Vice Ordluhn

Monika finally allowed herself to breathe, the wasteland far behind her. She was finally in the city of Ordluhn, and, in doing so, she had come a lot closer to her goal of escaping her captors. But she was no fool: so long as she was not on board a ship on the open sea, there was no reason for premature dances of joy. Until then, possible pursuers weren't her only problem due to Ordluhn itself also offering its own dangers and risks.

She still felt much more comfortable here. She loved the anarchic chaos of this city, and, in the event of an encounter with bounty hunters after her head, this meeting would at least take place in familiar territory.

The walls of Ordluhn were high and wide, built from burnt clay bricks half an eternity ago and have not been repaired regularly since then. Despite the many damages that the ravages of time had left on the defensive buildings, Ordluhn still seemed robust and defensive. In addition, the dry wasteland that surrounded the deserted city was the best protection against approaching enemies. An opposing army could not supply itself and would have already lost a lot of combat power if it arrived here, and there were nowhere sufficient water sources to supply a **** that could have been dangerous.

During the day, the gates of Ordluhn were open and the guards provided their work with a boring routine. They were in the service of the city council, which was composed of the richest and most powerful citizens who used Ordluhn's only political office to strengthen their own positions and expand their power. If you wanted to join the Council, you had to eliminate another member and thus inherit your position.

Beyond the gate, the red-haired thief saw a winding chaos of haphazard streets and houses. She knew from previous visits that this picture continued like a labyrinth throughout Ordluhn. Hundreds of taverns, brothels, and venues alternated with the predominantly poor residential quarters of ordinary citizens, the villas of the powerful secured by walls and guards and the numerous shops where you could buy everything in the world. No goods were prohibited in Ordluhn. Even slaves, poisons, the services of assassins, and artifacts of black magic could be acquired openly if you could pay the price or successfully cheat the seller. Every day, hundreds of ships docked in Ordluhn's huge port to purchase or sell goods and then return home.

The red-haired beauty paused for a brief moment to take in the smell and noise of the city. Undoubtedly, it smelled here, but on an emotional level it was pleasant, a familiar sense of ferocity and anarchy. Monika’s gaze wandered over to the creatures who roamed near the gate on a small market square and came or disappeared from the adjacent alleys. Unlike in the civil territories of King Vaneer, where almost exclusively humans lived, Ordluhn was a melting pot of people. Orcs, trolls, ogres, dwarves, goblins, and many other strange creatures called the lawless city their home.