Galdor's Workshop

Galdor's Workshop is a rock gnome city-state, situated on the south-eastern border of the Homelands, under the Twinpeak Mountains.

Overview
Galdor’s Workshop is by far the largest rock gnome settlement worldwide, home to the vast majority of the population. It is a sprawling metropolis, spanning out across a large cavern, and stacked on many levels. It is a maze of laboratories, foundries, and manufactories, and thrums with the sounds of industry. The most luxurious homes and prosperous sub-guildhalls stand tall upon stilts, towering above the rougher folk and industries. Whilst the heights of the city are illuminated by shafts of light which break through the cracks and openings in the cavern ceiling, the ground-floor streets are almost pitch black, save for the dim glow of oil lamps. Most folk have a great love for the city, however, no matter their station, as its creativity and craftmanship epitomises what it means to be a rock gnome. The city sits on the partially subterranean River Dribblewhip, which provides the easiest means of reaching the city, avoiding the dubious tunnels collectively known as the Threads.

Guildmaster’s Palace
In the north-western corner of the city, a large pavilion presides over the urban expanse. It consists of many elaborate dining halls and board rooms, as well as the Guildmaster’s private quarters. It was built on the orders of Alvyn Filchbatter Galdor, who was Guildmaster around 300 years ago, and took 17 years to construct. Due to its height and the average size of a rock gnome, there are 527 steps to climb to reach the lowest halls of the palace, whilst the Guildmaster’s bedchamber is thought to be 600 higher. It is built into the cavern wall, and rumours suggest that there is a myriad of escape tunnels all around the palace in case of attack. In addition, north of the palace proper is a huge annex which houses much of the Guildmaster’s wider family, as well as any visiting diplomats. The two attached buildings share a large staff, the head of which is Shamil Nim Nackle.

Halls of Smithery
The appearance of the Halls of Smithery are something between a factory and a cathedral. Unlike most important buildings, the halls do not simply reach to great heights, but also to the lowest layer of the city. The antechapel is the business end of the building, where clients come to collect their products or do deals in well-wrought but elegant style. The body of the building is bustling with industry however – whilst most smiths work from home forges or local ones, they often come together in the halls to collaborate, research, and access specialised equipment. It is also home to the Smith’s Academy, under the leadership of High Chaplain Bimpnottin Gintoss Raulnor.

Temple of Took Tuckerbee
At the south tip of the city, under a large circular dome, sits the grand Temple of Took Tuckerbee, the gnomish god of technology and invention. The exterior of the building is lined with intricate columns which look like they should not possibly be capable of holding up the roof, and the steps float as if supported by nothing. Inside are various terraced layers of libraries, laboratories, and workshops, between strange ancient technological items. In the centre, suspended in a huge magical orb, stands a constructed avatar of Took Tuckerbee himself, who sits in quiet contemplation and calculation, occasionally taking a puff of his pipe or a swig of his hipflask. The temple is always busy, both with priests going about their clerical, read research, duties, whilst non-clergy artisans are constantly arriving to consult on new projects, some associated with the temple, others independent – disciples are happy to offer advice on any well-meaning craft. Worship services in the temple tend to look more like symposia, in which the clerics present their latest research or most exciting new toy. Dean-artisan Dimble Snaptrick Scheppen presides over the temple, guiding the spiritual and technological direction of the faithful.

Watching Fortress
In the eastern section of the city, there stands a great fortification, with high walls and dense towers and parapets. The Watching Fortress is one of the oldest buildings in the city, to the extent that the foundations appear to be of a style quite unlike that typical of gnomish make, implying a previous occupant. The upper structures are very gnomish however, with walls which shift to reveal cannon turrets, and shield constructs which move to block incoming fire. The corridors and staircases are narrow and just tall enough for a rock gnome, so that any invading forces of larger creature would have to crawl through the citadels. All that said, Galdor’s Workshop has not been attacked in decades, the technology intimidating wiser foes and the noise keeping away baser ones. In this peacetime period, attention has been turned towards warcraft research and advanced training, meaning that Galdor’s Guards are some of the most experience and best equipped warriors on the continent. Despite the quiet, the garrison still remains as a presence on the street in a policing role, under the direction of High Marshall Warryn Fnipper Folkor.

