The Long Second Age--The Realm Of The Long Second Age
The Places You’ll Go
The Realm is wide and deep. The Creation sweeps outward, reclaiming lands lost to legend and the Wyld. Cities soar into the skies, and delve deep into the earth. Vast farms and estates dot the countryside, and the lands that were the Threshold have been forced to join the Realm, as the Wall has swept past them. Barbarians and Beastmen are now citizens, and they now benefit from the riches of the Realm.
The Blessed Isle--The towers of the cities of the Isle rise up. The Dragons’ estates still sprawl across the island, but the cities have soared into the air, and vast estates have been carved in the sky. Arjuf is a fine port, not only for the navy, the merchant fleets, but also for the Air Force and skyships, having long merged with the remains of Nishimo and Tuchara. Chanos burrows deep into the roots of the Isle, hiding deep to protect the military forces still based there. Portee, Traiter, have been swallowed by Lord’s Crossing, becoming the second largest city in the Realm. Juche is still one of the finest quarries in the Realm and the mines still produce.
The Imperial City is the jewel of the Realm. The City dominates the east of the Blessed Isle, soaring high, sometimes encompassing the ruins and the older “Seat of Splendors.” Rising up, the estates of the Dragons are wondrous, entire orchards and mansions look out from the tiered towers, while the interiors maintain, housing for the servants, slaves and Bonded, and peasantry. The Dome that protects the Old City was raised by the Empress to protect the original Palaces, itself a marvel of jade. Under its latticed structure, put into place by the best minds of the Heptagram, the Dome filters the rays of the sun into a rainbow of colors that Dragons from across the Creation flock to. The Palace of the Deliberative is a common tourist site from across the Creation, just to see the Dome from the inside.
As the Creation has expanded, the Blessed Isle has grown. Most scholars point to the Imperial Mountain, as the Pole of Earth, it continues to pour forth. Its mines, inexhaustible, forever growing, and the Reality Towers that drain the Elemental Poles to the edges of the Creation are no where to be seen, but most suspect that the Dome itself may itself be the focus of the Towers, and that it is tied to the Imperial Mountain directly.
Lookshy remains a military training ground, having become home to several fine academies. The best and the brightest of the Realm come to Lookshy to become the cream of the Legions. The martial nature of Lookshy has mellowed over the years, but they are still proud of their heritage, and joining the many mercenary units, or the Legions is still the greatest honor.
Great Forks is still governed by a theocratic oligarchy, but it has been brought to heel by the Immaculate Dragons, but the city still exports vast quantities of qat, wines, and other recreational drugs. Tamed, the city has become a useful
Nexus is the only Free City in the Realm. The Dragons were never able to conquer the city, but maintain an embassy, and assign a ambassador to the Emissary. The magics that the Emissary controls has ensured that Nexus and the lands up and down river of the Three Dams is controlled by the Council of Entities. Because Nexus controls river traffic to the east, and is a free port for trade, it is the largest, richest city in the East. The architecture is less bold, and more functional than other cities of the Realm, but it is mixed in with towers from the First Age, in twisting streets that have been carved out of Hollow, and built on the ruins. Many estates have been built over First Age ruins, and are themselves only facades covering the wonders of the First Age within.
Bustling, confusing, and wild, the city is dangerous, and opportunities await for those who have the courage to take them. The Guild sets the pace of trade, and enjoys the privileges that operating outside the Realm, while being firmly inside the borders. The markets are rich, trade is quick, and loose. A haven for those who have little use for the order of the Realm, the city is seen as a sore in the side of the Realm, and yet, the Dragons have yet to be able to move against the city–often the powers of the Council of Entities carries far from the confines of the city, and members of the Deliberative who have favored sending the Legions to move against Nexus suffer from the powerful curses and punishments of the Emissary and his Council. More than a few times in the last several hundred years, the Deliberative have seen a member turned inside out by the power of the Emissary while voting in their chambers on the Blessed Isle. Without a motion by the Deliberative to allocate the funds for the Legions to move, the Realm has been log jammed to move against the city, and few of the Great Houses wish to be on the receiving end of the magics of Old Hollow, so Nexus remains.
Thorns has fallen to the Mask of Winters. The city’s Unders cultivated death cults, and eventually, the Mask rose up, bringing his Citadel into the Realm, and conquered the city outright. This bold move has mobilized the Realm to cordon off the city, but thus far, the Legions have yet to be able to make much headway against the forces that the Mask has fielded. Lookshy’s forces are on alert, as are the rest of the region.
