Is Gyrax a "dwarven city," given that it is in the Principality of Ulek?
What does that mean, "dwarven city?"
What is the relationship between Gyrax and Gradsul, two very large cities very close to one another but in two different nations? _________________ GVD
The description of the Principality of Ulek once noted that the Dwur were twice as numerous than humans, except in the city of Gryrax where the proportion was reversed.
During our discussions on the Part 2 of the Sheldomar Timeline, Gary said he felt that Gryrax was a new capital built by Corond when he became leader of the Dwur. We also discussed, and I developed, the concept that Corond and Tavish I were cronies. They met while Tavish was traveling (that is, adventuring) as a young man before he became the Duke of Gradsul. The two were extremely close, such that Corond remained loyal to Tavish III until the debacle of the Short War, and even then only agreed to leave the Empire because of pressure from the other Ulek rulers.
Gryrax was built based on discussions the two of them had. At the time, it was simply another major naval base of Keoland, along with Gradsul, Monmurg, and Blue. It helped control the Azure Sea, and to ship dwarvencraft materials in and out of the central parts of the Principality.
As noted, Gryrax has a mostly human population, Rhola who moved there after the alliance. They man the Prince's ships, both military and commercial. They also form merchant cartels with the Dwur families, and cooperate to import and export goods.
There's a small bit of info on the Thieves Guild of Gryrax in the 2E Complete Thief's handbook:
It is lead by a halfelven Mage-thief burglar named the White Lily. (because he leaves a white lily when he steals somehting.) This leader is only a set up front by the really ruling council of three, who caught the guildless thief when he bumped into the acting guildmaster when the two decided to rob the same place. He got the name when he stole the White Lily diamond from the Gryrax Palace. (which he privately sold back to the prince for 25,000gp, a fraction of its value) His identity is a secret that only te council of three know. He's also a musician (harpsichord) and lives the life of a dandy wannabe noble.
I am thinking that Gryrax is an "old" city, like historic Troy. I'm not sure how many levels or "Gryrax'" there might be but I'm tending, preliminarily toward 5, the last being Corond's city. With the dwarves, I think there is an opportunity to bring to life the feel that the demi-humans were here long before the Migrations. Gryrax would realize that idea.
This would not necessarily run contra to the idea that Corond moved his capital to Gryrax or "built" a "new" city to be the capital. Before there was London, there was Londinium, before Cairo, there was Giza, Babylon-in-Egypt, Fustat, and Al-Qahira.
I'm think the idea that Corond and Tavish were friends flows naturally from canon. I've got in mind to do up maps of both Gryrax and Gradsul as something of "sister cities." Gryrax would obviously have very dwarven features while Gradsul would be human, but I'm thinking of giving them both a common precursor at some point that would allow for a "third element" of their architecture that would be the same in both cities.
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