As the woodlands receded, their hearts torn out by hooked chains or consumed by dark fire, the ever-expanding streets of Clar Karond have spilled into the gap. Year by year, the city swells further, having grown fat on the labours of its slaves and despoliation of the surrounding land. Once, there was but one great tower looking over the Redvenom River; now the Duskridge bristles with jagged minarets. With each wave of expansion, new ramparts have been raised not only to protect the city as a whole, but also to defend each tower from its neighbours. As a result, Clar Karond's streets are tangled and mazelike, marred by half-collapsed buildings, severed concourses, and entire districts buried forever as newer and more impressive fortifications are raised.[1a]