Sijan, its Shadowland, serves the Realm and the Dragons. The newest of the Dragons and their estates seek out the artisans and the dead to deal with.
The Chayans have accepted that their Republic is now a state of the Realm, and with the help of the Heptagram, the Fire Tree season is mild and euphoric, with little violence, and even seen now as a tourist destination. The Guild has made the Fire Drug popular in some circles.
The Linowan and Haltan Republic no longer war. Both have been brought into the Realm. The Linowan are fearless sailors, and their artisans produce fine works for the Realm. Their early acceptance of the Realm has made the Linowan a powerful force among the Guild and in the Deliberative. The Haltan came to the Realm later, and with much more violence, but once they accepted the yoke of the Realm, they found that their vast forests and architecture. The vast forest cities are wonders, woven from the very fabric of the great redwoods. The reputation that the Haltan have for breeding exotic pets gives their province a boost as well.
Rathess is still being explored. The City of the Dragon Kings has sunk deep into forest, and excavations are costly, and long term. The stalkers claim lives, as well as the deadly plants and animals that inhabit the jungle. A settlement has sprung up around the dig site’s base camp, and reinforced by the Realm’s Own, as a permanent garrison, but Rathess’ secrets have yet to be explored fully. Scholars and savants ply their trade, but it is slow work.
The Forest People have been brought kicking and screaming into the Second Age. Many tribes have been relocated to pacify them, others have been exterminated, and others have been simply enslaved and shipped across the Realm. Those tribes that are left, have been locked down by their Realm overseers. Reservations for the Forest tribes are common in the East, and settlements of relocated peasants and Bondsmen to work the bounty of the forests are often close to provide support for the troops who watch the tribes for signs of rebellion, as well as bases to support their war on the soma trade.
The Varang rule much of the south-east. Their empire has been over run by the Wall, but the Varang states have become valued provinces of the Realm. Their nobility has been brought into the fold, and Varang Dragons are now as much a part of the Realm as any other. Their old empire lost, their city states are blossoms of the Long Second Age–boiling out of the forests to become vast monuments to their tenacity and hard work. Advanced mystech and craftsmen turn out goods and services for the Realm, and the necklace of city states have become precious to the Realm. While many of their great houses have been lost, the most noble have been inducted into branches of the Great Houses of the Dragon Blooded, continuing their lines by marriage to their conquerors.
Yane remains the capital of the Varang Provinces. The cities are rich in the traditions of the Varang culture, and while they are certainly as urban and advanced as any city on the Blessed Isle, they retain the flavor of their old empire. The Varang have remain a powerful force
The city is the center of the a healthy mystech and engineering industry. The Varang entered the Realm with a high level of mystechical proficiency, and often lead the industry as much as the Heptagram. The astrological computation processes are often as good as anything the Bronze allow on the Blessed Isle. Outside their city-states, the Varang have little influence, and they allow the Guild to bring and distribute their products instead of leaving the provinces, to keep from becoming sullied by contact with outsiders.
Chiaroscuro has been built higher and higher, easily the largest city to the South. The roads have been maintained, and the blue glass break waters protect the harbor. The city has risen, as the mystech of the Realm has filtered in, restoring, and replacing the First Age ruins of the city. Grandmother Bright still rules the Plaza, an odd space in the rise of towers, but none of the city fathers wants to anger the Spirit.
The Delzhan are shadows of their former nomadic fathers, but still proud of their heritage. Their exploits have been turned from conquest and warfare, to merchant wars and business. Proud supporters of the Guild, many of the greatest merchant princes of the Second Age have risen from Chiaroscuro. The glass scimitars and veils of the Delzhan are a common sight in board rooms across the Realm, and many are recognized as nobility in the Deliberative, as well as the Court of the Tri-Khan.
The Tri-Kahn is still recognized as the leader of the leader of the Delzhan, the hereditary leader of the tribes, but to be accepted into the Deliberative, the line has been merged with several Dragon Blooded families. The Delzhan culture often clashes with the matriarchal society of the Realm, but the Tri-Kahn sends his daughters and cousins to the Deliberative, and keeps his sons to the south, to tend to the affairs of the tribes.
Paragon has been built up on the ruins of a First Age metropolis, and sits among vast estates of groves and rich farmlands. The Perfect has been accepted as the leader of the city, and has been allowed to retain his leadership as the Wall passed through Paragon.
