Nightmen City
Nightmen City was an underground settlement carved within a hollowed-out dormant volcano, situated beneath a vast desert. It served as the primary habitation of the Nightmen and was described in The Blood of Giants as "a real underworld." Despite its considerable size, the city was noted to feel confining to those who dwelled or were held within it: "This cave, as large as it was, felt so confining."
The city was also notable for the advanced equipment housed within it, as well as for the violence witnessed there — both of which were later recalled by those who had experienced the city firsthand.
Description
Location and Structure
In The Blood of Giants, Nightmen City was described as situated underground in a vast desert — identified in context with the Artacala Desert region — its location unknown to outsiders prior to their arrival. The city occupied the interior of what was described as "a hollowed out dormant volcano," with the cavern above dimly illuminating its features from within.
The city was large enough to contain multiple distinct districts and levels connected by a platform and elevator system. A main thoroughfare ran through the settlement, and several buildings featured domed roofs. The city was dimly illuminated overall, though gas lamps lined its streets and brightened during day hours.
Architecture and Interiors
Buildings were round, constructed of stone and rock with smooth surfaces and window openings that lacked panes. Furniture throughout the city was hand-carved from stone and wood. Chalk drawings adorned walls as artistic decoration. A large central square was surrounded by multi-story buildings, with a small pool of water at its center.
Districts and Notable Features
- Arena: A large amphitheater used for combat, prominent in events described in The Blood of Giants. See also: Nightmen Arena.
- Main Thoroughfare: The primary street running through the city.
- Tavern: A drinking establishment within the city.
- Mines: Slaves were ordered to work in mines beneath or within the city. Miners also actively expanded the cavern over time.
- Hangar and Runway: A hangar where gliders were stored, accompanied by a runway for their use. A mechanically opening auxiliary exit allowed bat-gliders to depart the city. See also: Nightmen Technology and Giant Bats.
- Servants' Quarters: Located within the residence of Oyette.
- Agriculture: Mushrooms and fungus were cultivated within the city as food sources.
- Advanced Equipment: The city contained equipment of notable technological sophistication, later recalled by Rhys as a benchmark for comparison. In The Fight for Rislandia, Rhys described a mine laboratory's apparatus as "nearly as advanced as some of the equipment I was working with in the Nightmen city," indicating he had worked with such equipment there during his time in the settlement.
Population and Society
The population of Nightmen City was an even mix of humans and Nightmen. Humans within the city were not permitted to leave freely. Slaves were put to work in the mines. The city's location in the desert was unknown to the narrator's group prior to their captivity there.
Access and Exits
The city possessed a cavern with a tunnel exit leading out to the desert above, as well as a mechanically operated auxiliary exit designed for bat-glider launches.
Role in The Blood of Giants
In The Blood of Giants, Nightmen City served as a central location during a significant portion of the narrative. Characters including Baron Theodore von Monocle were brought to the city, where they encountered its arena, its population of Nightmen and humans, and the authority of Oyette. The city's mines, arena, and restricted exits played key roles in the events that unfolded there.
References in The Fight for Rislandia
In The Fight for Rislandia, Nightmen City was referenced by Rhys on two occasions, both as a point of comparison drawn from his prior experience there. He noted that equipment he encountered in a mine laboratory was "nearly as advanced as some of the equipment I was working with in the Nightmen city," suggesting he had been actively engaged in technical work during his time in the settlement. He also recalled the city as a place where he had witnessed significant violence, stating "even with seeing all the violence of the Nightmen city" in the context of describing his fear during a subsequent battle. These references establish Nightmen City as a formative location in Rhys's personal history.
On the world map
The official world map marks Nightman Cavern in east-central Zenwey, beside the Zenwey Desert label. This matches the novel's underground city in a hollowed-out volcano beneath a desert. The map label uses the singular "Nightman".
In A History of Rislandia
According to A History of Rislandia, Nightmen City — referred to in the sourcebook interchangeably as Volcano City and The Volcano City — was an underground city located inside a dormant volcano in northern Zenwey, with its exact location described as unknown. The sourcebook records that the crew of the Liliana was transported to the city after being captured, where they were separated and sold to different Nightmen masters.
The bible confirms the presence of an arena where gladiatorial combat was held, crystal mines, and bat-glider hangars, consistent with the novels. It does not mention mushroom agriculture, gas lamps, the elevator system, or the human-Nightmen population ratio described on this page.
Location
According to A History of Rislandia, the city lies within a dormant volcano in northern Zenwey, near the Zenwey Desert. This conflicts with the novel-based account on this page, which places the city beneath a vast desert and associates it with the Artacala Desert region based on novel context, and with the world map, which marks Nightman Cavern in east-central Zenwey. The bible's "northern Zenwey" designation is a distinct claim not reconciled by either the novels or the map.
The Liliana Crew's Enslavement
According to A History of Rislandia, following their capture the Liliana crew was brought to Volcano City, where they were separated and sold to different Nightmen masters. This detail — the crew being individually sold to separate masters — is not described on the novel-based account on this page, which records only that humans within the city were not permitted to leave freely and that slaves were put to work in the mines.
Features Confirmed by the Bible
A History of Rislandia independently confirms the following features of the city:
- An arena where gladiatorial combat was held
- Crystal mines
- Bat-glider hangars
The sourcebook uses the term crystal mines specifically, whereas the novel-based account on this page refers only to "mines" without specifying their contents.