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  PAUL “WIGGY” WADE-WILLIAMS
  •CITIES OF ROYALTY•
  •CITY BOOK 4•
  
  by Paul “Wiggy” Wade-Williams
  editor: Hans botHe 
  Cover & graPHiC design: robin elliott
  Cover illustration: Justin david russell
  CartograPHy: robin elliott
  tyPesetting: Paul Wade-Williams
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  City book 4
   
  Cities of royalty
  
  
  neW AsPeR
  HisToRy ................................... 3
  soCiAl HieRARCHy ................. 3
  GoveRnmenT .......................... 4
  lAW And oRdeR ...................... 4
  The Courts.............................. 4
  Thieves’ Guild ........................ 5
  eduCATion .............................. 5
  ReliGion .................................. 5
  festivals .................................. 6
  miliTARy ................................... 6
  militia ...................................... 7
  Private forces ......................... 7
  TRAde & TRiBuTe ................... 7
  Taxes ....................................... 7
  ARCHiTeCTuRe ........................ 9
  THe sun ................................... 9
  mAjoR loCAles ..................... 10
  outside the City ................... 10
  sigel’s Ward .......................... 10
  ertha’s Ward ......................... 11
  var’s Ward ............................. 12
  kenaz’s Ward ........................ 14
  Hothar’s Ward ...................... 15
  Tiw’s Ward ............................ 16
  RAvensBuRG
  HisToRy ................................. 18
  soCiAl HieRARCHy ............... 18
  GoveRnmenT ........................ 18
  The Bench ............................ 19
  Bench Clerical ...................... 19
  lAW And oRdeR .................... 20
  The Courts............................ 20
  Thieves’ Guild ...................... 20
  eduCATion ............................ 20
  ReliGion ................................ 21
  festivals ................................ 21
  miliTARy ................................. 22
  militia .................................... 22
  Private forces ....................... 22
  TRAde & TRiBuTe ................. 23
  Taxes ..................................... 23
  markets ................................. 23
  ARCHiTeCTuRe ...................... 23
  THe sun ................................. 23
  mAjoR loCAles ..................... 25
  outside the City ................... 25
  inside the City ...................... 25
  Contents
  
  neW asPer
  History
  Aspiria has been involved in every major historical 
  event since its conquest by the Anari. its fledgling armies 
  weathered the dark storm of the demongate Wars. it was 
  a beacon of hope and light in the terrible crusade against 
  the unholy forces of the liche-Priest. its legions stood 
  strong in the face of the vast horde of the Hellfrost armies 
  that poured from the north. it suffered greatly during the 
  Golem uprising. yet new Asper makes no appearance in 
  all these turning points in history.
  until its destruction, the capital was in Asper, further 
  west. Historically, this made strategic sense—the location 
  was easy to defend against hostile tribes and the trade 
  routes of old were not as they are today.
  instead of rebuilding the shattered capital, the royal fam-
  ily decreed that a new capital city would be erected to the 
  east—one better positioned for trade and defense. Thus it 
  was that a low hill became the center of power in Aspiria.
  Whereas the old capital had grown haphazardly from a 
  core settlement, the new capital, unimaginatively named 
  new Asper, would be designed from the ground up to be 
  a modern, efficient city. Ample room was added for later 
  expansion without the necessity to knock down and 
  rebuild the city walls. Twice the size of the old capital 
  and surrounded by sturdy walls, new Asper would be a 
  throwback to the days of empire, when the Anari were 
  the (largely) undisputed masters of the Hearthlands.
  in order to ensure the safety of the workforce, the 
  royal army stormed in the eastern marches, driving back 
  the orc tribes that had long dwelt here. such was the ef-
  fectiveness of the war that the orcs would take the better 
  part of two centuries to recover their strength.
  Recover they did, though, and they turned their eyes 
  to the hated blight that was new Asper. Had they stayed 
  in the distant hills and limited their activities to raiding 
  border villages, the orcs would likely have been ignored. 
  instead, they marched against the city. 
  Arguably their decision made sense—a bastion of 
  civilization so close to their lairs posed a serious threat 
  to their continued existence, for sooner or later the hu-
  mans would seek to end the job they had started genera-
  tions ago. unfortunately, their failure to capture the city 
  during a short-lived siege in 452 iR was a direct cause of 
  king Halgroth iv’s crusade against them.
  Pragmatic, and with conflict against terrible foes a part 
  of their rich and troubled history, Asperians refer to the 
  siege only as “the momentary War.”
  in theory the king could have ignored the orcs—their 
  strength was, it seemed, largely spent. To do nothing 
  would be to look weak, however, something no king 
  who wishes to keep his throne can afford. so it was that 
  the royal army once again marched eastward. This time 
  the orcs were ready. sacrificing smaller tribes and weaker 
  warriors, the bulk of their forces retreated deep into the 
  mountains, there to patiently wait their time to relaunch 
  their continued assault on Aspiria.
  soCial HierarCHy
  The only nobles commonly found in new Asper are 
  the royal family, senior courtiers and officials, and mem-
  bers of the noble Council who call it home. The counts 
  have estates here, but have absolutely no legal authority 
  over the running of the city.
  Although new Asper has upper, middle, and lower class 
  citizens, where you live creates a second tier within each 
  stratum. This is based on tradition rather than wealth. A 
  merchant who resides in var’s Ward, one devoted to mat-
  ters of trade, is considered to be of higher social standing 
  than one who resides in Hothar’s Ward, despite the latter 
  being the reserve of the wealthy. There are exceptions to 
  the rule. The arkhwisards, for instance, reside in their 
  towers. Regardless of what ward they are in, their magi-
  cal power and temporal influence ensure they are always 
  in the highest echelons of the upper class.
  
                               
                                                             
  
  Hellfrost: City book 4
  4
  government
  As the capital of Aspiria, new Asper is the home of the 
  king. on paper, he is responsible for overseeing the efficient 
  running of the city. of course, Halgroth v is far too busy 
  feasting and hunting to bother about governing Aspiria, 
  let alone a single city with its myriad petty problems. That 
  burden rests on the shoulders of his trusted seneschal.
  As the king’s official agent, the seneschal wields con-
  siderable power. under earlier kings, seneschals would 
  report to the king regularly and receive orders. Halgroth 
  v has no time for such nonsense, leaving his underling 
  to run new Asper largely as he sees fit.
  Traditionally, it falls to the old king’s second child to 
  run new Asper. This keeps control in the family and gives 
  the sibling a taste of power, thus reducing, in theory, the 
  chances of him plotting to usurp the throne. When the 
  king has no siblings, it has long been the practice to ap-
  point a cleric of Hothar to the position. The only firm 
  rule is that no member of the counts’ families can ever 
  hold the post. The current seneschal is Archduchess Cas-
  sandra, Halgroth’s 22-year old sister. Cassandra was less 
  then thrilled by her appointment—she had her sights set 
  on becoming a priestess of sigel.
  As with the noble Council acting as a check to the 
  authority of the king, so the seneschal’s reign is not 
  absolute. unlike the noble Council, the City Council is 
  made up entirely of commoners. modeled on the higher 
  council, it has an inner and outer Chamber.
  The inner Chamber is comprised of five members—the 
  high priests of Hothar, sigel, and eostre Plantmother, the 
  captain of the city guard, and an arkhwisard of the Con-
  vocation (elected by his peers to serve a three-year term). 
  The outer Chamber is made up of ten citizens. These are 
  elected from five of the city wards (sigel’s Ward has no 
  councilors) and serve for four years. intended to allow 
  the common people a voice, it is only the rich or influen-
  tial who can sway the masses to support them.
  The names, gender, race, and age of the inner Chamber 
  members are given below, along with a brief description 
  of their primary duties. The details of the outer Chamber 
  are left for the Gm to determine.
  High Priest of Eostre: no wine is grown around new 
  Asper, but it is the national drink and a major export. 
  The cleric is responsible for ensuring his underlings 
  elsewhere in Aspiria strive for good harvests; Incumbent: 
  sower-Cultivator serin Red-lips (male, Anari, 43)
  High Priest of Hothar: The senior judge in new Asper 
  and responsible for ensuring the seneschal remains 
  within the law at all times; Incumbent: scale of justice 
  fricor the just (male, Anari, 67)
  High Priestess of Var: var receives little love elsewhere 
  in Aspiria, but new Asper exists primarily because it sits on 
  major trade roads. The cleric serves as the city’s treasurer; 
  Incumbent: Profiteer Hansine of Parisi (female, Anari, 39)
  Captain of the Guard: Responsible for overseeing 
  the city defenses and guard. The position is very much 
  a bureaucratic one. Were the city to come under attack, 
  the king’s castellan would assume control; Incumbent: 
  Guard-Captain Abonde ap-dragan (female, Anari, 50)
  Arkhwisard: A general advisor appointed to strength-
  en the bond between the king and the Convocation, 
  the arkhwisard has no specific duties; Incumbent: Arkh-
  wisard Galerus stone-fist (male, Anari, 47)
  laW and order
  Rather than use members of the king’s Guard to patrol 
  the streets, the cult of Hothar persuaded the kings of old 
  to allow a civilian watch under its authority. This would, 
  the clerics said, help ensure the monarch was viewed in 
  a more favorable light (any corruption would not reflect 
  on him personally) and better serve the cause of equal 
  justice for all. despite coming under the cult’s immedi-
  ate authority, they ultimately answer to the seneschal.
  The watch is made up of just 200 members. divided 
  into two shifts, day and night, they patrol the five outer 
  wards in five-man squads. in command of each squad is a 
  novitiate or cleric of Hothar. each outer ward has a single 
  Ward-Captain, an experienced paladin of the god of jus-
  tice. They in turn answer to the high priest of Hothar.
  Thanks to the clerics’ continual presence, the watch is 
  both efficient and honest. While citizens feel safe on the 
  streets, they are also careful not to infringe the law—the 
  watch is rather zealous in its approach.
  tHe Courts
  Whether a count or a dung-collector, every citizen who 
  breaks the law in new Asper must stand before the cult 
  of Hothar to receive justice. even the king falls under 
  their authority, though it would take a powerful high 
  priest to drag the monarch through the courts.
  lesser crimes are judged by a single cleric and greater 
  crimes by a panel of three clergymen. in matters of reli-
  gious and military crimes, they may appoint an advisor 
  with specialist knowledge. Citizens have no right to trial 
  rules of tHe realm
  These setting rules apply in new Asper.
  * Justice for All: The courts of new Asper are run by 
  the cult of Hothar. in their eyes, all men are equal. 
  As such, nobles do not gain the usual +2 Charisma 
  bonus awarded them by dint of their social station 
  when involved in court cases.
  * Languages: Heroes used to conversing in Trader 
  are out of luck in new Asper. Aspirian is the na-
  tive language, followed by Tuomi. very few natives 
  speak more than a few words of Trader.
  * Respected: members of the Convocation and 
  clerics of the norns are treated with great respect. 
  They have +1 Charisma when dealing with non-
  members or cultists.
                                             
  
  neW asPer
  
  by ordeal—evidence is presented, witnesses are heard, 
  and a decision is made.
  Appeals are permissible, though an accused is permit-
  ted only one. in keeping with local laws, they are also 
  heard by the cult—all that changes is that judges are 
  assigned. Although duty-bound to hear them, the court 
  dislikes appeals—they imply the original judge has made 
  a mistake in interpreting the law. Those who appeal and 
  are still found guilty receive a harsher sentence for wast-
  ing the court’s time and insulting Hothar.
  every person accused of a crime has a right to an advo-
  cate to advise him on matters of law. one such body only 
  too eager to help is the Guild of lawyers. independent 
  of the cult, though many lawyers do take Hothar as their 
  patron deity, they serve the needs of their clients before 
  blind adherence to the law. unfortunately, lawyers charge 
  high prices, meaning only the wealthy can afford them. 
  A person who cannot afford a lawyer may ask for the 
  cult to appoint a legal representative. These are usually 
  novitiates yet to master the nuances of the law. still, the 
  service is free.
  As civil as the legal system seems, torture of suspects 
  to extract information is permitted under certain circum-
  stances. first, it may only be used in crimes that threaten 
  the security of the city, such as treason and membership 
  of a cult. second, torture must be carried out by a pala-
  din of sanngetall (see Matters of Faith) and within the 
  temple of Hothar.
  Criminals may be fined, publicly flogged, sent to the 
  eastern mines as slaves, or executed, depending on the 
  severity of their crime and the recommendations of the 
  law. executions are always carried out in public—a warn-
  ing to others of the fate that awaits them.
  tHieves’ guild
  no matter how tightly it squeezes, the cult of Hothar 
  cannot stamp out organized crime. for every thieves’ 
  den raided and closed down, another springs up in its 
  place within days. Championing the side of criminality 
  in new Asper are the Crooked fingers.
  The ongoing battle between law enforcers and law 
  breakers is as much religious as it is temporal—tradition-
  ally, the guildmaster has always been a cleric of nauthiz.
  eduCation
  education in new Asper is handled at the Royal Col-
  lege. founded by the king’s great-great-grandfather, it 
  offers both rudimentary and advanced education. in 
  theory, attendance is open to all. Alas, high fees make 
  it the preserve of the rich. despite its distance from 
  some counties, many counts send their children here 
  for formal education. not only do they receive first-class 
  tuition, but they begin to make contacts that will prove 
  useful later in life.
  standard education begins at five and ends at 14. After 
  this, the student may either leave to begin his adult life 
  or enroll for advanced courses.
  other options are available to those without sufficient 
  means to buy a place in the Academy. master craftsmen 
  take on one or two apprentices a year, the cults are al-
  ways seeking new novitiates, and the Convocation selects 
  a handful of potential students to join their ranks. The 
  cult of Hoenir tries its best to provide basic education 
  to the masses, but class sizes are extremely large due to 
  demand and a lack of clerics.
  The official language of new Asper, spoken both in the 
  royal court and on the streets is Aspirian, a variant of 
  Anari, though one so far removed that it is now a sepa-
  rate tongue. despite being of Anari ancestry, few citizens 
  ever learn the language. for non-humans, the second 
  language is that of their race. Among humans, Tuomi is 
  actually the preferred second tongue. Classical Anari is 
  the reserve of scholars, and even then it is only used by 
  those who study old texts. As stated elsewhere, Trader is 
  virtually unknown in new Asper.
  religion
  The main deities of new Asper differ slightly from those 
  of Aspiria in general, both in name and in ranking.
  Although his cult has diminished since the Blizzard 
  War, sigel remains the protector of Aspiria, divine patron 
  of new Asper, and is patronized by the royal family. Con-
  sidered the god of war during the Blizzard War, that title 
  has now returned to Tiw. less concerned with his aspects 
  of purity and good, the citizens of new Asper honor him 
  as the god of light. As the winters lengthen and Hellfrost 
  beasts advance closer to Aspiria, his cult is likely to grow 
  in popularity once more.
  most Asperians are of Anari descent, but they have 
  little love for the Anari empire of old. for sure, there 
  have been tyrannical and insane kings, but none came 
  close to the excesses of the emperors, and none sought 
  to turn the people into slaves. To that end, Hothar has 
  a place in every Aspirian’s heart, for it is he that ensures 
  the land is well governed, society is orderly, that no man 
  is greater than the law of the land, and that the nobles 
  remember that fealty works both ways.
  new Asper is a trading center. var receives little wor-
  ship elsewhere in Aspiria, but in the capital he is consid-
  ered one of the major deities. While there are Thieftakers 
  present, the cult has always been more interested in 
  making money than catching thieves.
  Wine is Aspiria’s national drink and one of its bigger 
  exports. There are no vineyards anywhere near the city, 
  and yet eostre Plantmother remains an important deity, 
  albeit with a greatly reduced influence that in the south-
  ern marches.
  last among the major gods is ertha. Her cult is stron-
  gest on the east, but there it is focused on mining and 
  gems. in new Asper, a city that helps supply Aspiria with 
  basic wares, she is the goddess worshipped by most 
                                        