The Perfect has rule over the city, but as he has no children, Paragon has little representation in the Deliberative, beyond those nobles who have married into the Realm. A calm, ordered place, the Guild maintains distribution facilities in the city, and takes advantage of the rich produce and groves.
Citizens of Paragon are now citizens of the Realm, and the oath sworn to the Perfect now includes the laws of the Realm. Citizens of Paragon are often seen as good investments by Guild and Dragon Blooded to employ for jobs requiring discretion. The Bond of the Paragon insures that an accountant or scholar cannot betray his employer, a servant can’t plot against his master, and workers will never steal or harm their employer’s property. The sigil is seen as a sign of ensured loyalty, and many of the smaller Houses in the Realm seek to employ Paragon born major domos–though the Great Houses rarely do so, because they still don’t trust the Perfect.
The rivalry between Gem and Paragon is ongoing, still. The Paragon still wishes to expand his influence, but the Delzhan hem him in on the east, and the Lap on the West.. The Despot pays for his support from the Deliberative, and that keeps the Paragon in check.
The Lap is considered a great tourist destination. Citizens of the Realm sit through crystal shows of their neighbors, waving with the Last Supplicant in the background. The city in the Old Man’s lap has grown, and spilled across the mountain. The area is as rich today as it was when the Empress ascended to the throne. The city has much easier access since the Wall passed through the area, and the old defenses have been dismantled to allow rail travel, and the Shoulders now house air ship docks, and elevators to the Lap proper. The Chutes are wide mystech elevators to bring goods deep into the city, and bring goods from the base of the mountain up.
Rich with crops, the Lap provides food for the south, and far into the Realm. While the citizens of the Lap are cosmopolitan and urbane, the entire region relies agriculture. Its popularity as a tourist destination has given rise to rich secondary industries, but the bulk of the population is involved in the raising, distribution, or transportation of crops across the Creation. The garrison in the Lap is large, due as much to the ease for providing food for troops, as it is a hub for transportation. While the troops here are numerous, the garrison is considered, at best, a punishment detail, or a place to bury mistakes. Deep within the Realm, and protected by a ring of garrisons, and the Wall, there is little chance of attack.
Gem has survived its rivalries with Paragon, a line of Despots, the passage of the Wall, and it still continues. The mines are still rich, firedust flows to the Realm, and the private mercenary companies that are trained here all contribute to a robust and hearty economy, that is far from the center of the Realm, yet maintains several seats on the Deliberative, as well as with the Guild.
The slave markets of old have been turned into training facilities for the mercenary houses, though a few markets still operate, as a distribution center, as well as training facility for high end slaves sold to the Blessed Isle.
The old city of Gem has been preserved, but the bulk of the new city has been carved from the mines, vast open apartments hewn from the volcanic stone, lava tubes that have been shaped and refined, and old mine shafts that have been carved open. The Old City is seen as a rich tourist attraction. Mystech has made much of Gem livable, the oppressive heat of the old days is no longer a factor, though the old traditions die hard, and much of the city is active during the evening hours, sleeping during the heat of the day.
The city’s governor is still called the Despot, though he is actually appointed by the Deliberative, and is traditionally male. His family is granted license and control over Gem’s vast gem trade, and he is given control of the monopolies that the other Gem houses control. The Guild is granted contracts to these Houses, and the Great Houses maintain offices in Gem to reap the rich mines, as well as firedust. The mercenary troupes that train to serve as security in the city, and for the Guild as they travel in the desert are seen as some of the best in the Realm.
The Gap’s Teeth is one of the most heavily defended passes in the Realm. The pass to the Wasting to the South, through the twisting and dangerous Dragon’s Throat, the garrison is the largest in the Realm, outside the Blessed Isle.
The Gap’s Teeth houses Legions ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice, air-lifted to trouble spots across the Realm. Far away from distractions, there is little else to do but train. Far from the Blessed Isle, the commanders here are free from the games of the Court, and a posting in the Teeth is seen as a mark of good favor, as it is a chance to prove one’s loyalty to the Realm and the Empress. At any time, the Legions based here can be lifted anywhere in the Creation to serve the interests of the Realm.
