Difference between revisions of "Hammerhal"

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[[File:Firestorm-Hammerhal.jpg|Right|thumb|The walls of Hammerhal Aqsha]]
 
[[File:Firestorm-Hammerhal.jpg|Right|thumb|The walls of Hammerhal Aqsha]]
'''{{PAGENAME}}''', also known as the '''Twin-Tailed City''', is the greatest and the spirit capital of the [[Cities of Sigmar]], cities built after the end of the [[Realmgate Wars]] around the [[Realmgates]] claimed by the [[Stormcast Eternals]]. It's known as the Twin-tailed City because it's two settlements, '''Hammerhal Aqsha''' and '''Hammerhal Ghyra''', ruled as one, one on each side of the [[Stormrift Realmgate]].{{Fn|1}}
+
'''{{PAGENAME}}''', also known as the '''Twin-Tailed City''', is the greatest and the spiritual capital of the [[Cities of Sigmar]], cities built after the end of the [[Realmgate Wars]] around the [[Realmgates]] claimed by the [[Stormcast Eternals]]. It's known as the Twin-tailed City because it's two settlements, '''Hammerhal Aqsha''' and '''Hammerhal Ghyra''', ruled as one, one on each side of the [[Stormrift Realmgate]].{{Fn|1}}
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
Before being reclaimed, thirty chambers struck at both sides of the [[Stormrift Realmgate]] battling the [[orruk]] tribes who worshipped it as the [[Stormrift Realmgate|Maw of Mork]]. Their tribal kingdoms had long fought over the mystic portal, raising sprawling fortifications upon its twinned thresholds and invading one another through its crackling depths. Given common purpose by the Stormcast attack, the [[Morkmaw tribes]] unified. Only after long years of fighting - and with the aid of the [[Hallowed Knights]], the [[Anvils of the Heldenhammer]] and several other [[Stormhosts]] - did [[Sigmar]]'s warrior at last defeat the orruk scourge. To the [[Hammers of Sigmar]] went the honours of raising the first [[Stormkeep]]s around the Realmgate.{{Fn|4a}} The city that followed was named after them.{{Fn|1}}{{Fn|12b}}
 
  
Reaching up from the bedrock on both sides of the Stormrift, Sigmar's warriors discovered rich outcroppings of [[realmstone]]. Formed from the concentrated magics of the [[Mortal Realms]], these volatile crystals were a valuable yet dangerous source of arcane power first harnessed by the renowned architect [[Valius Maliti]]. The energies that poured from their central lodeshards were crucial in speeding along the construction of Hammerhal, fuelling the efforts of the [[Ironweld Arsenal|Ironweld]] engineers to raise new defences and expand the city's boundaries. It was the engineers who - with the aid of the [[Lord-Relictor]]s - caged the energies of the realmstone, building elaborate [[sigmarite]] machinery around them to harness their volatile sorcerous emanations. In Hammerhal Aqsha, those wrathful energies powers a vast shield of flickering lightning, while Hammerhal Ghyra funnels them into protective wards to confuse and misdirect hostile invaders.{{Fn|4c}}
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===Age of Myth===
 +
Over the course of the long millennia hundreds of empires have risen and fallen across the lands now covered by the twinned Hammerhals. In time all that will remain of them are remnants scattered beneath both cities. Everything from isolated catacombs to entire mausoleum-cities lay under the streets, housing untold secrets.{{Fn|4b}}
 +
 
 +
===Age of Sigmar===
 +
Before being reclaimed, thirty chambers of [[Stormcast Eternals]] struck at both sides of what would become known as the [[Stormrift Realmgate]]. During the conflict that followed, known as the [[Wars of Founding]], the Eternals battled the [[orruk]] tribes who worshipped it as the [[Stormrift Realmgate|Maw of Mork]]. Their tribal kingdoms had long fought over the mystic portal, raising sprawling fortifications upon its twinned thresholds and invading one another through its crackling depths. Given a common purpose by the Stormcast attack, the [[Morkmaw tribes]] unified. Only after long years of fighting were the forces of [[Sigmar]] - which included chambers from the [[Hammers of Sigmar]], [[Hallowed Knights]], [[Anvils of the Heldenhammer]], and several other [[Stormhosts]], as well as mortal forces such as the fleet led by [[Vizrin Kyre]] - able to at last defeat the orruk scourge. To the [[Hammers of Sigmar]] went the honours of raising the first [[Stormkeep]]s around the Realmgate, for they had led the wars.{{Fn|4b}} The city that followed was named in their honour.{{Fn|1}}{{Fn|12b}}
 +
 
 +
Reaching up from the bedrock on both sides of the Stormrift, Sigmar's warriors discovered rich outcroppings of [[realmstone]]. Formed from the concentrated magics of the [[Mortal Realms]], these volatile crystals were a valuable yet dangerous source of arcane power first harnessed by the renowned architect [[Valius Maliti]]. The energies that poured from their central lodeshards were crucial in speeding along the construction of Hammerhal, fuelling the efforts of the [[Ironweld Arsenal|Ironweld]] engineers to raise new defences and expand the city's boundaries. It was the engineers who - with the aid of the [[Lord-Relictor]]s - caged the energies of the realmstone, building elaborate [[sigmarite]] machinery around them to harness their volatile sorcerous emanations. In Hammerhal Aqsha, those wrathful energies power a vast shield of flickering lightning, while Hammerhal Ghyra funnels them into protective wards to confuse and misdirect hostile invaders.{{Fn|4b}}
  
 
As one of the new cities reclaimed by order during the [[Age of Sigmar]] in the [[Great Parch]] it starts to thrive as philosophy, art and fashion begin to develop once again.{{Fn|1a}}{{Fn|1b}}
 
As one of the new cities reclaimed by order during the [[Age of Sigmar]] in the [[Great Parch]] it starts to thrive as philosophy, art and fashion begin to develop once again.{{Fn|1a}}{{Fn|1b}}
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===Hammerhal Aqsha===
 
===Hammerhal Aqsha===
Hammerhal Aqsha is a bustling metropolis located in the [[Great Parch]] in [[Realm of Aqshy|Aqshy]]. It's a harsh and heavy fortified place with towering bastions and batteries. It's many pendants and banners dance on hot, angry winds. It is protected by lighting shields while mobile forts seek to expand the city boundaries.{{Fn|1}}{{Fn|12a}}
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Hammerhal Aqsha is a bustling metropolis located in the [[Great Parch]] in [[Realm of Aqshy|Aqshy]]. It's a harsh and heavy fortified place with towering bastions and batteries. Its many pendants and banners dance on hot, angry winds. Carving through the landscape of the city are great rifts in the earth, such as [[Adramar Rift]] and [[Gallis Rift]], these chasms are among the city's most important avenues of trade, as is the [[Aqshai River]] from which the Aqsha in the city's name comes from.{{Fn|20a}} In exchange for a steady supply of foodstuff from Ghyra, Aqsha provides a constant stream of molten rocks.{{Fn|1}}
  
The cities defences are maintained by the genius of the [[Ironweld Arsenal]], which have a strong presence in the city. The surrounding land is purified by the self-flagellating processions of [[Devoted of Sigmar]].{{Fn|1}}
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The defences of Aqsha are maintained by the genius engineers of the [[Ironweld Arsenal]]. These include the [[Burning Palisade]], a wall of [[fireoak]] stakes enchanted to burn eternally by the [[Bright Wizard]]s of the [[Collegiate]], lighting shields which further protects the city's boundaries, and [[Cogforts|mobile]] [[border-walker|forts]] that expand these boundaries.{{Fn|1}}{{Fn|12a}}{{Fn|20a}} Newly claimed land is purified by processions of [[Devoted of Sigmar]].{{Fn|1}}
  
In exchange for a steady supply of foodstuff from Ghyra, Aqsha provides a constant stream of molten rocks.{{Fn|1}}
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===Hammerhal Ghyra===
 +
[[File:Hammerhal Ghyra 02.jpg|Right|thumb|250px|The City of Hammerhal and the Stormrift Gate seen from Hammerhal Ghyra]]
  
===Hammerhal Ghyra===
 
 
Hammerhal Ghyra is located in the [[Jade Kingdom]] of [[Verdia]] in [[Realm of Ghyran|Ghyran]] is a city of golden domes and celestial spires. The city itself is highly decentralized, sections of it are built in between gigantic mountain terraces wrapped around the fertile mountains of the region.{{Fn|14b}} These immense fields are worked by enormous beetles, dragging massive plows trough the fertile earth, while torrents of water pour down from [[Mammoth Drift-Isles]], each of them kept in place by chains of [[Ironoak]]s {{Fn|14b}}.  
 
Hammerhal Ghyra is located in the [[Jade Kingdom]] of [[Verdia]] in [[Realm of Ghyran|Ghyran]] is a city of golden domes and celestial spires. The city itself is highly decentralized, sections of it are built in between gigantic mountain terraces wrapped around the fertile mountains of the region.{{Fn|14b}} These immense fields are worked by enormous beetles, dragging massive plows trough the fertile earth, while torrents of water pour down from [[Mammoth Drift-Isles]], each of them kept in place by chains of [[Ironoak]]s {{Fn|14b}}.  
 
In exchange for food and military support, Hammerhal Aqsha channels rivers of lava trough the [[Stormrift Realmgate]], burning away the rapidly growing flora, threatening to overwhelm the city. Carefully cut trenches form walls of fire that hold back the plants of Ghyran.{{Fn|1}}{{Fn|14b}} The air is noted by many visitors as tasting of cinders and smoke and the atmosphere as wet and humid. {{Fn|3b}} It is known as a stronghold of [[aelf]]-kind, many [[Free Peoples]]{{Fn|1}} and a sizable population of [[Sylvaneth]]{{Fn|14b}} with parts of the city given over to vast groves of trees.{{Fn|3c}}
 
In exchange for food and military support, Hammerhal Aqsha channels rivers of lava trough the [[Stormrift Realmgate]], burning away the rapidly growing flora, threatening to overwhelm the city. Carefully cut trenches form walls of fire that hold back the plants of Ghyran.{{Fn|1}}{{Fn|14b}} The air is noted by many visitors as tasting of cinders and smoke and the atmosphere as wet and humid. {{Fn|3b}} It is known as a stronghold of [[aelf]]-kind, many [[Free Peoples]]{{Fn|1}} and a sizable population of [[Sylvaneth]]{{Fn|14b}} with parts of the city given over to vast groves of trees.{{Fn|3c}}
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Of the one-hundred and twenty-two seats representing Hammerhal Aqsha, half are held by members of the [[Azyrite Settlers|Azyrite]] nobility of the city. Despite this there are a number of [[Realm of Aqshy|Aqshian]] dynasties that hold major political positions in the city. Chief amongst these are [[House Vanx]], [[House Taladin]], and [[House Naffir]] who have all had members hold office as [[Master Patriarch]] or [[Master Matriarch]].{{Fn|20a}}
 
Of the one-hundred and twenty-two seats representing Hammerhal Aqsha, half are held by members of the [[Azyrite Settlers|Azyrite]] nobility of the city. Despite this there are a number of [[Realm of Aqshy|Aqshian]] dynasties that hold major political positions in the city. Chief amongst these are [[House Vanx]], [[House Taladin]], and [[House Naffir]] who have all had members hold office as [[Master Patriarch]] or [[Master Matriarch]].{{Fn|20a}}
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 +
===Current Councillors===
 +
* [[Lord-Arcanum]] [[Aventis Firestrike]]: The [[Magister (City of Sigmar)|Magister]] of Hammerhal and a judiciary representative of the [[Stormcast Eternals]].{{Fn|8}}{{Fn|9}}
 +
* [[Barragust]]: Serves as the [[High Despot]] of the [[Order of Azyr]].{{Fn|8}}
 +
* [[Drobjorn Ironsen]]: The [[High Artillerist]] of the [[Dispossessed]].{{Fn|9}}{{Fn|33a}}
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* [[Elethrus Vinx]]: The [[Supreme Pontifex]] of Hammerhal.{{Fn|8}}
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* [[Evandelle de Rion]]: [[High Artisan|Wallmistress]] and '''First of the High Artisans''' of Hammerhal.{{Fn|8}}{{Fn|33a}}
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* [[Gharralan]]: [[Lord Audacious]] of Hammerhal.{{Fn|9}}
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* [[Harimand]]: Counsellor of Hammerhal.{{Fn|15}}
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* [[Hennerdorf]]: [[Alumnus Verita]] of [[Excelsis]].{{Fn|9}}
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* [[Hexedentia Vimm]]: Mistress of the Hammerhal [[Cogforts]].{{Fn|9}}
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* [[Hoenstahl]]: Member of the Grand Conclave of Hammerhal.{{Fn|33a}}
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* [[Kalda Gunderdotr]]: [[High Architect]] of Hammerhal.{{Fn|15}}
 +
* [[Katrik le Guillion]]: The [[Prime Commander]] of Hammerhal.{{Fn|9}}
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* [[Long Droxi]]: An [[Wanderers|Aelven]] Councillor of Hammerhal.{{Fn|33a}}
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* [[Lorcai van Darrak]]: [[Lord-Vintner]] of Hammerhal. Known to also hold the noble title of [[Duke]].{{Fn|33a}}
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* [[Nadian Greenspur]]: [[Matriarch Ghyranis]] of Hammerhal Ghyra.{{Fn|33a}}
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* [[Osrua]]: Head of the [[Guild of Mercadors]].{{Fn|33a}}
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* [[Murner Teldas]]: [[High Artisan]] of Hammerhal, as well as a talented [[Jade Wizard]].{{Fn|15}}
 +
* [[Selendti Llyr-Xiss]]: Ambassador and Representative of the [[Daughters of Khaine]].{{Fn|9}}
 +
* [[Sevastean Mench]]: The [[Master Patriarch]] of Hammerhal.{{Fn|8}}
 +
* [[Ysmeralde von Leithenstine]]: The [[Imports Doyenne]] of Hammerhal.{{Fn|9}}
 +
* [[Zane Delorius]]: The [[Hidden Hand]] of Hammerhal.{{Fn|32a}}
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 +
===Former Councillors===
 +
* [[Azorbo Fente]]: A [[Pontifex]] who briefly served on the Conclave before being slain on the [[Eve of Four Killings]].{{Fn|36b}}
 +
* [[Brutar]]: Served as both [[High Castellan]] and [[Grand Majordomo]] of Hammerhal.{{Fn|8}}{{Fn|32c}} Slain on the [[Eve of Four Killings]].{{Fn|36b}}
 +
* [[Serraster ven Hext]]: Briefly served as [[Prime Commander]] until his assassination.{{Fn|24}}
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* [[Venalius]]: [[Marquis Exportium]] of Hammerhal.{{Fn|32b}} Slain on the [[Eve of Four Killings]].{{Fn|36b}}
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* [[Zanta Faloria]]: The [[Archmage Collegium]] of Hammerhal.{{Fn|32d}} Slain on the [[Eve of Four Killings]].{{Fn|36b}}
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 +
===Economy===
 +
Each day thousands of merchant fleets, [[skyvessel]]s, [[skycutter]]s, [[lava-cog]]s and Sylvaneth winged beetle mounts from a thousand nascent empires make their way through the immense chasms that run through the city, which act as natural trading routes, to dock at myriad trading districts. Rift-docks echo to the sounds of sailors and labourers shifting a bewildering array of exotic cargo and livestock from their vessels to the merchants' stalls and the dockside warehouses. [[Riftsider]]s tend to be hardy, practical folk, well-muscled and sun-beaten from many years of physical toil undertaken in the blazing heat.{{Fn|4b}}{{Fn|13a}}
 +
 +
There is a constant flow of molten rock from Aqsha to Ghyra and in return Ghyra supplies vast shipments of grain, meat and [[Aqua Ghyranis]].{{Fn|1}}  Ghyra imports both stone and timber for building as the inhabitants are forbidden from logging in the realm as per the ancient laws of [[Alarielle]], this is strictly enforced by the local [[Sylvaneth]].{{Fn|3e}} Ghyra uses its carefully channelled flow of molten rock to direct broad defensive canals in order to hold back the overwhelming fecundity of the Realm of Life.{{Fn|4b}} There is almost nothing that cannot be found within Hammerhal's sprawling market districts and the vaults of Hammerhal are filled with wonders and treasures from across the realms, claimed through battle or exploration.{{Fn|13a}}
 +
 +
===Legal Tender===
 +
A wide variety of currencies both local and foreign is accepted in the markets of Hammerhal, the most well-known of these currencies is Aqua Ghyranis. [[Comet (coin)|Comets]], [[Hammerhalian bronze piece|Bronze Pieces]], [[Ember (Currency)|Embers]], [[Flaregilt]], and [[Hammerhalian gold piece|Gold Pieces]] are among the local currencies that have been used by the citizens of the city.{{Fn|1}}{{Fn|3a}}{{Fn|27}}{{Fn|28a}}{{Fn|41a}}
  
