#pitsberg

Hey imaginary readers of this tumblr!  Journey to the made up city of Pitsberg next Wednesday the 31st. Play video games. Kill monsters. Do all the stuff. Wonderville is probably the best bar in Brooklyn and just a great place to just hang out.  DM’d by Sean Perrotta. https://www.wonderville.nyc/events/wond-derville

 Welcome to Pektgraktshevolnornum   Pitsberg

PektGraktShevolNornum [Pitsberg to most] is tucked amid the peaks of the Stormshadow mountains.  Initially settled by dwarves, surface trade over the centuries and a firm “We’ll take anyone’s money” policy has resulted in diverse metropolis full of different races and peoples.

Pektgraktshevolnornum is Dwarvish for “sound of digging and gleam of precious jewels.” Though since the incorporation of diverse communities and races in the last century or so, most people just call it “Pits-berg”

No one quite agrees if the city’s nickname comes from the preponderance of pits [lots of excavations] and ice “bergs” that sometime crumble from the Stormshadow mountains in the winter, or references of some of the unhappier residents as being in “the pits

 The High Way

There is only one reliable overland route to Pitsberg in the winter. As such, The Highway is the lifeblood of the City, providing imported food and goods. Constant caravan traffic has resulted in many small towns and “rest stops” being established on the way up the mountain.

Down the slope, settlements and communities that have sprung up to support the city & Highway are sometime referred to as "sub-urban" for their lower altitudes.

Ennui among the young and those jealous of "glamorous" city life is common in the sub-urban townships. This contributes to the influx of adventurers and gentrifiers trying to make it in the big city. Smoking teenage loiterers are not uncommon either.

Bartertown

At the entrance to Pitsberg lies "Bartertown." Originally a "free enterprise zone" where non-dwarf traders could reside without "corrupting" dwarven culture, it's now been completely open for more than a century. Most of its walls and gates are purely vestigial.

No peoples with human or equivalent lifespans remember an isolationist Pektgraktshevolnornum, though some older dwarves do, and some still think opening to outsiders was a mistake. "Pitsberg is such a dumb, ignoble name"

The architectural styles of bartertown differ from the rest of this city, being a mix of non-dwarf construction, and crude yet durable dwarf buildings built to be "suitable" for new immigrants.

Being the only reliable entry to the city via the Highway. Bartertown serves as the center of trade and goods distribution for Pitsberg, as it did when it was still closed off to the rest of the city.

"The Melting Pot" is a popular tavern near the entrance to Pitsberg. It serves no fondue, but rather gets it's name from its unusual cast iron construction, It sags a bit on it's north end, having taken some fire damage over its many years of existence.

Originally built centuries ago to house non-dwarf visitors en masse, the "no-style" architecture of "the Pot" was built as blandly as possible to not offend the unclear tastes of humans and other folk, who wouldn't "get" fine dwarf architecture anyways.

The Tower of Commerce

In the middle of Pektgraktshevolnornum is the "Tower of Commerce," a tall cylindrical structure. Embassies from other cities, states, or financial conglomerations are housed within. Even more rare or unusual peoples than are seen in already diverse Pitsberg are often found nearby.

Prior to being open to all, poor non-dwarf visitors to Pitsberg were basically resigned to Barter Town. If you had money and influence, you might stay in the Tower. It’s mostly the same today, except the poor visitor has a much wider array of slums available to them these days.

The middle of the Tower of Commerce is a central vent. Heat from within the mountain below rises and keeps even the top, high altitude floors comfortable in the most frozen winters. Occasionally smoke plumes from the top, but that happens rarely and is seen as an ill omen.

The Devils’ Teeth/The Comb  

At the Northeast edge of Pitsberg is the region known as “The Devils’ Teeth,” where many of the more monstrous races first “hid” in Times less tolerant than the present day. Now most peoples can live openly with all the rights and privileges afforded regular citizens.

Real estate agents, thirsty politicians and local entrepreneurs have taken to renaming many areas of town to be more appealing. Though still referred to as Devils Teeth by most inhabitants, the area has also begun to be known as “The Comb.”

Neighborhoods in the Teeth have also changed names as they become fashionable and more gentrified. "The Graveyards," where most sentient undead citizens (and non-sentient noncitizens) reside has been trying to establish itself as the GREEN Yards for years now. (It hasn't worked)

Once an industrial zone and slum populated mostly by grave workers, the area South of the "Green Yards," (or "SoYar") has seen a large rejuvenation by artists and the young in recent years.

The gentrification of SoYar has also been abetted by its proximity to the "Blood Bowl" arena.

The Blood Bowl was built initially for gladiatorial combat between mostly "monstrous" peoples. In recent years "Undead fighting Championship" where dueling Necromancers control zombies against each other has become the popular sport of choice.

Some activists and sentient undead have decried the very wording of "undead" as offensive, and prefer the term "Differently Animated"

The Cistern

On the eastern edge of the city is "the Cistern," a large dwarf-made reservoir collecting water and snowmelt from the surrounding peaks.

Water levels rise in the cistern throughout the year, being lowest in the midst of winter, but it hasn't overflowed its boundaries or even reached the outer rim in any but the most long-lived dwarf's memory.

There is also a natural "tide" to the water level which changes minutely throughout the day, presumably from fluctuations of the water supply within the mountain. Geothermal activity is also assumed to be what keeps the water liquid in even the most frigid weather.

The edge of the Cistern has a gradual slope before a steep drop off. As it's been centuries since it has been filled to the brim, the "stone beach" has become a popular recreation spot, particularly for humans since they've been allowed full access to the city.

Recreation and tourist activity has also seen a sort of boardwalk of makeshift shops and games set up on the stone beach within the Cistern. Though technically not allowed by building standards and zoning laws, the city of Pitsberg respects most opportunities to make a buck.

Proximity to the Cistern and beach have made the Eastern side of the city more attractive to human inhabitants, with neighborhoods on the East side trending that way demographically.

Less progressive dwarves sometimes stereotype humans as 'lazy" and unwilling to do the work to transport water reserves. "Picking up water for the month" is taken as a standard chore in many dwarf households. Living closer in order do less work is seen as frivolous and shameful.

Pitsberg resides in a crater on top of the highest peak of the Stormshadow mountains. The eastern edge of the city, however, has a slightly lower elevation than the west, hence why the Cistern was placed on that end by ancient city planners to help collect runoff and snowmelt.

The saying "Shit runs downhill" also has roots in antiquity.

"Human-Town" is pejorative used by dwarves and other non-humans to refer to a number of predominantly human neighborhoods on the east side. It's actually fairly diverse, as people from all over the world have migrated in the last hundred years to avoid wars, poverty, or famine.

Running water isn’t unheard of but isn’t common. There are a few aqueducts on the wealthy west side, and some industrious types may have built “snow bucket” water towers on their roofs, but most denizens go to the cistern themselves as part of their “water chores.”  

Gathering water from the Cistern is an accepted part of daily life and contributes to the Pitsberg-ian identity, where people of various socioeconomic classes and races intermingle. And sure, from time to time conflict sometimes arises.  

There are “watermen” who make a living transporting water for inns and taverns, or the lazy wealthy, but self sufficiency is a key value of dwarven culture so there is a slight taboo on an individual relying on one.