Difficult to reach, the Teeth are the seat of the Legion’s power, and noticeably far from the Blessed Isle, and the Empress’ Own. Commanders and officers sent to the Teeth are seen as the most loyal to the Realm, and a posting in the Teeth often leads to promotion into the Empresses’ private Legions. Few commanders from House Legions can find their way to a post in the Teeth. Insulated from the ebb and flow of Court life, the Dragons who are posted to the Teeth are often lost from the intricacies of the web of politics that usually follows the Dragon Blooded. Those who are taken to the Teeth often return years later, harder, and are isolated by their brethren. This is seen as a good thing from an Imperial standpoint, and are brought into the fold of the Imperial Garrison. Not a few officers have been lost from their families by a posting to the Teeth, returning hard, loyal, and with little concern for the fripperies of the Court.
The Far Orchards covers a long stretch of rich farmlands. Great fruit trees have been cultivated, and watched over by the natives, and when the Realm expanded, the locals became minor nobility, given their own House Minor in the Deliberative. Few representatives are sent, save to protect their products from tariffs and price fixing. The Far Orchards have few Dragon Blooded born in their midst, and to the Dragon Blooded of the Realm, the area is seen as a back water, hopeless and provincial. Which is how the natives prefer to be seen.
The Far Orchards are a hotbed for the Freedom Ride. While employing many indentured servants for labor, the Orchards have never employed slaves, and the prospect of slavery disturbs most of its citizens. Many of the Orchard’s families are involved in the Ride, smuggling slaves out of the Realm, often in casks mixed in with their applejack and wine. Their reputation for lacking subtlety and finesse is often played up in the Realm proper to hide their motives.
If the Wyld Hunt or the Magistrates ever discover the involvement of Far Orchards nobility in the Freedom Ride, the area would quickly be brought under military control, and the lands handed out to the Great Houses as tribute.
Bluehaven is into a structure of hulks, held together by the sargasso. The Lintha pirates have managed to survive still, despite the passage of the Wall. Their stronghold is protected by First Age magics, as well as their contacts in the Guild and bribes payed to the Legions have kept their operations secret and safe.
Bluehaven itself still moves, its location a secret to the family, the paths through the sargasso and fog are confusing, even for those who know the paths. The years have made the Pirates of Bluehaven legendary, and attacks by nearly any criminal in the area will be attributed to them.
The Lintha have grown into a society of more than just pirates, operating as far as Chiaroscuro, Gem, and even Lookshy, as assassins, slave runners, and smugglers. The Lintha have taken several criminal syndicates in, and transformed them into a remarkably efficient organization. Employed by the Realm’s Houses Major as often as the Guild, they maintain a careful balance to keep officials beholden to them more than aggravating the Realm’s Own. Thus far, they have done well in keeping the Major Houses from moving against them, and the few who are privy at all to their existence, suspect that the Grandmothers of Bluehaven have more dirt on the Major Houses than anyone suspects.
The Wavecrest Archipelago has a staunch population of fishermen and farmers, who bask in a permanent balmy spring year round. The sleepy islands are far enough from the depredations of the Pirates of Lintha, and enjoy a rich tourist industry, in addition to the fishing, and lush vegetation that makes farming easy and profitable.
Considered safe and easy going, the Realm pays little attention to the Archipelago, beyond accepting its tribute, and giving them a seat in the Houses Minor. Few Dragon Blooded are born to the islands, though God Blooded are not unknown. Their tradition of sacrificing criminals to the volcano gods is not well publicized in the Blessed Isle, but accepted by most Magistrates as a way of handling their criminals. Their nominal leader, the Feathered One is also the head officer of the Wavecrest Corporate, the company that handles most sales of fruit, fish, and also administers the tourist industry. This decision has kept the Guild from doing business throughout the region, and by many of the Realm is seen as perhaps a sign that the Cresters are less naive than they are thought to be.
Like most of the West, the society is divided by sex roles, and is patriarchal in the face of the matriarchal Realm. The Tya are recognized and accepted among the west as a way for women to escape their role, and indeed most women from the Realm are treated as Tya. Where the Realm tends to deal with land based industries and offices, they generally deal with the many tribe’s women, and little is said about their social affairs. This has developed further, since most representatives sent to the Realm are women, and diplomats and envoys are chosen from the women of the tribes.
