Suderpol was a small city-state hidden in the foothills of the Drachenterre Mountains of eastern Avillonia.

Overview

Language: Suderpol Francian (local Francian dialect).

Religion: Cult of the Great One

Population: 0 (currently, ~8,000 in the early 2040's)

Major Cities: Suderpol

Notable Cities or Towns: Noyonne

Government: Lady Edralve

Lands

The city-state of Suderpol was situated in the caldera of a massive, dormant volcano. The caldera formed a steep-walled circular valley, about three miles in diameter. A lake filled most of the floor of the valley, with an island roughly a mile in diameter in the center of the lake. The island housed the walled town of Suderpol proper, as well as the separate walled manor of Griffon's Beak. A hill on the island housed the smoking vent of the volcano. This vent was a source of adamantine, and the city's forges were built within caves on the hill.

In addition to the hidden valley of Suderpol, the city-state controlled a route to the shores of the Vasmar, where the fishing village of Noyonne was located. Wagons required about two days to cover the route from Noyonne to Suderpol, and there was a well-established camp site roughly halfway along the road.

Government

The town of Suderpol and its satellite Noyonne were under the control of Lady Edralve, although she derived much of her power from her drow masters. During the final days of Suderpol, the drow had taken de facto control of the town, and drow and their subservient orcs and bugbears patrolled the city. A significant portion of the city's revenue came from an active slave trade. Since slavery is not an accepted practice in any of the nations of the Vasmar, those who engaged in the slave trade were forced to do business with Suderpol.

Lady Edralve used the proceeds from the slave trade to acquire slaves for city use. A number of them were forced to work the few arable fields on Suderpol's island, while others were sacrificed in the forges to create the infamous darkblade. During times when more darkblades were needed, Lady Edralve would simply acquire all of the slaves by fiat, taking them and leaving their former owners with neither compensation nor recourse.

People

The people of Suderpol were divided into two distinct groups: slaves and slavers. The slaves were the labor of the town, working fields, maintaining buildings, and performing all manner of menial tasks. The slavers took the place of the nobility and merchant classes, using their slaves to profit.

Notable Cities / Towns

Suderpol

Suderpol was a walled town hidden within a large, dormant volcanic caldera. It served as the major source of slaves on Avillonia, despite slavery being generally a condemned practice. Its physical isolation - hidden inland in a circular valley in a lightly-populated region of the Vasmar - provided a great deal of security. Few who were not involved in the slave trade knew of the town's existence, and fewer still knew its location.

The city was destroyed by a magically-enhanced earthquake that caused the volcano to explode.

Noyonne

An otherwise sleepy village on the shores of the Vasmar, Noyonne served as Suderpol's docks. Its remote location guaranteed few visitors, but those who did visit would find little amiss about the village. The only outward indications that Noyonne was anything other than an insular fishing village was that there were warehouses near the town's only dock, and there was a well-worn wagon road that led into the mountains to the south.

After Suderpol was destroyed, many of the villagers fled elsewhere, fearing reprisals from the civilized lands nearby now that Suderpol's location was no longer secret.

History

The town of Suderpol has existed for centuries. However, its secretive nature precluded most people from knowing of its existence. As one of two towns in Avillonia known or believed to be involved in the slave trade (the other being Arabel Cinlu), Suderpol took great pains to conceal its existence. The only access to the town was via a two-day overland trek from the fishing village of Noyonne. The trip ended at the wall of the circular valley that hid the town, where would-be visitors had to pass through a long, heavily defended tunnel.

The town gained prominence prior to the Fall of Camelough when it became the source for the Dark One's darkblades. After the Dark One was defeated, the town avoided notice for centuries, until it was once again involved in crafting darkblades prior to the Dark One's attempt to escape his prison.

Adventurers seeking to stop the Dark One discovered the town's location, and after the town started crafting drow darkblades, a massive earthquake was triggered that caused the sleeping volcano to explode, destroying Suderpol and its foul inhabitants.