Doomover

One of the largest cities in the Manmarch, with perhaps over 400&thinsp;000 souls. It is ruled by the Legion of the Sword of Doom under the iron grip of Honoric, Marshal of the Legion. There are shrines to other gods, but the temple to Vasch-Ro overshadows them all. The Cathedral to the Wargod (I/26) is a grand edifice of basalt blocks with a great square tower, stark and unadorned, rising 200 feet above the surrounding buildings. Honoric’s manse, more a fortress than a palace, is behind it (I/408). We learn in Avenger! that there are some dungeons under the Cathedral (I/21).

Harbour
The city is bounded by strong walls. The harbour walls of Doomover are also fortified, and protected by the Barbican League with their long black-wood ships. It is part of the duty of a naval commander to assess the business of ships arriving in the port. The Barbican itself is a huge gate-house, like a fort that spans the harbour walls in an arc (I/26). The barracks of the Legion of the Sword of Doom are not far from the harbour (I/16). Doomover is illustrated opposite I/26. The fortified harbour wall and the Barbican can be seen. The city skyline features a number of domes, and a cloistered area, possibly the Sanctuary (see below).

Market
The main street heads under the Obsidian Gate, a huge arch of dark glass. The city itself has tall solid buildings and roofs of sloping slates. There are shops everywhere, selling fish, wine and grain as well as a slave market (I/6) – slaves pull the oars of the Barbican League (I/408). There is a town crier who speaks announcements and news to the citizens (I/6).

The Black Sword tavern
Outside the Black Sword tavern hangs a sign showing soldiers with spoked wheels on their shields cowering before a black sword, which hangs in the air. The tavern stands inside a fork in the street; past it lays the monastery of Vile (I/408). The Sword is a long drinking hall, which maintains a blazing fire, even in late summer. The drinkers are mostly soldiers, and all men. None of the patrons are sailors (I/307). Inside, we find only raucous noise, sweltering heat and a reek of stale sweat (I/273). The obese barman ambles up and down the long bar slamming down mugs of mead and pocketing silver (I/307). When Avenger came here, a night in the tavern cost two gold pieces (I/225). The interior of the tavern is illustrated opposite I/176. The roaring fire can be seen in the background and over it hangs a great horn.

The Sanctuary
There is a temple district entered via the Portal of the Gods – this legend is written in gold leaf on a portico held up by white marble pillars (I/26). When Avenger passed below the Portal, a voice spoke from the stones; ‘Welcome to the Sanctuary, draw no swords here’ (I/208). The Sanctuary is a plaza of temples, illustrated opposite I/208, showing the cloisters in the background. The steps to the temple of Béatan the Free can be seen, attended by his yellow-robed priests. Inside, Béatan’s temple has wooden pews, placed seemingly at random. The roof is pierced with rose windows; the temple is bright and cheerful. Crystals reflect the sun’s rays against a painting showing a demolished castle with soldiers and peasants dancing in the meadows before it (I/196).

Also in the Sanctuary is a small wooden chapel to Fate, run by an old seer and his young female acolyte. The chapel is small and dark, but clean and well-kept and could seat around 20 people. Scrolls are stacked neatly in racks along the walls (I/27, I/36, I/208). The interior of the temple is shown opposite I/36. A stone altar is visible in the background. The chapel floor seems to be covered with some sort of circular design.

Monastery of Vile
There is a temple of the monks of the Order of the Scarlet Mantis in the city (I/26). A monastery of dark stone with bright red shutters at its windows, it is close to the Black Sword (I/408). Beautiful towers and arches adorn this building dedicated to Vile, twisted brother of Kwon, and its walls are barbed with spikes (I/273). Its cloisters are well guarded by dead-end passageways inside the walls ‘…designed to lead (intruders) into an inescapable hole’ (I/368). The Hall of Webs (I/323) is an arched corridor, like a hump-backed bridge, that connects the upper floor of the sleeping quarters to the refectory. The Hall is itself overlooked by a balcony (I/368). In Avenger! we learn that the sole defence for the Hall is a network of many threads, as thin as spider-weave, crossing the floor that trigger alarm bells or traps (I/303, I/323).

Outside of the walls of Doomover, corn and barley ripen in the breeze. After the fields is a low plain, known as the Plain of Feet. The smooth plain eventually gives way to a wilderness of trees and vines (I/65, I/254).