Isvakaborg

 

Isvakaborg (Ice Watch Keep in the tongue of Giants and the Hastane) is a ruined castle on the shores of the Frozen Sea, about 120 miles northwest of Sigurth's Climb, close to the village of Yarik. It was built by the combined technology and ingenuity of the Hastane and the Dwarves of Kurdenheim, and they maintained a joint garrison,guarding against incursions by their mutual enemies, the giants of Jotunheld.

After the betrayal of Gristamere Overview during the Second Witching War, Kurdenheim and Norhast began to grow more and more suspicious of each other. In 873 SKR, these suspicions had turned to out and out hostility. When Orcish pirates came up the coast, the two forces could not put aside their differences to effectively fight alongside each other.

The Hastane say that it was a dwarf of Kurdenheim’s incompetence that led to the fall of the gates. The dwarves say a Hastane Half-Orc betrayed the castle on purpose. Whatever the truth of the matter was, the castle’s mighty gates fell, and many dwarves, Hastane, and orcs died in a bloody battle. Although the orcs were repelled, the survivors no longer trusted each other, and the keep was deserted.

Over the years, rumors of the unquiet dead haunting the castle abounded, and the place was shunned. Over two-hundred years or so, the ice of the Dagairan Glacier crept up to the castle’s walls. In the mid of 1081 SKR, the glacier seemed to surge forward, covering the castle entirely. Given the rumors of giantish ships seen in the area, the headman of Yarik, Halvi Frostbraids, began to fear he should send for help to the Jarl. Luckily, just as another ship sighting occurred, the Fire Wasps were on hand and decided to investigate.

It turned out that a Frost Giant Chief, Forseti, had taken over the fortress and intended to use it to raid along the coasts. They dispatched the giants and freed their Frost Dwarf slaves. Isvakaborg has been swallowed by the glacier, but who knows where the future will find it.

Type

Keep