 
==Society==
 
==Society==
 +
[[File:Streets of Cinderfall.png|Right|150px|thumb|A Street in the Cinderfall District.]]
 
As the foremost sanctuary for the free peoples of the realms, Hammerhal's population has grown both in size and diversity. [[Darkling Covens]] thrive in the grimmer quarters of the city. [[Wanderers]] live in nomadic caravans and treetop camps in the gardens of Ghyra. The industrial expertise of the [[Dispossessed]] is vital for the constantly expanding cities. Due to the constant expansion regions of the city are swift to rise and fall in prominence, with formerly vital trading posts fading into insignificance. The vast populations of [[aelves]], [[duardin]] and [[humans]] has also caused a housing crisis and widespread inequality. While the noble quarters such as the gleaming spire-towers of Goldpath or the garden villas of Sanctor Tulis are the envy of the realms, millions more citizens live in crime-ridden slums such as the Cinderfall district and the gloomy warrens of Blackwood Town. While life in these districts may be bleak they breed tough, hard-bitten souls who make for excellent soldiers and are given a path to glory and renown through service in the [[Freeguild]].{{Fn|13a}}
 
As the foremost sanctuary for the free peoples of the realms, Hammerhal's population has grown both in size and diversity. [[Darkling Covens]] thrive in the grimmer quarters of the city. [[Wanderers]] live in nomadic caravans and treetop camps in the gardens of Ghyra. The industrial expertise of the [[Dispossessed]] is vital for the constantly expanding cities. Due to the constant expansion regions of the city are swift to rise and fall in prominence, with formerly vital trading posts fading into insignificance. The vast populations of [[aelves]], [[duardin]] and [[humans]] has also caused a housing crisis and widespread inequality. While the noble quarters such as the gleaming spire-towers of Goldpath or the garden villas of Sanctor Tulis are the envy of the realms, millions more citizens live in crime-ridden slums such as the Cinderfall district and the gloomy warrens of Blackwood Town. While life in these districts may be bleak they breed tough, hard-bitten souls who make for excellent soldiers and are given a path to glory and renown through service in the [[Freeguild]].{{Fn|13a}}
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 +
===Citizens of Hammerhal===
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<center>
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<gallery mode=packed>
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Hammerhalian Citizens 01.png
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Hammerhalian Citizens 02.png
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Hammerhalian Citizens 03.png
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Hammerhalian Citizens 04.png
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Hammerhalian Citizens 05.png
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Hammerhalian Citizens 06.png
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Hammerhalian Citizens 07.png
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Hammerhalian Citizens 08.png
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Hammerhalian Citizens 09.png
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Hammerhalian Citizens 10.png
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Hammerhalian Citizens 11.png
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</gallery>
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</center>
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==Culture==
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Per tradition a number of notable aristocratic lineages of Hammerhal send all their children, even those born out of wedlock or scandal, to receive at least some schooling within the halls of the [[Acadamae Martial]]. This practice is done in part to ensure that Hammerhal will always have an abundance of skilled militia commanders in case of siege.{{Fn|39a}}
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===Festivals and Observances===
 +
There are a number of festivities celebrated throughout the year in Hammerhal such as the annual witch-burning of [[Hammerstag]]{{Fn|42}}, the [[Festival of the Heldenhammer]]{{Fn|33c}}, and the monthly celebration of [[Sigmarsday]].{{Fn|14a}}
 +
 +
===Parades===
 +
Military parades are a proud tradition of '''Aqsha''', routinely occurring throughout the [[Azyrite Calendar|calendar]] year.{{Fn|38}}{{Fn|39a}} Such parades commonly occur on Cometsday, first day of the Azyrite Calendar.{{Fn|38}} During the third week of [[Azyr's Gleaming]] thousands gather to watch as [[City Banner|sacred banners]] are paraded through the streets of Aqsha.{{Fn|39a}}
  
 
==Entertainment==
 
==Entertainment==
 
The bawdy houses found within the '''Twin-Tailed City''' are especially infamous.{{Fn|14b}}
 
The bawdy houses found within the '''Twin-Tailed City''' are especially infamous.{{Fn|14b}}
  
==Economy==
+
==Media==
By day, thousands of [[skyvessel]]s, [[skycutter]]s ,[[lava-cog]]s and Sylvaneth winged beetle mounts make their way to dock at the city's trading districts through the immense chasm that runs through the city which forms a natural trading route, and the rift-docks echo to the sounds of sailors and labourers shifting a bewildering array of exotic cargo and livestock from their vessels to the merchants' stalls and the dockside warehouses. [[Riftsider]]s tend to be hardy, practical folk, well-muscled and sun-beaten from many years of physical toil undertaken in the blazing heat.{{Fn|4b}}{{Fn|13a}}
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The [[Hammerhal Herald]] and the [[Thaumaturgical Examiner]] are popular periodicals produced in the city.{{Fn|41a}}{{Fn|42}} The Herald is reliably published on the fourteenth day of every month, so long as production is not interrupted by [[Chaos]] invasions.{{Fn|41a}}
  
There is a constant flow of molten rock from Aqsha to Ghyra and in return Ghyra supplies vast shipments of grain, meat and [[Aqua Ghyranis]].{{Fn|1}} Ghyra imports both stone and timber for building as the inhabitants are forbidden from logging in the realm as per the ancient laws of [[Alarielle]], this is strictly enforced by the local [[Sylvaneth]].{{Fn|3e}} Ghyra uses its carefully channelled flow of molten rock to direct broad defensive canals in order to hold back the overwhelming fecundity of the Realm of Life.{{Fn|4c}} There is almost nothing that cannot be found within Hammerhal's sprawling market districts and the vaults of Hammerhal are filled with wonders and treasures from across the realms, claimed through battle or exploration.{{Fn|13a}}
+
===Printing Industries===
 +
Both halves of Hammerhal host an abundance of printing houses. Many of which are funded by leaders of the [[Cults Unberogen]], such as [[Arch Lector]]s, in exchange for distributing motivational scroll-scraps to the people of the city.{{Fn|39a}}
 +
 
 +
==Military==
 +
Hammerhalians prize martial ability and stubborn resolve and its standing armies are amongst the largest and best-equipped available to the God-King. The line infantry of the city's [[Freeguilds]] are known as the [[Goldjackets]] who are famed for their fighting ability and unwillingness to retreat, easily recognizable by their gleaming-breastplates. All of the city's military guilds claim are fiercely proud of their heritage, carrying [[City Banner|banners]] of rare provenance woven from [[Hyshian]] [[suncloth]] and stitched with the skin and bones of martyrs that are carried into battle to inspire the soldiers, some claim their banners are in fact the battle standards of their progenitor tribes dating back all the way to the flight to the [[Realm of Heavens]] after the dawn of the [[Age of Chaos]]. In the only instance, of these colours falling into enemy hands, the [[Griffon Spears]] [[Freeguild]] embarked upon a suicidal cavalry charge against a [[greenskin]] horde eight times their number known as the Forlorn Charge. The Twin-tailed City can deploy almost any specialist formation ranging from handgunners and swordsmen backed up by all manner of auxiliary formations, chosen according to the needs of the campaign including [[Shadow Warriors]], fleets of [[Gyrobombers]] or the magical war machines of the [[Collegiate Arcane]]. {{Fn|13a}}{{Fn|20b}}{{Fn|20c}}
 +
 
 +
There are many Freeguilds operating within the '''Twin-Tailed City''', with Hammerhal Aqsha alone boasting seventeen major Freeguilds comprised of over a hundred regiments each. These include the [[Golden Lions]], the [[Scions of the Comet]], the [[Leaden Bulls]], the [[Heldenhain]], the [[Sun Seekers]], the [[Boldhearts]], and the [[Vandusian Guard]].{{Fn|20c}}
 +
 
 +
An entire district of Hammerhal Aqsha was transformed into the [[Acadamae Martial]], a combined training ground and barracks, complete with mustering fields where officers of the city's armies study and the renowned [[Dragoon-Generals]] of Hammerhal are the elite graduates of these schools.{{Fn|13a}}
 +
 
 +
In addition to these [[mortal]] armies, there dozens of chambers of [[Stormcast Eternals]] garrisoning the Twin-Tailed City. These include warriors from the [[Hammers of Sigmar]], [[Emerald Warriors]], and [[Hallowed Knights]]. The members of the latter host have sworn an oath, ''Hammerhal Ghyra will not fall while the faithful stand.''{{Fn|3}}{{Fn|35a}}
  
 
==Trade==
 
==Trade==
 
Goods from Hammerhal Aqsha and [[Vandium]] travel northward along the [[Great Ash Road]] to the city of [[Edassa]], and from there much needed supplies flow through to the lands and settlements of the [[Flamescar Plateau]]. The seemingly cursed city of [[Anvalor]] was able to be built thanks to this extensive trade route.{{Fn|1a}}
 
Goods from Hammerhal Aqsha and [[Vandium]] travel northward along the [[Great Ash Road]] to the city of [[Edassa]], and from there much needed supplies flow through to the lands and settlements of the [[Flamescar Plateau]]. The seemingly cursed city of [[Anvalor]] was able to be built thanks to this extensive trade route.{{Fn|1a}}
  
Thousands of vessels, and the flying beetles of the [[Sylvaneth]] bring goods in and out of the Hammerhal Aqsha everyday, many of them aerial craft but some ply the lava rivers of [[Capilaria]] to reach the city as well. These vessels carry ingots of mystic metals, gems of every variety, cut, and hue, shards of [[shadeglass]], logs of ivory, [[ironoak]], [[megalofin]] teeth, beads of amber, salted meats, [[fyresteel]] blades, and many more goods from across every [[Mortal Realm]].{{Fn|14a}}
+
Thousands of vessels, and the flying beetles of the [[Sylvaneth]] bring goods in and out of the Hammerhal Aqsha every day, many of them aerial craft but some ply the lava rivers of [[Capilaria]] to reach the city as well. These vessels carry ingots of mystic metals, gems of every variety, cut, and hue, shards of [[shadeglass]], logs of ivory, [[ironoak]], [[megalofin]] teeth, beads of amber, salted meats, [[fyresteel]] blades, and many more goods from across every [[Mortal Realm]].{{Fn|14a}}
  
==Military==
+
A network of [[Realmgates]] connects Aqsha with [[Tempest's Eye]], [[Anvilgard]], and [[Hallowheart]] allowing the four cities to engage in heavy trade. In particular many Hammerhalian weapons are traded for [[Golvaria]]n minerals and primordial [[Realmstone]] from the mines of Hallowheart.{{Fn|20b}}
Hammerhalians prize martial ability and stubborn resolve and its standing armies are amongst the largest and best-equipped available to the God-King. The line infantry of the city's [[Freeguilds]] are known as the [[Goldjackets]] who are famed for their fighting ability and unwillingness to retreat. Each of the city's seven military guilds is descended from one of the ancient tribes that [[Sigmar]] brought with him to the Realm of Heavens before the [[Gates of Azyr]] were closed and are fiercely proud of their heritage, carrying [[City Banner|banners]] of rare provenance woven from [[Hyshian]] [[suncloth]] and stitched with the skin and bones of martyrs that are carried into battle to inspire the soldiers. In the only instance if these colours falling into enemy hands, the [[Griffon Spears]] [[Freeguild]] embarked upon a suicidal cavalry charge against a [[greenskin]] horde eight times their number known as the Forlorn Charge. The Twin-tailed City can deploy almost any specialist formation ranging from handgunners and swordsmen backed up by all manner of auxiliary formations, chosen according to the needs of the campaign including [[Shadow Warriors]], fleets of [[Gyrobombers]] or the magical war machines of the [[Collegiate Arcane]]. {{Fn|13a}}
 
  
An entire district of Hammerhal Aqsha was transformed into the [[Acadamae Martial]], a combined training ground and barracks, complete with mustering fields where officers of the city's armies study and the renowned [[Dragoon-Generals]] of Hammerhal are the elite graduates of these schools.{{Fn|13a}}
+
Ghyra sits at the center of many trade networks, serving as a crucial supplier of foodstuffs to countless other settlements.{{Fn|26a}}
  
The city is defended by several armies, including twelve chambers of Stormcast.{{Fn|1}} The [[Hallowed Knights]] are part of this powerful force and have sworn an oath that ''Hammerhal Ghyra will not fall while the faithful stand.''{{Fn|3}}
+
==Locations==
  
