IceAndWave/Tideholme

Tideholme

The kingdom of Tideholme resides within the Northern Threshold, approximately 1000 miles west of Cherak, and forms the start of one of the major routes for trade between the Blessed Isle, Whitewall and Gethamane. Comprising three cities (the capital and seat of the king also being called Tideholme), approximately 20 towns of a notable size and unnumbered villages and hamlets, it has been a loyal subject of the Realm ever since the day, almost 700 years ago, when a full Legion (the 17th, also known as the Jade Eagles) arrived in war galleys and proclaimed the ascendancy of the Empress.

Nominally run by the king, Tideholme is in fact governed by the Dragon-blooded satrap, one Cynis Asura. Asura appears to have a largely hands-off approach to the job of satrap, instead being more interested in turning Tideholme into a social centre, with some success thus far. Wood-aspected like her family, and approaching her first century, Asura makes a point of speaking to every Dragon-blood who enters the city, whether from the Realm or elsewhere, although to what purpose no one leaves any the wiser.

The City of Tideholme

The largest city in the kingdom, its population almost 100,000, Tideholme is a port city with all that that entails. In fact, Tideholme is famous in the North for having two ports, the Low Port which is composed of docks and wharfs jutting out into the sea and the High Port which is an artifical tidal basin almost a mile inland. The tides at the city are particularly strong and so as the high tide builds ships gather at the mouth of the channel and are swept inwards on the inrushing wave, mirrored a few hours later by the outrushing tide which carries any ships who wish to leave the mile in just over two minutes. The two ports also mean that Tideholme has a very large warehouse district, with the huge open buildings accounting for almost a third of its total area. The City Guard are loathe to enter this area at night in less than talon-strength, crime being endemic to the area.

The main items that Tideholme trades in are amber, furs and ice-wine – the latter item becoming more popular on the Blessed Isle after recent innovations allow for it to be transported further (albeit it great expense, heightening its exclusivity). There is also some trade in slaves, the raids and battles between the civilised people of the North and the icewalkers often leave the former with prisoners that they don’t know how to deal with, but this trade is relatively minor.

The largest building in Tideholme is the Iceflower Palace, the home of Cynis Asura and built at her behest to overwhelm the once-impressive White Rose Castle, the seat of kings in Tideholme for centuries.

Bulwark

This place is well-named, for Bulwark is a fortress-city with high, thick walls that have been warded and enchanted to further increase their already prodigious strength. The populace here are wary and, to a man, capable soldiers with every adult being required to serve three years in the city’s standing army and capable of being recalled to duty at a moment’s notice. The reason for this warlike nature lies just north of the city, Marama’s Fell – a vast shadowland populated with hungry ghosts, the walking dead and other, more unnatural things.

Governed by General Silver Heron, a capable soldier and leader of almost 40 years service to the kingdom, Bulwark is surprisingly friendly to visitors, a welcome relief to the starkness of its exterior and the heavy stone buildings within its walls, with an active and loud market handling much of Bulwark’s commerce. The fact that the majority of the adult population in the city is armed keeps the normally ever-present problem of street crime to a minimum, the citizenry being more than willing to mete out justice themselves. The only unforgivable crime within Bulwark is treating with the Dead, and the emissaries of the Deathlords or the other kingdoms of the Underworld have been given short shrift by the city, often being met with insults or stones hurled from the walls far above.

With narrow, winding streets and high, stone buildings, Bulwark was meant to be easily defended from without and within, the labyrinth of roads and alleyways capable of eating entire armies as harassing attacks and raids by the natives causing a continual stream of losses from any enemy force that gets inside. The few open areas within the walls are virtual killing grounds for any foe, hundreds of narrow windows look down on them, providing perfect vantage points for archers to snipe away. This also makes it extremely easy for any visitor to the city to get lost, but the populace are used to such things and will generally direct any questioners to where they wish to go with little fuss.

There is only one place that no-one needs directions to – the Keep, the seat of the General and the city government, an imposing tower of stone and iron that reaches almost 200’ into the sky, providing a commanding overview of the entirety of Bulwark. It is from here that General Heron issues her edicts and it is also where the city council meets on a weekly basis to discuss matters of import.

Veraza’s Star

Reputedly founded by an Immaculate monk during the time of the Dragon-blooded Shogunate, Veraza’s Star is generally considered to mark the eastern border of the kingdom, although there are a number of towns and villages along the road to Cherak. A town of religious scholarship, it has several libraries of ancient lore (most of which have their access restricted to Immaculate monks or students at the Most Auspicious Academy of Ancient and Modern History), and an ancient Immaculate monastery with many features that betray its First Age origin.

The name comes from its origin, when the monk Veraza followed the trail of a falling star to its impact. When he finally reached the point he claimed to have seen one of the Immaculate Dragons carrying the star off into the Heavens, and he built a shrine at this point in their honour, which eventually grew up into the community of 55,000 it is today.

Notable Towns

Appletree

Named for the large apple tree that grows in the centre of the town, this settlement is otherwise unremarkable. The tree itself blooms and produces its fruit in apparent defiance of the harsh climate, but none of the town elders nor any local historians have been able to shed any light on the origins of the tree or on how it is able to grow.

Greycove

Only really populated during the winter months, Greycove is one of several ice-runner ports that support a thriving smuggling and free-trader community that operates in the Northern Threshold. The Old Road to Whitewall and Gethamane, while safe, is slow – and a brave captain can save a lot of time and make a lot of money by cutting through Marama’s Fell, assuming he survives the trip.

Hood

More a collection of bandits and criminals living out of tents than an actual town, Hood’s location varies from month to month, but is always perilously close to the borders of Marama’s Fell – closer even than Bulwark. While attacks on the fortress-city are a weekly occurrence, there are no tales of Hood being assaulted, leading to rumours of a deal between those who run the wandering community and the Dead.