Abalone is the largest city in the Wavecrest Archipelago, and the seat of the Feathered One, and the Wavecrest Corporate. The city is built up more so than any other island in the Archipelago, to accommodate tourism and shipping. The Guild maintains offices in Abalone, but since they are prevented from dealing with anyone other than Wavecrest Corporate, they rarely bother to try to open offices elsewhere in the islands. Too many Guilders have found themselves in jail when the volcanos of the islands get active, and watch as the jails empty to appease the Spirits to try again.
The Neck remains a place of simple fishermen, deep in communion with the ocean spirits. While the Neck rarely contributes much beyond cowry shells to the Realm, they have in recent years seen a rise in tourists, and the islanders are building up several villages to accommodate these visitors.
The Coral Archipelago has made peace with its martial history. Their warrior tradition has made these islanders prime material for the Legions, and many of the islanders leave their isles to join the Legions, or mercenary companies. As former privateers, the islanders often join the Navy and serve with distinction.
The tourist industry is based more on the casinos and gambling houses than the clime. Rain and cold predominate the islands for much of the year, their only real resource to contribute to the Realm is the iron palm industry. Shipyards on the islands produce ships of surprising sturdiness, and appointed to contracted specifications. The gambling houses of the islands often deal with more than just wagers of jade and gold, but taking on more intangible qualities for the right price–youth, health, sanity, or a sly smile.
Today, the youth of the isles often seek to leave the islands to make their fortune, and return. Many simply leave, never to see the grey isles again. The population has seen a rise as of late in poachers, raiding the Beast Islands, and the poaching industry is growing, becoming more subtle and ingenious at bypassing the Realm’s protections.
The Skullstone Archipelago centers on Darkmist Island, and the West’s most infamous Shadowland. A grey rock of an island, with fine black sand, there is little life native to these shores. The shores house both the dead and living, side by side.
The islands of the archipelago lie around extinct volcanos as well, but lie on the border marches of the Shadowland. A few scrubby bushes, flightless birds and bats make their homes among the islands, as well as few odd men and women. Small cities of dark stone house a few hundred thousand, all loyal to the Silver Prince. His Deathknights walk the islands as his servants and vassals, holding the islands in tow.
Citizenship extends beyond death in Skullstone. Inhabitants have a chance at immortality. Upon death, an individual’s worth is judged by the Deathknights, and those who are worthy are raised back as ghost. Those who are found wanting, are brought back to serve as zombies or skeletons. In fact, the only nobility of the island, are those who have passed beyond death. Citizens can only be judged within three days of their death, and the wait can be considerable, so often those who can afford it, stage elaborate death ceremonies in the Judgement Houses of Onyx, so that they can commit suicide in a sumptuous fashion to attract the attention of the Deathknights. While the Silver King rules the islands, they are advised a two branched council, The Elder council that holds seven seats elect the dead, and the Younger Council that holds five seats elects the living. The Silver Prince and his followers usually hold the advice of the Elders with greater respect.
Wealthy, the state offers up the wares of its Undead industry. Tireless workers turn out goods, harvest the seas with efficiency, and search without respite, old hulks for relics and treasure. Their ships are unafraid of pirates, holding far worse than Linthans themselves. The Guild regularly ships items from the island, eager for its riches, but those ships rarely stay long. The tales of the Onyx brothels are enough to chill most sailors. Still, there are those who wish to risk their souls to serve the Silver Prince, and sample the charnel delights of Onyx, and they are welcomed by Undead and ghostly arms.
The Denzik operate from the Inner Sea, as an alternative to the Guilds’ shipping. A vast collection of barges and sailing ships, lashed together as a vast city-ship. The ship makes a regular year long circuit from the Silverfin Isles to Chiaroscuro, and then along the south-west coast. Docked to this mighty flotilla, sail into port in many smaller ships and boats, eager to trade and taste the delights of these ports. Some ports use the Denzik as shippers of non-perishable goods, relying on their clockwork navigation to deliver goods.
Safe from pirates and raiders, the vast flotilla is seen with some trepidation by some communities, the thought of 20,000 sailors making landfall at once is daunting for some, others welcome the sailors with open arms to their gambling houses, brothels, and shops. Few traders follow the fleet, though some ships do travel with the flotilla for a short time to trade, and bask in its protection, the idea of competing with so many merchants at once is unappealing, but they will travel with them for a while and then break off for a new destination.
Shark’s Reef is a settlement on the Island of the Resplendent Shark’s Tooth, one of the islands of the Beast Islands, situated now within the Realm with the passage of the Wall. The community is little more than a trading post, but it processes and houses the many exotic beasts and slaves taken in raids along the coasts of the Beast Islands and the Archipelago of Lost Tribes.