                               
  
  Hellfrost: City book 4
  
  craftsmen. Gems remain big business, of course. With 
  no passes through the mountains, raw gemstones are 
  shipped to new Asper to be cut and polished, before 
  beginning their long trek to foreign markets.
  The norns warrant a special mention. in new Asper 
  they are considered a lesser deity, as they are in most 
  lands. The cult has no temple and cares nothing for 
  politics or courtly influence. new Asperians’ love of 
  revelry and living for the moment stems from the many 
  disasters that wracked the land in times past. They have 
  little interest in the future—sometimes it is better not 
  to know, and even if one does know, fate is already writ-
  ten so why bother worrying about it? Clerics are always 
  shown great respect for their role in ending the Golem 
  uprising, though. 
  Hothar and sigel may be honored deities, but the new 
  Asperians’ love of revelry and wine, coupled with the age-
  old desires for social improvement and greater wealth, 
  make them ideal targets for the cult of vali. Although 
  there is no evidence to support their claims, a growing 
  number of citizens hint that Halgroth v has fallen under 
  the cult’s sway. of course, he may just be a poor king.
  new Asper might be the capital, but the majority of 
  Aspiria’s agricultural land, on which the nation depends, 
  lies further south. vali’s pestilential aspect, while pres-
  ent, has far fewer adherents in the city.
  By far the greatest threats to the city, at least in the 
  eyes of its inhabitants, are the cults of Hela and Thrym. 
  new Asperians have long memories, and they recall the 
  horrors of the liche-Priest and the Blizzard War. even be-
  ing suspected of dallying with either deity is enough to 
  warrant a visit from paladins of sigel.
  festivals
  in terms of major festivals, new Asperians enjoy only 
  a few as city-wide public holidays. every high holy day of 
  sigel is a cause of celebration and much of the city closes 
  down completely. The first day of oath Renewal day (see 
  Matters of Faith) is considered a holiday purely so the 
  citizens have no excuse when it comes to renewing their 
  oaths of allegiance to the king. The only other official 
  high holy day celebrated by all is Grape day. despite 
  having no vineyards, new Asperians lend their prayers 
  to those of their southern kin. it is also an excuse to 
  open a few extra bottles of wine. other high holy days 
  are celebrated, but only by those who patronize the ap-
  propriate deity.
  new Asperians also celebrate a few non-religious festi-
  vals. The most important of these is new Asper day. Held 
  on the first endedaeg of Werremonan, it marks the day 
  the first foundation stone of the capital was laid. it is also 
  a time for the people to reflect on why the construction 
  of a new city was necessary. starting the previous sunset, 
  prayers are said and dirges are sung throughout the night 
  for those thousands of innocents who died in Asper dur-
  ing the Golem uprising. At sunrise, sorrow gives way to 
  joy—and dancing, feasting, and drinking.
  Aspiria’s winters are relatively mild, but continual 
  periods of snow can still cause a cessation of trading 
  caravans from the warmer southern regions. Through-
  out the winter, the citizens of new Asper are forced to 
  consume their stocks of wine, even going so far as to 
  water them down to make them last. usually held during 
  eostremonan, Cask day celebrates the first wine caravan 
  of the new year.
  A civic affair, contrary to what the cults of eostre and var 
  claim, the high priest of Gullveig (see Matters of Faith) 
  nevertheless plays a ceremonial role in the proceedings. 
  flanked by paladins, he stops the first wine caravan of 
  the year outside the city gates. He is then given a mouth-
  ful of wine by each merchant. Regardless of its quality, 
  tradition demands that he pronounce it drinkable and 
  allow the caravan into the city.
  military
  new Asper is the king’s city, and it is his army that de-
  fends it. The king’s personal bodyguard, known as the 
  king’s Guard, comprises 2,000 soldiers.
  The elite of these are the “war knights.” numbering 
  just 250, they are divided into five companies known as 
  lances. The 1st lance comprises actual nobles, typically 
  second or third sons with little hope of inheriting greater 
  titles. The remaining four lances are primarily common 
  men, though the captain and his sergeant are always 
  nobles. The 5th lance is actually a training company, its 
  members largely untested in combat.
  service length and acts of valor see knights promoted 
  through the lances. eventually, a soldier may be knighted 
  by the king and awarded a place in the 1st lance, the 
  king’s elite bodyguard.
  The bulk of the army comprises 1,500 heavy infantry. 
  They are divided into three battalions, each in turn sub-
  divided into five companies of 100 men. Battalions are 
  commanded by a knight-Captain (who is always a noble) 
  and companies by a Captain of infantry. each captain is 
  aided by a sergeant of infantry. With each battalion, three 
  companies wield long swords and medium shields, one 
  company battle axes and large shields, and one company 
  carry halberds. All are clad in chain hauberks.
  lastly, there are two companies of leather-clad cross-
  bowmen, each with a strength of 125 men. They are 
  commanded by a Captain of Archers, with a sergeant of 
  Archers acting as his second-in-command.
  on paper, the entire king’s Guard is led by the king’s 
  marshal. in earlier times, he or she was a blood relative 
  of the king. since the formation of the knights Hrafn, 
  though, the position has always been given to a member 
  of their upper House. in part, they were chosen because 
  they had the experience to lead a large force of soldiers. 
  more importantly, though, they lack the aspiration to be-
  come king, and thus are unlikely to lead the army against 
  their rightful master.
  in reality, though, certain forces are under the com-
  mand of the Captain of the Guard. He commands both 
                                  
  
  neW asPer
  
  crossbow companies and the three companies of hal-
  berdiers. These men form the city guard, the body re-
  sponsible for manning the walls and protecting the gates 
  on a daily basis.
  militia
  new Asper has no official militia, though this was not 
  always the case. stories abound of how the militias of old 
  were vital in defending Aspiria from outside aggression. 
  since the founding of the new capital and an increase in 
  the size of the royal army, the citizens have never been 
  trained to fight in defense of the realm.
  in theory, the king could order the summoning of a 
  levy. This would entail every able-bodied man, and many 
  female volunteers, to grab whatever weapons they can 
  and march to war. fortunately for the peasants, the sum-
  moning of the levy requires both the concession of the 
  noble Council and the cult of Hothar—the latter because 
  the levy can only by summoned under strict conditions 
  laid down in law.
  Private forCes
  new Asperians have always eyed private troops with 
  suspicion. sure, a minor noble may want a few house-
  hold guards to protect or property (or just to look more 
  important), but the average citizen has no need of such 
  things. To many, anyone else outside the high nobility 
  paying for armed troops is either planning something 
  unlawful or has no faith in the power of the king or cult 
  of Hothar to maintain law and order.
  laws exist to prevent all citizens except the hereditary 
  counts from maintaining an army in excess of a few dozen 
  soldiers. in the eyes of the law, wearing any armor and 
  carrying any ranged or any melee weapon larger than a 
  dagger makes one a soldier. Hammers, picks, clubs, and 
  other tools that could be used in a legitimate trade are 
  not counted as weapons. Thus, while a knight may have a 
  dozen well-equipped men-at-arms, a powerful merchant 
  might have a 100 or more employees he can call upon to 
  defend his property with force.
  trade & tribute
  situated at the junction of one minor and four major 
  trade roads, new Asper has developed into a center of 
  commerce. like most large cities, it is not entirely self-
  sufficient. it imports a variety of goods, including food, 
  and exports an equally wide variety of locally produced 
  goods, though in either case only a small handful count 
  as major resources.
  in terms of imports, metal for the forges and wine 
  for stomachs are the largest. Beer is seen as the drink 
  of barbarians and mead the drink of the uncouth saxa 
  nobility. Thus, once they are weaned off milk everyone 
  drinks wine. The quality varies immensely. Commoners 
  down coarse wines, watered down both to dilute the 
  sour taste and make it last longer. The cream of society 
  drinks expensive wines with rich bouquets.
  in terms of exports, the city has only one of note. 
  Raw gemstones from the eastern mines are shipped 
  here to be cut and polished into objects of beauty by 
  skilled artisans before being sold to merchants. A grow-
  ing minor export is glassware. That new Asper produces 
  little glass is down to the powerful Guild of Glaziers and 
  Glass merchants’ Guild in Glassport either refusing to 
  sell glassware manufactured in the capital to placing an 
  excessive levy on exports.
  Given its location, it should come as little surprise 
  that the merchants visiting new Asper are mainly fellow 
  Asperians. Those from Alantaris isle and the magocracy 
  end their trip at Glassport, while Chalcian merchants 
  rarely venture further west than Chepwyke. The only 
  frequent foreign visitors are merchants from ludogov. 
  for this reason, Tuomi is spoken more than Trader in 
  the markets of new Asper.
  taxes
  As required by law, new Asper follows the basic taxa-
  tion policies of the rest of Aspiria.
  Alchemical Tax: All alchemical devices except those 
  sold by the Alchemists’ Guild are subject to a 10% sales 
  tax. This raises the cost of alchemical devices in Aspiria 
  by a similar amount.
  The king’s decision to tax alchemical devices yet ex-
  empt the Alchemists’ Guild (essentially part of the Con-
  vocation) has not gone down well with the cults. unable 
  to persuade the monarch to exempt them as well, the 
  four major cults have taken matters into their own hands. 
  instead of selling alchemical wares, they give them away 
  in return for a donation. naturally, the minimum dona-
  tion is exactly equal to the standard price of the device. 
  so as not to be seen to be snubbing the law, the cults 
  only offer this service to those who have their deity as 
  patron—other buyers must pay the inflated price.
  Customs Duties: imports are taxed at 4%, except beer 
  and spirits, which are taxed at 10%, and wine, which is 
  taxed at just 1%. Goods merely passing through on their 
  way to a distant market are charged at 1%, but only if the 
  merchant stays in the city for more than one night. To 
  avoid this, many caravans carrying expensive cargo leave 
  just before the city gates close and pitch tents outside 
  the city walls.
  Hearth Tax: All households pay 1 gs per annum for 
  each fireplace in the home.
  Income Tax: Although the citizens of new Asper are 
  technically subjects of the king rather than a count, the 
  seneschal, a noble, is their immediate feudal superior. 
  As the seneschal represents the city, citizens pay 10% of 
  their income directly to the coffers of the king and 10% 
  to the city coffers.
  Sales Tax: A fee of 3% is paid on each transaction.
  Scutage: new Asper has no militia and thus every 
  adult male must pay the 10 gs scutage tax. even the very 
                                                         
  
  Hellfrost: City book 4
  
  
  neW asPer
  
  poorest rarely complain—the tax helps fund the military, 
  and it is a small price to pay to avoid being butchered or 
  maimed on the battlefield.
  Tithes: of the 10% of their income citizens pay in 
  tithes, 25% automatically goes to the cult of sigel regard-
  less of the taxpayer’s faith.
  arCHiteCture
  Asper was a mix of traditional wattle-and-daub and 
  wooden buildings and stone buildings. Befitting its sta-
  tus, and starting from the ground up, new Asper was 
  built in enduring stone. exceptions apply only on reli-
  gious and common sense grounds. The temple of eostre, 
  for example, is built of wood, as are the animal pens in 
  the livestock market.
  Houses are typically one-story structures with slate 
  tiles protecting the roof. one side effect of using granite 
  and slate is that the city is a dull gray, the only color com-
  ing from the temples and the garishly painted homes of 
  the rich. one thing most buildings have is windows with 
  glass. Glass is expensive, especially if colored, and the 
  homes of the lower classes typically have just one small 
  window to let in light. By comparison, the manses of the 
  counts have large windows in every wall.
  Gray buildings aside, new Asper is also referred to as 
  the City of light. As dusk draws near, members of the 
  Guild of lamplighters (affiliated with the temple of sigel) 
  spill out onto the streets to light the large lanterns hang-
  ing on both sides of the major roads and from the outer 
  bastion of the royal palace. many businesses also hang 
  lanterns, though this is more to deter thieves than to aid 
  pedestrians. The largest lantern sits atop the temple of 
  sigel (see #24).
  tHe sun
  As elsewhere, the inhabitants of new Asper base their 
  working day on the rising and setting of sigel’s Hearth. 
  Below are the local sunrise and sunset times and the 
  hours of daylight for the first day of each month.
  Month 
  Sunrise 
  Sunset 
  Daylight
  snaermonan 
  0753 
  1613 
  8h 20m
  frostmonan 
  0734 
  1652 
  9h 18m
  eostremonan 
  0647 
  1738 
  10h 51m
  Plohmonan 
  0551 
  1820 
  12h 29m
  sowanmonan 
  0454 
  1902 
  14h 8m
  Werremonan 
  0411 
  1942 
  15h 31m
  scerranmonan 
  0355 
  2006 
  16h 11m
  Hegmonan 
  0412 
  1959 
  15h 47m
  Haerfestmonan 
  0448 
  1921 
  14h 33m
  falmonan 
  0528 
  1826 
  12h 58m
  Huntianmonan 
  0608 
  1726 
  11h 18m
  fogmonan 
  0652 
  1643 
  9h 51m
  Wulfmonan 
  0734 
  1604 
  8h 30m
                                                  
                               
  
