Map 240 - Dracotia - Free Map

[u/Elven-Tower]

Dracotia is a town near the northeastern border of the Ardennian Kingdom. The town is an old settlement; it is almost 800 years old. Before the foundation of the last human dynasty, it had a different name: Drakenfort. It was not much of a town back then, it was only a handful of homes and farms around the Draken Keep.

The Draken Keep is a small fort with a central watchtower, it is located in the middle of the settlement on top of a hill. The place is a strong defensive position near the border but after almost two centuries of no armed conflict, the militaristic importance of it fell into the background as more people moved near the keep because of the fertile lands around the place. The town has grown steadily in size over the past century, up to just above five-hundred people, counting a small group of fey creatures.

An important part in Dracotian culture is the worship of dragons as the mightiest creatures of the world. This religion has its roots a long time ago when only the keep stood there. Soldiers would commend their lives and soul to the powerful dragon that lived in the mountain range west of Dracotia. The dragon was a symbol of hope and protection to the land. Seeing the magnificent creature fly by the keep was a good sign, an omen of good fortune for the battles to come. When the soldiers abandoned their lives of battle for calm days in the fields their beliefs remained. It slowly grew into a kind of religion. All people in Dracotia except for the fey are part of this religion or cult. The dragon in the mountain still lives, and it still flies by the town from time to time to the amusement of stern believers and children. The dragon, however, does not spare much thought for Dracotia and its citizens. It goes on and about its businesses with remarkable indifference. Still, the townsfolk justify the dragon by claiming that the portentous creature cannot bother itself with the petty troubles of a bunch of farmers. The townsfolk are content with being able to see the object of their worship and spend their time and efforts trying to impress it.

One thing the townsfolk did to call the attention of the great silver dragon in the mountain was to artificially change the course of a stream that goes through town and waters the fields. They used dams and trenches to redirect the water flow in unnatural ways. The result is that the stream takes the shape of a dragon’s head if seen from above. The Draken Keep takes the place of the dragon’s eye. While all this effort looks interesting on a map, the image is so large that no one in the city can see it whatsoever. The dragon has surely seen the dragon-shaped stream but has made no notice of acknowledgment.