“After what the Dwarves have done, it is a scar where we cannot grow. If you seek sanctuary, go there and do no more harm.” —Tree Spirits of Isonhound
Jadenhill is a town located in southern Isonhound. Originally founded as a mining colony for precious minerals, the project became abandoned and was resettled many years later as a temple devoted to Bahamut during the PR era. It is home to the Court of Quartz, which utilized illusionary magic to hide the temple's Dragonborn residents during the Second Draconic Crusades.
History[edit | edit source]
Jadenhill marks its founding year as 368 PR—the start of the Cavalry Rush—when the town's initial clan of Metallic Dragonborn emigrated from Pteris to escape the chaos of the era.
The town was partially built into the ruins of an ancient abandoned Dwarven mining project, serving as a Bahamut temple in relative peace and seclusion for over three centuries until falling victim to the Razing of Isonhound in 700 PR. This event forced its residents to pursue trading with other communities in order to rebuild from the destruction. However, the town's efforts to open their economy began at the cusp of the worst possible time for draconic species…the Second Draconic Crusades.
In response to these crusades, the town's oligarchs took measures to protect their Dragonborn populace by encompassing the town in a magical dome which disguised all of its residents as Wood Elves. These precautions enabled the town's draconic residents to avoid attention from crusaders, which resulted in Jadenhill becoming one of the few populations of Dragonborn to survive the massacres of the Second Draconic Crusades.
Out of an abundance of caution, the town's oligarchs opted to retain the magical dome for several decades after the crusades had been considered ended by most accounts…only ceasing this disguisement after the Selune Splinter—the artifact which enabled the illusion—was stolen during an attack by P'Kinestra in 825 PR. Some residents responded to the loss of their perceived protection by leaving the town…while others retreated deeper into isolation, barricading themselves within Jadenhill's walls until a new means of protection could be found.
It is uncertain how the residents of Jadenhill dealt with the Umbral Flood—which ravished the continent of Isonhound in 826 PR—as efforts to contact the town during this time proved entirely unfeasible. Considering that Jadenhill existed near one of the southernmost tips of the continent, it is possible that some remaining residents were able to flee to northern Pteris and survive the Shadowfell devastation set upon them by Feredemius. However, if any residents chose to try and stick out the disaster at home, their odds of survival would have been extremely low as Feredemius was exceptionally motivated to destroy gem beings—especially emerald ones—to which Jadenhill had been home to several Emerald Dragonborn. Regardless of whether Jadenhill's residents managed to escape to Pteris or fell victims to Feredemius, the town itself was left functionally abandoned in the wake of the Umbral Flood.
Population[edit | edit source]
The residents of Jadenhill are almost entirely Dragonborn, mostly of metallic ancestry. Shortly before the Second Draconic Crusades, a handful of Emerald Dragonborn were born in the town. Unfamiliar with the concept of Gem Dragons, these emerald hatchlings were dubbed "patinas" and praised for their psionic abilities and natural prowess in sorcery. They were presumed at the time to be a blessing from Bahamut, but the actual source of their gem ancestry is uncertain. All Gem Dragonborn hatched within Jadenhill have been emerald in color, but there is precedent for residents of other gem ancestries being adopted by the town.
Religion[edit | edit source]
The Temple on Jadenhill was settled by Bahamut worshippers and continues to be the primary religion practiced by residents of the town. For a brief period between the Razing of Isonhound and the Second Draconic Crusades, the temple also added Kragnux the Dragon Slayer to their pantheon of deities. This move made sense to the temple's leaders during a moment in history when Bahamut had been banished from the realm and the only two traceable Dragons in Quelmar were spawns of Tiamat who had just laid waste to the continent of Isonhound. They soon retired Kragnux from their pantheon after his church became radicalized against all draconic species and the temple's leaders took precautions to protect the residents of Jadenhill from the impending heedless genocide.
Court of Quartz[edit | edit source]
The Court of Quartz is not so much a regal court as it is a visitors center for active and possible trade partners. The presumed high sorcerer still receives the same training as any formal courtier, but their primary duty is to wield the Selune Splinter and cast an illusionary spell over the temple in order to conceal its residents from potentially hostile outsiders. The court once displayed a number of gem artifacts pulled from their former mining tunnels in order to flaunt the town's trading potential—such as an Amethyst Dragon egg which they mistook as merely a large gem—but the court was ransacked during a Dragon attack in 825 PR and robbed of its collection. What remained of the court was left shuffling to find a new means of protecting their community.
Construction[edit | edit source]
The size of Jadenhill is limited to the footprint of the former mining colony that it is built in and on top of, thus the town's newer constructions are more vertically oriented to preserve space. The oldest parts of the town reside underground in the reclaimed mining tunnels, these are the only portions to have survived the Razing of Isonhound and carry in the style of a more traditional Bahamut temple. The town's main gate enters through these tunnels, but actually exists at ground level due to the mine being built into the side of a hill. The above-ground portions that exist today were all built post-razing and done in a "Beaux-Arts" style of architecture intended to impress highbrow visitors. The mage tower at the Court of Quartz is strategically designed to be the tallest point in town, allowing the high sorcerer to amplify their magic using the Selune Splinter. From this vantage point, they can conceal the town from crusaders by casting a spell of invisibility or ready the residents to receive visitors with a spell of disguisement.
Notable Residents[edit | edit source]
- Patina—Emerald Dragonborn and original high sorcerer. Part of the first generation of Gem Dragonborn born in the town. Served as a founding council member of the Court of Quartz.
- Rosella—Emerald Dragonborn and current high sorcerer as of 826 PR. Mother to Durian. Notoriously mistrusting of the outside world and spends most of her time in a Wood Elf disguise, even when not receiving diplomats.
- Argonaut—Gold Dragonborn and Monk practitioner in the Way of the Ascendant Dragon. Father to Durian. Very zen in demeanor, trusting that Bahamut will make all work out as intended.
- Durian—Emerald Dragonborn-turned-Dragon and presumed high sorcerer prior to him leaving home. Former adventurer in the Greedy Green. During the Battle of Five Lights, his Soul and emerald essence were reborn into Durzibethinus, the Emerald Thane of Sardior.
- Delphi—Topaz Dragonborn-turned-Dragon and soothsayer. Former adventurer in the Greedy Green. During the Battle of Five Lights, her Soul was reunited with her patron Silent and her topaz essence was reborn into Delphi, the Topaz Thane of Sardior.
- 22—Autom who resided in the town for several years. Assisted in defending its residents during the Second Draconic Crusades and helped turn the town into a stronghold for civil rights through their work with People Are People, an alliance of anti-racist activists.
- Tacciath and Uldil—Dragonborn twins and allies of 22 who returned to the town to help defend their friends and family during the Second Draconic Crusades, the latter being slain during a particularly devastating attack.