  Hellfrost: City book 4
  10
  maJor loCales
  Constructed a little over 150 years ago, new Asper is a 
  modern city in every sense of the word. its layout, while 
  not perfect, was designed from scratch according to its 
  potential future needs, with clearly defined industrial, 
  economic, and residential zones. Although the Anari 
  empire is long gone, new Asper is heavily modeled on 
  older Anari cities.
  new Asper is divided into six wards. save for the royal 
  castle, which sits in the center of the city, the wards are 
  delineated by major roads rather than walls. While the 
  major roads and buildings were laid out first, each ward 
  has grown organically as the population expanded. Thus, 
  the city is not as neatly organized as those in power say.
  outside tHe City
  much of the land immediately surrounding new Asper 
  is devoted to farming. owned by the king, the produce 
  is sold to local merchants to help feed the population. 
  “Help” is the appropriate word, for the citizens consume 
  far more than can be grown locally. However, the farms 
  are extensive enough that subsistence level consump-
  tion is possible for a few months should disaster strike 
  the central agricultural lands (given adequate storage in 
  the granaries, of course).
  drago Hall
  The decrepit ruin of drago Hall (not on the map), the 
  home of Baron drago ap-Rabel until his mysterious dis-
  appearance three years ago, sits 11 miles from the capital. 
  locals avoid the crumbling structure, believing it to be 
  haunted by the baron’s ghost. everyone agrees the baron 
  was a vile man. He was reputed to have strangled his wife 
  and concealed her body, though no charges were ever 
  brought against him. one story claims the baron cannot 
  rest until his wife’s remains are found and buried.
  1. City gates & Walls
  new Asper is entirely surrounded by a strong wall. 
  standing 30 feet high and 20 feet thick, it has been tested 
  only once since its construction and it withstood the as-
  sault with only minor damage.
  Positioned along the wall are defensive towers. save 
  for those owned by the Convocation of elementalists 
  (see #2), each rises 10 feet above the battlements. new 
  Asper has no artillery, and so the tops of the towers have 
  pitched roofs rather than open platforms. Protecting the 
  walls falls to the king’s crossbowmen and volunteers 
  from the cult of Rigr.
  five major gates allow passage through the walls. in 
  the northeast is the War Gate, so named because it is 
  from here the army leaves when called to battle. Wine 
  Gate, so-called because the trade road passing beneath it 
  ultimately leads to the southern vineyards, is located in 
  the southeast. in the south stands Golden Gate, through 
  which much of new Asper’s grain arrives. The western 
  gate, Royal Gate, is the gateway to Asper. finally, foreign-
  ers’ Gate in the northeast provides access to the northern 
  trade roads beyond Aspiria’s borders.
  The gates are part of a fortified gatehouse. each gate-
  house has two sets of gate, an outer pair and an inner 
  pair. in times of crisis, an iron portcullis can be lowered 
  between the gates for added security.
  The gates are protected by heavy infantry wielding 
  halberds—20 men during the day and double that at 
  night. save for the War Gate, which is never locked, the 
  gates are closed and barred when sigel’s Hearth disap-
  pears below the horizon and opened as soon it rises 
  again. Access after dark is at the discretion of the guard 
  commander. unless the visitor is a nobleman, access fre-
  quently requires a bribe.
  . elemental toWers
  The Anari empire may be a distant memory, but the 
  Convocation maintains a strong presence in new Asper. 
  As a sign of faith and friendship, king Anlar ii donated 
  four of the outer wall’s towers to the organization. The 
  organization was further exempted from all taxation, 
  though members had to swear oaths of fealty to defend 
  the city in times of war.
  spread across the city, the mages maintain a fierce 
  rivalry. Access to the libraries and laboratories requires 
  one to have mastered the element first—elementalists 
  with no practical knowledge of a particular element are 
  only allowed on the ground floor level of each tower. 
  The arkhwisards (each tower has two, the Tower master 
  and Tower Chamberlain) permit this rivalry as it encour-
  ages elementalists to master all four arts.
  The towers are much wider and taller than their mun-
  dane counterparts. each has six levels above ground and 
  two below. The top level is reserved for the arkhwisards, 
  the next level down for the maegisters, the two levels 
  below for the magi, and the lower two levels for the 
  prynciples and aprentises.
  The subterranean levels house the kitchens and stores. 
  They are only accessible by those of maegister rank and 
  above, or servants granted special access (like the cooks). 
  Rumors of secret laboratories and vaults are common-
  place but unproven.
  Additionally, rumors abound that tunnels link the tow-
  ers and the royal palace. not only does this allow the 
  mages to visit the king or their peers without having to 
  walk the streets, it also provides Halgroth with escape 
  routes should the palace come under attack.
  sigel’s Ward
  God of light and good, sigel is also the protector of As-
  piria and patron of the royal family. little surprise, then, 
  that the kings named their home ward after him. The 
  entire ward is dominated by the royal castle.
                                                    
  
  neW asPer
  11
  . royal Castle
  dominating the city center and rising high above the 
  surrounding buildings is the royal palace. The castle sits 
  behind two walls, an outer bastion and an inner bastion. 
  Two gates lead from the city into the castle grounds. Re-
  sponsibility for protecting the palace falls to the king’s 
  Guard and they are not shy above flexing their muscle. 
  Aside from servants and courtiers, and visiting nobles, 
  few are ever granted access. The palace proper is guarded 
  solely by War knights.
  The noted exception is the last day of each month. on 
  this day, Halgroth invites the various nobles, arkhwisards, 
  wealthy merchants, and anyone else who has caught his 
  eye, to a party. lavish affairs, they are hotbeds of gossip 
  and political machinations. Halgroth forbids any talk of 
  the orc invasion at these gatherings, something the east-
  ern nobles resent, as it is one of the few times they can 
  gain access to the king.
  The king and his extended family reside in a four-story 
  keep. five small barracks, their decor in keeping with 
  the status of the knights’ lance, house the War knights 
  (though their mounts are stabled with the rest of the 
  army). There is also a separate servants block, a building 
  for workshops, and the like.
  ertHa’s Ward
  The name of this ward has long been a bone of conten-
  tion among the inhabitants. Trades related to livestock 
  far outnumber those concerned with metal and gems, 
  though the latter are arguably more profitable. still, 
  ertha is the goddess of crafting in general and thus her 
  name is used to denote the area. it is populated mainly 
  by animal handlers in the north, craftsmen in the center 
  and east, and laborers in the south and along the border 
  with var’s Ward. Housing is a mix of middle- and lower-
  class, as are the goods and services.
  4. royal aCademy
  Bordering the central thoroughfare, the Royal Academy 
  was founded to provide education for all citizens. That 
  lofty ideal was quickly crushed by the excessive tuition 
  fees (an average of 500 gs per year for basic studies and 
  twice that for advanced education).
  The clergy of Hoenir are outspoken critics of the in-
  stitution, claiming it is elitist. The king, who has direct 
  authority over the Academy by dint of its royal charter, 
  has waved aside their protestations, insisting that the 
  royal charter is more than fair and that the fee is gener-
  ous giving the cost of maintaining the building and pay-
  ing the staff.
  Built on a grand scale—the founder did honestly intend 
  for it to be accessible by all—high tuition fees have kept 
  the classrooms mostly empty. keen to rectify this, the 
  incumbent dean, Beauve ap-mercadier, has actually sided 
  with Hoenir’s clergy, though only partially. free education 
  makes no financial sense, but reduced fees might attract 
  middle-class students in greater numbers. This would not 
  only fill the coffers, it would improve the reputation of the 
  Academy. Currently seen as a place where only Aspirian 
  nobility seek education, a wider variety of students might 
  in turn attract more foreign students. Beauve has peti-
  tioned the king to permit this change to the royal charter, 
  but has yet to receive any reply.
  The second part of his grand scheme to turn the Acad-
  emy into a prestigious place to learn requires more effort. 
  Beauve has heard of the great universities of Al-shirkuh, 
  but knows very little about them. He is prepared to pay 
  the tuition fees of anyone willing to take several courses 
  and report back as to how the institutions operate.
  . livestoCk Pens/market
  The western fringes of the eastern marches are dotted 
  with small herding communities. Goats and sheep graze 
  on the tough grass over spring and summer before being 
  driven to new Asper to be sold in the livestock market. 
  The arrival of the flocks and herds is commonly known 
  as Great market day. Citizens rush to purchase animals 
  to see them through the winter months, the meat cured 
  to preserve it. on any other given marketdaeg citizens 
  come here to purchase pigs, chickens, and geese.
  The cult of Brúni, minor deity of dung (see Mat-
  ters of Faith), which operates from the Animalmother 
  temple, has exclusive rights to collect dung here. every 
  marketdaeg the worshippers traipse to the neighboring 
  livestock pens to scoop up the fresh muck. most of the 
  free resource is sold to the king’s farms for fertilizer, but 
  the cult shapes some in patties. once dried, this is sold 
  as fuel by poorer citizens. urine is collected in buckets 
  and sold to tanneries.
  . temPle of eostre
  Constructed from wood, the temple of eostre is de-
  voted to the goddess’ twin aspects. Plantmother may be 
  more popular with the people due to her association 
  with wine, but it is her Animalmother side that occupies 
  the larger part of the structure. Her side of the temple is 
  clear to see, for the wood has been covered with tanned 
  hides and felt taken from animals donated as sacrifices 
  on Herding day (see Matters of Faith). 
  Clerics of Plantmother are primarily involved in praying 
  for a good harvest and blessing the king’s fields. Animal-
  mother’s clergy, by comparison, have much to do—they 
  are both veterinarians and midwives, and are heavily in-
  volved with the running of the livestock market.
  . alCHemists’ guild
  The Convocation has its headquarters in new Asper 
  but the Alchemists’ Guild, which it controls, is based in 
  Glassport. in order to take advantage of the demand for 
  alchemical devices, it operates a satellite guildhouse in 
  the capital. As the only entity permitted to legally sell 
  alchemical devices, the guild does a roaring trade.
  
  Hellfrost: City book 4
  1
  While most elementalists prefer to manufacture de-
  vices in their tower, the guildhouse has a well-stocked 
  laboratory. using the equipment grants +1 to knowledge 
  (Alchemy) rolls when creating an alchemical device.
  The facility is open to any spellcaster—only the sell-
  ing of alchemical devices is prohibited outside the guild. 
  in order to boost its supplies, the guild has imposed a 
  simple rule—for every device created here, a duplicate 
  must be made and given to the guild. The guild also buys 
  existing alchemical devices, offering a flat 30% (regard-
  less of any streetwise rolls).
  The devices the guild sells in the market are all legal. 
  That is, none have any offensive capability. The counts, ad-
  venturers, and the city’s various criminal elements often 
  have need for more dangerous devices. unwilling to sell 
  such devices openly in case it threatens their monopoly 
  or good standing, the guild hires out alchemists who can 
  make anything to order. The cost is a flat 100 gs per day, 
  plus the cost of the ingredients. under guild law, no alche-
  mist may work more than 16 hours in any one day.
  . temPle of ertHa
  located in the heart of the Gemcutters’ district, the 
  temple of ertha’s position is marked by a stone dome. 
  stairs lead down into the temple proper. nowhere near 
  as large or as ornately carved as the great temple in 
  kingsmead (see Hellfrost Atlas), the hall of worship is 
  actually rather bland. first-time visitors expecting to see 
  the walls studded with precious stones are disappointed. 
  offerings of gems are made here, but all the stones are 
  deposited deeper into the earth to renew the goddess.
  The sole exception is a small side chamber. Here, laid 
  out on an altar of polished granite, are perfect examples 
  of every precious and semi-precious gemstone mined in 
  Aspiria. The gems are not a focus for veneration—they 
  are used purely for training purposes, for clerics must 
  know how to recognize ertha’s bounty.
  The chamber has been sealed off for several weeks. 
  forge son milon Glitter-eyes, the resident high priest, 
  has told his underlings the room is off limits while the 
  stones are being polished and reconsecrated. in truth, 
  the cleric noticed that several of the gems were elaborate 
  fakes, the true stones having been stolen by an auda-
  cious ne’er-do-well. Before word gets out, he plans to 
  hire adventurers to locate the missing gems and teach 
  the thief a lesson. Payment will be made in gemstones.
  milon has few clues to go on. for sure, the theft oc-
  curred no more than a month ago—that was the last time 
  he gave the stones a thorough examination. second, the 
  thieves’ guild has long had an understanding with the 
  cult that its property is off-limits, less fearful repercus-
  sions rain down on the guild. Third, it is unlikely, but not 
  impossible, that the thief was a cleric of ertha.
  var’s Ward
  Although there are warehouses in both ertha’s Ward 
  and kenaz’s Ward, the majority is found in this district. 
  As well as being a place of business, it is also home to the 
  city’s merchants. most of the richer merchants live in the 
  middle, away from the homes of their workers and the 
  warehouses.
  . sHrine of gullveig
  eostre’s son, at least in Aspirian mythology, Gullveig 
  has his shrine away from his mother’s temple. As else-
  where in the country, his clerics are known as Wine-lords 
  (priests) and vine-lords (paladins).
  Currently stationed here are a single priest and eight 
  paladins. no brewing takes place at the shrine. The 
  clergy has three official duties. first, they are permitted 
  to sample any shipment of wine to ensure the contents 
  match what is written on the cask. second, they bless the 
  wine caravans as they enter the city. Third, they collect 
  the tax on wine imports on behalf of the king. As a re-
  ward for this service, they are entitled to keep 10% of the 
  tax. After taking their living expenses, the rest is donated 
  to the cult of eostre.
  The paladins earn additional income by serving as 
  guards for the various merchants that stock their ware-
  houses with casks and barrels of wine or the city’s many 
  wine sellers (see #19).
  The shrine is a statue of Gullveig. Twice the height of 
  a man, it depicts the god not with his more traditional 
  beard of bees (associating him with mead) but grape 
  vines ripe with fruit. originally white, the statue is now 
  stained red, the result of worshippers throwing flagons 
  of wine over him in return for a blessing.
  10. iron guild offiCe
  life is very good for Gauntlet-General Roxane ap-Au-
  bri. Aspiria might be mostly peaceful, but shipments of 
  expensive glass and precious gems destined for Glassport 
  are targets for bandits, and any caravan heading through 
  the wilds of the Borderlands or the eastern marches is at 
  risk of attack. Always ready to protect caravans, the iron 
  Guild’s new Asper franchise currently has 100 Guilds-
  men and 30 Guild-sergeants on its books.
  Roxanne, a native Aspirian from a small farming village, 
  joined the iron Guild 36 years ago as a Guildsman. While 
  her peers were happy to squander their income on good 
  living, Roxane had a long-term plan. living frugally for 
  25 years, she invested every spare scield with the cult of 
  var. eleven years ago, she purchased a Guild-Captaincy 
  at kingsmead. Again, she opted for a simple life and in-
  vesting her greater wealth. six years ago, following the 
  maturity of a long-term financial investment, the farmer’s 
  daughter who could barely read and write her own name 
  when she joined the Guild, purchased the new Asper 
  franchise with hard coin.
  she may be in charge of operations, but Roxane con-
  tinues to think like a Guildsman. she makes it a rule to 
  be honest and open with customers, never trying to scare 
  them into hiring more guards than are absolutely neces-
  sary. similarly, she is quick to warn those who hire fewer 
  
