Diddan
The Lawless Gun-Slinging Sand Dunes
Far from the comforts of the east, Diddan is a rough and tumble city of sandy streets and gruff gunslingers. Famed for its finely made firearms, and infamous for its crime. Diddan faces constant challenges of roving gangs, draught, and corrupt leadership. The city is not a hospitable one, but it has a unique feeling of undeniable freedom that is hard for some to resist.
# Overview
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Main Opportunity | Diddan is a city founded by those who fled normal society to create a place of their own, where the influence of outside politics and law would not have the draining grasp it has on so much of Zol. Where the ideals of The Badlands could continue to thrive. Here, infamous rouges called Cowboys posses agency not bound by the crown’s will. |
| Main Challenge | A place once founded as an escape from society has become a society of its own. Its free nature has become as hindering as it is appealing. The common folk have to spend their days navigating streets roamed by nefarious gunslingers, corrupt lawmen, and dangerous vigilantes. |
| Climate | Desert |
| Cuisine | Limited farmed goods, beer, flatbread, insect-based proteins |
| Export | Firearms, Rare Metals, Cheese |
| Size | Small |
| Outer Villages | Some |
| City Leader | High Lord Archon Flint |
| Primary Language(s) | None |
| Majority Racial Group(s) | None |
| Majority Religion(s) | None |
# Major Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Distinguishing Features | Desert location, Oasis city |
| Architecture | Adobe, colorful canopies, palm wood and wicker detailing |
| Color(s) | Purple, Grey, and Red |
| Symbolism | A cactus below a radially symmetric sun |
| Defenses | Lawmen, high percentage of armed citizens |
# People Groups
| Group | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Gentry | Social Class | The city’s nobility. Few in number, these individuals are seen as refined by the city’s common people, but rough around the edges to outside nobility. To reach this level of wealth in Diddan, business must be conducted in a less than honest manner |
| Serfs | Social Class | Those who are just trying to get by. The vast majority. The average citizens who work on farms, as shepherds of Sand Cows, or as Sifters looking for rare metals in the sands. |
| Slaves | Social Class | Those charged with significant crimes who are forced to work and serve in recompense. |
| Shepherds | Occupation | Those who tend to the famous Sand Cows of the rolling dunes. This occupation supplies a large portion of the city’s food stocks |
| Gunsmiths | Occupation | Artificers who specialize in the creation of Firearms and Ammunition. The surrounding sands contain trace metals which can be used for creating all manner of ranged weaponry. Some are simple, such as rifles that do not jam. Others are intricate and magical, firing rounds that can go around corners or release an explosion on impact. Many Artificers and craftspeople attempt to make facsimiles of these, some are non-magical mechanical guns, others are reasonably well made artillery. However no place within The Three Corners possesses such a collection of fine ranged weaponry as Diddan. |
| Sifter | Occupation | Prospectors who use special equipment to sift rare metals used by Artificers out of the local sands. Typically done by the poorest members of the city. A weeks worth of work may only fill the bottom of a small vial with a given metal. The act of sifting was originally done with naturally occurring magnetic Lodestones that drew in specific metals, but has since progressed to using specifically designed Apparatum to accomplish the same task. The metals found are typically used by local gunsmiths or exported to distant Artificers at very steep prices. |
| Lawmen | Occupation | Local enforcers of the law, usually equipped with firearms. These individuals are charged with upholding the crowns will. While they do a reasonable amount of this, locals know them to be more concerned with filling their pockets by catering to the whims of the Gentry and corrupt throne within the city. |
| Cowboys | Outlaw | Local criminals, known to be equipped with firearms. These individuals may be lone-mysterious-gunslingers, gang members, or vigilantes who take justice into their own hands. Named after their association with Sand Cows by proximity. |
| Vigilantes | Outlaw | A subcategory of Cowboys. These individuals work alone, or in small teams to fight against local crime and corruption. Some are in good books with the Lawmen, others are decidedly enemies of them. |
| Dend’s Gang | Criminal | A large roving gang of criminals known to sweep in and out of the town, usually getting away with whatever they please as it is the less destructive option than going to war with them. Led by the nefarious criminal Leroy Dend, a Dragonborn man with one eye and many scars. |
| The Ferrick Brothers | Criminal | A local gang that operates within the city, they hold a tight grasp over a lot of the trade involving rare metals, and extort money from that market regularly. Led by Lloyd Ferrick, a no nonsense human man and family head of the core group. |
| The Dune Sisters | Criminal | One of the many local gangs. A group comprised mostly of women known for robbing incoming and outgoing travelers. Led by Lady Blacklet, a proud and dangerous elf woman. |
# Goods and Services
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Alluvium Keep | Keep | The city’s main keep, formed of natural earthen materials giving an appearance of a massive sandcastle. |
| Diddan Station | Train Station | The city’s train station |
| Diddan Convergence | Teleportation Circle | The city’s main teleportation circle. Located within the keep. |
| Cowmark | Market | The city’s shop district, where all stores are located. |
| The Empty Belt | Armsdealer | A well known dealer of fine firearms, owned by a dwarf man everyone just called ‘Shell’ |
| The Backbored Barrel Saloon | Saloon | The city’s most popular Saloon, rules are that no gun be unholstered within the establishment, making it a sort of demilitarized zone |
| Wester Grove Saloon | Saloon | One of the city’s many drinking establishments, associated with local gang activity. |
# Authority
The city is overlooked by High Lord Archon Flint, a notorious and corrupt leader who remains in power through 2 factors: his economic benefit to the crown, and an uncorrupt leader would be almost surely assassinated. He keeps a grip on the local area through use of his Lawmen, and is almost a gang-leader of his own.
# Laws
The city subscribes to the Laenwalde, however they are loosely enforced.
# Modern Importance
In modern day, the city is very distant from the rest of the world. However it is famed for the quality of its exported firearms and rare metals.
# Historical Importance
Diddan is thought to be the cumulation of all old and near-lost cultures from The Badlands, the era before the found of the three kingdoms of Laenwalde.
# Other Things of Note
- Surrounding the city are many tiny communities that are under the jurisdiction of Diddan, they typically consist of a few homes, farms, businesses, a general goods store, and a saloon. The names of these communities are:
- Larshen
- Dont
- Blackwater
- Pitts
- Cryde
- Mendin
- Brackettsford
- Quarry Sound