Adarion

Adarion: Small Czardaian town (pop. about 57 000) perched on the cliffs overlooking the coastal plain and a major junction along Highway 112. Founded in the 400s AD and still bears remnants of the Roman-era architecture. Adarion was supposedly built by a Kurtzhaft (see Czardas) warlord named Barik the Bold, who contrary to his moniker fled the plains after his former hometown Dorji was ransacked by the people of Jarna (today Czarna). It has been inhabited constantly, more or less, until the present day. Adarion was the Kurtzhaft's central seat until 1044, when they left it to conquer the other city-states on the plain. It has also served as a stronghold of resistance against many invading forces, such as the Crusaders in the 1100s, the Surekkians and Raskeljians in the 1200s, and even Dreetian bombs in the 1900s. Adarion's size is currently shrinking, as the major rail depot has been transferred to Orsa (pop. 127 000), a town at the bottom of the mountain; nevertheless, it still attracts tourists due to its stunning scenery such as the falls on the Zaïr river and its setting almost at the edge of a 6000-foot-high cliff. Adarion has a very low crime rate and almost no pollution, as many factories are located in Orsa. It is said that once on a clear day one could see all the way to the ocean, but now, unfortunately, smoke and air pollution from factories has clouded Adarion's former view.