  neW asPer
  1
  guards than required that they are placing their cargo 
  and employees at unnecessary risk. under her tenure, 
  attacks against caravans have dropped dramatically.
  11. temPle of var
  mostly ignored outside of Glassport and Chepwyke, 
  the cult of var has prospered since the foundation of 
  new Asper. keen to display its importance and wealth, 
  the cult has spent a fortune on the temple’s architecture 
  and interior decor. so much so, in fact, that citizens refer 
  to it as the Hall of Bottomless Coffers.
  in addition to operating the market, the cult lends 
  money, negotiates contracts, advises merchant families, 
  invests in trade, hires out Thieftakers, and offers secure 
  storage of goods in its warehouses. As a means of keep-
  ing taxation low, it offers clerics of var and his associated 
  minor cults very good rates.
  1. market square
  The square is the heart of the market, but stalls actu-
  ally run around the entire outside of the royal palace. 
  open every day from dawn until noon and until dusk 
  on marketdaeg, the market is always busy. Traditionally, 
  shoppers begin by saying prayers outside the temple of 
  var in the hope of finding a good bargain and then move 
  anti-clockwise through the main square and around the 
  circular road.
  Certain areas are restricted to specific types of stall. for 
  instance, only sellers of parchment, writing equipment, 
  and books may set up a stall outside the Royal Academy. 
  lantern, lamp, and oil sellers display their wares outside 
  the temple of sigel. sellers of weapons, and the Alchemists’ 
  Guild, must hawk their wares outside the temple of Hothar, 
  where clerics can keep an eye on both buyers and sellers.
  The location of other stalls is determined by a seasonal 
  auction held at the temple of var. since most shoppers 
  visit the temple first, if only briefly, the most lucrative 
  stalls are located outside its doors. starting bids for these 
  prime spots are high. stalls on the far side of the royal 
  palace go for considerably less. Part of the fee goes to-
  ward security, with Thieftakers patrolling the market to 
  deter thieves.
  1. WareHouses
  To help facilitate quick loading and unloading of sup-
  plies, the major warehouses are located around the main 
  market square and the two access roads. Wide roads en-
  able wagons to park up outside the buildings without 
  blocking other traffic. from here, goods are transferred 
  to smaller warehouses and businesses by burly porters 
  from the stevedores’ Guild.
  The stone warehouses, windowless and with strong 
  doors to protect against thieves, may be owned by just 
  one merchant family or by multiple merchants. shared 
  facilities are divided internally by thick walls. every door 
  is marked with the sign of the merchant family who owns 
  the warehouse. Those who pay the cult of var to provide 
  security also display his holy symbol. falsely displaying 
  the holy symbol is considered a crime and is punishable 
  by fines.
  14. WareHouse 1
  This nondescript warehouse is owned by the cult 
  of var. for the last 99 years, it has been rented by an 
  unknown private client. Temple records indicate the 
  building was rented for a century, with payment, duly 
  adjusted for inflation, paid up front and in full. since that 
  day, the building has remained securely sealed.
  speculation as to the contents is rife among merchants 
  and stevedores alike. stories range from fabulous trea-
  sure to more sinister things. The thieves’ guild has, by all 
  accounts, tried to break in several times. if the tales are 
  true, six of the curious criminals were found dead in the 
  street, their faces twisted in terror, two went insane, and 
  four disappeared, never to be seen again.
  if the cult’s paperwork is correct (and there is no rea-
  gemstones of rassilon
  only 24 precious and semi-precious stones are 
  known in Rassilon. Their name and color are given 
  below. information on enchanted gems and their 
  relation to the major gods can be found in Rassilon 
  Expansion 2.
  Stone 
  Color
  Alestone* 
  Purple to lavender
  Beaststone  
  lilac-red
  Bloodstone  
  dark green with red
  Calmstone 
  vibrant red
  earthstone 
  Brown or gold
  fatestone 
  Bright red
  Hearthstone 
  Pale orange
  Heartstone 
  deep blue with gold
  Huntstone 
  Green
  icestone 
  Pale blue to glacial blue
  luckstone 
  Green
  mindstone 
  mottled pink to red
  mockstone 
  Pink
  moonstone 
  milky white
  nihtstone 
  Black, opaque
  Ragestone 
  Black, flecked with red
  seastone 
  light blue-green
  shieldstone 
  Crimson to pale rose
  sightstone 
  murky green
  speechstone 
  White or colorless
  sunstone 
  deep gold
  Walkstone 
  Apple green
  Warstone 
  Turquoise
  Windstone 
  Blue
  * Also known as healthstone, poxstone, & sickstone
  
  Hellfrost: City book 4
  14
  son it should be erroneous), the contract is due to end in 
  three weeks. At this time someone either needs to pay for 
  additional storage time or the cult has the legal right to 
  open the warehouse and sell the contents. exactly how 
  the cult might achieve the latter is unknown, especially 
  since the building (or rather something protecting the 
  structure) has resisted all attempts to pry at its contents 
  or gain access, even through arcane means. According to 
  one rumor, the cult of var is in negotiation with the cult 
  of sigel and the Convocation to lend assistance.
  kenaz’s Ward
  named for kenaz’s aspect as god of the hearth and 
  home, this district is mainly residential. Houses nearer 
  Hothar’s Ward are of better quality, as are the general 
  services and goods. deep in, toward the city wall, the 
  streets become narrow and the houses more cramped 
  and dilapidated.
  1. tHe golem museum
  located in an old warehouse, the Golem museum tells 
  the story of the Golem uprising. it is the brainchild of lu-
  siane ap-jourdain, a female Anari with what many locals 
  call an unhealthy fixation on golems.
  After paying a 1 gs entrance fee, visitors can peruse the 
  collection of texts and artifacts relating to the bloody con-
  flict. A long tapestry tells the story of the devastating war 
  from Aspiria’s point of view and a large table depicting the 
  final encounter is set out with painted miniatures. lusiane 
  has created a set of “rules of war,” allowing visitors to play 
  the part of the Asperians or golems in a tabletop battle.
  As well as manikins dressed as Aspirian warriors, there 
  are numerous golem fragments gathered from the ruins 
  of Asper and the Battlefield and a small number of life-
  sized golem models. The various texts, primarily military 
  accounts and firsthand stories, count as a small and very 
  specialized library.
  Specialties: Golems, the Golem uprising in Aspiria.
  Investigation Rolls: +2 for specialties only (no rolls 
  concerning other topics are allowed).
  keen to expand her collection, lusiane pays for golem 
  parts. she doesn’t actually care where they are unearthed. 
  Word has reached her that the people of Al-shirkuh still 
  make use of golems. Although she has no idea how much 
  one might cost, lusiane hopes to raise enough money 
  to buy one as the centerpiece of her collection (creating 
  golems is banned, but owning them is not). she is also 
  keen to explore the Golem Workshop, the location of 
  which she believes she has discovered from piecing to-
  gether various clues. To date, she has not been able to find 
  adventurers foolishly enough to act as her bodyguards.
  lusiane has no idea that one of her employees is an 
  agent for the Awakeners. He passes back information on 
  her activities, paying special attention to anything to do 
  with the Golem Workshop. should lusiane manage to 
  gain entry, a party of Awakeners would be dispatched 
  with all haste to plunder its secrets.
  1. assassins’ guild
  Aspiria’s laws on assassination date back to the days of 
  the Anari empire. it is neither illegal to wish for some-
  one’s death, nor to hire an assassin, though it is illegal to 
  commit murder (whether for payment or not). However, 
  ancient laws require that the Assassins’ Guild send the 
  intended victim warning that his life is in danger, giving 
  him a minimum of 24 hours notice. 
  Hirer and assassin negotiate payment terms and dead-
  lines, with the full fee handed over once an agreement is 
  reached. should the assassin fail to live up to his end of 
  the bargain, the fee must be repaid. in many cases, the 
  knowledge that an assassin has been hired is enough to 
  cause the victim to make amends for any crime.
  As one might expect, the cult of niht has a strong 
  grip on the Assassins’ Guild, though membership is not 
  compulsory. Captured assassins are routinely tortured 
  to determine if they are followers of niht before being 
  handed to the local temple of sigel for execution.
  1. tHe Hall of JustiCe
  The largest temple to Hothar, this edifice is both a holy 
  place and the supreme court. under Aspirian law, trials 
  are conducted in the capital of the county where the 
  crime was committed. Those found guilty are entitled to 
  one appeal, which is always heard in the Hall of justice. 
  it is also the capital’s law court.
  Traditionally, oath Renewal day lasts the whole of eos-
  tremonan. in Aspiria, the counts, along with nobles directly 
  behold to the king, renew their oaths on the second sun-
  nandaeg on Werremonan, just before the spring gathering 
  of the noble Council. (nobles beholden to the counts per-
  form their oath Renewal day in eostremonan as normal.) 
  The king takes the nobles’ oaths on the steps of the Hall of 
  justice, a spectacle that draws a huge crowd. The market-
  daeg immediately before the ceremony is a great market.
  The noble Council meets in a lavishly decorated cham-
  ber located in an annex of the main temple building. While 
  access can be gained without having to pass through the 
  temple, so allowing messengers, servants, and guards to 
  come and go without disrupting services, the councilors 
  are expected to enter through the main temple. Here they 
  pause to gaze briefly on the statue of Hothar as a reminder 
  of their responsibility to serve the people of Aspiria to 
  the best of their ability and not to abuse their position of 
  power. for most, the gesture us purely symbolic, a tradi-
  tion they maintain for the benefit of the masses.
  1. laWyers’ guild
  Rich citizens forced to stand before the courts are quick 
  to hand over money to the lawyers’ Guild. An officially 
  recognized guild, they act as legal advocates on behalf of 
  clients. They also advise merchants entering into business 
  contracts, especially those who deal with the cult of var 
  (which uses complex language to confuse the ignorant).
  The guild has three levels of workers. The lowest level 
  
  neW asPer
  1
  are clerks and scribes. They handle the paperwork and 
  interview potential clients, but do not practice law. Ap-
  prentices have knowledge (law) or d6 or lower. They 
  assist the trained lawyers in court and may sell general 
  legal advice, but are not permitted to represent clients 
  in court. That honor falls to the trained lawyers, all of 
  whom have knowledge (law) d8+.
  Hiring a competent lawyer is advisable, but it is not 
  cheap. The standard rate is 20 times the lawyer’s knowl-
  edge (law) die. Above d12, there is an additional 50 gs 
  per +1 bonus. if the lawyer has the scholar edge apply-
  ing to knowledge (law) then there is an additional 100 
  gs surcharge. finally, hiring a Wild Card doubles the total 
  fee. All fees must be paid in advance. Additionally, if the 
  hirer is a victim of crime and is awarded compensation 
  by the court, the guild takes 20%.
  it would be wrong to call the lawyers corrupt, but 
  equally they are not sticklers for the spirit or letter of 
  the law. They are masters of finding and exploiting loop-
  holes, making witnesses look incompetent, discrediting 
  evidence, and painting the accused as a paragon of 
  virtue. naturally, even those who hold Hothar as their 
  patron deity are little loved by his cult.
  1. Wine street
  Whether one is seeking a gallon of vinegary wine for 
  everyday consumption or a carafe of the finest vintage 
  Aspiria has to offer, Wine street is the place to shop. in 
  fact, it is the only place to shop, for all the city’s wine sell-
  ers operate here. it is also a favorite haunt for vagrants. 
  Turning down offers of food or shelter, all the beggars 
  want is wine to get them through the day.
  exactly where one chooses to purchase wine along the 
  street is a sign of one’s social status, or at least one’s pre-
  tensions. The southern end, deep inside kenaz’s Ward, 
  caters to the lowest end of the market. Walk north, and 
  the quality of the wine improves and prices increase. The 
  most prestigious establishments border Hothar’s Ward. 
  Prices for wine vary from 2 ss per gallon (must be wa-
  tered down to make it drinkable) to as much as 5,000 
  gs for a vintage bottle (4-6 glasses). sellers stocking 
  valuable wines happily pay a small fortune for complex 
  locks, traps (magical and mundane), and the services of 
  paladins of Gullveig and sigel.
  The next street over to the west sells drinking vessels 
  (wooden, horn, or costly glass), glass decanters (very 
  expensive), and wineskins.
  0. burning man inn
  easily identified by its gruesome sign—a writhing man 
  enveloped in fire—the Burning man inn is a popular 
  haunt of young fire and water elementalists and novitiate 
  clerics of kenaz. They are drawn here not by the food or 
  drink, which is adequate for an inn of lowly standing, but 
  for the stories concerning the Burning man.
  According to folklore, a patron suddenly burst into 
  flames. All attempts to extinguish the fire failed. oddly, 
  the flames spread no further than the victim’s body. 
  Given the unearthly nature of the death, an investigation 
  was duly launched by the cults of Hothar and sigel, but 
  the results were inconclusive.
  The name of the inn came about a handful of years 
  later, after a patron reported smelling burning flesh in 
  the night. since then there have been reports not only 
  of the offensive smell, but also of a flame-shrouded spec-
  ter stalking the inn. Reports of ghosts drew in the cult 
  of scaetha, but again, nothing untoward was detected. 
  many locals believe the story is false and the haunting 
  faked—all designed to tempt curious outsiders into 
  spending their hard earned money in the establishment.
  1. Pleasure distriCt
  Catering to the excesses of rich and poor alike, this 
  district contains many taverns, entertainment halls, 
  gambling dens, and brothels. Here one can dine on ex-
  quisite foods, join in raucous drinking songs, make or 
  lose a fortune, or engage in vices that appeal only to the 
  darkest of souls. Whatever one’s budget, whatever one’s 
  desires, it can be found for sale. even hashish, a narcotic 
  from Al-shirkuh, is available, although the distance it has 
  traveled makes it an expensive taste—50 gs per smoke.
  The cult of nauthiz has a hand in the gambling dens, 
  but has little interest in the other services. That suits the 
  cult of vali well. not prepared to enter into a turf war, the 
  insidious faith is content to operate the seedier, and in 
  some cases truly vile, aspects of the district.
  sigel’s cultists rightly consider the district to be a den 
  of vice and depravity. They have the legal authority to 
  close down businesses engaged in illegal or sacrilegious 
  behavior, but can do nothing about the legitimate busi-
  nesses save vocalize their views and harass patrons with 
  sermons threatening eternal damnation.
  it is widely rumored that king Halgroth v is a frequent 
  visitor to the district, though obviously he only visits 
  heavily disguised.
  HotHar’s Ward
  Whatever the truth, the nobility like to portray them-
  selves as followers of justice and order. much of the ward 
  is devoted to housing, with the hereditary counts each 
  having large estates here. shops and services catering to 
  the needs of the wealthy are found on the edges of the 
  neighboring wards.
  . tHe PalaCe inn
  A grand three-story structure, the Palace inn is the 
  finest in new Asper. finest also means most expen-
  sive—prices for all meals are three times those listed in 
  the Hellfrost Player’s Guide. unlike in other inns, there 
  is no common sleeping area—patrons must reside in a 
  one- or two-bed chamber. Prices start at 3 gs a night and 
  increase depending on the size and luxury of the room.
  one rarely finds visiting counts slumming it here, 
  
