible structure perched on the brink of the chasm. The architecture is imposing—tall watchtowers, reinforced ramparts, and a central command bastion that oversees the span and the roads leading both north and south. The settlement below houses soldiers, settlers, and bureaucrats, its streets laid out with military precision.
History:
What began as a forward military outpost swiftly evolved under Lucien Draven’s leadership into the administrative and symbolic heart of the Road North. The ancient bridge, once a marvel of pre-AoD engineering, had long since crumbled into the chasm—but its remnants provided both a literal and figurative foundation for the city’s rebirth. Though constructed in haste, Lucien’s Hold was built to last, and its citizens have since maintained it with pride and discipline. Over the past 17 years, the stronghold has grown from a rugged redoubt into a fortified seat of power. While it can never match the grandeur of the original structure, Lucien has overseen the construction of a makeshift bridge that extends across the chasm, anchored into the surviving foundations. He guards it closely—not just as a pathway north, but as a statement of intent: that the world can still be reconnected.
Significance:
Dravenhold acts as both the political and logistical hub of the Road North. It facilitates the flow of resources, hosts key military leadership, and stands as a beacon of Lucien’s resolve. It is a show of force and faith—faith in restoration, unity, and the long road ahead.
Notable Features:
- The Broken Span: The rebuilt bridge integrated into the fortress, still jutting into the void, a poor imitation of the original, but solid enough to serve its purpose.
- Draven’s Bastion: The central command post and residence of Lucien Draven, adorned with banners and carvings that tell the story of the Road North’s reclamation.
- The Stoneway Market: A growing mercantile district where settlers and traders come to barter for goods, land deeds, and military contracts.
- Chasm Gate: A heavily fortified gatehouse that marks the edge of Northern Siar’Morrin, and helps regulate those that wish to travel between the regions.
Local Legends or Stories:
A persistent tale speaks of the Chasm’s Whisper, an eerie voice heard by guards stationed too long on the Broken Span. They claim to hear whispers from below—promises of power, memories of lost loved ones, or chilling laughter. Some believe the chasm itself is alive, others think it’s the ghosts of those who fell during the collapse.
Among the soldiers and settlers, there is a deeply ingrained caution—not tied to old myths, but to grim reality. The Chasm is not some empty wound in the earth. It is said to shelter things that once crawled from the Rift during the Age of Darkness—creatures that thrive in shadow. To this day, Lucien enforces a strict lockdown every nightfall. No gates are opened after dark, and watchers line the chasm’s edge with torches and vigilance. Whether these nightly precautions are fueled by superstition or necessity, none in Lucien’s Hold dare to question them.
Current Status:
Dravenhold is growing rapidly, both in size and influence. It teeters on the edge of being either a model of hope or a powder keg of ambition. While Lucien’s vision has created order, his ambitions—and the strange happenings around the Rift—may soon tip the scales.
Visitors’ Experience:
Visitors to Dravenhold are immediately struck by its stark, imposing presence. The city-fortress rises from the broken edge of the chasm like a defiant banner against the past, built into and atop the shattered remains of the once-great bridge that connected north and south. Though not a place of beauty, Dravenhold commands respect—its walls are freshly reinforced, its streets swept clean, and its soldiers alert.
The atmosphere is one of rigid order and cautious hope. Every movement within the city is purposeful: merchants deliver goods under escort, engineers assess and reinforce bridgework, and soldiers patrol in disciplined formations. The people here live with a quiet intensity—aware that safety is hard-won and easily lost.
By day, the central plaza buzzes with the logistics of a frontier town rebuilding itself. But by night, the city changes. Torches flare along the battlements, and all gates lock with ritual precision. The streets go still, and the hum of construction gives way to silence—punctuated only by the creak of watchtower ropes and the distant, unplaceable sounds echoing from the chasm’s depths.
While not a welcoming place in the traditional sense, Dravenhold offers a profound sense of purpose. It is a frontier of hope, endurance, and wary vigilance—a place for those who choose action over comfort, and who can sleep with one eye open.