Ardougne


 * This article is about the historical city before it was divided. For the two modern cities often called "Ardougne", see West Ardougne and East Ardougne



Ardougne (pronounced ɑrdɔɪn; "Arr-doyn") was a city in the realm of Kandarin under the rule of King Ulthas Ardignas until he died in the Year 107 in the Fifth Age (according to display case 47, north-east top floor, Varrock Museum). His sons, Tyras and Lathas, divided it into the two cities of East Ardougne and West Ardougne due to the rivalry between them. King Tyras eventually left on a crusade in to the Elven lands in the west, abandoning West Ardougne to a terrible plague. The city of Ardougne is named after the River Dougne, upon which it is located. This is similar to Lumbridge, which is named after the River Lum. Adding to the chain, the idea for this came from the real-life city, and home-town of Jagex, of Cambridge, which is located upon the river Cam.

Ardougne was made the capital of Kandarin in Year 164 of the Fourth Age. East Ardougne and West Ardougne is the modern capital of Kandarin. East Ardougne currently ruled by King Lathas. West Ardougne is governed by King Tyras and is accessible only by members who have started the Plague City quest. Both cities are members-only. On 9 November 2009 a bit of mapping near Ardougne where the ground was overly spiky was reworked. Ardougne was chosen for the 6th tasks list.



Pronunciation
There have been a lot of questions as to how "Ardougne" is pronounced. According to the Meeting History quest (released on 5 August 2008), it is pronounced "Ar-doy-in." Many players believe it to be pronounced "Ar-doug-nee". Depending how you look at it, in Postbag from the Hedge, it can be pronounced slightly differently, as "Arr-doyn". However, "Ardoin" (as in Meeting History) is most likely just a simple term that Jagex has used to make the storyline more enjoyable, and it is still pronounced the same way. "Arr-doyn". Dialogue when speaking to a lava titan suggests that the last syllable of Ardougne rhymes with coin, making it more likely that the pronunciation is as stated.

Trivia

 * Ardougne might be based upon post WW2 Berlin as it is the capital city of a country that is divided into two halves. Although in Berlin, the east was poor, and the western half was less poverty stricken.