==Locations==
 
 
===Cityplanning===
 
===Cityplanning===
The city of Hammerhal contains a substantial amount of suburbs and conurbations that are used for agrarian purposes, many of which are packed around the outermost walls of the Twin-Tailed City.{{Fn|14b}}
+
The city of Hammerhal contains a substantial amount of suburbs and conurbations that are used for agrarian purposes, many of which are packed around the outermost walls of the Twin-Tailed City.{{Fn|14b}} Hammerhal Ghyra is a city built in strata across the [[Koritan]] mountain range.{{Fn|20d}}
 +
 
 +
In Aqsha an extensive system of sewer channels extend across the city, from the Old City at its heart to sections of the Bulwark Shanties, such as the [[Clan Grimglint|Clan Holdings of Grimglint]].{{Fn|40}}
 +
 
 +
===Hammerhal Aqsha===
 +
 
 +
====Districts in Aqsha====
 +
[[File:Hammerhal_Aqsha.png|Right|thumb|Map of part of Hammerhal Aqsha.{{Fn|4}}]]
 +
 
 +
=====Acadamae Martial=====
 +
The [[Acadamae Martial]] form an entire district of the city. This sector has been transformed into combined training grounds and barracks with mustering fields where the officers of the city's great armies can study the theoretics of cavalry movement and infantry formations. {{Fn|13a}}
 +
 
 +
=====Aqshai Docks=====
 +
A mercantile district on the banks of the Aqshai River in the far western boundary of Hammerhal Aqsha.{{Fn|20a}}
 +
 
 +
=====Blackgate=====
 +
Lava-channels run through the Blackgate district of Aqsha, these channels and their gates keep the lava from pouring onto the district's streets.{{Fn|4b}}
 +
 
 +
=====Blackwood Town=====
 +
A low-end residential district in Hammerhal Aqsha. Known for its tangled streets.{{Fn|27}}
 +
 
 +
* '''Charway''': An [[aether-lamp]] lit street of Blackwood Town.{{Fn|27}}
 +
* '''Zymmerman's Musical Emporium''': A store that sells musical instruments. Owned by [[Zymmerman]].{{Fn|27}}
 +
=====Brass Mire=====
 +
The ground of this district is unstable and many areas prone to collapsing into the magma below, such collapses can inevitably become deadly and costly disaster. In this district magma is prone to rising close to the surface, creating a brass-like glow. Its denizens live in close-knit communities.{{Fn|4}}{{Fn|15}}
 +
 
 +
* '''Heat Wells''': Communal kitchens, bakeries, and forges are built around heat wells within the district.{{Fn|15}}
 +
 
 +
=====Bulwark Shanties=====
 +
The '''Bulwark Shanties''', or '''Bullies''', are the slums that grow outside the protection of the Burning Palisade each time the city expands. This is where the most unfortunate of the city live and are usually the first victims of enemy attacks on the city, which happen quite frequently.{{Fn|20a}}{{Fn|40}} Denizens of the districts are also known as '''Bullies'''.{{Fn|40}}
 +
 
 +
* '''Clan Holdings of Grimglint''': The holdings of [[Clan Grimglint]] are found in this section of the city. Sewers systems beneath it extend all the way to the Old City, their construction was overseen by [[Borli Thungrunsson]].{{Fn|40}}
 +
 
 +
=====Cinderfall District=====
 +
[[File:Cinderfall_District.JPG|Right|100px|thumb|Map of the Cinderfall District.{{Fn|4}}]]
 +
[[File:Hammerhalian Streets 03.png|100px|Right|thumb|Streets of Cinderfall]]
 +
[[File:Hammerhalian Streets 02.png|100px|Right|thumb|Plaza of Cinderfall]]
 +
 
 +
Cinderfall was once a prosperous and highly trafficked trading zone, but the ever-expanding nature of Hammerhal Aqsha meant that eventually the affluent merchant houses and foreign traders moved on to pastures new. In their place rose the [[Spice Guilds]] and criminal gangs, tempting a different class of trader to the great rift-docks that border the northern edge of the district. A remnant of he former Grand Bazaar remains in the form of the bustling Riftmarket, but the air of legitimacy is now a front for the trade of illicit goods and a thousand different flavours of vice.{{Fn|4b}} The districts many tall chimneys have over time stained the area with smoke and ash. {{Fn|16}}
 +
 
 +
* '''House Venargo's mansion''': Just outside the Riftmarket stands a large mansion built in the Azyrite style that seems strangely out of place amid its ramshackle surroundings. A black iron fence surrounds the complex and guards are stationed at the front gate at all times, wearing fur-collared longcoats over silver breastplates engraved with the sigil of [[House Venargo]] (an open palm bearing a radiant diamond) and ceremonial masks they never remove. The family Venargo controls the trade and maybe nearly the entirety of the vice within Cinderfall and its surrounding districts.{{Fn|4b}}{{Fn|5a}}
 +
*'''Baugren's Bountiful Bazaar''': A slightly grimy but impressively large converted warehouse operating under the thinnest facade of respectability, the bazaar is filled with many varied and esoteric items and staffed by a human called [[Baugren]].{{Fn|5a}}
 +
* '''Chapel of the Shattered Blade''': This is a shabby, run-down church of worship to Sigmar. It venerates [[Saint Rubeus]], a legendary [[Warrior Priest]] who led the first consecration of the city and fell in battle against the orruk hordes of the [[Bloodscalps]]. The chapel is usually attended to by Brother [[Bargo Culven]].{{Fn|5a}}
 +
* [[Guild of Certified Thaumaturgists]] A ramshackle array of spiral towers and smoke-belching laboratories with a sign that claims this Hammerhal Aqsha's centre of alchemical and metallurgical knowledge. The guild was set up by a group of students thrown out of the city's famed Alchemists Guild for dangerous or unethical experiments, usually both.{{Fn|5a}}
 +
* '''Red Yugol's Revelrie''': At the southern edge of the market district lies this garishly painted field of tents bedecked with banners, flags and leering masks. Faces painted like beasts of the wild, dressed in colourful rags and brandishing rattles, drums and tambourines, Red Yugol's entertainers prance and caper about, beckoning, cajoling and threatening tourists, drunken sailors and travelling merchants into entering the Revelrie. At the very centre of the grand marquee dwells the enigmatic soothsayer and compere [[Red Yugol]] himself.{{Fn|5b}}
 +
* '''The Cinderfall Riftmarket''': Running parallel to the Adramar Rift at the northern edge of the city is the mass of tents, warehouses, shopfronts and forums that makes up the Riftmarket. Merchants and traders from across the [[Mortal Realms]] flock here to sell all manner of ephemera, from exotic creatures to precious magical items. The largest and most extravagant stall belongs to an [[aelf]] named [[Asterion]].{{Fn|5c}}
 +
* '''Toil's End''': A tavern built around a [[lava-centipede]]. Underneath this bar, [[Olrig]] runs a free-for-all underground fighting tournament where a number of notable local brawlers compete in bloody, bare-knuckle bouts.{{Fn|5c}}{{Fn|26a}}
 +
* '''Sky-Docks''' The Cinderfall Sky-Docks are a collection of six, tall, dark towers, cut from smooth stone. Winding walkways and swaying bridges connect the towers and the different landing platforms with each other.{{Fn|16}}
 +
* '''Crystalarium District''': Jutting up from the hills of the Crystalarium District are growths of spear-like red crystals. At the heart of these pillars is [[aqthracite]], the [[Realmstone]] that powers Aqsha's industries.{{Fn|20a}}
 +
* '''Halls of Shaping'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
 
 +
=====Drudges=====
 +
A shapeless mass of districts, some call them slums, that stretch outwards from the glittering heart of the city to the border wall where most of the city's commonfolk live alongside refugees flocking to the city. Houses are built from basalt or [[guardstone]] as wood is banned due to posing a fire hazard such during the [[Great Inferno]] when raging [[fire-spirit]]s devoured entire districts causing a massive loss of life.{{Fn|20a}}
 +
 
 +
=====Emberflats=====
 +
A district of Hammerhal Aqsha.{{Fn|15}}
 +
 
 +
* [[Houses of Glass]]: A series of greenhouses nestled in the Emberflats. A diverse variety of plants are housed in these coloured glass facilities. They were designed by [[Grand Conclave|High Architect]] [[Kalda  Gunderdotr]] and are maintained by [[Grand Conclave|High  Artisan]]  [[Murner  Teldas]], a human Green Mage. An artefact of [[cyclestone]] known as the [[Thunderspring]] is used to create it's own 'Aqua Ghyranis' for the facilities.{{Fn|15}}
 +
 
 +
=====Goldenpath=====
 +
This noble quarter is a complex of gleaming crystal spires.{{Fn|4}}{{Fn|13a}}
 +
* '''Greenward Prefecture''': This verdant forest district has been granted to the [[Wanderers]] of Hammerhal Aqsha, in thanks for their services to the Twin-Tailed City. Though rampant industrial expansion sees it cut back every season.{{Fn|20a}}
 +
 
 +
=====Heart of Rubeus=====
 +
One of the city's many districts.{{Fn|24}}
 +
 
 +
=====Hooked Acre=====
 +
A residential district of the city containing scruffy tenements, a marketplace full of stalls, and cobbled streets.{{Fn|30a}}
 +
=====Industrial Quarter=====
 +
The Industrial Quarter, as the name suggests, is a large industrial district of Hammerhal Aqsha. On its own, it is comparable to many smaller Free Cities in scale and size. It is a major stronghold for the guilds of the [[Ironweld Arsenal]].{{Fn|20a}}
 +
 
 +
* '''Black Dust Alleys'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
=====Kindle Heights=====
 +
A district of Hammerhal Aqsha.{{Fn|36b}}
 +
 
 +
* '''Bloodstone Inn''': An inn in the Kindle Heights.{{Fn|33b}}
 +
* '''Old Chain Post''': One of the city's many taverns.{{Fn|30a}}
 +
 
 +
=====Lavafall District=====
 +
One of the poor, overcrowded districts of Hammerhal Aqsha. It is home to beings from many species and cultures, as well as a large number of gangs looking to earn a few vials of [[Aqua Ghyranis]].{{Fn|4}}{{Fn|15}}
 +
 
 +
* '''Lavafall Crematorium''': This is one of many of the temples of the city dedicated to the [[God-King]] of [[Azyr]]. The holy fires of this house of worship are provided in part thanks to the lava flows of the '''Adramar Rift'''. It is here that the bodies of the dead can be interred and cremated in holy fire, in exchange for a donation, to ensure they do not rise as undead servants of [[Nagash]].{{Fn|15}}
 +
=====The Narrows=====
 +
A residential district of tumbledown tenements arranged in rows, stretched across a dozen leagues.{{Fn|33a}}
 +
 
 +
* '''Brennend Street''': A street in the Narrows.{{Fn|27}}
 +
* '''Erretzen Lane''': A street in the Narrows.{{Fn|27}}
 +
 
 +
=====Onyx Shore=====
 +
A district connected to the Stormrift Centrum via bridges over the Adramar Rift.{{Fn|33a}}
 +
 
 +
=====Pyromancer District=====
 +
An entire district given over to the [[Pyromancer]]s of the [[Collegiate Arcane]]. Here strange kiln-complexes refine aqthracite. The heat given off by these buildings is so intense that enterprising citizens are able to speed-dry their laundry by lining them on buildings facing the kilns.{{Fn|20a}}
 +
 
 +
* '''Ashbark Tower''': A tower that is tall enough to be visible from the bridges connecting Stormrift Centrum to rest of the city.{{Fn|33a}}
 +
* '''Cinderworm'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
* '''Pyromancer's Tor'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
 
 +
=====Reclaimed District=====
 +
Named for the predominance of [[Reclaimed]] tribes that live within its walls, the Reclaimed Ditrict is one of many residential districts of Hammerhal Aqsha.{{Fn|38}}
 +
 
 +
=====Scorchcross=====
 +
A poor residential district of Hammerhal Aqsha.{{Fn|27}}
 +
 
 +
=====Shining Quarters=====
 +
[[File:Hammerhalian Nobles 02.png|100px|Right|thumb|A Noble of Hammerhal]]
 +
 
 +
The Old City is the area immediately surrounding the Stormrift Gate where the greatest of the nobility reside in mansions and castles of marble built according to Azyrite architecture.{{Fn|20a}}
 +
 
 +
* '''Azyrite Claim''': The richest sector of the Shining Quarters, and by extension Hammerhal Aqsha, where the dwellings of many of the city's rulers and civic leaders are found. Though most of the estates here belong to nobility originating from [[Azyrheim]], many [[Reclaimed|Aqshian]] dynasties like [[House Taladin]], [[House Vanx]], and [[House Naffir]] are found here as well.{{Fn|20a}}
 +
* '''Bloom Gate Terrace'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
* '''Great Catedral of Sigmar''': A centre of the [[Devoted of Sigmar|Sigmar]]ite faiths in Hammerhal, this imposing fortress-citadel looms over much of the city.{{Fn|20a}}
 +
* '''Old City Wall''': Though the designers of Hasmmerhal Aqsha had noble intentions, hoping to see the entire city constructed like the districts of the Old City, their efforts lasted only a few decades before necessity forced them to abandon many high ideals to match the growth of the city's population. Now the Old City Wall serves as a line between the great manses of the Old City and the tumbledown streets of neighbouring sectors.{{Fn|20a}}
 +
* '''Stormrift Centrum''': This district surrounding the Aqsha-side of the [[Stormrift Realmgate]] is the most militantly defended region of the city. It is an island fortress thanks to the surrounding magmatic rifts. In addition it boasts ingenious [[Duardin]]-made fortifications.{{Fn|20a}}
 +
* '''Stormrift Palace''': A meeting place of the [[Grand Conclave|Stormrift Conclave]], the Grand Conclave of Hammerhal.{{Fn|33a}}
 +
 
 +
=====Stormhorn Mont=====
 +
[[Stormhorn Mont]] is a colossal mountain dominating a section of Hammerhal Aqsha. It is covered in residential housing, and those who live upon it claim its peak acts as lightning rod when [[Sigmar]]'s ire is raised.{{Fn|20a}}
 +
 
 +
* '''Rune Key Tower''': A tower.{{Fn|4}}
 +
 
 +
====Forested Regions in Aqsha====
 +
* '''Briargate Wood'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
* '''Deep Gate Fields'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
* '''Forest of the Braken Gate'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
* '''Forest of the Oaken Gate'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
* '''Forest of the Vine Gate'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
* '''Gnarled Gate Wood'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
* '''Jadeheart Glades'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
* '''Scorched Bone Marshes'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
* '''Thorn Gate Thicket'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
* '''Willow Gate Woods'''.{{Fn|4}}
  
