Easthaven
The former gem of a great empire, now tarnished and all but emptied.
Easthaven is situated on the southern coast of Lac Dinneshere. It is the historical capital of the Alagonid Empire and is the second largest town north of the Worldspine Mountains after Bryn Shander. While much reduced from its imperial glory, it is governed by a hybrid of the aristocratic feudal system of the Alagonid-era and the Shanderite Speakership system. Easthaven is famous for legalizing pickpocketing in the late 200s NE in protest against a Nalemonic crackdown on lawlessness in Icewind Dale.
Politics and Economy
Speaker of the Lords' Court
The government of Easthaven is alone in Ten-Towns for its adherence to traditional Alagonid and Icewinder modes of governance. The town is governed by the Lords' Court made up of representatives from each of the five noble houses of Easthaven. This council holds the majority of decision-making powers, but holds a rotating Speaker role that is regularly exchanged between the houses.
The following noble houses currently have representation on the Lords' Court:
- Danneth Waylen, Earl of Eastway Gate
- Renald Redshield, Earl of Rottarge Manor
- Olaf Sigurdsson, Earl of Whitestone Manor
- Jens Black, Baron of Black House
- Maria Talani, Baroness of the White Lady
Each of the Houses has its own demesne in and around Easthaven, but the difficulty of life in Icewind Dale means that the Earls and Barons of Easthaven are geographically concentrated around the town itself. The Lords' Court was initially developed as a means to resolve disputes between the houses, but became the communities chief political body following the Nalemonic conquest.
Alagonid Legacy
The remaining noble houses in Easthaven consists of three earls and two baronies. Easthaven was historically divided into manorial estates, but those centred around the modern town are the only ones currently occupied. Icewind Dale's dwindling population has meant that many rural estates were abandoned, and the Everlasting Rime has left the rest empty and only under the theoretical control of the houses.
The differences in rank between the houses are largely a matter of convention, as each currently occupies only a single manor. The House of Whitestone is an exception, as it continues to staff two additional rural manors. The majority of conflict between the houses centres around House Waylen and House Redshield, although the House Whitestone still staffs a manor some kilometres southwest of town.
Economy
The economy of Easthaven is driven principally by the fishing and scrimshaw trades. Lac Dinneshere had a larger population of knucklehead trout than in Maer Dualdon, making exports of knucklehead ivory and sculptures the bedrock of wealth. Easthaven's large population also made it the region's largest centre of trade for centuries, until Bryn Shander began to overtake it in the first century NE.
Historically, the environs around Easthaven's were one of the few regions north of the Worldspine that could sustain reasonably sized icegrain farms. This directly led to the development of northmannish feudalism in Icewind Dale that led to the development of petty kingdoms, including the Kingdom of Icewind.
The construction of the Eastway, a trade road between Bryn Shander and Easthaven, is the principal economic corridor for the town. While the road has deteriorated since its construction during the Kingdom of Icewind, it remains a critical route that allows Easthaven to maintain a fishing fleet to rival Caer-Dineval.
Relatively lax criminal laws, including the legalization of pickpocketing have also produced a large black market and made the town susceptible to organized crime.
History
Early History
Easthaven was the first Northmannish community founded in Icewind Dale, sometime in the 6th-7th century of the Caublin Age. However, it was fairly quickly overtaken by Targos in influence, due primarily to Targos's maritime connection to overseas trade through the Shaengarne River. Nevertheless, it remained the most populous city and declared itself an independent Duchy in the first century MA, shortly before Targos did the same.
Kingdom of Icewind
The Duke of Targos, through a combination of diplomatic marriages, force, and threats to cut off other communities on Maer Dualdon from access to the Shaengarne and maritime trade, eventually took control of the Lake. The Duke crowned himself King of Icewing and turned his attention to his only regional competitor, the Duchy of Easthaven. He managed to kidnap a full half of the Easthaven Ducal Family, during a visit they made to a manor near Shorewood (modern Good Mead). This leverage secured the vassalage of Easthaven for Targos.
Under the Kingdom of Icewind, the Duchy of Easthaven remained the realm's most influential subject. It became the home of preference for much of Kingdom's petty aristocracy and its large icegrain tenant farms ensured a level of sway for the Dukes in Easthaven.
Easthaven was the birthplace of Alagondar the Great. He became a war hero during Queen Vassavicken's War, a frost giant invasion of the Kingdom of Icewind that resulted in the destruction of Caer-Konig. After the war, Alagondar overthrew the King of Icewind with the support of a White Dragon ally and crowned himself Emperor of All Northmen.
Capital of the Alagonid Empire
Following the coronation of Alagondar the Great, Easthaven rapidly expanded in wealth and population. New magican and non-magical cold-weather infrastructure, greatly improved icegrain output and new trade routes led to significant increases in wealth. New markets for Easthaven scrimshaw, massive public projects, and its situation as the ceremonial capital and seat of Alagonid imperial rule made Easthaven an (out of the way) hub for the Northlands. Most importantly of all, it became the summit for meetings between the Empire and its dragon allies.
While Alagondria (modern Norvissen) was the administrative capital of the Empire, Easthaven remained its link to the true north of Icewind Dale. This region was home to Arveiturace and the other white dragons that enabled the Alagonid Empire's rapid rise. Until the Departure, Alagondar's mysterious disappearance in 904 MA, Easthaven was the cultural centre of the northmannish imperial project. At its height, Easthaven reached a population of 100,000.
Nalemonic Rule
While Easthaven's fortune declined in the later Alagonid period, it remained extremely well-off for its relatively inhospitable geography. This only truly changed when war with the elfish Nalemonic Empire to the south cut it from most of the Alagonid's wealthiest possessions. By the time Alagondria was conquered in 113 NE, massive refugee outflows reduced the population of Easthaven to scarcely 5000. This number was halved again following the Nalemonic occupation of Icewind Dale and the repeated elfish crackdowns to suppress any latent Alagonid resistance.
The Arnehard Guild
Organized crime always existed in Easthaven, and a number of criminal guilds became highly influential at the height of Easthaven's wealth. The most long-lasting of these tied themselves to patrons among the nobility, exchanging wealth for protection. This phenomenon became a defining feature of Easthaven following the passage of the Pickpocket's Law by the Lords' Council in 159 NE.
The Arnehard Guild was one such organization. It is the only remaining guild, having survived repeated Nalemonic crackdowns by disguising itself as a merchants' guild that dominates the spice trade in Icewind Dale. The occupation made it a centre of resistance among those that resented elfish rule. As a result, it has become extremely influential, and bribing its agents is a matter of doing business in Easthaven.
While number of smaller gangs that take advantage of the town's lax approach to criminality, they almost universally recognize the dominance of the Arnehard Guild.Contents
General Information
Nalemonic Empire
Cult of Auril
Nalemonic Pantheon
Reghed
Silverpine dwarfs
Naldi
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