The city was built by Guild members and traders to reap the riches of the Beast Islands. It is seen as a horror to the Court of Great Beasts, and has a heavy garrison from the Legions, as well as buttressed by mercenaries and hunters hired by the Guild to protect their investments.
The Governor is appointed by the Guild, and pays tribute to the Realm for their protection. Most of the city revolves around sending exotic species home, living or processed for their fur, scales, or bones. The city’s name comes from the Great Sharks that patrol the waters, and must be propriated by the sacrifice of cattle, and sometimes prisoners.
The Court of the Great Beasts are the only structures raised on the Beast Islands. Home to the Court of the Great Beasts, the Palace of Fangs, the Palace of Hooves, and the Palace of Tails and Fins, the island was lost to the Creation when the Wyld surged back, and reappeared a thousand years ago. In the few centuries, the Wall finally grew onto the island, encompassing it less than twenty years ago. The Realm has sent emissaries to greet the Great Beasts, and maintains a presence to keep the peace.
The Celestial Bureaucracy charged the Great Beasts to watch over their charges, and built the Court so that the Great Beasts could meet to discuss matters of importance. Now with the Realm encroaching the Beast Islands, the Court meets often. The peace has been maintained thus far, but it is a near thing, as more and more poachers take the offspring of the Great Beasts and their families. Negotiations are in process, but the Legions are readying for a long campaign in case the emissaries fail. While the Spirit Courts are bringing pressure to bear on the behalf of the Realm, their pact for a share of the Essence garnered from the Elemental poles giving them a vested interest in the fate of the Realm, it looks as if the Great Beasts may eventually march against the Realm, and if so, the Spirit Courts may decide to march on the side of the Realm.
The Realm’s Navy does nominally inspect for smuggled wildlife, but too many have been bribed to bring in exotics and the trade is brisk and fast. Not surprisingly, this is perhaps one of the few islands in the area that the Guild maintains no contact with.
Cherek is the home of House Ferem, deeply in the whaling trade. The city is on the northern shore of the Inner Sea. Urban, but unsophisticated, the Ferem are country bumpkins in the Houses Minor, and have built their city to flout their reputation. They have only succeeded in confirming their status as far as the Realm is concerned, but as an urban center, Cherek provides needed services and trade centers for the population.
Whitewall is one of the largest city of north. The city has walled off, and trapped the Shadowland that used to threaten it, and the Wall banished the Fey, and closed off the Tear to the Wyld. The Syndics still rule the city, though they pay tribute to the Realm. The roads are still enforced by the Pacts of old, and is safer than most in the Realm.
The city grew gradually, according to the Syndics’ plans, and it eventually encompassed and trapped the Shadowland in its borders. According to the Pacts, the denizens cannot cross into the city without invitation, nor can they harm anyone during daylight hours. Trapped, the Shadowland has shrunk over the years. The walls no longer even have gates to the Shadowland.
Still a harsh place, the winters are long and frigid. Freed from the threat of constant attack, Whitewall has relaxed, but its penal code is still austere. No longer trapped by between the Wyld and the Shadowlands, the city has spread out to the rich lands that the Fey had controlled, and those communities have never had to suffer attacks by the Undead or the Fey. Some consider the Syndics’ rule harsh, but no one has yet to challenge the embodied Spirit’s rule. Few of those raised in Whitewall proper would ever dream of displacing their protectors.
Gethamane is an old settlement. The mountain city is thought to be a city emptied by the Contagion, but the true origen has been lost to humankind. No matter, it stands as a testament of the engineering of the First Age. Large halls covered with intricate carvings, lit with bright crystals, thousands of halls and rooms carved from stone. The settlers have filled the Old City, and carved new passages and halls, filling them with mystech and Second Age wonders, but the heart of the city remains.
The Temples remain, filled with priests to serve their Nameless God. The Sunken Gardens still provide food, though with mystech additions, the city has a limited supply of fresh produce during the winter months. The new halls that have been added, have been at high cost, the Underways still are infested with creatures that have lived under the ice and rock for thousands of years. As the caverns and passages are cleared and renovated, the Things Below have watched with interest.
Mercenaries are often hired to clean out passages before construction begins. The city often tries to get the Legions to do the work, but with little influence in the Deliberative, Gethamane is generally on its own. Lookshy mercs often make the trek north to take on contract, because the city is expanding quickly.
