Sóltæruborg, literally “City of the Sun Eaters” in the local Dwarvish dialect, is a vast floating fortress which keeps itself within the Summer Seas.
Technically a vast ship, the fortress was carved from a lonely floating mountain once upon a time, but little remains of its rocky origins. It is 1 mile (~ 5,300 ft.) long, 0.5 miles (~ 2,600 ft.) wide, and at its tallest – the Eldsauge – 500 ft from keel to apex.
Sóltæruborg is also colloquially known as “The White City” or “The White Fortress” in various languages. This refers to its flanks, which are clad in ornately bas-reliefs of bright white granite. In daylight, both the flanks of the city and the Eldsauge reflect brilliantly, almost blinding those who approach. After dusk, star- and moon-light give the city a pale and ghostly appearance ominously set below the great crystal which glows a menacing red as it bleeds trapped heat into the warm night.
The top surface of the city is an array of great mirrors, which focus on the Eldsauge – a great crystal that collects and concentrates the unending daytime light of the Summer Seas. In turn, a series of arcane optics channel the sunlight deep into the heart of the city, to the Stjrnsmit – the “Star Forge” – where secretive processes convert the sunlight into Sólvin, a brightly radiant liquid which is used to power the city.
While much of Sóltæruborg is fantastical, it is the Sólvin above all else that has earned its fame and wide reputation. With this fuel, the Dwarves of Sóltæruborg construct automata called Sóldrykkjari – “Sun Drinkers” – which carry out much of their mundane tasks. These range in size from that of a cricket ball to the 12 foot tall Forge Guardians which protect the inner sanctum of the city.
For a visitor, the city is a moderately welcoming place. While certain sections are carefully secured against trespass, it is otherwise as free to roam as any other city might be.
Scattered throughout the city are botanic gardens, forums, artisanal shopping arcades, and drinking halls. Accommodations for visitors are plush and cheap, though rare – the city does not receive many visitors due to its location. Of note is that the city exercises strict control of weapons, and visitors are required to register (but not surrender) their weapons with the Fortress Guard.
The majority population is Dwarvish – the Sóltæran Dwarves tend towards warm brown skin tones, thick black and brown hair, and light eye colours such as greens, blues, and yellows – and are notable for their attire, which consists of closely fitted robes in white-tone fabrics off-set with greens and gold. They number approximately 400,000.
The largest minority are Gnomes - the Sóltæran Gnomes tend towards warm brown skin tones, naturally white and gold-tone hair, and the full Gnomish array of eye colours – and tend to wear more earth-tones, though still offset with greens and gold. They number approximately 50,000
The remaining 50,000 embody the diversity of sentient peoples. Some are rescued ships crews, becalmed in the Summer Seas, who are earning money for provisions to depart once more. These individuals are notable for their non-native attire, and often work maintenance and repair crews.
Sóltæran is a creole of Gnomish and Dwarvish and the predominant spoken language of Sóltæruborg. It is intelligible to anyone who is fluent in both Gnomish and Dwarvish, and semi-intelligible to anyone fluent in either language on its own. Dwarvish and Gnomish are used co-equally in formal settings and documents, and most Sóltærans can speak either or both languages, though it carries implications of formality and protocol obsession. “Common” is uncommon, and a party which lacks for other languages may need to retain the services of a Translator (Skilled Hireling) for their stay.
Sóltærans mostly deal in Copper, Electrum, and Platinum coinage.
Pronunciation tips
● Sóltæruborg: burg as in “burger”, sole-tare-ew-burg
● Eldsauge: eld as in “held” and geh to rhyme with “meh”, eld-sore-geh
● Sólvin: vin as in “vinyard”, sole-vin
● Stjrnsmit: smit as in “smitten”, stern-smit
● Sóldrykkjari: drik to rhyme with “trick”, sole-drik-ya-ree