  Hellfrost: City book 4
  1
  but their senior officials and many local dignitaries 
  congregate here to enjoy the like-minded company and 
  reserved entertainment. outside the outer Council, 
  more politicking takes place here than anywhere else in 
  the capital. Heroes hoping to make the acquaintance of 
  the city’s movers and shakers need to dress appropri-
  ately—formal clothing is the minimum attire.
  . noble estates
  Approximately two-thirds of the ward is made up of 
  the estates of the seven hereditary counts. since the 
  foundation of new Asper, with its great castle, visiting 
  counts have politely refused to accept accommodation 
  in the fortress. There, they would under constant surveil-
  lance and at the king’s mercy.
  The then king was not happy with the counts’ request 
  to construct estates within the city, but he could not 
  refuse them—to deny the counts, who formed the in-
  ner Council, a presence in the capital would make the 
  monarch look like a tyrant. The king did, however, get 
  his revenge. land was duly allocated to the counts, but it 
  was to be rented for a period of ten years. more impor-
  tantly, the amounts were not fixed. instead, each estate 
  was auctioned, with those closer to the palace, being 
  larger and grander having a higher minimum bid. The 
  counts were furious, but there was little they could do—
  the people were hardly likely to rebel over the nobility 
  having to spend money. The auction system remains in 
  place. overseen by the cult of Hothar, the next auction 
  is due to take place in two years. The counts managed to 
  force one small concession—the estates were, and still 
  are, considered part of their fiefs, rather than the king’s.
  most times the highest-ranking official present is a 
  steward, appointed to keep his master’s estate running 
  smoothly in the count’s absence.
  every count travels with a large entourage, and their 
  arrival in the city is akin to a parade. not that the high 
  nobles are frequent visitors—the more distant ones 
  visit only when the inner Council sits, to swear oaths on 
  oath Renewal day, and on the rare occasion they wish 
  a private audience with Halgroth v rather than acting 
  through a herald.
  4. tHe temPle of ligHt
  Constructed from highly polished yellow granite and 
  topped by a magnificent dome paneled in beaten gold, 
  the Temple of Purity is the seat of sigel’s cult in Aspiria. 
  Though the cult is always short of money, its assets are 
  beyond calculation.
  every inch of the temple interior open to laity is cov-
  ered in panels of beaten gold inscribed with prayers, sto-
  ries, and imagery devoted to sigel. (The places reserved 
  solely for the clergy have bare yellow marble surfaces.) 
  during the temple’s construction after the Golem upris-
  ing, the people were taxed heavily to provide the vast 
  amount of precious metal required. Though their ances-
  tors nearly revolted at the burden placed on them, their 
  modern descendants admire their “generosity,” for the 
  holy place is truly wondrous to behold.
  Thrust into the top of the altar, which is said to be solid 
  gold but is actually a block of white marble covered with 
  a thick layer of beaten metal, is a greatsword. inscribed 
  on the blade in draconic runes is a single word—sun-
  blade. According to ancient temple records, sun knight 
  Anselm the Pure, a paladin-hero popular in stories even 
  today, placed the sword here after the war against the li-
  che- Priest. inscribed around the sword in Classical Anari 
  are the words “sunblade shall be drawn by the righteous 
  hand when darkness threatens Aspiria.” Paladins touch 
  their weapons against sunblade as a symbolic gesture 
  during their final vows of ordination.
  studied many times down the centuries, the sunblade 
  is a true relic. its sole power is the ability to create a burst 
  of blazing light that burns demons and undead. no one 
  can attune themselves to the relic while it remains in the 
  stone. The Reliquary knows the sword’s existence, but 
  can do little to remove it—the altar weighs many tons 
  and has proven resistant to damage.
  Atop the great dome that sits directly over the hall of wor-
  ship is a 30 feet high statue of sigel. His halo is a disc of pure 
  gold, his right hand clutches his sword, and his left palm is 
  open and raised to face the sky. A flickering flame dances in 
  his palm, its light visible for many miles after sunset. known 
  as the flame of Righteousness, local folklore holds that As-
  piria will never fall so long as the flame burns.
  Crafted by frost dwarf artisans, the statue is a marvel-
  ous feat of engineering. The figure is actually hollow and 
  can be accessed from a hidden walkway near the top of 
  the dome. unseen from the ground, a wick as thick as a 
  man’s arm emerges from the god’s left palm. The wick is 
  fed by an oil reserve in the lower torso.
  tiW’s Ward
  sigel may be the official protector of Aspiria, but no king is 
  prepared to offend mighty Tiw by ignoring him completely. 
  named after the god of war, the eastern district is devoted 
  entirely to the needs of the king’s personal army. The west-
  ern half is a mixture of middle- and lower-class housing.
  . garden of Heroes
  formerly located in Asper, this memorial honored 
  Aspiria’s heroes of the demongate, liche-Priest, and Bliz-
  zard Wars. Transplanted to new Aspiria after the Golem 
  uprising, along with the bones and grave goods beneath 
  them, they line the edge of a grand park. 
  The original garden had hundreds of statues, each 
  marking the grave of a named hero. such was the devas-
  tation the golems wrought that only 25 statues remained 
  recognizable. Added to their number are ten raised to 
  honor heroes of the Golem uprising. dominating the 
  center is a huge granite statue of a warrior wearing a full 
  helmet. His face concealed, he marks the resting place 
  of the heroes whose monuments were destroyed and 
  whose remains could not be officially identified. known 
  
  neW asPer
  1
  simply as the Tomb of the unknown Heroes, it is the fo-
  cal point of celebrations on Battle dance day, standards 
  day, and victory day.
  . tHe lanCe & sWord
  A well-known inn, the lance & sword caters for merce-
  nary captains seeking employment, as well as small bands of 
  heroes looking for adventure. fights are common, though 
  most are good-natured brawls rather than deadly combats.
  Potential hirers inform the innkeeper, milom ap-Aubri, 
  a retired sword of Tiw and former sellsword, of the ser-
  vices they require and then take a seat at a numbered 
  booth. Captains and heroes entering or staying at the 
  inn then talk to milom, being directed to patrons whose 
  needs meet their particular talents.
  While mercenaries use their names, playing on their 
  reputation, hirers are referred to only by their booth 
  number to ensure anonymity. Given that many dignitar-
  ies are easily recognized, most act through intermediar-
  ies. once a deal is struck and oaths are sworn, the patron 
  may reveal his name if he so chooses.
  . temPle of eira
  eira’s temple stands close to that of her ex-husband. 
  Painted white to honor the goddess and mark it out 
  as a place of healing, the temple is noted for its shape. 
  The central worship hall is circular. Radiating outward 
  are four buildings—two long halls (one north and one 
  south) and two shorter ones (one east and one west).
  The long buildings are dedicated to the needs of the 
  city’s inhabitants. As well as tending to injuries, the cler-
  ics sell alchemical healing devices, as well as curative and 
  preventative herbal remedies.
  The eastern arm is devoted to kvarsi, the goddess 
  of battlefield medicine (see Matters of Faith). Here, 
  wounded soldiers can convalesce at the king’s expense. 
  in addition to their regular duties, all clerics of eira sta-
  tioned at the temple must serve for three months with 
  the army to hone their mundane healing arts.
  The western arm is the city’s orphanage. it also doubles 
  as a refuge for those escaping violent partners. Battered 
  women, and occasionally men, may stay here as long as 
  is necessary. during their time in the temple, they earn 
  their keep by helping to educate the orphans.
  . sHrine of ermunaz
  A small hall situated between the temples of eira and 
  Tiw serves as a shrine to ermunaz, god of unarmed com-
  bat (see matters of Faith), and a training hall.
  eira’s Peacekeepers in the city have long shunned the 
  use of all weapons save for their fists and feet (and bit-
  ing and head-butting). in their eyes, this better prepares 
  them for life outside the temple, where one cannot 
  always carry arms. Tiw’s paladins practice unarmed com-
  bat partly because it is another form of combat and partly 
  because it allows them to strike back even if disarmed.
  naturally, there is a great deal of rivalry between the two 
  sets of paladins. each year, both cults submit a team of 
  champions to take part in a contest. if the clerics of eira 
  win, the hall teaches defensive and grappling techniques 
  for the next year. if Tiw’s paladins emerge victorious, the 
  focus is on disabling your enemy as swiftly and thoroughly 
  as possible. The cult of Tiw won the last match.
  . temPle of tiW
  standing on the western edge of the military zone is 
  a large temple to Tiw. The main temple hall is circular. 
  standing tall in the center is a double aspect statue of 
  Tiw. viewed from the east, the god has his shield raised 
  in a defensive posture. seen from the west, he holds 
  an axe and sword in aggressive positions. large niches 
  in the wall contain shrines to the minor deities Atriðr 
  (cavalrymen) and Boðgaeðir, (battle enhancement) and 
  small statues of Tiw’s many other aspects. in between are 
  positioned racks of shields and weapons, mementos of 
  priests and paladins fallen in battle.
  independent of the monarch’s authority, the cult has 
  never turned down a request to march to war, so long 
  as due payment has been made. The last time this hap-
  pened was the crusade against the orcs led by Halgroth 
  iv. The temple is currently understaffed—dozens of cler-
  ics have headed into the eastern marches in search of 
  combat opportunities against the new orc menace.
  0. tHe barraCks
  The king’s army stands at just 2,000 men, yet the bar-
  racks, which actually occupies half the ward, can house 
  up to 4,000 in relative comfort. This additional space was 
  added as a contingency should a dire threat ever march 
  against the city, allowing the king to garrison troops sup-
  plied by the counts (assuming they actually answered his 
  call-to-arms, of course).
  scattered throughout the district are barrack blocks 
  (each designed to house one company), officers’ houses, 
  workshops, kitchens and mess halls, warehouses, a heavily-
  fortified armory (stocked with alchemical devices as well as 
  mundane weapons), a meeting room (for officers to plan 
  missions and exercises), firing ranges, open spaces for drill 
  and parades, and stables (for the War knights’ mounts).
  The city watch doesn’t bother to patrol here—anyone 
  brave enough to rob their comrades deserves whatever 
  street justice is meted out.
  1. Warmongers
  owned by a retired army captain, Warmongers sells 
  weapons at 90% of the usual price. The quality is average, 
  but it is not the array of weapons most customers come 
  here for. in direct violation of the law, the shop sells al-
  chemical devices on behalf of the cult of Tiw. Prices are 
  as per the Hellfrost Player’s Guide, but only known and 
  trusted clients, or those that come with a recommenda-
  tion from the cult, can purchase them.
  
  History
  A casual glance at any map of the continent instantly 
  reveals that Ravensburg is not ideally suited for a capital 
  city. ignoring Angmark, which arose later, it stands on 
  the far west of the marklands. Were it central, a more 
  logical position, it would stand in southern nordmark or 
  northern midmark. its location was not a matter of whim 
  or circumstance, however. Rather, it is directly tied to the 
  birth of the marklands.
  skaldic tradition claims that the land at the base of the 
  Hearth Range was largely unpopulated. All that stood on 
  the site of modern Ravensburg was a simple shepherd’s 
  hut. legend has it that it was in this structure that the last 
  Anari commander surrendered to the saxa horde, thus 
  ending what most people know as the saxa Rebellion 
  and the saxa speak of as the Great War.
  it was also here, crammed into the drafty structure, 
  that the leaders of the rebellion met to decide the future 
  of the marklands and where the first High Cyning was 
  crowned. naturally, he claimed the domain as his own 
  and the site became his capital. The hut is long gone, for 
  the royal palace was built on the spot it stood.
  despite the passage of five centuries, little has actually 
  changed. The city has grown and it now has a small popu-
  lation of foreigners (a term locals use to describe anyone 
  not born in Royalmark), but it has remained staunchly 
  traditional in its views and culture. indeed, like the rest 
  of Royalmark it is a throwback to early times, a snapshot 
  of how the saxa used to live centuries ago.
  soCial HierarCHy
  As with everything in Royalmark, the social hierarchy 
  of Ravensburg is very traditional. naturally, the High Cy-
  ning and his family sit at the top.
  Beneath him are the city’s noble families. They answer 
  directly to the throne, and are thus independent of the 
  jarls. While many nobles in foreign cities have grown rich 
  from investing in trade, in Royalmark that is the domain 
  of merchants, not rulers. Ravensburg’s nobles earn their 
  income from personal land they farm or land they tend 
  on behalf of the High Cyning. As a result, they are often 
  poorer than many of their peers in other realms.
  The rest of Ravensburg’s society is classed as per the 
  entry in the Hellfrost Atlas.
  until the advent of the marklands, the saxa practiced 
  enforced slavery. known as thralls, slaves captured in 
  raids or purchased on the open market worked the land 
  and performed menial chores. since overthrowing the 
  Anari and reclaiming their ancestral lands, enforced slav-
  ery has been banned. voluntary slavery, however, is still 
  legal and continues to this day.
  under the new laws, any destitute or displaced citizen 
  can agree to become a thrall. in return, they receive a 
  roof over their heads and food for their bellies. Thralls 
  retain the right to marry. marrying a freeman does not 
  automatically remove their thrall status, however—the 
  noble to whom their partner is beholden must release 
  them from their bondage. since most thralls freed in this 
  manner are female, the process is akin to the custom of 
  the father of the bride giving away his daughter. Thralls 
  never come with dowries, though. even then, they are 
  considered leysingi (see Rassilon Expansion 2).
  government
  Ravensburg is both the High Cyning’s home and the 
  capital of Royalmark. Technically, it is the capital of the 
  entire marklands, though the title is rarely used outside 
  of Royalmark. While High Cyning eyolf directly oversees 
  matter of criminal law (see page 19), the running of Ra-
  vensburg is left to underlings.
  The most senior of these is the High seneschal. Ap-
  1
  ravensburg
                               