===Locations in Aqsha===
+
====Markets of Aqsha====
[[File:Cinderfall_District.JPG|Right|thumb|Map of the Cinderfall District.{{Fn|4}}]]
+
* '''Fyre Fish Markets''': Markets located along the Adramar Rift.{{Fn|20a}}
 +
* '''Green Ash Avenue''': A market street in Hammerhal Aqsha.{{Fn|24}}
 +
* '''Riftmarkets''': Bordering the magic rift of [[Adramar Rift|Adramar]] are a series of markets known as the riftmakets. Many of these sell produce freshly arrived from Ghyra.{{Fn|5c}}{{Fn|15}}
  
* '''[[Acadamae Martial]]''': An entire district of the city transformed into a combined training ground and barracks with mustering fields where the officers of the city's great armies can study the theoretics of cavalry movement and infantry formations. {{Fn|13a}}
+
====Rifts of Aqsha====
* '''Adramar Rift''': At the northern edge of Cinderfall District lies the unfortunate by-product of the tectonic trauma caused by the foundation and excavation of Hammerhal Aqsha. The city's rifts have either been filled with [[duardin]] mines and engineworks, or left as impressive reminders of the scale of civil engineering within the grand city. The Adramar Rift cuts through several major districts and is the main thoroughfare by which merchant trader airships travel through the city.
+
* '''[[Adramar Rift]]''': The city's rifts have either been filled with [[duardin]] mines and engineworks, or left as impressive reminders of the scale of civil engineering within the grand city. The Adramar Rift cuts through several major districts and is the main thoroughfare by which merchant trader airships travel through the city.{{Fn|16}}{{Fn|20a}} Bridges are built across the rift to connect districts on either side to one another.{{Fn|24}}
 +
* [[Gallis Rift]]: One of the immense caverns that carve through the city, serving as major avenues of trade.{{Fn|20a}}
 +
 
 +
====Rift Bridges of Aqsha====
 +
* '''Briar Bridge'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
* '''Raven Bridge'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
**'''Raven Bridge Bastille''': A fortress that guards the Cinderfall side of the bridge. The garrison has been known to hire soldiers of fortune to help combat some of the more troublesome problems affecting the district.{{Fn|32a}}
 +
 
 +
====Stormkeeps of Aqsha====
 +
* '''[[Perspicarium]]''': This [[Stormkeep]] sits above the [[Stormrift Realmgate]], atop a high pillar of rock. Armies march through this fortress every day.{{Fn|4}}{{Fn|19a}}
 +
 
 +
====Streets of Aqsha====
 +
 
 +
=====Major Roads=====
 +
* '''Grand Processional''': The Grand Processional is a thoroughfare that leads from the [[Perspicarium]] to the outer walls of the city, ended at a set of great gates leading into the wilds of [[Capilaria]]. It is wide enough for [[Dawnbringer Crusade]]s, with their chained [[Metalith]]s, to march along.{{Fn|33e}}
 +
* '''Heldensen Road''': A major road that passes through the Hooked Acre district.{{Fn|30a}}
 +
 
 +
=====Minor Streets of Unspecified or Multiple Districts=====
 +
* '''Leadhanger Alley''': One of the many streets of Hammerhal Aqsha
 +
* '''Longwheeler Place''': One of the many streets of Hammerhal Aqsha.{{Fn|24}}
 +
** '''Grindstone Tavern''': A tavern on the corner of '''Longwheeler Place'''. It sells [[Cuisine#Beverages|Buckmaster's Brew]].{{Fn|24}}
 +
* '''Selstone Avenue''': A local ''Scrivener's Guild'' is located on this street.{{Fn|24}}
 +
* '''Threshing Place''': A street in Hammerhal Aqsha that boasts a tenement complex.{{Fn|24}}
 +
 
 +
====External Holdings of Aqsha====
 +
* [[Outer Web of Hammerhal Aqsha|Outer Web]]: A series of perimeter [[Cogfort]]s that mark the outermost boundaries of Aqsha's territories.{{Fn|6}}
 +
* [[Ringwall Strongpoints]]: A collection of [[Sigmarite Strongpoints]] around Aqsha.{{Fn|36a}}
 +
 
 +
====Other Locations in Aqsha====
 
* '''Alchemists Guild'''.{{Fn|5a}}
 
* '''Alchemists Guild'''.{{Fn|5a}}
 +
* [[Aqshai River]]: This river, for which Hammerhal Aqsha is named, is stained yellow by sulphur-mould.{{Fn|20a}}
 
* '''Ash Hand Burrows'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Ash Hand Burrows'''.{{Fn|4}}
* '''Ashbark Tower'''.{{Fn|4}}
+
* [[Bibliorum Militaris]]: Considered to be one of the greatest archives of martial texts and crusade histories.{{Fn|37a}}
* '''Black Dust Alleys'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
 
* '''Black Fields'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Black Fields'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Blackglass Guilds'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Blackglass Guilds'''.{{Fn|4}}
* '''Blackwood Town'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Bloom Gate Terrace'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
 
* '''Bones of [[Kazarig]]'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Bones of [[Kazarig]]'''.{{Fn|4}}
* '''Brass Mire''': The ground of this district is unstable and many areas prone to collapsing into the magma below, such collapses can inevitably become deadly and costly disaster. In this district magma is prone to rising close to the surface, creating a brass-like glow. Communal kitchens, bakeries, and forges are built around heat wells within the district.{{Fn|4}}{{Fn|15}}
 
* '''Briar Bridge'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Briargate Wood'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
 
* '''Candle Town'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Candle Town'''.{{Fn|4}}
 +
* '''Cathedral Ignis''': One of the many churches dedicated to the [[Sigmar]]ite faith found in Hammerhal.{{Fn|23a}}
 
* '''Charcoal Hill'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Charcoal Hill'''.{{Fn|4}}
* '''Cinderfall District''': Cinderfall was once a prosperous and highly trafficked trading zone, but the ever-expanding nature of Hammerhal Aqsha meant that eventually the affluent merchant houses and foreign traders moved on to pastures new. In their place rose the [[Spice Guilds]] and criminal gangs, tempting a different class of trader to the great rift-docks that border the northern edge of the district. A remnant of he former Grand Bazaar remains in the form of the bustling Riftmarket, but the air of legitimacy is now a front for the trade of illicit goods and a thousand different flavours of vice.{{Fn|4d}} The districts many tall chimneys have over time stained the area with smoke and ash. {{Fn|16}}
 
** '''House Venargo's mansion''': Just outside the Riftmarket stands a large mansion built in the Azyrite style that seems strangely out of place amid its ramshackle surroundings. A black iron fence surrounds the complex and guards are stationed at the front gate at all times, wearing fur-collared longcoats over silver breastplates engraved with the sigil of [[House Venargo]] (an open palm bearing a radiant diamond) and ceremonial masks they never remove. The family Venargo controls the trade and maybe nearly the entirety of the vice within Cinderfall and its surrounding districts.{{Fn|4e}}{{Fn|5a}}
 
**'''Baugren's Bountiful Bazaar''': A slightly grimy but impressively large converted warehouse operating under the thinnest facade of respectability, the bazaar is filled with many varied and esoteric items and staffed by a human called [[Baugren]].{{Fn|5a}}
 
** '''Chapel of the Shattered Blade''': This is a shabby, run-down church of worship to Sigmar. It venerates [[Saint Rubeus]], a legendary [[Warrior Priest]] who led the first consecration of the city and fell in battle against the orruk hordes of the [[Bloodscalps]]. The chapel is usually attended to by Brother [[Bargo Culven]].{{Fn|5a}}
 
** [[Guild of Certified Thaumaturgists]] A ramshackle array of spiral towers and smoke-belching laboratories with a sign that claims this Hammerhal Aqsha's centre of alchemical and metallurgical knowledge. The guild was set up by a group of students thrown out of the city's famed Alchemists Guild for dangerous or unethical experiments, usually both.{{Fn|5a}}
 
** '''Red Yugol's Revelrie''': At the southern edge of the market district lies this garishly painted field of tents bedecked with banners, flags and leering masks. Faces painted like beasts of the wild, dressed in colourful rags and brandishing rattles, drums and tambourines, Red Yugol's entertainers prance and caper about, beckoning, cajoling and threatening tourists, drunken sailors and travelling merchants into entering the Revelrie. At the very centre of the grand marquee dwells the enigmatic soothsayer and compere [[Red Yugol]] himself.{{Fn|5b}}
 
** '''The Riftmarket''': Running parallel to the Adramar Rift at the northern edge of the city is the mass of tents, warehouses, shopfronts and forums that makes up the Riftmarket. Merchants and traders from across the [[Mortal Realms]] flock here to sell all manner of ephemera, from exotic creatures to precious magical items. The largest and most extravagant stall belongs to an [[aelf]] named [[Asterion]].{{Fn|5c}}
 
** '''Toil's End''': Underneath this bar, [[Olrig]] runs a free-for-all underground fighting tournament where a number of notable local brawlers compete in bloody, bare-knuckle bouts.{{Fn|5c}}
 
** '''Sky-Docks''' The Cinderfall Sky-Docks are a collection of six, tall, dark towers, cut from smooth stone. Winding walkways and swaying bridges connect the towers and the different landing platforms with each other.{{Fn|16}}
 
[[File:Hammerhal_Aqsha.png|Right|thumb|Map of the western side of Hammerhal Aqsha.{{Fn|4}}]]
 
 
[[File:Hammerhal_Aqsha_1.jpg|Right|thumb|Map of the eastern side of Hammerhal Aqsha.{{Fn|4}}]]
 
[[File:Hammerhal_Aqsha_1.jpg|Right|thumb|Map of the eastern side of Hammerhal Aqsha.{{Fn|4}}]]
* '''Cinderworm'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
 
* '''Cinnabaric Vaults'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Cinnabaric Vaults'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''[[Cloister of Ashes]]''': A [[Stormvault]] built as a subterranean Temple-City.{{Fn|17a}}
 
* '''[[Cloister of Ashes]]''': A [[Stormvault]] built as a subterranean Temple-City.{{Fn|17a}}
 
* '''Cogworks'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Cogworks'''.{{Fn|4}}
* '''Crystalarium'''.{{Fn|4}}
+
* '''Fyre Pots''': An area of the city that is dominated by blackpowder mills.{{Fn|33b}}
* '''Deep Gate Fields'''.{{Fn|4}}
+
* '''Ghyrous Vents'''.{{Fn|20a}}
* '''Emberflats'''{{Fn|15}}
 
** '''Houses of Glass''': A series of greenhouses nestled in the Emberflats. A diverse variety of plants are housed in these coloured glass facilities. They were designed by [[Grand Conclave|High Architect]] [[Kalda  Gunderdotr]] and are maintained by [[Grand Conclave|High  Artisan]]  [[Murner  Teldas]], a human Green Mage. An artefact of [[cyclestone]] known as the [[Thunderspring]] is used to create it's own 'Aqua Ghyranis' for the facilities.{{Fn|15}}
 
* '''Forest of the Braken Gate'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Forest of the Oaken Gate'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Forest of the Vine Gate'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Fyre Pots'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Ghyrous Vents'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Gnarled Gate Wood'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Goldenpath''': A complex of gleaming crystal spires.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Great Catedral of Sigmar'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Halls of Shaping'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Heart of Rubeus'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
 
* '''Heartfire Promontory'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Heartfire Promontory'''.{{Fn|4}}
* '''Jadeheart Glades'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Kindle Heights'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Lavafall District''': One of the poor, overcrowded districts of Hammerhal Aqsha. It is home to beings from many species and cultures, as well as a large number of gangs looking to earn a few vials of [[Aqua Ghyrannis]].{{Fn|4}}{{Fn|15}}
 
** '''Lavafall Crematorium''': This is one of many of the temples of the city dedicated to the [[God-King]] of [[Azyr]]. The holy fires of this house of worship are provided in part thanks to the lava flows of the '''Adramar Rift'''. It is here that the bodies of the dead can be interred and cremated in holy fire, in exchange for a donation, to ensure they do not rise as undead servants of [[Nagash]].{{Fn|15}}
 
* The '''Narrows'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Onyx Shore'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''[[Perspicarium]]''': This [[Stormkeep]] sits above the [[Stormrift Realmgate]], atop a high pillar of rock. Armies march through this fortress every day.{{Fn|4}}{{Fn|19a}}
 
 
* '''Pillars of Infinity'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Pillars of Infinity'''.{{Fn|4}}
* '''Pyromancer's Tor'''.{{Fn|4}}
+
* '''Rhuin Peak''': An active volcano in the city, whose lava flows feed into the magic rift known as [[Adramar Rift|Adramar]].{{Fn|4}}
* '''Raven Bridge'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Rhuin Peak'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Rune Key Tower'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Scorched Bone Marshes'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
 
* '''Soot Cloud Gardens'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Soot Cloud Gardens'''.{{Fn|4}}
* '''Storm Horn'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
 
* '''Stormfall'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Stormfall'''.{{Fn|4}}
* '''Tallow Park'''.{{Fn|4}}
+
* '''Tallow Park''': An area of the city that boasts a barracks for the [[Freeguild]]s, a clock tower is found at the centre of the barracks.{{Fn|4}}
* '''The Cauldron'''.{{Fn|4}}
+
* '''The Cauldron''': This block-wide cauldron is used to distill lava from the Adramar Rift, and funnel it into a western quarter of the city.{{Fn|33d}}
 
* '''The Cleave'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''The Cleave'''.{{Fn|4}}
* '''Thorn Gate Thicket'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
* '''Willow Gate Woods'''.{{Fn|4}}
 
  
===Locations in Ghyra===
+
===Hammerhal Ghyra===
* '''Aether Dock''': A ring of stacked warehouses with a canopy of high altitude quays and berths.{{Fn|3a}} Due to the nature of the realm, these are all plagued by growths of vines, mould and weeds.{{Fn|3b}}  Thousands of [[airships]], [[leaf-boats]] and [[sky-cutters]] arrive and depart the city every day. {{Fn|3e}}
+
 
 +
====Districts in Ghyra====
 +
 
 +
=====Blackwood Town=====
 +
The gloom-shrouded warrens of Blackwood Town are known to be hives for criminal activity.{{Fn|13a}}{{Fn|34a}}
 +
 
 +
=====Drift-isle Districts=====
 +
Hanging above the strata of the city are [[Aqualith]]s of varied size, called Drift-isles. The largest of these is given over to the [[Nomad Prince]]s of the [[Wanderers|Wanderer Clans]].{{Fn|20d}}
 +
 
 +
=====Ghyra-un-Tyr=====
 +
The vineways of the district of the perpetually mist-shrouded Ghyra-un-Tyr district are among the many wonders of the '''Twin-Tailed City'''.{{Fn|4a}}
 +
 
 +
=====Prime Strata=====
 +
The governmental district of Hammerhal Ghyra surrounds the city's half of the [[Stormrift Realmgate]]. It is a richly appointed district with golden palaces and ornamental gardens.{{Fn|20d}}
 +
 
