The northern gateway. Esteves guards the point where the Lucenia River emerges from the Myjornis Mountains, controlling access to the passes beyond. This is a fortress-city first and a population center second—soldiers outnumber civilians, and the entire urban plan is designed for defense.
The Esteves garrison maintains watch over three separate threats: giants from the northwest, potential Nashua flanking maneuvers, and whatever might come through the mountain passes from the Inner Rim. Emperor Veramus earned his name here. As a young commander he held the Esteves Pass against a giant assault for forty-three days with no reinforcement coming, and the soldiers who survived it called him the Unrelieved. It was the reputation he rode to the elected throne, and the garrison still trades on the association: Esteves, the men here will tell you, is where the emperor was made.