Norgard
City of Orias, Weyland.
Who Rules: Norgard is the Capital of Orias and is home to the Greystone Family. The current Earl Arn Greystone is a young man in his early 20s who is currently trying to repair the damage done by his uncle who was the regent until Arn Greystone came of age. Decades of brutality and exploitation by Arns uncle gave Norgard a bad reputation and attracted neerdowells and like-minded villains. Since coming of age and returning from ransom in Ostland with an Ost Beargaurd a gift from the now King of Ostland he seized control after a brutal conflict and placed his uncle in a Gibbet cage from the front gates of the castle where he remains still hanging... Arn has tried to remove the criminal element from Norgard but is struggling to cope with the amount of smuggling and trafficking that goes through the town. Corruption is rife among officials and dock workers.
Population: 42,000 (estimated).
Major Products: Wool, Livestock, Coal and Fish.
Armed forces: Norgard Citadel is occupied by the Bearguard, 20 Ost Berserkers who are completely loyal to Arn. 500 Regular Militia, 300 Soldiers, 100 Archers, 50 Mercenaries, 50 Men at Arms, 12 clerics, 6 Knights, 5 Engineers, 4 Society Mages and finally the Knight Captain who oversees the military and policing in the city as well as an advisor to the Earl. 10 Tenabe Samurai are also available if required.
It has two Corvettes with 120 crew per ship permanently assigned to protect the harbour from pirates and Ost Raiders.
Features
Norgard has a small but deep water harbour and a sizeable fishing fleet.
It is a picturesque town with an imposing fortress sitting atop a crag and the town below clustered around the bay.
Norgard has a mixture of native Weylanders and Ost migrants. It is a thriving trade port, it has a sizeable fishing fleet and along with Haeltor a huge amount of sheep on the hill and fields surrounding it.
Heavily fortified the Jotnir built its massive stone walls as thanks to the Earl of Greystone over 500 years ago.
Districts
The Citadel is a huge stone fortress atop a stone crag. Heavily fortified this bunker-like structure is surrounded by looming walls. Home of the Greystones and current residence of the Earl.
High Town, the wealthy nobles and merchants occupy this small but aesthetically pleasing district. The Gates to High Town is guarded at all hours and access is only given to residents and those presenting authorization. "The Eala" a high-class hotel is also found in Hightown.
Dockside is a sprawling mass of warehouses, fish sheds, taverns, slum housing, leather workers, stone masons, boat builders and brothels. None of its side streets is straight and little more than allys. dozens of courtyards are interconnected by the dark narrow ally's. The Slippery Eel Inn is a notorious establishment offering a multitude of services both legal and illegal.
Templeside, is where the temple of the Gods can be found as well as the more learned artisans of the town. Broad tree-lined avenues faded but grand buildings and some good Inns are found here. Many coffee vendors are found in this district with pilgrims, academicals and the priesthood being frequent imbibers. The House of Black Sticks is a small shop selling many unusual trinkets, relics and paraphernalia.
The Shins, a narrow district between the citadel and dockside, were home to the common folk of Norgard. Some good Ale Houses and shops can be found here as well as a good day market selling fresh produce. The Daffodil is a particularly good tavern selling good value food and drink.
Marketplace, is the largest district of the town, with many shops, services, street markets, the "infamous" Beast Market (wow this place stinks in the summer), Coffee Houses, Inns Taverns and Tap Houses are found (it seems there are one on every street corner - there is, to be honest). Most visitors stay in the Marketplace as everything they might need can be found here including the Adventurers Guild.
The Crane District is a small closed community of Longdenglu traders and their retinue. bought from the Regent for a princely sum. The Tenabe Trading house has created a slice of the Dao culture. The Silk Market is popular with the wealthy, the Inn is very popular not only with the residents but some nobles and visitors. There are a couple of traditional Tea Houses and several fine Dao restaurants, as well as street food vendors selling simple BBQ and Noodle dishes. The architecture is unlike the rest of the city as everything is built in the Longdenglu style.
Other Places of Note
The Jade Inn, The Crane District, Norgard. A large Dao style Inn on 4 stories in the traditional pagoda style