Kharvoss stands at the center of Vashrath, in the heart of the lowland forests. It is an immense, populous region, closed in by the woods and marked by a militarization no other known city can match.
The city inherited its name from an ancient tyrant who ruled it for years. Even after his fall, the name remained — as if the land itself had accepted that power, fear and permanence are hard things to separate in Vashrath.
Around Kharvoss the forest is dense, alive and hostile. Its trees block sight, smother sound, hide trails and make even seasoned travelers lose their sense of distance. The woods are rich in timber, minerals, herbs and rare creatures — and equally rich in things that want to kill anyone who enters.
That is why Kharvoss became a fortress-city. Its walls, barracks, forward posts and forges exist out of necessity. Here, nearly everything serves a military purpose: streets, towers, workshops, patrols, even markets.
History
The first pioneers suffered to cross the lowland woods — closed, damp, full of predators and rich in materials worth the risk. Small posts rose to harvest its wealth; then came armed camps, then walls, then barracks.
At some point in that story, a tyrant seized the region and bound his name to the city. Nobody knows whether House Kova descends from that ancient power, overthrew it, or simply filled the void it left behind. What is known is that the Kova consolidated themselves through force: their rivals were defeated, absorbed, expelled or forgotten, and after enough years without opposition the people simply accepted that the Kova had always been there.
The city grew around war. Dwarves were drawn by the demand for weapons, armor and defensive works; smiths settled and workshops multiplied. The forest kept trying to swallow the city, and the city answered by producing more steel.
Government
Kharvoss is ruled by House Kova, but its practical strength rests with Jovel: an orc, a commander, and the city's absolute military authority. He leads an army of orcs, humans, elves and other peoples — serving not out of affection, but out of force, need, pay, fear or survival. An orc king commanding soldiers of so many origins strikes many as an anomaly. In Vashrath, power rarely needs to explain itself.
The government does not try to seem kind: the law is military, production is militarized, and order is kept by the constant threat of punishment. The city endures because it can kill whatever approaches it.
It is said Jovel has never sought out Serena, despite rumors that she still lives nearby. Some believe he does not credit the legend; others think he credits it too much. If her strength is as great as the stories claim, facing her is a risk not even his pride can accept.
The cradle of the Three Forces
Legend says that more than a thousand years ago, Serena, Heidr and Marcus Villas met in this region to discuss the division of lands among their peoples. Heidr and Marcus Villas came close to an accord: split the lands between north and south, seal a truce, and leave Serena and her followers in submission.
The negotiation escalated. Words became threats; threats became a duel. The tale holds that Heidr and Marcus Villas attacked Serena together, believing her death would end the rebels who followed her. But Serena defeated them both — and spared their lives, knowing that as martyrs they could set Vashrath ablaze in open war.
No one knows if the story is true, nor whether Serena could live so long. Some say she is not human; some say she is beyond any common explanation. What remains is this: the Three Forces coexist today without open war, and the dispute lives on in politics, symbols, alliances and territory. The Wanderers keep their principal base somewhere in the wilds around Kharvoss — or so the rumors go — and many say Serena still lives there.
Landmarks
- The Lowland Forests — the dense woods around Kharvoss, rich in materials and in threats.
- The Dwarven Forges — workshops where weapons, tools and works of war are made.
- The Barracks of Jovel — recruitment and training grounds of the city's army.
- The Central Swamps — drowned, lethal grounds; the giant crocodile Gustav is the most feared of their tales.
- The Castle of the Leeches — an isolated castle deep in the woods, linked to drinkers of blood.
- The Tyrant's Throne — a domain bound to disputes of sovereignty and to the figure of the Baroness.
- The renegade orc camps — grounds held by orcs cast out of Jovel's ranks, or fled from them.
- The Wood of the Hanged — a forest marked by old witchcraft, death and souls that never left.
Notable figures
- House Kova — the reigning family, its power consolidated by force.
- Jovel — orc king and commander of the armies of Kharvoss.
- Serena — legendary leader of the Wanderers, perhaps still living in the region.
- Heidr — legendary leader of the Northern Warriors, said to have fought in the ancient duel.
- Marcus Villas — legendary leader of the People of the South, said to have sought the division of the lands.
- The Countess — some say she came from Kharvoss as a child, though nothing is confirmed; today she is better known in Cripta.
- The Baroness — a hostile sovereign with blood in her eyes, bound to the Tyrant's Throne.
- The Witch of the Hanged — an old presence of the cursed wood; today only the souls she left behind remain.
Kharvoss is strong, but it is not safe. The city resists the forest; it does not master it.