Icehome is the capital of the former Haslanti League. The nine cities still remain culturally linked, though joining the Realm has made significant changes in their governance and customs.
Modern skysails are based on designs originally put into use by the League. The Haslanti Houses maintain a larger presence in the skysail market than any other of the Houses Minor. Iceships are in use for most year, cris crossing the north, plying trade to link most of the north, and have done so for longer than the Realm has held their lands. Their wealth is based on their transport system.
The Realm has made changes to the League, brought their matriarchy to the city states, the Oligarchy has been subordinated to the will of the Deliberative. Many of the mines from their city states are now carried directly to the Realm. The barbarians that were the Leagues greatest foes, are now their partners in the Realm. Many of the Icewalker tribes now have semi-permanent camps, and often are employed as guides for expeditions into the north. The Wyld barbarians of the north fled the expansion of the Realm, and left many of their settlements behind, allowing the tribes respite from the constant search for shelter.
One of the traditions that has survived is the mammoth hunt. Tied to their roots, the Haslanti organize ritualized hunts. In the outlying areas and villages, there are still those who survive the long winters by hunting mammoths for food. Sport hunters from the Realm are discouraged, and often find themselves attacked by Haslanti or Icewalkers. An invitation to take part of the Hunt is considered a great honor, and poachers are often shot before they see the Magistrates or the Realm’s Sheriff.
Crystal is an old city, providing rich mines of crystals and platinum. Their mines have found something of interest. The Realm has sent skysails with a full Legion to investigate. And to reinforce the city, as Wyld barbarians have crossed the steppes and ice plains to attack the city in force. Frozen fog has increased in occurrence and odd beasts have boiled out of the mines.
Diamond Hearth has been providing rich ore for the north for a thousand years. The need for mercenary support for these mines has increased. The deeper mines have unlocked passages to the Shadowlands to the north, as well as cavern warrens that beasts still wander in. The Legions have been contacted for support, but with the situation in Crystal deteriorating, it is not expected that they will be getting much in the way of Legion assistance. Diamond Hearth has instead contracted for mercenaries to bolster their defense, as well as privateers to scout the cavern complex.
Outkast is the home of several dozen outcaste Dragon Bloods, and their mortal mercenary companies. The outpost is little more than a reinforced camp, dug into the ice of the north, but the camp is secure, and the rumors abound that the Dragons have found something under the ice, something that keeps them in the north.
The outpost imports supplies, and pays in jade. Much of the settlement is dug into ice, and much of the tent city around the city cover boxes of supplies, crates of equipment, and there are rumors that a team of Dragons have been hiring scholars and savants from the Realm to travel to the north.
With the activity in the area, Wyld barbarians have taken interest in the outpost. Attacks and raids have tested the Outkast defenses. While the city has opened their doors to other Dragon Bloods, they have not hired any support units, and seem unconcerned with the probes.
Deep Plains is a settlement of Icewalkers who tired of their nomadic ways. After contact with the Realm, the disaffected within the Icewalkers broke from their tribes, and settled in the Plains. With the support of the Haslanti’s skysails, and a rich plain that supports grain production in the summer, the community has grown. Each year, more Icewalkers join, as do other small tribes of nomads from the east and the south. The city is growing quickly, rising from the plains, fueled by the sale of ivory that the Walkers have collected over the years.
The grain itself is not sold, but rather is used to produce high grade spirits that are sold to their brethren Walkers, for trade goods, food, and crystals collected over their travels. The grains also feed their herds, and stored for the winter. These herds are growing. Caribou and yeddim are sold for meat to the south.
Cold River sits beside the Shining Snake River. It is the last trading post to the north, and ships supplies down river. Most imports are made by skysail, and the Haslanti have a lock on incoming trade to Cold River. Ivory, crystals, and food are sent down river to communities to the south. Lumber and medicines from the east are sent inland and across the north by the Haslanti. The city also provides food and other supplies to the Wall towers.
The city is small, wide settlements surround it. Traders and merchant houses, as well as lumberyards abound. While lumber isn’t a commodity scarce in the east, in the north lumber is hard to come by, and with a ready source of wood, Cold River is considered rich by northern standards. Provincial by the Realm’s standards, Cold River has barely any representation in the Deliberative, and the few Dragon Bloods that have Exalted have yet to return. More common are God Blooded who serve the city Mothers.