 +
=====River District=====
 +
A district of Hammerhal Ghyra,{{Fn|3a}}
 +
 
 +
=====Sanctor Tulis=====
 +
The garden villas of the affluent Sanctor Tulis district are the even of cities across the [[Mortal Realms]].{{Fn|13a}}{{Fn|34a}}
 +
 
 +
=====Warehouse and Aether-Dock District=====
 +
This district of Hammerhal Ghyra is divided into rings stacked on top of each other, with each successive ring extending further out than the ones below like a many-limbed tree. Each ring boasts warehouses, high-altitude berths, and aether-quays that overlook tangled streets far below. Due to the nature of the realm, these are all plagued by growths of vines, mould and weeds. It is believed that the district was grown rather than built. Thousands of [[airships]], [[leaf-boats]] and [[sky-cutters]] arrive and depart the city every day.{{Fn|3a}}
 +
 
 +
====Academies in Ghyra====
 +
* [[Grand Academy (Hammerhal Ghyra)|Grand Academy]]: A temple of enlightenment located in the garden district of Hammerhal Ghyra.{{Fn|22a}}
 +
* [[Ironweld Academy in Hammerhal Ghyra]]: An academy where students study to become artisans and engine-smiths of the [[Ironweld Arsenal]].{{Fn|25a}}
 +
 
 +
====Stormkeeps in Ghra====
 +
* '''[[Argent Sanctum]]''': Stormkeep of the [[Hallowed Knights]].{{Fn|21a}}
 +
 
 +
====Other Locations in Ghyra====
 
* '''Fire-Bastions''': Constructed by the [[Ironweld Arsenal]] and constantly fed by lava from the realm of fire via immense stone runnels to keep the flora of Ghyran from overwhelming the city.  As the flow is redirected, so new tunnels are created and old empty ones are built over, although some express concerns about what can inhabit them.{{Fn|3d}}
 
* '''Fire-Bastions''': Constructed by the [[Ironweld Arsenal]] and constantly fed by lava from the realm of fire via immense stone runnels to keep the flora of Ghyran from overwhelming the city.  As the flow is redirected, so new tunnels are created and old empty ones are built over, although some express concerns about what can inhabit them.{{Fn|3d}}
 
* '''Grand Asylum of Hammerhal-Ghyra''': Mental hospital in the city of Hammerhal-Ghyra.{{Fn|18a}}
 
* '''Grand Asylum of Hammerhal-Ghyra''': Mental hospital in the city of Hammerhal-Ghyra.{{Fn|18a}}
 
* [[Jade Temple (Stormvault)|Jade Temple]]: An immense Stormvault hidden beneath the garden-spires of Hammerhal Ghyra. {{Fn|17a}}
 
* [[Jade Temple (Stormvault)|Jade Temple]]: An immense Stormvault hidden beneath the garden-spires of Hammerhal Ghyra. {{Fn|17a}}
 
* '''Shadeglens''': Ancient burial gardens whose caretakers are pledged to [[Alarielle]].{{Fn|10}}
 
* '''Shadeglens''': Ancient burial gardens whose caretakers are pledged to [[Alarielle]].{{Fn|10}}
 +
* [[White Tower of Hammerhal Ghyra|White Tower of the Singing Gardens]]: A facility belonging to the [[Eldritch Council]].{{Fn|4b}}
  
 
==Inhabitants==
 
==Inhabitants==
Line 147: Line 377:
 
An expansive noble class dominates the politics of Hammerhalian society, with a full half of Hammerhal Aqsha's one-hundred and twenty-two seats of the [[Grand Conclave]] held by members of [[Azyrite Settlers|Azyrite]] noble families. A number of [[Realm of Aqshy|Aqshian]] dynasties have risen to power in Aqsha's Old City as well.{{Fn|20a}}
 
An expansive noble class dominates the politics of Hammerhalian society, with a full half of Hammerhal Aqsha's one-hundred and twenty-two seats of the [[Grand Conclave]] held by members of [[Azyrite Settlers|Azyrite]] noble families. A number of [[Realm of Aqshy|Aqshian]] dynasties have risen to power in Aqsha's Old City as well.{{Fn|20a}}
  
 +
* [[House Arcona]]: An old and well-respected line of [[Azyrite (People)|Azyrite]] nobility. At least one member, [[Juvis Arcona]], has been ensnared to [[Dalvia]], the Red Widow of Toursonne.{{Fn|7}}
 +
* [[House Demetron]]: A family of [[Azyrite (People)|Azyrite]] nobility.{{Fn|7}}
 
* [[House Naffir]]: One of the three most influential and largest Aqshian dynasties.{{Fn|20a}}
 
* [[House Naffir]]: One of the three most influential and largest Aqshian dynasties.{{Fn|20a}}
 
* [[House Taladin]]: One of the three most influential and largest Aqshian dynasties.{{Fn|20a}}
 
* [[House Taladin]]: One of the three most influential and largest Aqshian dynasties.{{Fn|20a}}
 
* [[House Vanx]]: One of the three most influential and largest Aqshian dynasties.{{Fn|20a}}
 
* [[House Vanx]]: One of the three most influential and largest Aqshian dynasties.{{Fn|20a}}
 +
 +
===Organizations===
 +
* [[Alchemists Guild (Hammerhal Aqsha)|Alchemists Guild]]: A well-renowned guild of alchemists based in Goldenpath.{{Fn|4b}{{Fn|5a}}
 +
* [[Greenpriests]]: Through their artisanal talents in shaping plantlife, the Greenpriests bring much of Ghyran's bounty to both Hammerhals.{{Fn|4b}}
 +
* [[Guild of Certified Thaumaturgists]]: A guild established by individuals kicked out of the Alchemists Guild. They operate out of facilities in the [[Cinderfall District]].{{Fn|5a}}
 +
* [[Guild of Mercadors]]: One of the most influential merchant guilds of the city.{{Fn|33a}}
 +
* [[Hammerhal Aqsha Chamber Strategic]]: A military command to which the [[Cogfort]]s of the [[Outer Web]], and the [[Freeguilder]]s operating them report to.{{Fn|6}}
 +
* [[Metal-seers]]: The fiery moats and [[timber-engine]]s created by the Metal-seers of Aqsha keep the [[Fellbriar]] from overrunning Ghyra.{{Fn|4b}}
 +
* '''Scrivener's College on Selstone Avenue''': A guild of scriveners based out of a building on Selstone Avenue.{{Fn|24}}
 +
* [[United Companies of Ember and Aqua]]: A council comprised of the trade guilds that dominate commerce within the '''Twin-Tailed City'''.{{Fn|15}}
 +
 +
====Freeguilds====
 +
* [[Boldhearts]]: One of the seventeen major [[Freeguild]]s of Hammerhal Aqsha. They are comprised largely of heavy infantry regiments, with their [[Freeguild Greatsword|Greatsword]] regiments being particularly well-regarded.{{Fn|20c}}
 +
* [[Golden Lions]]: One of the seventeen major Freeguilds of Hammerhal Aqsha. They are the largest Freeguild in the city and boast mostly line infantry regiments.{{Fn|20c}}
 +
* [[Heldenhain]]: One of the seventeen major Freeguilds of Hammerhal Ghyra. They maintain close ties with the [[Devoted of Sigmar]] and are often found defending processions of pilgrims and [[Flagellant]]s.{{Fn|20c}}
 +
* [[Leaden Bulls]]: One of the seventeen major Freeguild regiments of Hammerhal Aqsha. They are mostly comprised of artillery regiments. They are known to man many of the city's [[Cogfort]]s and [[Ironweld]]-crafted defenses.{{Fn|20c}}
 +
* [[Scions of the Comet]]: One of the seventeen major Freeguilds of Hammerhal Aqsha. It is well renowned for its elite cavalry, including the widely regarded [[Hammerhalian Lancers]].{{Fn|20c}}
 +
* [[Sun Seekers]]: One of the seventeen major Freeguilds of Hammerhal Aqsha. They form the majority of the city's outrider and scout regiments.{{Fn|20c}}
 +
* [[Vandusian Guard]]: One of the seventeen major Freeguilds of Hammerhal Aqsha. They are best known for providing elite bodyguard retinues and escorts for nobles and civic figures. They are recruited exclusively from among the veterans of other guilds.{{Fn|20c}}
  
 
===Notable Citizens===
 
===Notable Citizens===
  
 
* '''Aelves'''
 
* '''Aelves'''
** [[Alnaryn]]: [[Loremaster]].{{Fn|4h}}
+
** [[Alnaryn]]: [[Loremaster]] of the [[White Tower of Hammerhal Ghyra]].{{Fn|4b}}
 
** [[Asterion]]: Merchant of the Riftmarket.{{Fn|5c}}
 
** [[Asterion]]: Merchant of the Riftmarket.{{Fn|5c}}
** Ambassador [[Selendti Llyr-Xiss]]: A priestess and diplomat who in the [[Time of Tribulations]] represented the temples and their warriors on the [[Stormrift Conclave]].{{Fn|9}}
 
 
** [[Kemli]] the Silent: A mute aelf who fights under Toil's End.{{Fn|5c}}
 
** [[Kemli]] the Silent: A mute aelf who fights under Toil's End.{{Fn|5c}}
** [[Vizrin Kyre]]: Aelf [[Black Ark Fleetmaster|Fleetmaster]], and captain of the sky-ship known as the ''[[Hel's Claw]]''.{{Fn|4g}}
+
** [[Vizrin Kyre]]: Aelf [[Black Ark Fleetmaster|Fleetmaster]], and captain of the sky-ship known as the ''[[Hel's Claw]]''.{{Fn|4b}}
  
 
* '''Duardin'''
 
* '''Duardin'''
** [[Drobjorn]]: He was the High Artillerist of the [[Dispossessed]] during the [[Time of Tribulations]].{{Fn|9}}
+
** [[Golnir Coalbeard]]: Duardin [[Cogsmith]]. Close friend of Arvios Sunhelm.{{Fn|4b}}
** [[Golnir Coalbeard]]: Duardin [[Cogsmith]]. Close friend of Arvios Sunhelm.{{Fn|4i}}
 
  
 
* '''Humans'''
 
* '''Humans'''
 
** [[Bargo Culven]]: Priest of the [[Church of the Shattered Blade]].{{Fn|5a}}
 
** [[Bargo Culven]]: Priest of the [[Church of the Shattered Blade]].{{Fn|5a}}
** [[Barragust]]: [[High Despot]] of the [[Order of Azyr]] during the [[Time of Tribulations]].{{Fn|8}}
 
** [[Brutar]]: High Castellan during the [[Time of Tribulations]]{{Fn|8}}
 
 
** [[Estimion]]: [[Freeguild General|Lord General]] of the Hammerhal Aqsha Chamber Strategic during the [[Time of Tribulations]].{{Fn|6}}
 
** [[Estimion]]: [[Freeguild General|Lord General]] of the Hammerhal Aqsha Chamber Strategic during the [[Time of Tribulations]].{{Fn|6}}
** [[Evandelle]]: [[High Artisan|Wallmistress of the High Artisans]] during the [[Time of Tribulations]]{{Fn|8}}
 
** [[Katrik le Guillion]]: [[Prime Commander]] during the [[Time of Tribulations]]{{Fn|9}}
 
** [[Sevastean Mench]] [[Master Patriarch]] during the [[Time of Tribulations]]{{Fn|8}}
 
 
** [[Lug Liefson]]: Ex-[[Freeguild]] halberdier who fights under Toil's End.{{Fn|5c}}
 
** [[Lug Liefson]]: Ex-[[Freeguild]] halberdier who fights under Toil's End.{{Fn|5c}}
** [[Ysmeralde von Leithenstine]]: Imports Doyenne during the [[Time of Tribulations]]{{Fn|9}}
 
 
** [[Olrig]]: Toil's End barkeeper.{{Fn|5c}}
 
** [[Olrig]]: Toil's End barkeeper.{{Fn|5c}}
** [[Osrua]] of the Gilded Abacus
 
** [[Hexedentia Vimm]], She was the newly-appointed mistress of the Hammerhal Cog-forts during the [[Time of Tribulations]]{{Fn|9}}
 
** [[Elethrus Vinx]]: She was the Supreme Pontifex during the [[Time of Tribulations]]{{Fn|8}}
 
 
** [[Red Yugol]]: Owner of Red Yugol's Revelrie.{{Fn|5b}}
 
** [[Red Yugol]]: Owner of Red Yugol's Revelrie.{{Fn|5b}}
 
 
* '''Stormcast Eternals'''
 
* '''Stormcast Eternals'''
** [[Arvios Sunhelm]]: [[Lord-Castellant]] of the [[Exemplar Chamber]] of the Hammers of Sigmar known as [[Engloriams]].{{Fn|4f}}
+
** [[Arvios Sunhelm]]: [[Lord-Castellant]] of the [[Exemplar Chamber]] of the Hammers of Sigmar known as [[Engloriams]].{{Fn|4b}}
** Lord [[Aventis Firestrike]]: [[Magister (City of Sigmar)|Magister]] of Hammerhal and a judiciary representative of the Stormcast Eternals during the [[Time of Tribulations]].{{Fn|8}}{{Fn|9}}
 
  
 
* '''Soulblight'''
 
* '''Soulblight'''
 
** [[Doyenne Dalvia]] the Red Widow of Toursonne, Sanguinarch and agent for Queen [[Neferata]]{{Fn|7}}
 
** [[Doyenne Dalvia]] the Red Widow of Toursonne, Sanguinarch and agent for Queen [[Neferata]]{{Fn|7}}
 +
 +
==Quotes==
 +
{| width="33%" align="center"
 +
|align="center"| ''Hammerhal has, in the past, been likened to a powder keg, needing but one errant spark to detonate spectacularly. Of course, we have errant sparks, cinders, and flames aplenty here in Aqshy, so the comparison perhaps lacks some nuance. I instead prefer to think of our noble city as akin to the volcanoes claimed by Grimnir's folk; maybe one day we will blow ourselves apart in a storm of sound and fury, but God-King preserve you if you're in our vicinity when we do.''
 +
''' [[Sevastean Mench]], [[Master Patriarch]] of Hammerhal Aqsha'''.{{Fn|31a}}
 +
|}
  
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==
 
<center>
 
<center>
<gallery>
+
<gallery mode=packed>
 
Hammerhal icon 01.png|Sigil of the Twin-Tailed City
 
Hammerhal icon 01.png|Sigil of the Twin-Tailed City
 
Hammerhal Ghyra 01.png|Hammerhal Ghyra
 
Hammerhal Ghyra 01.png|Hammerhal Ghyra
Line 198: Line 442:
 
* [[Lore of Cinder]]
 
* [[Lore of Cinder]]
 
* [[Hammerhal Armoury]]
 
* [[Hammerhal Armoury]]
 +
 +
==Trivia==
 +
* Both Aqsha and Ghyra have districts known as '''Blackwood Town'''.{{Fn|27}}{{Fn|34a}}
  
 
==Sources==
 
==Sources==
 
* {{Endn|1}}: [[Season of War]] gaming aid from the [[WH AoS app]], The Twin-Tailed City.
 
