Jorrvask

Jorrvask was the fifth city founded in the Northern Reach during the Fourth Age. The city is largely populated by lizardfolk that are native to the Ashmarsh, and has been dedicated to the god Jormungandr. The city also serves as a protective barrier for the rest of the Northern Reach as its primary goal is to regularly cull the numbers of the dangerous creatures that live in the Ashmarsh, and to ensure that they do not attempt to leave their home and threaten the rest of the Reach. Jorrvask itself is located alongside the coast near the northern edge of the Ashmarsh alongside the eastern part of the Reach. These hunts are very dangerous, but very rewarding to those who participate. The Ashmarsh is full of valuable alchemical reagents, and the trophies taken from the creatures within are also sold for a hefty profit.

Demographics

50% Lizardfolk, 25% Orc, 10% Elf, 10% Human, 5% Other.

Government

The leader of Jorrvask is the Jarl, who is chosen from the most proficient hunters in the city. Every ten years the Jarl and any contestants who wish to challenge for the title are given one month to set out into the Ashmarsh, and return with the most impressive catch they can find. The candidate will be granted a small contingent of trusted guards who will ensure that there is no foul play between candidates, but any catch brought back by the candidate must be brought down by the candidate alone. The guard may step in to save the life of the candidate, but doing so forfeits their bid for leadership. When the candidate returns to Jorrvask, their catch will then be rated by the difficulty of their catch, how valuable it is, and the quantity they bring back. The total sum of their catch will be evaluated by the different guild leaders within the city. When the month has passed the most impressive hunter is granted the title of Jarl for the next ten years. In most cases a Jarl will not receive any challengers if they are seen as a good leader, and most Jarl's of Jorrvask eventually retire by choice due to age, rather than get replaced of killed during a hunt.

The Jarl serves as chief hunter and military leader of Jorrvask, but in most other matters they are granted a council of advisors who handle most of the day to day matters the city deals with. The council is made up of the Carvers, who process the hunts brought back by hunters, the Scouts, who search the Ashmarsh for particularly deadly creatures and watch out for any changes to the geography, and Spirit Wardens, who serve as religious leaders for the city and document much of the city's knowledge.

Defences

Jorrvask is protected by its impressive core of hunters, though the much of its defense also comes from the particularly inhospitable terrain surrounding it.

Industry & Trade

Trade in Jorrvask is largely based around the creature parts and plants brought back from voyages into the Ashmarsh. The city has a thriving alchemy industry that produces a wide variety of medicines, poisons, and enhancements. The bones, claws, and chitin of different creatures can be used to make unique sets of armor and weapons. Much of the meat that is harvested by the hunters is dangerous to eat due to the many mutations and poisonous creatures that live in the Ashswamp. This meat is largely used to feed different kinds of insects that then act as the primary protein for the people of Jorrvask. Jorrvask is also quite dependent on a species of large lizard known as an Ashrunner. These lizards are native to the Ashmash, but much less aggressive than most creatures that live within. This makes them perfect to act as mounts that can quickly traverse the difficult terrain of the Ashmarsh.

History

The founding of Jorrvask came about as a result of a particular event where a large stream of creatures poured out from the Ashmarsh and caused chaos throughout the Reach. The Ashmarsh is located around the base of a mountain range known as Devil's Breath mountains. At the center of this mountain range is a massive volcano known as the Hellmaw, that periodically erupts and blankets the surrounding marshland in ash. This ash is heavily charged with the corruptive energies of Genesis, and causes a variety of bizarre mutations in the local wildlife. Most of the time the wildlife, while particularly dangerous and aggressive, is content to stay within the Ashmarsh, but after a particularly bad eruption, or series of eruptions, the denizens of the marsh become enraged and leave the marsh, seeking out all forms of life and destroying whatever they come across.

In the year 1542 of the Fourth Age the Hellmaw belched out a continuous stream of smoke and ash for an entire century after staying dormant for nearly two centuries prior, leading to a seemingly unending stream of deadly beasts and twisted abominations pouring out of the Ashmarsh and causing widespread destruction through the Northern Reach. This event, known as the Century of Ash, threatened to overwhelm and wipe out the people of the Reach before suddenly coming to an end in the year 1653 of the Fourth Age. The survivors decided to found the city of Jorrvask in the hopes that regularly culling the creatures of the Ashmarsh could prevent them from ever amassing in such massive numbers again, and that the city could attempt to learn more about the Hellmaw and warn the rest of the Reach about future eruptions.

Founding Date

Yeah 1698 of the Fourth Age

Type

Large city

Population

23,500

Location under

The Northern Reach

Owner/Ruler

Rhoshk Bleakscale

Ruling/Owning Rank

Jarl