Bardusk

Jewel of the Vale Ruler: High Lady Cylyria Dragonbreast Economy: Wool, wine, barges, and wagons Militia: city guard of 600 well-trained and equipped warriors of both sexes and all races, assisted by seven roving gauntlets who raid Zhent and brigand holds, and escort caravans and travelers on the roads around the city and by the famous Harpers. Points of interest: The Three Bridges, The Crossroads Market of Asbravn, Twilight Hall, Academy of Helm.
Bardusk is sometimes called the Jewel of the Vale by those among its over 20,000 inhabitants. This is not a term that pleases residents of the rival neighboring city of Bleachbone Pass, though the two cities are firm allies in matters of trade and defense. The trail here crosses the upper Black Waters at Bardusk. Three bridges actually span the river here, two making use of a fortified island to shorten their leaping spans. This spot’s usefulness as a landmark and parley place, plus the rising of a spring to join the Black Waters here and the presence of rapids upstream of this spot have combined to ensure that there’s been some sort of settlement at this site since the dawn days: first the elven moot of Clearspring; then the human fishing village of Sulduskoon, and finally the city known today. The current city is named for Vardusk Orcslayer, a local human warrior whose energetic patrols drove orcs from the area making it safe to farm and opening the Vale for human settlement. Bardusk stands within a rough oval of high-girt stone walls that are pierced by six gates. Three of the gates welcome roads carried by bridges across the Black Waters. The most downstream or westerly of these three gates is Bellowbar Gate, named for the city’s first innkeeper who perished with his inn in a fiery explosion. The next two are Shortarrow Gate, so named because it’s a short arrow flight distance from the island, and Riverroad Gate. Bardusk proper is a growing small city of tall, steep-roofed stone houses that crowd close together, overhanging the cobbled streets that run between. Sewer gratings are everywhere, feeding into a river-flushed system that is intended to keep ice and snow from burying Bardusk in the winter but serves to keep the city clean and stench free in warmer months. The city guard has regular, and surprise, street patrols keeping street crime to a minimum. Visitors camping outside the city walls should report to the city guard to ensure a pleasant welcome and prevent rude awakenings caused by the city guard wanting to know who you are as patrols visits from the guard throughout the night. Today Bardusk is an important trading center much involved in the shipment of goods. High sided local way badges are winched carefully through the rapids, which have been known to smash normal rafts and barges, sending crew and cargo to the freshwater kelpies below. Businesses in the city also make many wagons, considered fair to poor by most merchants, excellent barges, and do extensive wagon repairs as contrary to their wagons and carts their wheels are very fine. Woollen mills in the city serve farmers from all over the southern Vale, many of whom go to The Crossroads Market called Asbravn to sell the wool there to Barduskan millers. Asbravn is the market center of the southern Vale farmers who would rather do their trading with each other here among traveling merchants than in the cities where others make a profit from their hard work. Buyers from Bardusk, Serenity Roost and Bleachbone Pass converge to the market each day. It’s common rumour that the market of Asbravn fills bellies all along the Black Rivers. The Crossroads Market at Asbravn is set up each morning in the shallow valley on the northeastern edge of the crossroads with a dilapidated temple facing the market, ringed by swap shops, a cooper and crate-maker, a wagon works, abandoned shrines long transformed into burnt-out shells where local children play, and between the two standing permanent structures here; the Tankard and Sheaf Tavern and the Board Laid Bare Inn. Dozens of caravans entirely of baled wool leave Bardusk for elsewhere in The Frontier and beyond at the height of the shearing season. Bardusk also produces a highly favored sweet wine, Barduskan Dark, a very dark amber sherry, heavy and burning to the tongue. It fetches as much as any fine bottles of wine elsewhere but freshly bottled it can sometimes be found for sale at half price. It travels well and folk is apt to find it in taverns and eateries all over the realms. All of this prosperity is guarded by a city guard of 600 well-trained and equipped warriors of both sexes and all races, assisted by seven roving gauntlets. The Gauntlets are patrol units from the local large walled Academy of Helm and each one comprises of pious warrior knights and battle clerics who raid any brigand holds that become known, escort caravans and travelers on the roads around the city, and work with the famous Harpers, some of whom can always be seen on the city streets. The ruler of Bardusk is High Lady Cylyria Vyziá. Known by supporters as “The Silent Lady”, or pejoratively as “Old Dragonbreasts”, she is one of the known leaders of The Harpers in Ethigoviel. Their most powerful base, Twilight Hall, stands in Bardusk and many of the officers of the city guard, called Shieldmasters, are Harpers. High Lady Cylyria also manages to keep Bardusk firmly in the Lords Alliance and the city welcomes all mortal and fey-touched races. The Silent Lady loves music and poetry, and the city attracts the best traveling minstrels and musicians, increasingly joined by noted bookbinders, limners, and sculptors. This thriving, growing community of artisans has begun to rival Freehaven in hauteur if not in numbers or quality and has begun to attract patrons, thieves, and wild romantic tales about its doings.

Type

City

Location under

Ethigoviel