Svaltatrind

The city of the Gruve, established mining town and built upon what was once thought to be an inhospitable snowy wasteland, Svaltatrind stands as a testament to what common ground and understanding can accomplish.

The creation of Svaltatrind was as much of an accident as it was on purpose. When rumors of rich veins of valuable ore in the Snowsvept Mountains to the North started circulating through Laryia, a decent sized group of Valerians ventured out of their cities in hopes of striking it rich. The fact that it was essentially a death zone where nothing can thrive did not deter them. And seeing as how the rumor was about ore, almost all of those that set out were Earth Elementalists. Upon arriving to the barren wasteland, they started to mine. In the interim, they built camps, wove thick clothes and hunted the fatty wildlife in the area to survive. What was a few camps turned into houses. Then a town. The mining continued, the earth gave way to large tunnels and, as more and more veins of priceless gold, silver and other ore were found, the town exploded in popularity exponentially.

It didn't take look for the town of Svaltatrind to take shape. Now a bustling city weaving between multiple of the Snowsvept Mountains, the city is a testament to ingenuity and the survival capabilities of its citizens. And the citizens, after thousands of years in the area, evolved into Gruves, to better survive the still inhospitable environment. Though even that could be argued has been conquered. For what started out as mining tunnels, has turned into a second 'town' within Svaltatrind itself. Inside the caverns, carved out and supported with extreme precision so as to prevent cave-ins, are rooms, eateries, workshops and even farms. A sprawling, seemingly endless spiders-web of walkways, corridors and elevator shafts give way to a hive of activity, where the Gruves take shelter doing particularly troublesome snowstorms.

Yet, even above ground, one can find workshops and distilleries, making the wide away of products that Svaltatrind is famous for. From jewellery, to alcohol, to the simple production of raw ore and ingots, the business-savvy Gruves produce things in a wide away and a wider amount. Yet, they are sure to not allow anything to leave the city without first meeting their exceptionally high standards of approval, allowing them to sell their products at a particularly high price.

A wonder both above and below ground, the city of Svaltatrind is a popular place to visit, be it for trading or just for tourism. Just as long as one can stand the cold...

And the gruff citizens ready to start a fight or two.

The Lifandi Tunnels
Translated to 'The Living Tunnels', this sprawling, endless system of corridors and supports used to be nothing more than the mining connections of Svaltatrind. However, as the years weaned by, what were simple tunnels has grown into full sized living quarters. Large supports were erected to keep the tunnels from collapsing in on themselves, while farms, eateries, distillation cellars and even bedrooms fill the vein-like pathways. Now essentially a mini-city underneath Svaltatrind themselves, navigating this maze-like subterranean structure would easily confuse non-Gruves, and yet, the Gruves themselves seem to be able to find their way through like there was a map. A wonder of Laryia, the Living Tunnels are legendary, and a testament to the Gruves' own ingenuity and strength.

Aftershock Guards
The Aftershock Guards are Svaltatrind's defensive force. Trained to protect the city from invaders and wildlife alike, their Earth Elementalists, mainly Quakes and Terras, are a terrifying force that represents the very soul of Svaltatrind itself. Immovable. Unshakable. And willing to split the land itself in order to protect who they care for most.