Overview
Smartia is an ancient country of the Smorls, situated amid the cold mountains of northwestern Vorto. It consists of hedlirs — vast underground cities carved deep into the mountains. Each hedlir exists in isolation, follows its own laws and answers to its own leader. This is why Smartia has neither a capital nor a central authority.
There were once seven hedlirs, but only four have survived to the present day: Batrig, Zarmun, Ursken and Erzag. The others were destroyed, and the surviving Smorls were forced to leave their underground cities, settle on the surface and wander across Vorto.
Power and structure
Smartia has no single ruler, capital or common laws. Each hedlir is an independent underground city with its own leader and internal order. It decides for itself how to conduct relations with its neighbours and the other peoples of Vorto. The hedlirs sometimes help one another or unite against a common threat, but there is no permanent alliance between them.
Batrig is the most spacious of the surviving hedlirs. The city occupies several levels connected by bridges, stairways and passages. Residential districts stand alongside mines and working galleries. Batrig is governed through its individual levels, each of which is responsible for its own part of the city.
Zarmun spreads around a vast underground chasm. Water runs down its walls, while bridges and stone terraces connect the residential levels. The entire city depends on the condition of its waterways and crossings, so they are watched with particular care.
Ursken extends through the mountain as a network of low, enclosed galleries. Massive doors separate its sections and can seal individual passages. This layout helps defend the city and prevents outsiders from freely entering its depths.
Erzag lies deeper than the other hedlirs. Its life revolves around mines, mineral seams and underground machinery. Reinforcing the passages, maintaining the hoists and keeping the ventilation working are especially important here. Senior masters oversee this work and form the foundation of the city leader's authority.
None of the four hedlirs is considered the foremost. Batrig, Zarmun, Ursken and Erzag belong to one country, but each lives independently.