* {{Endn|1}}: [[Season of War]] gaming aid from the [[WH AoS app]], The Twin-Tailed City.
 
* {{Endn|2}}: [https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Warhammer?N=2070689437+131843791&Nr=AND%28sku.siteId%3AUS_gw%2Cproduct.locale%3Aen_US_gw%29&Nrs=collection%28%29%2Frecord%5Bproduct.startDate+%3C%3D+1509627000000+and+product.endDate+%3E%3D+1509627000000%5D Hammerhal product listing]
 
* {{Endn|2}}: [https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Warhammer?N=2070689437+131843791&Nr=AND%28sku.siteId%3AUS_gw%2Cproduct.locale%3Aen_US_gw%29&Nrs=collection%28%29%2Frecord%5Bproduct.startDate+%3C%3D+1509627000000+and+product.endDate+%3E%3D+1509627000000%5D Hammerhal product listing]
* {{Endn|3}}: [[Hammerhal & Other Stories]] - Hammerhal
+
* {{Endn|3}}: [[Hammerhal & Other Stories]]
** {{Endn|3a}}: pg.19
+
** {{Endn|3a}}: Hammerhal
** {{Endn|3b}}: pg.20
 
** {{Endn|3c}}: pg.21
 
** {{Endn|3d}}: pg.23
 
** {{Endn|3e}}: pg.30
 
 
* {{Endn|4}}: [[Shadows over Hammerhal]], Guidebook
 
* {{Endn|4}}: [[Shadows over Hammerhal]], Guidebook
** {{Endn|4a}}: pg.12
+
** {{Endn|4a}}: Shadows Over Hammerhal
** {{Endn|4b}}: pg.17
+
** {{Endn|4b}}: A Meeting in Cinderfall
** {{Endn|4c}}: pg.18
 
** {{Endn|4d}}: pg.22
 
** {{Endn|4e}}: pg.24
 
** {{Endn|4f}}: pg.56
 
** {{Endn|4g}}: pg.58
 
** {{Endn|4h}}: pg.60
 
** {{Endn|4i}}: pg.62
 
 
* {{Endn|5}} [[Shadows over Hammerhal]], Adventure Book
 
* {{Endn|5}} [[Shadows over Hammerhal]], Adventure Book
 
** {{Endn|5a}}: pg.22
 
** {{Endn|5a}}: pg.22
Line 235: Line 471:
 
* {{Endn|13}}: [[Battletome: Cities of Sigmar (2019)]]
 
* {{Endn|13}}: [[Battletome: Cities of Sigmar (2019)]]
 
** {{Endn|13a}}: Hammerhal, The Twin-Tailed City, pg. 12-13
 
** {{Endn|13a}}: Hammerhal, The Twin-Tailed City, pg. 12-13
* {{Endn|14}}: [[Soulbound Core Rulebook]]
+
* {{Endn|14}}: [[Soulbound: Core Rulebook]]
 
** {{Endn|14a}}: Chapter Nine: The Great Parch
 
** {{Endn|14a}}: Chapter Nine: The Great Parch
 
** {{Endn|14b}}: Chapter Eight: The Mortal Realms
 
** {{Endn|14b}}: Chapter Eight: The Mortal Realms
* {{Endn|15}}: [[Soulbound Cities of Flame]]
+
* {{Endn|15}}: [[Soulbound: Cities of Flame]]
* {{Endn|16}}: [[Soulbound Crash&Burn]], pg. 12
+
* {{Endn|16}}: [[Soulbound: Crash & Burn]], pg. 12
 
* {{Endn|17}}: [[Age of Sigmar: Forbidden Power]]
 
* {{Endn|17}}: [[Age of Sigmar: Forbidden Power]]
 
** {{Endn|17a}}: The Hidden Vaults, pg. 16-20
 
** {{Endn|17a}}: The Hidden Vaults, pg. 16-20
Line 248: Line 484:
 
* {{Endn|20}}: [[Age of Sigmar: Core Book (3rd Edition)]]
 
* {{Endn|20}}: [[Age of Sigmar: Core Book (3rd Edition)]]
 
** {{Endn|20a}}: Hammerhal Aqsha, Pg. 86-89
 
** {{Endn|20a}}: Hammerhal Aqsha, Pg. 86-89
 +
** {{Endn|20b}}: Fires of Conquest, Pg. 84-85
 +
** {{Endn|20c}}: Armies of Hammerhal Aqsha, Pg. 92-93
 +
** {{Endn|20d}}: Hammerhal Ghyra, Pg. 98-99
 +
* {{Endn|21}}: [[Battletome: Stormcast Eternals (2021)]]
 +
** {{Endn|21a}}: Bastions of the Tempest, pg.14-17
 +
* {{Endn|22}}: [[Battletome: Disciples of Tzeentch (2020)]]
 +
** {{Endn|22a}}: The Arch-Conspirators, pg 22-23
 +
* {{Endn|23}}: [[Warcry: Sentinels of Order]]
 +
** {{Endn|23a}}: Stormcast Eternals, Pg. 62-67
 +
* {{Endn|24}}: [[The Interrogator (Short Story)]]
 +
* {{Endn|25}}: [[Gloomspite (novel)]]
 +
** {{Endn|25a}}: Chapter Five: Cracks
 +
* {{Endn|26}}: [[White Dwarf December 2021]]
 +
** {{Endn|26a}}: Realmscapes: The Jade Kingdoms
 +
* {{Endn|26}}: [[White Dwarf March 2017]]
 +
** {{Endn|26a}}: Shadows Over Hammerhal
 +
* {{Endn|27}}: [[Dark Master (Short Story)]]
 +
* {{Endn|28}}: [[Gloomspite (novel)]]
 +
** {{Endn|28a}}: Chapter Seven: Calm
 +
* {{Endn|29}}: [[]]
 +
** {{Endn|29a}}:
 +
* {{Endn|30}}: [[The Resting Places]]
 +
** {{Endn|30a}}: Old Soldiers
 +
* {{Endn|31}}: [[White Dwarf February 2022]]
 +
** {{Endn|31a}}: The Bright City, pg. 12-17
 +
* {{Endn|31}}: [[White Dwarf December 2017]]
 +
** {{Endn|31a}}: Return to Hammerhal, pg. 33-35
 +
* {{Endn|32}}: [[Dawnbringers: Harbingers]]
 +
** {{Endn|32a}}: Bated Breath, Pg. 7
 +
** {{Endn|32b}}: Rain of Doubt, Pg. 8-9
 +
** {{Endn|32c}}: The Harbingers Ride, Pg. 10-11
 +
** {{Endn|32d}}: The Cleansing Flames, Pg. 20-21
 +
* {{Endn|33}}: [[Hammers of Sigmar: First Forged]]
 +
** {{Endn|33a}}: Chapter Seven: The Lords of the Heavenhall
 +
** {{Endn|33b}}: Chapter Nine: Contacts
 +
** {{Endn|33c}}: Chapter Ten: Remnants
 +
** {{Endn|33d}}: Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Reckoning
 +
** {{Endn|33e}}: Epilogue
 +
* {{Endn|34}}: [[Soulbound: Champions of Order]]
 +
** {{Endn|34a}}: Chapter Three: Archetypes
 +
* {{Endn|35}}: [[Realmslayer: Legend of the Doomseeker]]
 +
** {{Endn|35a}}: Chapter Nineteen
 +
* {{Endn|36}}: [[Battletome: Cities of Sigmar (2023)]]
 +
** {{Endn|36a}}: Into the Wilds, Pg. 12-13
 +
* {{Endn|37}}: [[White Dwarf September 2023]]
 +
** {{Endn|36b}}: Tahlia Vedra, Lioness of the Parch, Pg. 47-49
 +
** {{Endn|37a}}: Bastions of Foulness, Pg. 96-103
 +
* {{Endn|38}}: [[Head of the Serpent (short story)]]
 +
* {{Endn|39}}: [[White Dwarf February 2022]]
 +
** {{Endn|39a}}: Realmscapes: The Bright City, Pg. 12-17
 +
* {{Endn|40}}: [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/03/08/dawnbringer-chronicles-xxiii-a-murder-in-catacomb-12/ Dawnbringer Chronicles XXIII – A Murder in Catacomb 12]
 +
* {{Endn|41}}: [[White Dwarf January 2018]]
 +
** {{Endn|41a}}: Return to Hammerhal, Part Two
 +
* {{Endn|42}}: [https://web.archive.org/web/20190619212938/https://www.warhammer-community.com/hammerhal-herald/ Hammerhal Herald]
  
 
{{Cities of Sigmar}}
 
{{Cities of Sigmar}}
 
+
[[Category: Realm of Aqshy]]
[[Category:Realm of Aqshy]]
+
[[Category: Great Parch]]
[[Category:Great Parch]]
+
[[Category: Capilaria]]
[[Category:Capilaria]]
+
[[Category: Realm of Ghyran]]
[[Category:Realm of Ghyran]]
+
[[Category: Everspring Swathe]]
[[Category:Everspring Swathe]]
+
[[Category: Verdia]]
 
[[Category: Grand Alliance of Order]]
 
[[Category: Grand Alliance of Order]]
 
[[Category: Free Cities]]
 
[[Category: Free Cities]]
 +
[[Category: Capital cities]]
 
[[Category: Hammerhal| ]]
 
[[Category: Hammerhal| ]]
 +
[[Category: Great Wonders]]

Latest revision as of 15:25, 27 March 2024

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The walls of Hammerhal Aqsha

Hammerhal, also known as the Twin-Tailed City, is the greatest and the spiritual capital of the Cities of Sigmar, cities built after the end of the Realmgate Wars around the Realmgates claimed by the Stormcast Eternals. It's known as the Twin-tailed City because it's two settlements, Hammerhal Aqsha and Hammerhal Ghyra, ruled as one, one on each side of the Stormrift Realmgate.[1]

Contents

History

Age of Myth

Over the course of the long millennia hundreds of empires have risen and fallen across the lands now covered by the twinned Hammerhals. In time all that will remain of them are remnants scattered beneath both cities. Everything from isolated catacombs to entire mausoleum-cities lay under the streets, housing untold secrets.[4b]

Age of Sigmar

Before being reclaimed, thirty chambers of Stormcast Eternals struck at both sides of what would become known as the Stormrift Realmgate. During the conflict that followed, known as the Wars of Founding, the Eternals battled the orruk tribes who worshipped it as the Maw of Mork. Their tribal kingdoms had long fought over the mystic portal, raising sprawling fortifications upon its twinned thresholds and invading one another through its crackling depths. Given a common purpose by the Stormcast attack, the Morkmaw tribes unified. Only after long years of fighting were the forces of Sigmar - which included chambers from the Hammers of Sigmar, Hallowed Knights, Anvils of the Heldenhammer, and several other Stormhosts, as well as mortal forces such as the fleet led by Vizrin Kyre - able to at last defeat the orruk scourge. To the Hammers of Sigmar went the honours of raising the first Stormkeeps around the Realmgate, for they had led the wars.[4b] The city that followed was named in their honour.[1][12b]

Reaching up from the bedrock on both sides of the Stormrift, Sigmar's warriors discovered rich outcroppings of realmstone. Formed from the concentrated magics of the Mortal Realms, these volatile crystals were a valuable yet dangerous source of arcane power first harnessed by the renowned architect Valius Maliti. The energies that poured from their central lodeshards were crucial in speeding along the construction of Hammerhal, fuelling the efforts of the Ironweld engineers to raise new defences and expand the city's boundaries. It was the engineers who - with the aid of the Lord-Relictors - caged the energies of the realmstone, building elaborate sigmarite machinery around them to harness their volatile sorcerous emanations. In Hammerhal Aqsha, those wrathful energies power a vast shield of flickering lightning, while Hammerhal Ghyra funnels them into protective wards to confuse and misdirect hostile invaders.[4b]

As one of the new cities reclaimed by order during the Age of Sigmar in the Great Parch it starts to thrive as philosophy, art and fashion begin to develop once again.[1a][1b]

In the Time of Tribulations the two hundred and forty-four Lords of the Heavenhall debated fiercely about what action to take before Morathi the High Oracle of Khaine arrived. She quickly addressed them all and stated that This council must put aside its differences immediately and send every available army to Shyish, or the forces of death will overwhelm us. Despite some initial opposition she convinces them to send the cities armies to join her own in attacking the Realm of Shyish [8]

In the aftermath of the Necroquake the dead arose across the Realms and in Hammerhal Ghyra they clawed their way out of the tombs in the Azyrite necropoli or the blessed soil of the Shadeglens and the defenders of the city were hard pressed to destroy them.[10a] Meanwhile in Hammerhal Aqsha, forgotten armies of deathrattle warriors suddenly stirred themselves and tore free from the boiling mud-flats and marched on the walls.[10b]

At the start of the Arcanum Optimar the Endless Spell known as the Purple Death was unleashed upon the streets of Hammerhal.[11]

Twin-Tailed City

The City of Hammerhal and the Stormrift Gate seen from Hammerhal Aqsha

Hammerhal Aqsha

Hammerhal Aqsha is a bustling metropolis located in the Great Parch in Aqshy. It's a harsh and heavy fortified place with towering bastions and batteries. Its many pendants and banners dance on hot, angry winds. Carving through the landscape of the city are great rifts in the earth, such as Adramar Rift and Gallis Rift, these chasms are among the city's most important avenues of trade, as is the Aqshai River from which the Aqsha in the city's name comes from.[20a] In exchange for a steady supply of foodstuff from Ghyra, Aqsha provides a constant stream of molten rocks.[1]

The defences of Aqsha are maintained by the genius engineers of the Ironweld Arsenal. These include the Burning Palisade, a wall of fireoak stakes enchanted to burn eternally by the Bright Wizards of the Collegiate, lighting shields which further protects the city's boundaries, and mobile forts that expand these boundaries.[1][12a][20a] Newly claimed land is purified by processions of Devoted of Sigmar.[1]

