Helgafell
Located closer to the northern pole than most of the other major cities Helgafell the harsh climate is at constant war with the city make the other yield first, this has forged all of the denizens of the city into a rough hearty people, slow to trust but loyal and prideful. The city originated over a millennium ago as part of a dwarven civil war over that cause of which has been lost to the ages. If you were to ask any dwarves alive now they would claim that it never happened, the dwarves of Helgafell were only looking for a new challenge. The dwarves tried repeatedly with limited success to excavate the ground here but it proved too tough even for their expertise they have settled mostly above ground and that Helgafell is actually where the above ground dwarven architecture was originally developed and it's influences can be heavily seen in it's sister city of Arkafell.
The Great Migration
The citizens of Helgafell are known for their tough independent nature they are actually the catalyst for The Great Migration after one of Avalon's generals had to put down yet another revolt in the area they began moving in halflings and humans to play into their natural inclination to mistrust outsiders, this worked perfectly causing an uneasy time int he city where street brawls regularly broke out between the quickly multiplying humans with their religion and shoddy craftsmen ship in the dwarves minds. Today the city has come to a sort of balance and many dwarves have actually begun attending church at the great cathedral that the humans erected in the city once things settled down.Religion
The humans brought various religions with them to the city and nearly all of them have their own area of the great cathedral that the humans have built in the city, With a general message of hope and understanding the church has been quickly gaining influence in the city as being one of the small reprieves from the punishing environment they all live in, with hearths going all the time and a bowl a soup for the needy they attract many from all walks of life. Their influence has grown so much that they have been given multiple seats in the senate and are known for lobby for public works in the city Their votes in the senate have allowed them to make lucrative deals with many business owners and nobles in the city and some of the higher ranking clerics have proven to be very adept at diplomacy.Demographics
30% Dwarf
35% Human
10% Gnome
6% Halfling
19% misc.
Government
The governing body is made up of three separate legislative bodies and an arbitrator council that handles the judicial functions.
The nobles reside in the area of the senate building called the Halls of Honor; they have been empowered to propose new laws, vote on proposed laws and are given control of the city treasure during times of war.
The forums is where the elected officials from the general citizenry assemble; they have veto powers over many financial decisions made in peace time but required a 3/4 majority to do so. They are also capable of proposing laws and can vote to contest laws proposed or passed by the other two legislative branches a contested law can proceed to the arbiter council for ultimate decision.
Halls of Honor
The nobles reside in the area of the senate building called the Halls of Honor; they have been empowered to propose new laws, vote on proposed laws and are given control of the city treasure during times of war.
The Forums
The forums is where the elected officials from the general citizenry assemble; they have veto powers over many financial decisions made in peace time but required a 3/4 majority to do so. They are also capable of proposing laws and can vote to contest laws proposed or passed by the other two legislative branches a contested law can proceed to the arbiter council for ultimate decision.
The Haven of Creativity
The halls of creativity are a recent addition to the government due to local business owners and guilds being upset with not having representation as the neither the nobles or the general citizen populace had their best interest at heart. The last straw that led to the creation of this branch was a brief tax on multiple ingredients in a dwarven hard alcohol which was quickly overturned. The halls of Creativity house a wide variety of organizations from the Crafters, Merchants and Griffen's guild to the church itself. They have the powers to vote submit a law for review and proposal within the other two halls, vote on a law before it come into effect, they also handle all supplies during war times.Defences
The entire city is set up on a cliff face over the water giving the northern side of the city natural defenses. Surrounding the city that is not facing the cliff there is a tall wall of stone that has been frozen solid with the frigid temperature of the north.
Industry & Trade
Being a coastal city shipping is a large industry as well as fishing, due to the tough ground farming is not an option for most here and fishing is their primary source of food and trade. Pelts, salted wild game and ice are it's primary exports. The ice trade is a large source of income as they have devised a way to keep the ice cool long enough to ship to the richer citizens of the southern half of the continent.
Guilds and Factions
History
Helgafell is one of the oldest settlements in all of Mythrailia built by the dwarves over a millennium ago, no one knows the exact founding date but it was made by dwarves who branched out to find new riches in the unexcavated lands of the north, but it proved difficult and they did not make much progress before settling mostly on the surface.
Architecture
There is a mix of of ancient dwarven infrastructure and a combination of hastily erected human structures that were erected during the Great Migration and more permanent buildings including a large cathedral were built as the humans became more settled in the area.
Natural Resources
Primary resources are fish, wild game and lots and lots of ice.
Maps
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Helgafell