                                                              
                                            
  
  ravensburg
  1
  pointed by the king to serve in his name, he is the de 
  facto ruler of Ravensburg, thus allowing his master to 
  concentrate on affairs of state rather than the trifling is-
  sues of the local population. Regardless of his birth rank, 
  he is awarded the noble title Thegn of Ravensburg.
  tHe benCH
  Although he is top dog, the High seneschal cannot 
  govern every aspect of the city alone. Aiding him are a 
  number of other courtiers and officials. These underlings 
  are arranged into a body known as the Bench.
  The name stems from the royal court, where there are 
  two benches arranged to face the throne for the king’s 
  advisors to sit. The High seneschal, however, has just a 
  single bench. out of long-standing tradition, the High 
  seneschal is granted the authority to appoint his own 
  advisors, so long as they are saxa, citizens of Royalmark, 
  worship an accepted deity, and swear allegiance to the 
  High Cyning. Those who hold odd views (such as adopt-
  ing foreign customs or marrying a non-saxa) are rarely 
  ever appointed to high office.
  Advisors to the High Cyning, whose tasks relate to the 
  country rather than the city, carry the prefix “Royal” in 
  front of their roles. To differentiate them, and denote 
  their lower standing, those who help run the capital 
  receive the prefix “High.”
  unless they hold a higher noble rank, Bench members 
  are automatically awarded the title of lendmann of Ra-
  vensburg in addition to that of their role. The noble title 
  is purely honorific—it comes with no grant of land or 
  additional authority. so as they cannot abuse their hon-
  orific or claim to be blood nobles, they must always use 
  the full title of lendmann of Ravensburg.
  The Bench is not a democracy. While its members can 
  make suggestions to the High seneschal, only the High 
  Cyning or the royal seneschal have the power to over-
  rule him. on the rare occasions this has been done, it 
  was due to the High seneschal attempting to introduce 
  foreign influences into the city.
  The positions of the courtiers and their duties are 
  described below, along with the incumbent’s name, 
  gender, culture, and age. unless the heroes are major 
  players with influence at court, it is these officials with 
  whom they are most likely to interact.
  High Seneschal: Governs Ravensburg as thegn on 
  behalf of the High Cyning. He answers to the Royal sen-
  eschal; Incumbent: Thegn Coellaf Athelgarsunu (male, 
  saxa, 58)
  High Castellan: Commands the local garrison (but not 
  the High Cyning’s bodyguard) and the fyrd; Incumbent: 
  lendmanna Godwynn sigestansdohtor (female, saxa, 34)
  High Chaplain: An intermediary between the High 
  seneschal and the city’s cults; Incumbent: lendmann 
  ealhmund inredsunu (male, saxa, 70)
  High Reeve: Responsible for overseeing the workers 
  and handling any disputes; Incumbent: lendmann Her-
  eric edmundsunu (male, saxa, 30)
  High Provost: Although he is not a judge, he advises 
  on matters of law; Incumbent: Hauld Botfrea Cuthnoth-
  sunu (male, saxa, 46)
  High Skald: The keeper of history and tradi-
  tion, he ensures that foreign influences are kept out 
  of the capital; Incumbent: lendmanna Beronhild 
  leofwaldsdohtor(female, saxa, 56)
  High Treasurer: Handles trade agreements and mer-
  cantile disputes; Incumbent: lendmann eghelm Heah-
  wigsunu (male, saxa, 39)
  benCH CleriCal
  Balancing temporal and spiritual power in a society 
  that is deeply religious and yet places nobility above the 
  clergy has never been easy. Ancient laws prohibit clergy-
  men from holding high civil office—no man may have 
  two masters, and the needs of the physical world and the 
  tenets of the gods do not always go hand in hand.
  To ensure communication between king and cults, the 
  first High Cyning created a council of clerics. The council, 
  rules of tHe realm
  These setting rules apply in Ravensburg. Because 
  they apply equally to the city, three of them are cop-
  ied from the Hellfrost Atlas for convenience.
  * Bartering: While foreign merchants demand pay-
  ment in coin, local merchants are happy to barter, 
  for this is the old saxa way. Heroes trying to sell 
  goods normally make a streetwise roll to find a 
  buyer. in Royalmark they can trade them for 25% of 
  their value with no roll required.
  * Clueless: unless they have need to regularly deal 
  with outsiders, denizens of Ravensburg have –2 to 
  Common knowledge rolls concerning Royalmark 
  beyond the confines of the capital.
  * Languages: Auld saxa is the dominant language. 
  Regardless of what languages an inhabitant actually 
  speaks, strangers conversing in anything but Auld 
  saxa incur a –1 Charisma penalty.
  * Out of Touch: The majority of Royalmark’s citi-
  zens are out of touch with the rest of world thanks 
  to their staunch traditionalism. While they accept 
  that foreigners (i.e. non-saxa) are naturally differ-
  ent, they react unfavorably to saxa who sport un-
  usual fashions, sing new songs, or honor the gods 
  in different ways. unless a saxa hero from another 
  realm adopts staunch traditional saxa attire, man-
  nerisms, and beliefs, they suffer a –1 penalty to Cha-
  risma in Royalmark.
  * Pipeleaf: Pipeleaf is considered an unwanted for-
  eign influence. it is available, but costs 45 gs per 
  five smokes.
  * Stubborn: This staunch conservatism of the 
  Royalmarkers means many have the stubborn Hin-
  drance. This manifests openly when exposed to 
  new ideas, especially foreign ones.
  
  Hellfrost: City book 4
  0
  known as the Bench Clerical, has no official power—it is 
  nothing more than an advisory body—and lacks even the 
  authority to punish religious crimes, such as blasphemy 
  and heresy. every acknowledged high priest may sit on 
  the Bench Clerical.
  it is actually very rare for the Bench Clerical to agree 
  on anything—the wonts of the cults are too disparate for 
  a unified front. naturally, this allows the king to play the 
  high priests off against each other, thus ensuring they 
  never gang up against him. While the high priests may 
  sit in the presence of the king, in most cases the Bench 
  Clerical interacts with the royal chaplain.
  Basic details of the four most important, and thus 
  powerful, high priests are given below.
  Eostre Plantmother: sower-Cultivator Wulfburh Beorn-
  nothsdohtor (female, saxa, 74)
  Hothar: scale of justice frithuheah Wihtstansunu 
  (male, saxa, 61)
  Sigel: sun Priest ealdgeat Cynegarsunu (male, saxa, 47)
  Tiw: shield inswith Godsigesdohtor (female, saxa, 38)
  laW and order
  Ravensburg has no separate police force. As the High 
  Cyning’s personal domain, responsibility for maintain-
  ing law and order lies with his bodyguards, the Ravens 
  (see p. 22 and the Hellfrost Atlas for more details). un-
  like other aspects of the city, the High seneschal has no 
  direct authority over them. instead, those assigned to 
  law enforcement answer to the royal provost.
  Two companies of Ravens are always assigned to polic-
  ing—one during the day and one at night. not only does 
  this enforce the king’s rule, it also prevents the huscarls 
  from becoming bored or lazy. Companies alternate be-
  tween guarding the king and patrolling the streets every 
  month. each company is divided into ten patrols of equal 
  strength. led by a sergeant, they comprise eight huscarls, 
  one paladin of Tiw (frequently, but not always, the rank-
  ing officer), and one berserker.
  Although not mentioned in any official roster, each 
  company of Ravens keeps 20 trained war dogs. in addi-
  tion to its bipedal members, each patrol is accompanied 
  by a snarling war dog.
  tHe Courts
  Ravensburg is eyolf’s city and the people all owe him 
  fealty, but his authority over matters of law is not as ab-
  solute as outsiders might think. Again, this stems back to 
  Royalmark’s staunch traditionalism.
  in keeping with ancient tradition, all civil matters, such 
  as disputes over grazing rights or borders are handled 
  not by the nobility or the cult of Hothar, but by the Ra-
  vensburg moot court. meeting just once a year inside the 
  temple of Hothar, the moot court comprises ten dooms-
  men. By law, these are elected by the citizens and cannot 
  hold noble titles. The authority of the moot is consid-
  ered legally binding and outside the interference of any 
  nobleman (including the High Cyning). Those who go 
  to the moot must accept its judgment or be found in 
  contempt (a criminal matter).
  As well as settling rights issues, the moot can impose 
  weregild as punishment for proven verbal insults and 
  minor physical injuries. This is the limit of its sentencing 
  powers, though.
  Criminal cases are heard by the High Cyning in per-
  son—this is the one area of city life he has not handed 
  over to his underlings. Although he is the final arbiter of 
  the law and is expected to have a working knowledge 
  it, the High Cyning is not required to be a legal special-
  ist. Assisting him in his duties are one or more clerics of 
  Hothar and a skald versed in history and law. The king’s 
  word is final—there is no chance of an appeal once his 
  verdict has been given.
  most cases are settled through fines rather than physi-
  cal punishment. serious crimes may warrant criminal 
  servitude, in which the guilty party becomes a thrall 
  to his victim. Typically this is for life. The most serious 
  punishment is not death, which Royalmarkers consider 
  barbaric, but outlawing. under the terms of the sentence, 
  the guilty party is given a three-day head start. After this 
  time, he may be slain without fear of legal repercussion 
  (blood feuds are a different matter) by any citizen of Roy-
  almark if found within the kingdom’s borders.
  in addition to the moot court, the cult of Hothar, or 
  the king, all citizens have the right to trial by ordeal. The 
  accepted methods are the burning stone, holmganga, 
  and shield judgment. see Rassilon Expansion for more 
  on these, as well as justice in general.
  tHieves’ guild
  Ravensburg has no organized thieves’ guild. This isn’t 
  to say that the citizens are all law-abiding, only that or-
  ganized thievery is considered an Anari invention and 
  thus has not found a home here. no thieves’ guild also 
  means there is no protection racket—every property is 
  considered fair game by the nine thieves who live and 
  work in the capital.
  The resident thieves all worship at a secret shrine to 
  nauthiz, but consider themselves rivals. each year, they 
  count up their spoils. The thief who has garnered the 
  most is given the title master Thief of Ravensburg. The 
  title is both acknowledgment of his prowess and a dig at 
  the Bench, with their lofty honorific titles.
  eduCation
  Considered archaic, even quaint, in much of the 
  marklands, Auld saxa is the predominant language in 
  Ravensburg (and the rest of the country). many citizens 
  also speak a smattering of saxa, but other languages 
  are exceptionally rare outside of native speakers. even 
  Trader, a language spoken the length and breadth of the 
  continent, is known only to those who must regularly 
  entreat with outsiders.
                                      
  
  ravensburg
  1
  The customs and culture of the saxa are drummed into 
  children from an early age. Children of other races or 
  cultures are permitted to learn their native lore, but they 
  must also master those of the saxa if they are to fit into 
  the insular society. unless one has wealth to hire clerics 
  of Hothar as tutors, formal education is non-existent.
  Regardless of one’s level of education, the introduction 
  of outside influences is strictly forbidden, punishable by 
  stiff fines and even exile. This places restrictions on what 
  the cult of Hoenir may legally teach. To that end, rich 
  citizens who want their children to receive a rounded 
  education (which is not that many) send them to nara 
  for schooling.
  Royalmarkers in general are ignorant of the rest of the 
  world, though those living close to neighboring nations 
  have at least a passing knowledge of their major customs. 
  far more insular, and many miles from any border, the 
  inhabitants of Ravensburg show great ignorance even 
  about large parts of Royalmark. To enlightened adventur-
  ers, the city-dwellers can come across as no better than 
  uneducated country bumpkins.
  religion
  As in other parts of Royalmark, the citizens of Ravens-
  burg hold eostre, Hothar, sigel, and Tiw as the most 
  important gods.
  As far as the masses are concerned, eostre is the 
  main deity. Her cult certainly has the largest number 
  of dedicated followers, for while it is a city, many of its 
  people work the surrounding land. Her minor cults are 
  especially active—those that exist here have at least one 
  full-time cleric.
  in the eyes of the upper echelons of society, Hothar 
  is king. not the most traditional of the saxa deities, he 
  has always been the protector of the royal family and the 
  source of its power, as well as the guardian of traditional 
  values. When a citizen swears an oath, it is always done 
  in Hothar’s name. His cult helps police the traditions of 
  the city, ensuring that unwanted foreign influences are 
  quickly stamped out and the perpetrators ejected.
  This has led to friction with the cult of Hoenir, which 
  aims to spread knowledge. more than once the Ravens 
  have been summoned to break up fights between the 
  bookish librarians and the traditionalist clerics. not that 
  there is ever much risk of serious harm being caused if 
  just priests are involved—they tend to fight like young 
  girls, slapping each other and pulling hair rather than 
  throwing hard punches.
  Tiw is the god of war and protector of the marklands 
  in general. All members of the Ravens are required to 
  honor him, and thus his cult has considerable influence 
  in the capital. His fortified temple is also home to cler-
  ics of Boðgaeðir (battle enhancement), Geirdriful (spear 
  throwing), Geirvaldr (the fyrd), Hildolfr (berserks), and 
  sigðir (knattleikr). see Matters of Faith for details on 
  these minor deities.
  sigel, god of the sun and protector against the dark 
  forces, is also the god of good morals and righteous 
  behavior. saxa in general enjoy drinking and feasting, 
  singing and fighting, but in Ravensburg their festivities 
  are always tempered by hard stares from sigel’s clergy. 
  They do not mind the citizens having a good time, so 
  long as they do so in moderation.
  scaetha has few devout worshippers in Ravensburg. 
  Hela’s madness was felt everywhere, but the subsequent 
  war against the liche-Priest, which saw scaetha promoted 
  to undead slayer, never affected the old saxa realms. in 
  northern Royalmark, where entities from the Withered 
  lands are a constant threat, scaetha has assumed her 
  full modern role. in Ravensburg, far from the danger of 
  shambling undead, she is seen only as the goddess of 
  death, a relatively minor deity subservient to sigel. de-
  spite this, there is a small temple in the city.
  When it comes to learning, there are actually two dei-
  ties. Hoenir represents the modern approach taken by 
  other lands, with written words and access to knowledge 
  from all lands. in Ravensburg, Hoenir is considered the 
  god of foreign (read unwanted or corruptive) knowl-
  edge. His place has been taken by the unknowable 
  one, patron of storytellers. Although they have a written 
  language, Royalmarkers still prefer oral history. in addi-
  tion to being the traditional means of passing on lore, 
  storytelling, unlike reading a book is a social affair. 
  Centers of power and population are natural draws for 
  the cult of vali the Corrupter, but Ravensburg has proven 
  impossible to crack. utterly adverse to new things, es-
  pecially ideas, and quite content to know their place, 
  it is only the nobility who crave more. many nobles are 
  already well down the road to the corruption, which 
  makes the game little fun for the cult.
  one aspect of Ravensburg’s traditionalism is that the 
  people do not grovel before the malevolent deities, a 
  growing trend in other nations. in place of supplicating 
  Thrym to make winter less arduous, they pray to kenaz 
  to warm their flesh and souls. Where others offer vali 
  sacrifices to turn his gaze from the harvest, Ravensburg-
  ers give their sacrifices to eostre Plantmother to boost 
  the yield. no one prays to Hela to ward off the attention 
  of undead—they ask sigel to shield them.
  irrespective of cult, tradition governs the workings of 
  the cults in Ravensburg. in times of peace, only a priest 
  may serve as high priest. in times of war, as determined 
  by the High Cyning, the high priest is replaced by the 
  senior paladin for the duration of the conflict. While it 
  may sound odd to outsiders, the bonds of tradition run 
  so deep that even the cults of malevolent deities follow 
  this structure.
  festivals
  The inhabitants of Ravensburg enjoy many festivals. 
  every high holy day of the four main gods is a public holi-
  day. Attendance is not compulsory, but followers of the 
  relevant faith who do not attend may be given the cold 
  shoulder by their peers for lack of devotion. Worshippers 
                               