Hammerhal Ghyra

The City of Hammerhal and the Stormrift Gate seen from Hammerhal Ghyra

Hammerhal Ghyra is located in the Jade Kingdom of Verdia in Ghyran is a city of golden domes and celestial spires. The city itself is highly decentralized, sections of it are built in between gigantic mountain terraces wrapped around the fertile mountains of the region.[14b] These immense fields are worked by enormous beetles, dragging massive plows trough the fertile earth, while torrents of water pour down from Mammoth Drift-Isles, each of them kept in place by chains of Ironoaks [14b]. In exchange for food and military support, Hammerhal Aqsha channels rivers of lava trough the Stormrift Realmgate, burning away the rapidly growing flora, threatening to overwhelm the city. Carefully cut trenches form walls of fire that hold back the plants of Ghyran.[1][14b] The air is noted by many visitors as tasting of cinders and smoke and the atmosphere as wet and humid. [3b] It is known as a stronghold of aelf-kind, many Free Peoples[1] and a sizable population of Sylvaneth[14b] with parts of the city given over to vast groves of trees.[3c]

Government

The Grand Conclave of lords, chosen from amongst the best and brightest, govern this city.[3] The Grand Conclave of Hammerhal is comprised of a grand total of two-hundred forty-four seats and has representatives from every other major City of Sigmar.[14a]

Of the one-hundred and twenty-two seats representing Hammerhal Aqsha, half are held by members of the Azyrite nobility of the city. Despite this there are a number of Aqshian dynasties that hold major political positions in the city. Chief amongst these are House Vanx, House Taladin, and House Naffir who have all had members hold office as Master Patriarch or Master Matriarch.[20a]

Current Councillors

Former Councillors

Economy

Each day thousands of merchant fleets, skyvessels, skycutters, lava-cogs and Sylvaneth winged beetle mounts from a thousand nascent empires make their way through the immense chasms that run through the city, which act as natural trading routes, to dock at myriad trading districts. Rift-docks echo to the sounds of sailors and labourers shifting a bewildering array of exotic cargo and livestock from their vessels to the merchants' stalls and the dockside warehouses. Riftsiders tend to be hardy, practical folk, well-muscled and sun-beaten from many years of physical toil undertaken in the blazing heat.[4b][13a]

There is a constant flow of molten rock from Aqsha to Ghyra and in return Ghyra supplies vast shipments of grain, meat and Aqua Ghyranis.[1] Ghyra imports both stone and timber for building as the inhabitants are forbidden from logging in the realm as per the ancient laws of Alarielle, this is strictly enforced by the local Sylvaneth.[3e] Ghyra uses its carefully channelled flow of molten rock to direct broad defensive canals in order to hold back the overwhelming fecundity of the Realm of Life.[4b] There is almost nothing that cannot be found within Hammerhal's sprawling market districts and the vaults of Hammerhal are filled with wonders and treasures from across the realms, claimed through battle or exploration.[13a]

Legal Tender

A wide variety of currencies both local and foreign is accepted in the markets of Hammerhal, the most well-known of these currencies is Aqua Ghyranis. Comets, Bronze Pieces, Embers, Flaregilt, and Gold Pieces are among the local currencies that have been used by the citizens of the city.[1][3a][27][28a][41a]

Society

A Street in the Cinderfall District.

As the foremost sanctuary for the free peoples of the realms, Hammerhal's population has grown both in size and diversity. Darkling Covens thrive in the grimmer quarters of the city. Wanderers live in nomadic caravans and treetop camps in the gardens of Ghyra. The industrial expertise of the Dispossessed is vital for the constantly expanding cities. Due to the constant expansion regions of the city are swift to rise and fall in prominence, with formerly vital trading posts fading into insignificance. The vast populations of aelves, duardin and humans has also caused a housing crisis and widespread inequality. While the noble quarters such as the gleaming spire-towers of Goldpath or the garden villas of Sanctor Tulis are the envy of the realms, millions more citizens live in crime-ridden slums such as the Cinderfall district and the gloomy warrens of Blackwood Town. While life in these districts may be bleak they breed tough, hard-bitten souls who make for excellent soldiers and are given a path to glory and renown through service in the Freeguild.[13a]

Citizens of Hammerhal

Culture

Per tradition a number of notable aristocratic lineages of Hammerhal send all their children, even those born out of wedlock or scandal, to receive at least some schooling within the halls of the Acadamae Martial. This practice is done in part to ensure that Hammerhal will always have an abundance of skilled militia commanders in case of siege.[39a]

Festivals and Observances

There are a number of festivities celebrated throughout the year in Hammerhal such as the annual witch-burning of Hammerstag[42], the Festival of the Heldenhammer[33c], and the monthly celebration of Sigmarsday.[14a]

Parades

Military parades are a proud tradition of Aqsha, routinely occurring throughout the calendar year.[38][39a] Such parades commonly occur on Cometsday, first day of the Azyrite Calendar.[38] During the third week of Azyr's Gleaming thousands gather to watch as sacred banners are paraded through the streets of Aqsha.[39a]

Entertainment

The bawdy houses found within the Twin-Tailed City are especially infamous.[14b]

Media

The Hammerhal Herald and the Thaumaturgical Examiner are popular periodicals produced in the city.[41a][42] The Herald is reliably published on the fourteenth day of every month, so long as production is not interrupted by Chaos invasions.[41a]

Printing Industries

Both halves of Hammerhal host an abundance of printing houses. Many of which are funded by leaders of the Cults Unberogen, such as Arch Lectors, in exchange for distributing motivational scroll-scraps to the people of the city.[39a]

Military

Hammerhalians prize martial ability and stubborn resolve and its standing armies are amongst the largest and best-equipped available to the God-King. The line infantry of the city's Freeguilds are known as the Goldjackets who are famed for their fighting ability and unwillingness to retreat, easily recognizable by their gleaming-breastplates. All of the city's military guilds claim are fiercely proud of their heritage, carrying banners of rare provenance woven from Hyshian suncloth and stitched with the skin and bones of martyrs that are carried into battle to inspire the soldiers, some claim their banners are in fact the battle standards of their progenitor tribes dating back all the way to the flight to the Realm of Heavens after the dawn of the Age of Chaos. In the only instance, of these colours falling into enemy hands, the Griffon Spears Freeguild embarked upon a suicidal cavalry charge against a greenskin horde eight times their number known as the Forlorn Charge. The Twin-tailed City can deploy almost any specialist formation ranging from handgunners and swordsmen backed up by all manner of auxiliary formations, chosen according to the needs of the campaign including Shadow Warriors, fleets of Gyrobombers or the magical war machines of the Collegiate Arcane. [13a][20b][20c]

There are many Freeguilds operating within the Twin-Tailed City, with Hammerhal Aqsha alone boasting seventeen major Freeguilds comprised of over a hundred regiments each. These include the Golden Lions, the Scions of the Comet, the Leaden Bulls, the Heldenhain, the Sun Seekers, the Boldhearts, and the Vandusian Guard.[20c]

An entire district of Hammerhal Aqsha was transformed into the Acadamae Martial, a combined training ground and barracks, complete with mustering fields where officers of the city's armies study and the renowned Dragoon-Generals of Hammerhal are the elite graduates of these schools.[13a]

In addition to these mortal armies, there dozens of chambers of Stormcast Eternals garrisoning the Twin-Tailed City. These include warriors from the Hammers of Sigmar, Emerald Warriors, and Hallowed Knights. The members of the latter host have sworn an oath, Hammerhal Ghyra will not fall while the faithful stand.[3][35a]

Trade

Goods from Hammerhal Aqsha and Vandium travel northward along the Great Ash Road to the city of Edassa, and from there much needed supplies flow through to the lands and settlements of the Flamescar Plateau. The seemingly cursed city of Anvalor was able to be built thanks to this extensive trade route.[1a]

Thousands of vessels, and the flying beetles of the Sylvaneth bring goods in and out of the Hammerhal Aqsha every day, many of them aerial craft but some ply the lava rivers of Capilaria to reach the city as well. These vessels carry ingots of mystic metals, gems of every variety, cut, and hue, shards of shadeglass, logs of ivory, ironoak, megalofin teeth, beads of amber, salted meats, fyresteel blades, and many more goods from across every Mortal Realm.[14a]

A network of Realmgates connects Aqsha with Tempest's Eye, Anvilgard, and Hallowheart allowing the four cities to engage in heavy trade. In particular many Hammerhalian weapons are traded for Golvarian minerals and primordial Realmstone from the mines of Hallowheart.[20b]

Ghyra sits at the center of many trade networks, serving as a crucial supplier of foodstuffs to countless other settlements.[26a]

Locations

Cityplanning

The city of Hammerhal contains a substantial amount of suburbs and conurbations that are used for agrarian purposes, many of which are packed around the outermost walls of the Twin-Tailed City.[14b] Hammerhal Ghyra is a city built in strata across the Koritan mountain range.[20d]

In Aqsha an extensive system of sewer channels extend across the city, from the Old City at its heart to sections of the Bulwark Shanties, such as the Clan Holdings of Grimglint.[40]

Hammerhal Aqsha

Districts in Aqsha

Map of part of Hammerhal Aqsha.[4]
Acadamae Martial

The Acadamae Martial form an entire district of the city. This sector has been transformed into combined training grounds and barracks with mustering fields where the officers of the city's great armies can study the theoretics of cavalry movement and infantry formations. [13a]

Aqshai Docks

A mercantile district on the banks of the Aqshai River in the far western boundary of Hammerhal Aqsha.[20a]

Blackgate

Lava-channels run through the Blackgate district of Aqsha, these channels and their gates keep the lava from pouring onto the district's streets.[4b]

Blackwood Town

A low-end residential district in Hammerhal Aqsha. Known for its tangled streets.[27]

  • Charway: An aether-lamp lit street of Blackwood Town.[27]
  • Zymmerman's Musical Emporium: A store that sells musical instruments. Owned by Zymmerman.[27]
Brass Mire

The ground of this district is unstable and many areas prone to collapsing into the magma below, such collapses can inevitably become deadly and costly disaster. In this district magma is prone to rising close to the surface, creating a brass-like glow. Its denizens live in close-knit communities.[4][15]

  • Heat Wells: Communal kitchens, bakeries, and forges are built around heat wells within the district.[15]
Bulwark Shanties

The Bulwark Shanties, or Bullies, are the slums that grow outside the protection of the Burning Palisade each time the city expands. This is where the most unfortunate of the city live and are usually the first victims of enemy attacks on the city, which happen quite frequently.[20a][40] Denizens of the districts are also known as Bullies.[40]

  • Clan Holdings of Grimglint: The holdings of Clan Grimglint are found in this section of the city. Sewers systems beneath it extend all the way to the Old City, their construction was overseen by Borli Thungrunsson.[40]
Cinderfall District
Map of the Cinderfall District.[4]
Streets of Cinderfall
Plaza of Cinderfall

Cinderfall was once a prosperous and highly trafficked trading zone, but the ever-expanding nature of Hammerhal Aqsha meant that eventually the affluent merchant houses and foreign traders moved on to pastures new. In their place rose the Spice Guilds and criminal gangs, tempting a different class of trader to the great rift-docks that border the northern edge of the district. A remnant of he former Grand Bazaar remains in the form of the bustling Riftmarket, but the air of legitimacy is now a front for the trade of illicit goods and a thousand different flavours of vice.[4b] The districts many tall chimneys have over time stained the area with smoke and ash. [16]

  • House Venargo's mansion: Just outside the Riftmarket stands a large mansion built in the Azyrite style that seems strangely out of place amid its ramshackle surroundings. A black iron fence surrounds the complex and guards are stationed at the front gate at all times, wearing fur-collared longcoats over silver breastplates engraved with the sigil of House Venargo (an open palm bearing a radiant diamond) and ceremonial masks they never remove. The family Venargo controls the trade and maybe nearly the entirety of the vice within Cinderfall and its surrounding districts.[4b][5a]
  • Baugren's Bountiful Bazaar: A slightly grimy but impressively large converted warehouse operating under the thinnest facade of respectability, the bazaar is filled with many varied and esoteric items and staffed by a human called Baugren.[5a]
  • Chapel of the Shattered Blade: This is a shabby, run-down church of worship to Sigmar. It venerates Saint Rubeus, a legendary Warrior Priest who led the first consecration of the city and fell in battle against the orruk hordes of the Bloodscalps. The chapel is usually attended to by Brother Bargo Culven.[5a]
  • Guild of Certified Thaumaturgists A ramshackle array of spiral towers and smoke-belching laboratories with a sign that claims this Hammerhal Aqsha's centre of alchemical and metallurgical knowledge. The guild was set up by a group of students thrown out of the city's famed Alchemists Guild for dangerous or unethical experiments, usually both.[5a]
  • Red Yugol's Revelrie: At the southern edge of the market district lies this garishly painted field of tents bedecked with banners, flags and leering masks. Faces painted like beasts of the wild, dressed in colourful rags and brandishing rattles, drums and tambourines, Red Yugol's entertainers prance and caper about, beckoning, cajoling and threatening tourists, drunken sailors and travelling merchants into entering the Revelrie. At the very centre of the grand marquee dwells the enigmatic soothsayer and compere Red Yugol himself.[5b]
  • The Cinderfall Riftmarket: Running parallel to the Adramar Rift at the northern edge of the city is the mass of tents, warehouses, shopfronts and forums that makes up the Riftmarket. Merchants and traders from across the Mortal Realms flock here to sell all manner of ephemera, from exotic creatures to precious magical items. The largest and most extravagant stall belongs to an aelf named Asterion.[5c]
  • Toil's End: A tavern built around a lava-centipede. Underneath this bar, Olrig runs a free-for-all underground fighting tournament where a number of notable local brawlers compete in bloody, bare-knuckle bouts.[5c][26a]
  • Sky-Docks The Cinderfall Sky-Docks are a collection of six, tall, dark towers, cut from smooth stone. Winding walkways and swaying bridges connect the towers and the different landing platforms with each other.[16]
  • Crystalarium District: Jutting up from the hills of the Crystalarium District are growths of spear-like red crystals. At the heart of these pillars is aqthracite, the Realmstone that powers Aqsha's industries.[20a]
  • Halls of Shaping.[4]
Drudges

A shapeless mass of districts, some call them slums, that stretch outwards from the glittering heart of the city to the border wall where most of the city's commonfolk live alongside refugees flocking to the city. Houses are built from basalt or guardstone as wood is banned due to posing a fire hazard such during the Great Inferno when raging fire-spirits devoured entire districts causing a massive loss of life.[20a]

Emberflats

A district of Hammerhal Aqsha.[15]

Goldenpath

This noble quarter is a complex of gleaming crystal spires.[4][13a]

  • Greenward Prefecture: This verdant forest district has been granted to the Wanderers of Hammerhal Aqsha, in thanks for their services to the Twin-Tailed City. Though rampant industrial expansion sees it cut back every season.[20a]
Heart of Rubeus

One of the city's many districts.[24]

Hooked Acre

A residential district of the city containing scruffy tenements, a marketplace full of stalls, and cobbled streets.[30a]

