Gaudrith

In the Year 99, Noncel Calijoth, founder of Hazrith, died without a true blood heir. His bastard son, a half-breed, part orc, part Theegan named Sessilja, having killed his father in fair combat, tried to become his successor. Leaders loyal to Noncel were unwilling to pledge allegiance to the young-upstart. They knew the people's views on anything Orc. These orcs were the problem in the west. They were raiders and slavers out of the Giant Steps, different than the Githirmil that would form the Orchish Empire, yet still hated one step lower than the Jara. When his gamble to seize power failed, Sessilja's peacefully took his loyalists north into orc lands. Some two hundred miles into the shadowy canyon they founded Gaudrith, named in honor of Sessilja's orc mother.

Gaudrith is the largest city-state of the Shadow Rift. It is at the canyon's lowest point, three thousand feet down. Shadowy and dark, it is more a place of the Underdark than the surface. Some of its streets become cavernous passages into Vorleif.

Shadow Rift has 33 permanent rifts linking the world Bal-Kriav with its sinister moon Deaths Kindle. Twelve of these rifts are inside Gaudrith. They are a source for shadow energy and trade goods coming through the rift. The metal Gloomstar, unique to Deaths Kindle, is one of the more interesting of these imports.