  
  Hellfrost: City book 4
  
  are expected to, and indeed regularly do, attend services 
  on holy days (although on their own time). such devo-
  tion serves the cults well, ensuring the temples, and thus 
  the coffers, are always full.
  Raven’s day is held on sangdaeg of Hegmonan and is 
  a public holiday. on this one day of the year, candidates 
  seeking to enlist with the Ravens pit mettle and metal 
  against a serving huscarl drawn at random. Held in the 
  market square, the event is a huge draw, with citizens 
  traveling far and wide to watch the contests. The com-
  bats are always shield judgments, exciting enough for 
  the spectators but without injuring either combatant.
  during the summer months, when the crops are grow-
  ing and the livestock is grazing, saxa thoughts naturally 
  turn to conflict—it is in their blood. in rural communi-
  ties, people pacify this natural urge to wage war through 
  cattle raiding. in the more civilized city, summer means it 
  is time for the annual knattleikr competition. Patronized 
  by the High Cyning, the tournament winners are assured 
  riches as well as glory.
  Held over the entire third week of Werremonan, with 
  a break on marketdaeg, the competition attracts players 
  and spectators from across the marklands. it also attracts 
  people from other realms, which means the cult of Ho-
  thar must work extra hard to repress cultural tainting. 
  The city’s population can grow by as much as 50%, during 
  this week. With no inns, visitors who have no relatives in 
  Ravensburg resort to erecting a tent city on the outskirts 
  of the capital. This actually suits the locals, as it means 
  they can avoid unnecessary contact with foreigners.
  Apples have never been big business in Royalmark, 
  but everyone enjoys cheese and beer. in Ravensburg, the 
  center of productivity, these twin staples are marked on 
  Beer and Cheese day. Held on sangdaeg of Plohmonan, 
  it is both a way to celebrate the industries, thank eostre 
  for her bounty, and reward the farmers who have, in 
  theory, just finished plowing the soil.
  The city’s cheesemakers and the temple of Gullveig 
  (the only brewery) offer free samples of their wares to 
  the inhabitants. With so many to feed (attendance is very 
  high), quantities are restricted to a small cup of ale and 
  a knob of cheese. 
  While it is quite permissible for worshippers to devour 
  these small samples as part of their devotions, many 
  instead give them to eostre’s clergy. it is considered 
  extremely rude for a cleric not to consume the ale and 
  cheese in front of the donor. Alas, and despite the good 
  intentions with which the offering is made, many end 
  up drunk and with a terrible stomach ache. Another ac-
  cepted tradition is to place the food and drink on the 
  graves of ancestors.
  military
  Capital of Royalmark and chief city of the saxa, Ravens-
  burg has no palisade or ditch. This is not down to lack 
  of threats, but to the perception of strength—by refusing 
  to construct any palisade, the High Cynings indicate that 
  there is no threat they cannot overcome.
  no palisade foes not mean defenseless, however—the 
  High Cynings can be arrogant, but they are not stupid. 
  The city’s western flank is protected by the Hearth Range, 
  while six motte-and-bailey forts, each housing 100 hus-
  carls, are located a discreet distance outside town.
  in addition to these six companies, there are another 
  four stationed within the city itself. known as the Ravens, 
  they are the king’s bodyguard. As well as protecting the 
  king’s person, they serve to enforce law and order in his 
  name. each of these companies is commanded by a cap-
  tain. To denote his higher status that an ordinary captain 
  of huscarls, they receive the title High Captain.
  As the royal bodyguard, the Ravens leave the city only 
  in the presence of the king. in the rare instances a noble 
  needs reminding who is in charge by a display of military 
  power, the duty usually falls to ordinary huscarls. As a rule 
  of thumb, one company accompanies the king whenever 
  he visits places in Royalmark and two companies if he 
  must travel beyond the borders. only if Royalmark went 
  to war would all four leave the city.
  Also garrisoned in the city is a small contingent of mer-
  cenary cavalry. The High Cyning has two companies (200 
  men) at his disposal, but only one company is perma-
  nently stationed in the capital—the other company roams 
  the countryside, ensuring the High Cyning’s presence is 
  seen, if not actually felt. Cavalry trained to fight in battle, 
  an Anari concept, is one of the rare concessions the High 
  Cynings of old have made to the modern world.
  The growing trend across Rassilon is to hire knights 
  Hrafn as company captains and generals. slow as ever to 
  change, the High Cyning has rebuffed all their attempts 
  to promote their staff as worthy leaders.
  militia
  Being saxa, Ravensburg has a fyrd. including city 
  dwellers and farmers within a day’s march, a total 
  force of some 1,500 warriors, around 10% of the local 
  population, can be raised to help deal with emergen-
  cies. Although it trains regularly, summoning the fyrd is 
  always a last resort—very few of the members have any 
  real military experience and most possess only a short 
  spear or bow (the latter predominantly used for hunting 
  game). Armor is very rare among fyrdmen.
  Private forCes
  As a martial culture, the saxa have never placed re-
  strictions on private citizens owning arms and armor, or 
  equipping their servants with such. That said, weapons 
  and armor are not cheap, and few outside the nobility or 
  powerful merchant families can afford the luxury. While 
  bodyguards are looked down upon in some cultures, or 
  mocked by regular soldiers for being pretend warriors, 
  in Ravensburg it is an honorable profession. After all, one 
  has the responsibility for defending another person’s 
  life, and that is not a charge lightly undertaken.
                                 
  
  ravensburg
  
  trade & tribute
  firmly stuck in the past, Ravensburg indigenous art-
  work and jewelry have become something of a joke. no 
  one doubts the skill that has gone into their creation, 
  but the designs are centuries old. far from the cutting 
  edge of fashion, they appeal only to customers who want 
  something quaint, who are interested in the old times, 
  or are clueless as to modern saxa fashions. With designs 
  never changing, demand is slowly diminishing as foreign 
  merchants look for new and exciting wares to tempt cus-
  tomers into parting with their hard-earned coin.
  its largest contribution to the export market is beer and 
  cheese—the city accounts for around 20% of all exports. 
  Although the recipes have not changed in many genera-
  tions, this does not mean they are bland—Ravenburg’s 
  artisans have always prided themselves on good flavors. 
  Competition from other nations is heating up, but when 
  it comes to good food, tastes are slow to change.
  The city imports large quantities of gold and silver. 
  much of this is destined for the royal mint, where it will 
  be turned into currency. The rest goes to the city’s gold 
  and silversmiths for turning into jewelry.
  one import the city does not want is pipeleaf. The par-
  adox of staunch traditionalism is that it abhors change, 
  and introducing a law making pipeleaf illegal would be a 
  change. instead, the substance is taxed excessively, mak-
  ing it far beyond the reach of most citizens.
  taxes
  Royalmark is unified, but the jarls wield considerable 
  independent authority. This is most notable when it 
  comes to taxation, for the land has no central policy.
  Heavy taxation is not the Royalmark way—until the 
  Anari came about, most nobles earned their money from 
  selling excess produce produced on their land and col-
  lecting fines, rents, hunting fees, tolls, and duties. The 
  thought of taxing an individual purely as a means of rais-
  ing money was something they had never considered. 
  even today, taxation in Ravensburg is very limited.
  Common Burdens: Armies and fortifications are not 
  cheap to maintain. As part of his feudal oath, every adult 
  citizen agrees to pay 10% of his income per year (5% if he 
  is a militia member) for this purpose.
  Customs Duty: imports of foreign goods for direct sale 
  to the public are charged at 5%. foreign goods merely pass-
  ing through are charged at 2%. exports are charged at 3%.
  Excise Duty: Pipeleaf imports are charged at 100%.
  Tithing: Paying tithes to temples is a legal require-
  ment. Citizens are free to donate to a single temple or 
  share their tithe around multiple cults.
  markets
  in the old days, marketdaeg was just that—the day on 
  which the market was held. elsewhere, markets are com-
  monly held at least several times a week. in Ravensburg, 
  stalls open for just one day a week, though high holy 
  days of the city’s four main deities are considered to be 
  important enough to warrant a market.
  no law prohibits a craftsman selling goods directly 
  from his workshop, but when it comes to basic wares, 
  citizens shop just once a week.
  arCHiteCture
  There are no stone buildings in Ravensburg. Wood has 
  always been the saxa’s preferred construction material 
  and they are masters of the art.
  The majority of houses are long, rectangular structures 
  and just a single story high. Roofs are steeply pitched, 
  with an overhang to allow people and animals to shel-
  ter from rains, and covered in bundles of reeds (for the 
  poor) or wooden shingles (for the rich). Grander houses 
  follow the same shape as poorer ones, but are built to 
  a larger scale. Although they typically have just a single 
  floor inside, the main roof beam may be as much as three 
  stories high. very few buildings have windows.
  Being made of wood does not imply the structures are 
  dull to look at—far from it, in fact. intricate knotwork 
  designs, stylized animals (traditionally bears, boars, 
  dragons, horses, and ravens), and holy symbols are 
  carved onto supporting beams, doors, and over lintels. 
  The houses of the truly wealthy may have a pair of tall 
  wooden pillars outside, elaborately carved to resemble 
  one or more gods seated one above the other.
  save for a high seat for the head of the family, few 
  householders own a table and chairs. instead, raised 
  platforms along each of the long walls serve for seating. 
  similarly, there is usually only one private bedroom in 
  a standard house—that of the homeowner. other family 
  members and guests alike sleep in the main hall atop the 
  wooden benches. in addition to providing sitting and sleep-
  ing space, the benches lift to reveal storage space beneath.
  internal decorations are few and far between. Walls 
  may be covered with tapestries or pelts to keep out the 
  draft, and many citizens own a small wooden carving 
  of the house’s patron deity. Too small to be considered 
  shrines, in any meaningful sense of the wood, they serve 
  as both a protective force against evil spirits and show 
  the gods the mortal’s loyalty.
  even the homes of the rich and powerful lack what 
  outsiders might consider modern necessities. in place of 
  carpets or rugs, for instance, floors are covered with straw.
  tHe sun
  As elsewhere, the inhabitants of Ravensburg base their 
  working day on the rising and setting of sigel’s Hearth. 
  Below are the local sunrise and sunset times and the 
  hours of daylight for the first day of each month.
                                                         
                                                  
                               
  
  Hellfrost: City book 4
  4
  
  ravensburg
  
  Month 
  Sunrise 
  Sunset 
  Daylight
  snaermonan 
  0734 
  1632 
  8h 58m
  frostmonan 
  0720 
  1706 
  9h 46m
  eostremonan 
  0641 
  1744 
  11h 3m
  Plohmonan 
  0553 
  1818 
  12h 25m
  sowanmonan 
  0504 
  1852 
  13h 48m
  Werremonan 
  0428 
  1924 
  14h 56m
  scerranmonan 
  0416 
  1945 
  15h 29m
  Hegmonan 
  0431 
  1940 
  15h 9m
  Haerfestmonan 
  0500 
  1909 
  14h 9m
  falmonan 
  0532 
  1821 
  12h 49m
  Huntianmonan 
  0605 
  1730 
  11h 25m
  fogmonan 
  0640 
  1646 
  10h 6m
  Wulfmonan 
  0715 
  1623 
  9h 8m
  maJor loCales
  The capital of both Royalmark and the marklands, 
  Ravensburg is a city from a bygone age. its culture, its ar-
  chitecture, and its people are centuries behind the time 
  and unwilling to move in the modern era. quaint and 
  rustic in equal measure, it is still a major settlement, and 
  there is much for visiting adventurers to see.
  outside tHe City
  With houses constructed close together and divided 
  only by tiny alleyways, there is no room in the city for 
  gardens or allotments. The ground to the north, west, 
  and east is relatively fertile. Almost every non-noble fam-
  ily rents a strip of land outside the city from the High 
  Cyning (who naturally keeps the best land for himself).
  known as a hide, each strip amounts to 120 acres—
  enough to feed a single household. Typically it requires 
  four ox teams to plow this much land in a single month. 
  note that in Ravensburg houses have several generations 
  of the family under the one roof. in return, 10% of the 
  produce is paid to the royal court.
  inside tHe City
  As noted elsewhere, Ravensburg has no palisade. in 
  addition to being open to attack, it means the city has no 
  defined border. When people speak of Ravensburg, they 
  traditionally mean what is visible on the map. They also 
  accept, however, that steads as much as three miles away 
  are referred to as within the confines of Ravensburg.
  1. Hartstead
  Cyning eyolf ’s stead stands behind a wooden palisade. 
  Too weak to withstand an assault, the posts serve only to 
  mark out the borders of the royal palace.
  The palace proper stands in the north of the com-
  pound, close to the neighboring temple of Hothar. Built 
  in the traditional style, it differs from other houses only 
  in its size and in the golden shields that serve as roof 
                                                    