Industrial Quarter

The Industrial Quarter, as the name suggests, is a large industrial district of Hammerhal Aqsha. On its own, it is comparable to many smaller Free Cities in scale and size. It is a major stronghold for the guilds of the Ironweld Arsenal.[20a]

  • Black Dust Alleys.[4]
Kindle Heights

A district of Hammerhal Aqsha.[36b]

  • Bloodstone Inn: An inn in the Kindle Heights.[33b]
  • Old Chain Post: One of the city's many taverns.[30a]
Lavafall District

One of the poor, overcrowded districts of Hammerhal Aqsha. It is home to beings from many species and cultures, as well as a large number of gangs looking to earn a few vials of Aqua Ghyranis.[4][15]

  • Lavafall Crematorium: This is one of many of the temples of the city dedicated to the God-King of Azyr. The holy fires of this house of worship are provided in part thanks to the lava flows of the Adramar Rift. It is here that the bodies of the dead can be interred and cremated in holy fire, in exchange for a donation, to ensure they do not rise as undead servants of Nagash.[15]
The Narrows

A residential district of tumbledown tenements arranged in rows, stretched across a dozen leagues.[33a]

  • Brennend Street: A street in the Narrows.[27]
  • Erretzen Lane: A street in the Narrows.[27]
Onyx Shore

A district connected to the Stormrift Centrum via bridges over the Adramar Rift.[33a]

Pyromancer District

An entire district given over to the Pyromancers of the Collegiate Arcane. Here strange kiln-complexes refine aqthracite. The heat given off by these buildings is so intense that enterprising citizens are able to speed-dry their laundry by lining them on buildings facing the kilns.[20a]

  • Ashbark Tower: A tower that is tall enough to be visible from the bridges connecting Stormrift Centrum to rest of the city.[33a]
  • Cinderworm.[4]
  • Pyromancer's Tor.[4]
Reclaimed District

Named for the predominance of Reclaimed tribes that live within its walls, the Reclaimed Ditrict is one of many residential districts of Hammerhal Aqsha.[38]

Scorchcross

A poor residential district of Hammerhal Aqsha.[27]

Shining Quarters
A Noble of Hammerhal

The Old City is the area immediately surrounding the Stormrift Gate where the greatest of the nobility reside in mansions and castles of marble built according to Azyrite architecture.[20a]

  • Azyrite Claim: The richest sector of the Shining Quarters, and by extension Hammerhal Aqsha, where the dwellings of many of the city's rulers and civic leaders are found. Though most of the estates here belong to nobility originating from Azyrheim, many Aqshian dynasties like House Taladin, House Vanx, and House Naffir are found here as well.[20a]
  • Bloom Gate Terrace.[4]
  • Great Catedral of Sigmar: A centre of the Sigmarite faiths in Hammerhal, this imposing fortress-citadel looms over much of the city.[20a]
  • Old City Wall: Though the designers of Hasmmerhal Aqsha had noble intentions, hoping to see the entire city constructed like the districts of the Old City, their efforts lasted only a few decades before necessity forced them to abandon many high ideals to match the growth of the city's population. Now the Old City Wall serves as a line between the great manses of the Old City and the tumbledown streets of neighbouring sectors.[20a]
  • Stormrift Centrum: This district surrounding the Aqsha-side of the Stormrift Realmgate is the most militantly defended region of the city. It is an island fortress thanks to the surrounding magmatic rifts. In addition it boasts ingenious Duardin-made fortifications.[20a]
  • Stormrift Palace: A meeting place of the Stormrift Conclave, the Grand Conclave of Hammerhal.[33a]
Stormhorn Mont

Stormhorn Mont is a colossal mountain dominating a section of Hammerhal Aqsha. It is covered in residential housing, and those who live upon it claim its peak acts as lightning rod when Sigmar's ire is raised.[20a]

  • Rune Key Tower: A tower.[4]

Forested Regions in Aqsha

  • Briargate Wood.[4]
  • Deep Gate Fields.[4]
  • Forest of the Braken Gate.[4]
  • Forest of the Oaken Gate.[4]
  • Forest of the Vine Gate.[4]
  • Gnarled Gate Wood.[4]
  • Jadeheart Glades.[4]
  • Scorched Bone Marshes.[4]
  • Thorn Gate Thicket.[4]
  • Willow Gate Woods.[4]

Markets of Aqsha

  • Fyre Fish Markets: Markets located along the Adramar Rift.[20a]
  • Green Ash Avenue: A market street in Hammerhal Aqsha.[24]
  • Riftmarkets: Bordering the magic rift of Adramar are a series of markets known as the riftmakets. Many of these sell produce freshly arrived from Ghyra.[5c][15]

Rifts of Aqsha

  • Adramar Rift: The city's rifts have either been filled with duardin mines and engineworks, or left as impressive reminders of the scale of civil engineering within the grand city. The Adramar Rift cuts through several major districts and is the main thoroughfare by which merchant trader airships travel through the city.[16][20a] Bridges are built across the rift to connect districts on either side to one another.[24]
  • Gallis Rift: One of the immense caverns that carve through the city, serving as major avenues of trade.[20a]

Rift Bridges of Aqsha

  • Briar Bridge.[4]
  • Raven Bridge.[4]
    • Raven Bridge Bastille: A fortress that guards the Cinderfall side of the bridge. The garrison has been known to hire soldiers of fortune to help combat some of the more troublesome problems affecting the district.[32a]

Stormkeeps of Aqsha

Streets of Aqsha

Major Roads
  • Grand Processional: The Grand Processional is a thoroughfare that leads from the Perspicarium to the outer walls of the city, ended at a set of great gates leading into the wilds of Capilaria. It is wide enough for Dawnbringer Crusades, with their chained Metaliths, to march along.[33e]
  • Heldensen Road: A major road that passes through the Hooked Acre district.[30a]
Minor Streets of Unspecified or Multiple Districts
  • Leadhanger Alley: One of the many streets of Hammerhal Aqsha
  • Longwheeler Place: One of the many streets of Hammerhal Aqsha.[24]
  • Selstone Avenue: A local Scrivener's Guild is located on this street.[24]
  • Threshing Place: A street in Hammerhal Aqsha that boasts a tenement complex.[24]

External Holdings of Aqsha

Other Locations in Aqsha

  • Alchemists Guild.[5a]
  • Aqshai River: This river, for which Hammerhal Aqsha is named, is stained yellow by sulphur-mould.[20a]
  • Ash Hand Burrows.[4]
  • Bibliorum Militaris: Considered to be one of the greatest archives of martial texts and crusade histories.[37a]
  • Black Fields.[4]
  • Blackglass Guilds.[4]
  • Bones of Kazarig.[4]
  • Candle Town.[4]
  • Cathedral Ignis: One of the many churches dedicated to the Sigmarite faith found in Hammerhal.[23a]
  • Charcoal Hill.[4]
Map of the eastern side of Hammerhal Aqsha.[4]
  • Cinnabaric Vaults.[4]
  • Cloister of Ashes: A Stormvault built as a subterranean Temple-City.[17a]
  • Cogworks.[4]
  • Fyre Pots: An area of the city that is dominated by blackpowder mills.[33b]
  • Ghyrous Vents.[20a]
  • Heartfire Promontory.[4]
  • Pillars of Infinity.[4]
  • Rhuin Peak: An active volcano in the city, whose lava flows feed into the magic rift known as Adramar.[4]
  • Soot Cloud Gardens.[4]
  • Stormfall.[4]
  • Tallow Park: An area of the city that boasts a barracks for the Freeguilds, a clock tower is found at the centre of the barracks.[4]
  • The Cauldron: This block-wide cauldron is used to distill lava from the Adramar Rift, and funnel it into a western quarter of the city.[33d]
  • The Cleave.[4]

Hammerhal Ghyra

Districts in Ghyra

Blackwood Town

The gloom-shrouded warrens of Blackwood Town are known to be hives for criminal activity.[13a][34a]

Drift-isle Districts

Hanging above the strata of the city are Aqualiths of varied size, called Drift-isles. The largest of these is given over to the Nomad Princes of the Wanderer Clans.[20d]

Ghyra-un-Tyr

The vineways of the district of the perpetually mist-shrouded Ghyra-un-Tyr district are among the many wonders of the Twin-Tailed City.[4a]

Prime Strata

The governmental district of Hammerhal Ghyra surrounds the city's half of the Stormrift Realmgate. It is a richly appointed district with golden palaces and ornamental gardens.[20d]

River District

A district of Hammerhal Ghyra,[3a]

Sanctor Tulis

The garden villas of the affluent Sanctor Tulis district are the even of cities across the Mortal Realms.[13a][34a]

Warehouse and Aether-Dock District

This district of Hammerhal Ghyra is divided into rings stacked on top of each other, with each successive ring extending further out than the ones below like a many-limbed tree. Each ring boasts warehouses, high-altitude berths, and aether-quays that overlook tangled streets far below. Due to the nature of the realm, these are all plagued by growths of vines, mould and weeds. It is believed that the district was grown rather than built. Thousands of airships, leaf-boats and sky-cutters arrive and depart the city every day.[3a]

Academies in Ghyra

Stormkeeps in Ghra

Other Locations in Ghyra

  • Fire-Bastions: Constructed by the Ironweld Arsenal and constantly fed by lava from the realm of fire via immense stone runnels to keep the flora of Ghyran from overwhelming the city. As the flow is redirected, so new tunnels are created and old empty ones are built over, although some express concerns about what can inhabit them.[3d]
  • Grand Asylum of Hammerhal-Ghyra: Mental hospital in the city of Hammerhal-Ghyra.[18a]
  • Jade Temple: An immense Stormvault hidden beneath the garden-spires of Hammerhal Ghyra. [17a]
  • Shadeglens: Ancient burial gardens whose caretakers are pledged to Alarielle.[10]
  • White Tower of the Singing Gardens: A facility belonging to the Eldritch Council.[4b]

Inhabitants

The city is home to a vast population of Free Peoples.[20a]

Noble Houses

An expansive noble class dominates the politics of Hammerhalian society, with a full half of Hammerhal Aqsha's one-hundred and twenty-two seats of the Grand Conclave held by members of Azyrite noble families. A number of Aqshian dynasties have risen to power in Aqsha's Old City as well.[20a]

Organizations

Freeguilds

  • Boldhearts: One of the seventeen major Freeguilds of Hammerhal Aqsha. They are comprised largely of heavy infantry regiments, with their Greatsword regiments being particularly well-regarded.[20c]
  • Golden Lions: One of the seventeen major Freeguilds of Hammerhal Aqsha. They are the largest Freeguild in the city and boast mostly line infantry regiments.[20c]
  • Heldenhain: One of the seventeen major Freeguilds of Hammerhal Ghyra. They maintain close ties with the Devoted of Sigmar and are often found defending processions of pilgrims and Flagellants.[20c]
  • Leaden Bulls: One of the seventeen major Freeguild regiments of Hammerhal Aqsha. They are mostly comprised of artillery regiments. They are known to man many of the city's Cogforts and Ironweld-crafted defenses.[20c]
  • Scions of the Comet: One of the seventeen major Freeguilds of Hammerhal Aqsha. It is well renowned for its elite cavalry, including the widely regarded Hammerhalian Lancers.[20c]
  • Sun Seekers: One of the seventeen major Freeguilds of Hammerhal Aqsha. They form the majority of the city's outrider and scout regiments.[20c]
  • Vandusian Guard: One of the seventeen major Freeguilds of Hammerhal Aqsha. They are best known for providing elite bodyguard retinues and escorts for nobles and civic figures. They are recruited exclusively from among the veterans of other guilds.[20c]

Notable Citizens

Quotes

Hammerhal has, in the past, been likened to a powder keg, needing but one errant spark to detonate spectacularly. Of course, we have errant sparks, cinders, and flames aplenty here in Aqshy, so the comparison perhaps lacks some nuance. I instead prefer to think of our noble city as akin to the volcanoes claimed by Grimnir's folk; maybe one day we will blow ourselves apart in a storm of sound and fury, but God-King preserve you if you're in our vicinity when we do.

Sevastean Mench, Master Patriarch of Hammerhal Aqsha.[31a]

Gallery

See Also

Trivia

  • Both Aqsha and Ghyra have districts known as Blackwood Town.[27][34a]

Sources

Cities of Sigmar
Free Cities of Sigmar Fortress Cities Capital Fortress Cities ExcelsisHammerhal AqshaHammerhal GhyraLethisMisthåvnSettler's GainVindicarum
Seeds of Hope Greywater FastnessLiving CityPhoenicium
Cities of Flame AnvilgardHallowheartTempest's Eye
Free Cities of the Realms
Great Cities of Azyr AzyrheimGrimpeakHallowstarNordrathSkydockStardockStarhold
Cities of Aqshy AnvalorBrighthallBrightspearCallidiumDraconiumEdassaFort DenstIpsalaNew HarrazanRozhVandium
Cities of Chamon AnvilspireEshunnaGreenfireHelmgardRavensbachSephyrumTabarTansisUliashtai
Cities of Ghur AccarBilgeportCarthaColonnadeConcordiaEarthquake CityEsthu'dorEverquake CityIzalendMatarkaSeven WordsShu'gohlSkyheldSkythaneSundsforTantalumThornwallVeldtwend
Cities of Ghyran ColostrumDagolethDruhiel of the PinesEverythFort GardusHeldenhammer's TriumphHoundsgateKernelstoneKranzinnportKurnotheaLifestoneOak's HeartSlicstonSludgemootSupcliffeXil'anthos
Cities of Hysh City of PrismsTor Limina
Cities of Shyish ArbitriumAstronicaAventhisCity of SighsCotherquillGholdenhalGlimmerheartGlymmsforgeGravespurnGravewildLugolMonsam SpireMhurghastThanator's ManseOasis of GazulPort SorrowTwinned Towns of Belvegrod (EastdaleWestreach) • VeilgardWestport
Cities of Ulgu Barbed PromiseDarkdelveDesperanceDuskhengeGaolintarGreyspireHarkraken's BaneHollenwaldMurmurusNew SadoriaScant HopeTarnastipolUmbramox
Unspecified AlshimeAnvilheimBlackwallBleinhamCatransaCelestriusFarcragGaldheartHeldeliumHoldashPilgrim's ReachShanskirSigmar's ReachTabernaTallowreachThraesh
Factions Collegiate ArcaneDarkling CovensDevoted of SigmarDispossessedEldritch CouncilFreeguildIronweld ArsenalLion RangersOrder DraconisOrder of AzyrOrder SerpentisPhoenix TempleScourge PrivateersShadowbladesSwifthawk AgentsWanderers
Background Aqua GhyranisAzyritesGrand ConclavesReclaimedSigmar's EmpireDawnbringer CrusadesFree AnvilgardGoldjacketsMotor VehiclesSigmarite Strongpoint
Artwork