Tor Caled was the ancient capital of the kingdom of Caledor and the former seat of the descendants of Caledor Dragontamer.
Description
Constructed at the slopes of Anul Caled, a mountain near the Dragonspine Mountains, the city was a huge set of walls and towers built with rough volcanic rock by the magic of Caledor Dragontamer and his followers. The towers, slender and elegant, rose like stalagmites from the steep coastal hills; the city wall, of black rock covered by glowing red veins, descended sinuously to the shore. A pit of lava protected the other flank of the city; a hundred bridges in granite arc crossed the moat, each of them trimmed by two towers at each end. Giant monoliths with gold and silver trims harpooned the river of fire, and in them the embers of the runes that kept the flames controlled shone. [2a]
During the invasion of Chaos into the kingdom of Ulthuan, the city had been an impregnable stronghold against daemons. In those terrible days, the flames that had surrounded the city had reached the height of the towers, and the bridges had disintegrated. The walls of the palaces and the mansions of the nobles exhibited a multitude of paintings and murals with scenes of the epic battles that had been fought in the mountains. Outside the city were the dragon fields; a vast expanse of hard land dotted with bushes that housed the underground units where the servants of the noble families of Tor Caled were staying. [2a]
The city was no less fortified nor less imposing. The streets, whose design had remained unchanged for millennia, ascended zigzag down the slope of the mountain, so that each section offered an unobstructed view of the lower ones to allow the defending troops to throw their arrows and enchantments at any force. The ravines, which rose from the buildings and separated the different levels of the city, were lined by bulwarks and embrasures surrounded by spear-shaped projections that protected them from air attacks. In each curve of the streets there was a huge entrance tower that could be closed to block the passage; in total, from the wall to the top, twenty of those towers were counted.[2a]
The lower areas of Tor Caled were dedicated to commerce, and the first three sections of the road were occupied by vendor positions and the facades of artisan workshops. In the next four levels were the residences of the civilian population; even the houses of these more modest inhabitants were splendid villas with private gardens. Just before reaching the highest part of the city were the studios of the artists, where numerous works of great beauty were produced for ornamental purposes and where the created products were exhibited.[2a]
During the Sundering, the formerly dormant volcano Anul Caled erupted, burying thousands of its inhabitants in heated ash and leaving the ancient city a petrified ruin.[2b][3a] The survivors retreated, renaming nearby Tor Sarath into Tor Caled, which was named the "City of the Dragon Princes", a pale imitation of the glory that the former capital had been.[3a] Phoenix King Caledor II held court here.[1b]
Trivia
- Tor Caled is also an alternative name for House Caledoran, the noble house founded by Caledor Dragontamer.[1a]