If there is one thing that the city of Dafed values, it is things that are big. Before the closing of Keridwyn’s doors, Dafed was known for its illustrious, large-scale architecture. Great towers reach toward the heavens. Grand statues, archways, and fountains line every street – a beautiful city largely incorporating white marble.

The location on the coast is less than ideal. Lacking many of the advantages of a city such as Crossroads, Dafed is prone to severe storms throughout the year without any natural protection. The early Dafed masons had to build resilient buildings, leading to a high demand for talented masons, in turn leading to competition among the skilled workers. The only reason a city rests here in the first place is the abundant wealth of metals and workable stone that lay beneath the ground. The gorgeous white marble for which the city is famous, and the coveted metal of lead are mined here, among other resources of less grandeur. Such material was exported across the kingdom during the reign of Keridwyn.

Dafed supported Enviro during the early stages of the breaking. The alliance suited Dafed, with their economy so intwined with Crossroads and little experience in the arts of war. But when Enviro discarded neutrality and sent its attentions elsewhere, the great machines of Bayag took the opportunity to encroach upon the outer reaches of Dafed, intent of taking the bounty of metal and stone for themselves. Dafed managed to barely repel them the first time, but they returned, with hired ‘mercenaries’ from Rispast to guard them.

Bayag brazenly mined the land within Dafed’s territory, claiming right to resources that fall within the old kingdom’s borders. Dafed sent soldiers once more to retain their resources but were driven back to their white walls. Not wishing to suffer further harassment, Bayag continued the assault to finish Dafed with finality. Things seemed dire until the rumbling of Bayag’s engines that shook the ground were joined by another rumbling. The Ancient Dragon, Trydish, awoke from his centuries-long slumber and erupted to the surface. He drove off the forces of Bayag that had disturbed him. After the battle, Trydish’s rage turned to curiosity when he finally noticed the cheering from the walls of Dafed. Amused, and surprised by how quickly a city had sprung up during his ‘short’ rest, Trydish claimed the city as his own.

Trydish is not the only ancient being who graces the city. When the fishermen of Dafed angered a Leviathan by unintentionally harvesting her brood, she roused her anger against them, destroying many vessels. When waking Trydish from one of his many rests proved impossible, one mage managed to think quickly and calm the beast. He learned the name of the Leviathan, Goln, and the reason for her anger. They struck a deal with her, declaring her brood a protected species and providing their harbor as a nest for her. Now the city is protected from land by a powerful Dragon and by sea by a powerful Serpent.

Many of the mercantile guilds here are chapter houses from Crossroads, though they hold little of the influence they enjoy in their own city. Rather, the population of Dafed organize their lives around their religious beliefs. The religious organizations hold the lion’s share of political power. The two strongest churches are the Church of Trydish and the Church of Drathnaz. Most species have some who live here, with more natural species and gnomes represented than other species. Very few dragons live in Dafed, stating that it is definitely not from fear of Trydish. There also seem to be a curious lack of any Goblins in Dafed.

Trydish is an Ancient Acid Dragon born long before the founding of the Keridwyn Kingdom. He went to sleep during the time Dragons ruled and the other species hid in their remote corners of the world. When he was awoken, quite rudely by noisy devices, he was shocked to see that Humans and other little ones had erected a large white monument in his honor. Amused, he decided to let them live and praise him.

Trydish is a lazy Dragon, prone to frequent naps and boredom. He enjoys the praise of the little species that he’s claimed, finding them to be a suitable replacement for the Kobolds of his previous horde. Although he enjoys the worship of the little ones, he is too lazy to enforce any particular rules and doesn’t mind the worship of other gods. After all, he knows he’s not the only Dragon in the world. He also doesn’t mind the Leviathan residing in his bay. He knows she is a useful tool, as less effort he needs to put forth to protect the city.

When not napping or enjoying the attentions of Dafed’s residents, he enjoys flying across his domain, sometimes disappearing for months at a time. His mannerisms strike many who converse with him at length as oddly childlike. He is a very powerful, yet unreliable, defender of Dafed.

Goln is an enormous sea serpent whose wide maw can swallow an entire sloop. More than a mere monster, she is sharply intelligent and far-thinking.

After her breeding grounds were discovered by a surprisingly resourceful monster-hunting Demon, she moved her eggs to a second location. Here she found another problem: her more curious young wandered closer to the surface where fishermen of Dafed harvested them. In retaliation, she struck against the vessels of the city and followed the arrows toward the bay of shouting land dwellers. She had only smashed two buildings before an angelic mage swooped down and halted the fighting with a calming spell. This mage surprised Goln with her willingness to attempt communication with a large sea serpent. After long discussions, they struck a deal of mutual protection. Dafed would harbor her brood and Goln would protect the city from the sea.

Goln has an unfavorable view of Trydish, whom she finds to be a tiresome oaf. Goln tolerates him for his usefulness in defending the city. And even though she dislikes speaking with him, she can admit that she appreciates his open mindedness to work with others of strength – a trait seldom found in Dragons. However, she would never let him hear her praise him for this.

The city was obviously nervous of having another large beast near their city, but quickly found her intelligence to be beneficial to both external and internal problems of the city. She finds their petitions for help to be a fun distraction from daily life, even if they can get annoying sometimes.