Tinker’s Longhouse
The tinker’s sub-guild in Galdor’s Workshop is one of the largest, by virtue of the city’s inventive spirit. Artificers of great skill train and socialise in the longhouse, which contains countless laboratories, lecture theatres, and, most notably, a huge 1,000-foot-long firing range for testing even the largest weaponry. Tinkers from all around the world long to come and train at the longhouse, though few outsiders are let in as a matter of security. Amongst the many secrets the tinkers may wish to hide, the greatest is the Clockwork Mind, a highly advanced sentient construct, which sits in one of the loftiest vaults of the guild. This Clockwork Mind is capable of storing and synthesising colossal amounts of data, and hence can give an unbiased perspective based on a lot of evidence. Only the highest-ranking academics within the college can consult the Clockwork Mind, though this is for safety reasons as much as anything, as merely entering the presence of the construct can overwhelm those of lesser intelligence. Inventor-proctor Gerbo Brickknock Murnig, as the highest authority at the longhouse, controls access.

Galdor Shipping and Receiving
Galdor’s Workshop produces massive amounts of goods every day, and their technological advantage means that Galdor products are in high demand in the outside world. Given the tight and treacherous nature of the Threads, the River Dribblewhip provides the safest and swiftest means of exportation. That is not to say that the city shirks imports, in fact, large quantities of food move through the maritime office. The Shipping and Receiving building itself is well equipped to serve a variety of vessels, from small pearling boats to huge cargo ships, with doors lining the south facing wall at various levels. Whilst primarily a commercial port, the occasional passenger ship docks here, though travellers pay a great premium for this privilege, making others consider stowing away on merchant vessels. Dockcaptain Lorilla Hamfist Timor lays down the law on the quay, and few are stupid or foolhardy enough to question her authority.

High Mansion of the Masons
One of the most elegant building in the city is the High Mansion which sits tall on the skyline of the eastern district. Beyond its tall spires and grotesque gargoyles, not much is known about the mansion, as the masons are the most secretive of the artisans, aware of the demand for their work in the ever-growing city. Outsiders interface with Tana Pip Berig.

Oneshoe Laboratory
The laboratory of Burgell Oneshoe Galdor is quite a sight to behold. By virtue of his position, Burgell’s base of operations sits precariously on the northernmost bank of the river, a loose collection of semi-ramshackle extensions and odd outbuildings, stacked in strange combination. Inside, the building is just as random and varied in style, moving quickly from clinical clean-rooms to messy libraries. Most sections are dedicated to the study of gemstones and jewels, though others contain physics equipment and one in particular operates as a sugar-working kitchen. Whilst Burgell supposedly resides in the Guildmaster’s Palace annex, he is often found working here well into the night when something has piqued his curiosity, and a pile of cushions in his office is shaped suspiciously like a bed. Burgell keeps vague business hours in the early afternoon, where patrons can come and discuss new projects.

Cloying Strays
Between the eastern side of the city and the river stand large mounds of clay, intersected by various tributaries used for waste outflow. These mounds provide prime building materials for the city, though collecting the clay is an arduous and filthy task. Beyond contending with the sticking mud, workers also have to avoid the resident hermit known simply as Popdrop, who does not take kindly to folks digging up his home.

Trilby’s Tipple
At the end of the long street leading from the Temple of Took Tuckerbee sits an infamous watering hole, the Trilby’s Tipple pub and brewery. The Tipple balances fine dining with debauchery, less of a dive than the Soot Shoot in the east, but not as stuck up as the Gleaming Garnet in the north. There is always a thrum of live music emanating from the doors, and a reassuring number of patrons throwing up outside. The bar is around 100 feet long, and stocks over 1,000 different beverages. Behind it, Wrenn Trilby Timble dashes about, filling flagons and juggling knives – the combination is entirely safe. Attached to the tavern is a large brewery, which provides much of the stock for the pub as well as other establishments around the city and beyond. Its speciality is its Chalcedony Whiskey, which is thought to actually contain gem dust, which gives it its cold pang, though the exact recipe is a closely kept secret.

South Bay Fisheries
South of the city proper, across the water, sits a large colony of fishing huts. As one of the few sources of nutrition available, seafood is incredibly important to the city, which otherwise sustains itself on bland mushrooms. Pontoons stretch out onto the Dribblewhip with farms of trout and salmon, fed automatically by constructs. The delicacy from the fisheries is not any kind of fish, however, but cavern kelp, a tasty green best served fried. The fisheries are managed by Agricraftmaster Brocc Lickkick Berrick, a no-nonsense boss with a thorough understanding of the waters.