Jotunvaag
The city of the Giant’s wall sits within a deep recessed fjord, anchored on both sides by rocky tendrils jutting out into the sea. This natural harbour is augmented by the titular ‘Giants Wall’ which extends likewise into the sea, given the harbor a ready and deep draft. Both native long-ships and foreign ocean going vessels can dock here.
The Giant’s wall is made from huge stones, each easily taller than a man and twice that wide. It shows the skill of ancient Giant masons as it slides out of the river up the cliffs and around what was once a keep of some sort. The tangled ruin of brick and hill at it’s end now holds King Bjornkarl of Jotunvaag’s Hall.
The Hall is made from mortared stones, the remnants of the old Giant city serving as a quarry. It stands nearly 30 feet tall, broad side areas served by thick stone chimneys from which emanate the smoke of near unending fires, tended by thralls and cooks. The main hall stretches nearly 80’, large pillars of stone braced with wood that support its steepled roof. A pillared statue of Odin sits among the rafters on one side, flanked by Frigg on his left and Thor on his right. Ravens often roost among the beams, and sometimes brave children or nimble thralls do as well.
The long passage ends in a raised dais on which sits a large throne of oak, in which are carved fey faces, laughing, angry, fearful and demanding. When holding course King Bjornkarl sits here, flanked by his greatest Warriors and an aged Soothsayer.
The rest of the hall is filled with long tables and stools on which will sit the brave warriors, bards, poets, wizards and other members of his court during feasts and celebrations, which are often. Unlike many such halls, this one boosts to more than just warriors. While the walls do bear tapestries and trophies from past victories, they also bear those depicting tales from farther afield, and objects brought back from far travels to the West and South. The great shield of a Fire Jotun. A large cloth map of the southern sea’s brought back by a trader.
The King has a private chamber beneath the hall, along with a space he keeps books and scrolls and other artifacts. Rumours abound of what else is beneath the hall; Catacombs and resting places for old kings. Ancient tombs of long dead Giants. Treasure troves guarded by dark spectre’s and who knows what else.
The rest of the city/town leads from this apex down to the docks. Section of the city are layered for those who produce goods; Blacksmiths, Goldsmiths, Silversmiths and Tinsmiths. Tailors and Shoemakers and Cloth-weavers. Carpenters and Basket-weavers and Rope-makers and a hundred other crafts. Joined are the merchants both of the kingdom and foreign merchants who have more regular trade here. The king's support for foreign trade has made it rich and it is viewed as a safe harbour by many who might not otherwise journey to northern lands.
Ale-halls ring with merry sounds, and sailors, warriors, merchants and craftsmen trade jests, gamble at dice or play other board-games, drink Ale, Cider and Mead, and fight and chase members of the opposite sex. Alewives run the majority of the ale-halls. Many double as Inns for those travelling from far. Most merchants trade in silver, and carry small scales to measure both hack-silver and coins. The coins of King Bjornkarl are traded at their base value, 240 to a pound of silver. Many other coins are likewise accepted at similar value. Some, though not all merchants might accept coins of gold as well, though they are much rarer.
Demographics
As one of the largest settlements of the Veld, Jotunvagg is also one of the most diverse. While the overwhealming majority of the population are Veldfolk , there are sizable minority populations of peoples of the Southern Lands, The Eastern Isles, and stranger. A population of Dwarves has taken up permanent residence. Visiting groups of Elves and Goblins are also sometimes present.
Government
While the Jarl is the titular head of the town, he could no govern without the assistance of his immediate council and the various prominent people within the town. Powerful Warriors and Reavers, Speakers for the Gods, Traders and prominent craftsmen all contribute to matters that come before the Jarl.
As the Jarl's authority comes from his position both as military leader and judge, the Jarl is usually held as the ultimate 'decider' in matters of law, though he is informed by those law-keepers who represent the gods and record all decisions that have gone in the past. Precedent is given some weight, but is not written in stone.
Industry & Trade
While the surrounding countryside provides resources from farms, fisherfolk, mines and lumber camps, Jottanvaag's principal economy is governed through a combination of local artisans and trade. The Rule of Jarl Bjornkarl has expanded what was already a thriving community of traders and craftsmen. The finest goldsmiths, silversmiths and tinsmiths of the Veld reside here, for here is a place where a craftsmen may grow wealthy and his family prosperous. The open trade Bjornkarl has promoted means ships of every kind land in it's ports; bringing goods difficult to find anywhere else in the Veld, and carrying both raw materials and worked goods of the Veld into the wider world.
Infrastructure
The town has grown up in a some-what hodge-podge manner surrounding the Giants Wall and the Jarl's Grand Hall. Roads are simple treaded paths, made more-so by the passage of feet, hooves and wagon wheels. In the spring months they become mired in muck.
The only real exception is the causeway leading up to the Grandhall, which is covered in large stones bigger than a man's chest. These stones make this path more navigable even in spring.
The Docks are an ever expanding construction. Extending out into the bay created by the Giant's Wall, thick tree trunks have been sunk deep into the Bay floor, and spans of wood built to make docks that extend fifty paces or more, giving the ability to moore two or more ships to each dock. These wooden docks extend somewhat onto the beech and further up, offering a wooden framework to walk on.
Guilds and Factions
Like most major settlements in The Veld , Jotunvaag's politics revolved around prominent War-Leaders, their families, followers and hangers-on. The present factions include Jarl Bjornkarl , who governs the Town, Oskar Serpent-Bane, an Old Warrior who was a prominent ally of Bjornkarl's father and is looked to by other Warriors, and the Firestarters, a group of Wandering Heroes who have risen to prominence in recent years.
Another faction is the former supporters of Inke, Daughter of Svenhold. Inke was Jarl Bjornhold's cousin and one of his key competitors to that rank. She was a reaver of some renown and powerfully supported by many of the younger warriors, and those older traditionalists who saw Jarl Bjornkarl as week or too studious to hang on to power. She was executed in the fashion of the Blood Eagle after trying to usurp Jarl Bjornkarl. Her people have yet to rally around another, though it is perhaps only a matter of time.
History
In the time before the Gods raised up Man, the Jotan, the Giants, reigned supreme over the area known as the Veld. What was to become Jotanvaag was a prominent camp of a Giant King. The Hill upon which the Jarl's Hall not sits was a citadel of some sort, built with the same ancient Giant techniques that made the wall that extends now into the bay.
How and why the Giant kingdoms fell is something known to virtually no-one in the Veld. The Gods arose with humans as their primary instruments and the Giants as their enemies. The Kingdoms of the Giants were shattered, only remnants left in remote places and ruins over which to poor.
Jotunvaag, with it's natural harbour, has been a trading place for longer than human memory. It has been fought over, claimed, invaded and freed many times. The Present Jarl's Great-Grandfather was the last military claimant to take the city by force, and though internal squabbling has continued, it is his descendants who have always controlled the city since.
Alternative Name(s)
The Giant's Wall, The Skald's Way
Type
City
Population
8000
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Characters in Location
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