Animadelia

See the map without letters: Animadelia

By the time of the beginning of the Second War of the Power, Animadelia was a small drow settlement that existed near the surface, being a port between the Underworld of Kazrrad and the surface world, in the southern Nohalion mountains.

Animadelia lied on a very small and secluded moutain valley with difficult communications, cut by high mountain passes and cliffs, that for long had only seen temporary settlements of goat herders -and rustlers-, with ocassional Galaw High Orc settlements, until a group of colonists of the Dwarves of Nortunk founded a Dwarf Fortress on the tavern. Lacking precious minerals or other strategic resources, the dwarven fortress dwingled between a series of disasters until their rulers decided that, after prospections, it was near enough tunnels of the Underworld of Kazrrad that it would be feasible to mine a way to reach it, and be part of the Kazrradi trade, trading wood and food resources of the secluded valley in exchange of other needed goods.

The Dwarven Fortress, that only lasted for 72 years, was conquered in the XXII century a.a.H by the drow armies of the populist dictator of the Drow City State of Negeémiliel, Haelra Khalazza, during her wars against the Nortunk Dwarves.

Using Animadelia to launch raids against Hebonnor mountain elves, it finally proved to have too bad communications to serve as a strategic point to launch larger operations against the surface, so the Drow interest decayed, and the settlement was largelly abandoned.

Only under the dictator -and later, self-appointed queen of Negeémiliel- Miz'ri Vrinn or Queen Vrinn I, with her alliance with the Dark Legion -participating in the First War of the Power- will resurge the Negeémi drow interest in the surface, being used not only to launch sporadic attacks to the surface Hebonnor, but as well as one of the few ports to reach the surface and it's trade: during the First War of the Power, and the rule of Vrinn I, Negeémi will resettle the old dwarven fortress with drow inmigrants of other nations, renaming the settlement as Animadelia.

Animadelia started its existence as a rest stop of a trading route winding into the mountain valley from lower lands, and into a portal entering into the rock. A stone enclosure was made outside to protect the convoy animals, and later, domesticated animals meant to feed them. More enclosures for animals, and rest facilities such as common and private sleeping areas, kitchens, lavatories, and rentable market stalls were built.

As time went by, more and more drow stayed and to take care of the needs of incoming caravans. The original number of hardscrabble commercial drow seem to have been swelled by drow foreign to the Negeémi culture, poor drow, or drow having escaped slavery, and freed drow. It is not impossible that the original drow who permanently lived and maintained this outpost were mostly slaves of some commercial concern.

While the defeat of the Confederation of Free Peoples -with which Queen Vrinn had alligned Negeémiliel- it will cut for about eighty years Negeémi attempts of expansion to the surface, and surface trade, while was kept, was reduced.

As new senatorial negeémi governments ruled and increased the interest of surface trade, Animadelia will bloom -for a short time-, thanks to the products of the secluded mountain valley -producing wanted products as wood, furs and meat of mountain animals-.

However, as Negeémiliel extended their surface holds, conquering better accesses to trade routes -and more fertile lands-, the small and secluded mountain valley, with bad communications and distant, will lost interest from Negeémi traders.

Population dwingled and stagnated, with many young Animadelian drows migrating to the capital of the Empire or other expanding settlements: to try to answer to that, the Animadelian drow tried to turn themselves into producing luxury products for the elite of Negeémiliel.

By the times around the Second War of the Power, after the Dahl'Arak Coup and a brief Negeémi Civil War, Animadelia was held by House Char'Isstra.

Once with a population near 500 inhabitants, it had dwingled from that number.


Economy

As Animadelia grew as a rest stop, most work revolved around feeding and watering of animals and traders who arrived in convoys. fortunately, Animadelia had access to both the surface and to water and geothermal heat, that allowed the growth of fungus and algae that makes for a staple of a low cost diet in Kazrrad.  However, the outside world was far more productive, and small scale herding, gardens and wild food gathering were very important, and dominated the diets of the drow of Animadelia. Surface hunters killing game on the surface and carrying it down into the village was very important.

The little settlement suffered of late with the opening of other trade routes. But as great convoys of food must came in to feed the great metropolis of Negeémiliel, rather than being a way station, Animadelia became an endpoint, with luxury food from the surface, and perhaps more standard fare, being carted down to the drow below.

Defense

Internal defense was very important, and as it lacked an Acolytal garrison, it relied on towns militia. Many able-bodied drow were required to learn to use some weapons. The able-bodied populace had a requirement to act and train as militia level soldiers. The hunters of either within Kazrrad, or the outside surface, were both especially prized for their work as rangers and offensive soldiers.

Negeémi society was very matriarchal as might be expected of drow, and more than usual, they take a romantic view of males as the fairer sex to be protected. However, there is some evidence that males of Animadelia were expected to be militia capable. As a trading outpost on a frontier, this is not an unexpected development.

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