  
  Hellfrost: City book 4
  
  tiles. The original shields, long since rotted away, be-
  longed to fallen heroes of the saxa rebellion. Today, they 
  are donated by the cult of sigel to remember paladins 
  who have died in service to the god. Hanging over the 
  front door, and giving the stead its name, is the skull of 
  a gigantic deer, its antlers measuring over a dozen feet 
  across. legend claims that the mighty beast approached 
  the first High Cyning, swore that the animals would obey 
  his decrees, and promptly dropped dead.
  The other buildings making up the palace are the 
  king’s private stables, workshops, storehouses, and quar-
  ters for servants, thralls, and craftsmen. The building in 
  the eastern corner is occupied by the High seneschal.
  The High Cyning has his own carpenters, metalworkers, 
  potters, and the like. To serve the king in this manner is a 
  great honor and one fiercely competed for. once appointed, 
  a craftsman remains in position until dismissed by the king, 
  he retires, or he dies. When a vacancy opens, craftsmen of 
  the appropriate type are invited to submit their wares for 
  royal inspection. The craftsman chosen to occupy the posi-
  tion becomes part of the royal household (albeit it a very 
  lowly level) and receives a generous stipend from the king 
  to keep him supplied with the appropriate goods.
  . tHe Court
  The highest authority in the land, High Cyning eyolf 
  has elected to hold his legal court in the temple of Ho-
  thar, an imposing wooden edifice known simply as the 
  Court. This has elevated the cult’s status to a new high, 
  something it is keen to maintain.
  Although Royalmarkers favor an oral tradition, the 
  library has a well-stocked library. As one might expect, 
  the library is dedicated to matters of law and traditional 
  saxa culture. As impressive as the collection is, none of 
  the volumes is particularly old—the earliest dates to 50 
  years after the foundation of Royalmark. As manuscripts 
  become fragile with age they are copied, double checked 
  to ensure no new ideas or translations have crept in, and 
  then destroyed as part of a ritual.
  The temple has a royal charter permitting the clerics 
  to sell alchemical devices of their own making. These 
  devices may only be sold to Royalmark nobles, however.
  Although it has no direct authority over the moot, the 
  clerics may be called upon to advice the doomsmen. The 
  most likely to be summoned is keeper of the Boundary 
  osfrea Aethelraedsunu, high priest of the cult of farma-
  guth, lesser deity of boundaries (see Matters of Faith).
  . tHe oatH stone
  Rising from the soil outside the Court is a towering 
  stone. known as the oath stone, it was on this steadfast 
  rock that the last Anari commander swore to lay down 
  his sword and disband his army. The great nobles placed 
  their hands on this stone when they vowed to form the 
  marklands and serve justly and wisely. it is here that 
  peasants and king alike come to swear holy oaths.
  once a simple stone, the modern oath stone is carved 
  not only with Hothar’s holy symbol, but also those of He-
  fnd, minor goddess of vengeance and righter of wrongs 
  (see Matters of Faith) and the norns, who have already 
  woven whether an oath will be fulfilled or broken. The 
  stone is a dull red, the result of countless blood oaths 
  being sworn upon it.
  Centuries of sacred oaths and blood oaths have trans-
  formed the oath stone from a simple lump of stone into 
  a sacred place. 
  Spirit Name: oath-Binder.
  Ambience: The surrounding area has no special ambi-
  ence. Touching the stone, though, produces a sense of 
  foreboding, a sixth-sense of dire consequences should 
  fate not work out as the supplicant intends.
  Deity: Hothar.
  Senses: notice d10.
  Communication: oath-Binder does not communi-
  cate verbally. should the sacrifice be accepted, the hand 
  prints of those swearing an oath here are stained into the 
  rock so long as the oath remains in effect.
  Sacrifice: To make an oath, a supplicant must slash 
  open his palms and place them on the oath stone. He 
  must then state his oath and swear to uphold it in the 
  name of Hothar. finally, he must state that Hefnd may 
  strike him with curses should he ever break the oath. 
  inadvertently breaking an oath is no excuse.
  Powers: A boast is more than bragging—it is an oath 
  to commit a certain deed made before witnesses. A hero 
  who makes a boast while placing his hands on the oath 
  stone receives two benefits. first, he receives a bonus 
  Benny. This may only be used in matters directly concern-
  ing the nature of the boast. should the hero complete 
  the boast, he receives an additional 1 Glory for a minor 
  boast, +2 for a moderate boast, +3 for a major one, and 
  +5 for a legendary one.
  The presence of Hefnd’s holy symbol is not idle graf-
  fiti. should the hero fail in his boast, he has broken his 
  oath and so must be punished. first, all Glory penalties 
  are increased by the amounts listed above. second, the 
  oath-breaker suffers further punishment depending on 
  the strength of his boast.
  A minor boast causes him to lose one Benny for the 
  remainder of the current adventure. A moderate boast 
  leaves him fatigued for the remainder of the current 
  adventure, while a major one renders him exhausted. 
  magic and rest cannot alleviate these conditions. A failed 
  legendary boast deprives the character of all Bennies for 
  the rest of the current adventure—and he cannot call 
  upon divine aid during that period.
  no character may make more than one boast here per 
  year, nor may he gain a second benefit until any current 
  boast is ended.
  As well as boasting, the most likely reason for a player 
  character to use the oath stone, the site is used for mar-
  riages, business deals, land exchanges, vows of friend-
  ship and fealty (such as are made on oath Renewal day), 
  and all manner of other oaths. Any effects from such 
  oaths must be determined by the Gm based on specific 
  circumstances.
  
  ravensburg
  
  4. Hall of CHamPions
  in specific circumstances, saxa law permits a person 
  accused of a crime who has opted for trial by, or chal-
  lenged to, holmganga or shield judgment to appoint a 
  champion in his place. in Ravensburg, a champion must 
  be a saxa and must be registered with the cult of Hothar. 
  Those accepted into the ranks of legal champions may 
  hire their services through the Hall of Champions. Given 
  that dueling is an accepted means of settling a dispute, 
  the building is also known as the Hall of duelists.
  Any registered champion may reside in the hall for as 
  long as he wants at no cost. meals are provided, but they 
  are simple fare. Guests are not permitted.
  once a contract is accepted, a champion is honor-
  bound to follow it through. Reneging results not only in 
  being stripped of the right to champion another, but cen-
  sure from the cult of Hothar for being an oath-breaker. 
  The party who hired them is also entitled to financial 
  compensation.
  . tHe armory
  The main temple to Tiw, the Armory serves as an actual 
  armory and a training ground for the Ravens. The forges 
  are maintained by clerics of kenaz. The clerics of Tiw 
  serve their god first and Royalmark second, though all 
  have taken vows never to fight against the High Cyning.
  Aside from the main temple and high altar are separate 
  shrines to Boðgaeðir, Geirdriful, Geirvaldr, Hildolfr, and 
  sigðir. each minor cult has one or more priests and pala-
  dins serving here. As well as performing spiritual duties, 
  they serve the High Cyning in accordance with their spe-
  cialty. Clerics of Geirdriful and Geirvaldr, for instance, 
  help train the fyrd.
  Any worshipper of Tiw can find hospitality here, 
  though he must amuse the priests and paladins with 
  tales of his exploits. The better the tale, the better the 
  hospitality he receives. some boasting is expected, but 
  lies revealed as such are met with the traditional rebuke 
  of Tiw’s clergy—a thorough pummeling.
  . tHe market
  open only on marketdaeg and certain high holy days, 
  the market square transforms from a quiet open area into 
  a bustling throng of humanity. from dawn until dusk, 
  shoppers haggle and barter for the best deals on every-
  thing from loaves of bread to clothing while the square 
  echoes with the calls of tradesmen hawking their wares.
  Rather than being overseen the cult of var, it falls to 
  the cult of Hothar to ensure that stalls are set up in the 
  correct spot. There is no set order to the layout—the 
  stalls occupy merely spots they have always held.
  Although not permitted to act as general law enforcers, 
  paladins of Hothar may be hired by private citizens to 
  protect their wares. only stalls stocking valuable goods 
  can afford to pay their rates—most others accept that a 
  certain quantity of goods will be pilfered.
  . tHe sun Hall
  facing onto the market square it is the temple of sigel. 
  The outward facing walls are painted yellow to mimic 
  gold. inside, the walls are coated in layers of small strips 
  of beaten gold nailed to the thick mud plaster. Placed 
  here by worshippers, the strips are inscribed with prayers 
  to sigel. The cult sells blank golden strips for 1 gold sci-
  eld. under cult law, prayer strips are only removed when 
  the worshipper has died, for only then has he no need of 
  sigel’s protection.
  While some clerics feel the lure of the Hellfrost and 
  duly head north to fight against the forces of Thrym, 
  most are content to act as Ravensburg’s moral police. 
  They have no special authority to arrest lawbreakers, and 
  moral crimes, such as excessive drinking, hold no weigh 
  with the moot or court. That said, having a grim-coun-
  tenanced paladin politely suggest you’ve had enough 
  to drink and should go home is often enough to cause 
  instant sobering.
  . Hall of memories
  Heavily reliant on oral knowledge, it is nonetheless 
  true that a tapestry is worth a thousand words. lining 
  the walls of this long hall is a pictorial representation of 
  Royalmark’s history and the deeds of its High Cynings, 
  beginning with the rebellion against the Anari.
  Taking the form of a long, thin strip, the tapestry 
  winds around the walls. Here are told the stories of 
  mighty heroes, royal decrees and marriages, and other 
  major events. Aside from an image of his coronation 
  and marriage, the incumbent High Cyning has no repre-
  sentation—only when he has died is his story told. This 
  prevents the king from having himself depicted in the 
  manner he wishes to be remembered.
  Although not consecrated as a place of worship, the 
  building has traditionally served as a shrine for those 
  who wish to pray to the norns. Those who seek their at-
  tention leave a bundle of colored threads as an offering. 
  The threads are then used to weave the next part of the 
  great tapestry. The hall is further tied to the goddesses by 
  another tradition. Responsibility for weaving the latest 
  panel always falls to three women, an elder (a master 
  weaver), a mature woman (a journeyman), and a young 
  child (an apprentice).
  . anCestors’ Hall
  This dour hall, its planks stained black, is the temple 
  to scaetha, goddess of death. Her clerics’ main role is to 
  perform funeral rites, though they also have responsibil-
  ity for ensuring the local cemetery is not disturbed by 
  grave robbers.
  Aside from the high priestess, eulogist Cynewynn 
  eorhelmsdohtor, the entire clergy is made up of dour 
  paladins. Cynewynn, despite being born a Royalmarker, 
  has never accepted the traditional stance of her cult in 
  Ravensburg. Personal views aside, local tradition states 
  
  Hellfrost: City book 4
  
  that as a servant of the goddess of death, rather than un-
  dead-slaying, she cannot stir up support for the ongoing 
  battle against the undead of the Withered lands, at least 
  not in Ravensburg. Thus, she spends much of her time 
  in northern Royalmark and the freelands close to the 
  border, leaving her deputy to oversee funerals.
  When in town, she is frequently at odds with sun Priest 
  ealdgeat Cynegarsunu, high priest of sigel. Although he is 
  a staunch traditionalist, ealdgeat’s primary motive for not 
  ceding scaetha’s cult its rightful position as undead slayers 
  is simply because it gives his cult greater influence. unwill-
  ing to tarnish her cult’s name by arguing in public, she 
  reserves her verbal fury for meetings of the Bench Clerical.
  Ravensburg has a cemetery, but it lies five miles out-
  side the city. Both inhumations and funeral pyres are 
  accepted methods of laying the dead to rest. Physical in-
  humations are always accompanied by grave goods. only 
  nobles have burial mounds, though—the construction of 
  them is beyond the means of the average citizen. The 
  High kings, in keeping with their lofty position, are in-
  terred in the mounds of Heroes Gone. unless they have 
  performed some truly mighty deed, their grave mounds 
  are located on the edge of the mounds.
  10. Hall of tHe kings
  This magnificent mead hall, easily as grand as the royal 
  palace with regard the workmanship used in its construc-
  tion, is protected day and night by a detachment of the 
  high cyning’s bodyguard and paladins of scaetha.
  Without exception and on penalty of immediate ex-
  ecution, entrance to the opulently decorated interior is 
  forbidden to all persons save the High Cyning, and he 
  enters only on the eve of first death day. it is said that 
  on this night, scaetha permits the spirits of the High Cyn-
  ings of old to return to the mortal realm to council the 
  incumbent monarch. during his annual visit, security is 
  increased to an entire company of elite huscarls, while 
  the clerics sing dirges in honor of the dead.
  it is rumored the interior is dominated by a vast table 
  carved from a single tree trunk. engraved around it in 
  Auld saxa runes are the names of every High Cyning 
  since the foundation of the marklands. That of the cur-
  rent High Cyning never appears while he lives, and a 
  throne carved to resemble a storm dragon marks his po-
  sition. no carpenter has admitted setting foot inside, and 
  stories abound that when a High Cyning dies his name 
  magically appears on the table’s polished surface.
  11. tHe CHeeseHouse
  not the most previous of resources, cheese is none-
  theless big business in Ravensburg. The cheesehouse, 
  actually two neighboring buildings, is the center of 
  productivity. While there is only one cheesehouse in 
  the city, it is divided into separate workshops. each be-
  longs to one family producing its own specialty cheese. 
  Within the cool interior, cow’s, sheep’s, or goat’s milk is 
  transformed into a variety of hard cheeses. most cheese 
  is flavored, either with natural mold or with a variety of 
  traditional herbs and plants.
  Among the more notable, and popular, cheeses are 
  Ale Cheese (flavored with hops), Apple Cheese (flavored 
  with apples), kenaz’s Hearth (a strong, mature cheese 
  dusted with charcoal), and old Horny (a pungent goat 
  cheese said to inflame passions).
  1. dogs of War
  saxa use both cats and dogs for hunting. The former 
  are primarily used to catch rabbits and fish, while the lat-
  ter are reserved for hunting boar and deer. Also known 
  as war dogs, the latter are also used in battle. dogs of 
  War is a kennel where hounds are raised and trained. it 
  is impossible to miss the place—the baying of hounds 
  echoes across the city day and night.
  A standard trained war dog costs 200 gold scields. for 
  those with money, pedigrees are available for an extra 
  charge. The following modifiers can be combined into a 
  single hound.
  Big: size 0 and +1 Toughness (+450 gs); Fierce: in-
  timidation d8 (+200 gs); Hound of Tiw: the dog is a Wild 
  Card (+1,500 gs); Hunter: +2 bonus to Tracking rolls 
  based on scent (+170 gs); Tenacious: spirit d8 (+200 
  gs); Tough: vigor d8 and +1 Toughness (+400 gs); Vi-
  cious: bite damaged is str+d6 (+300 gs).
  1. skalds’ Hall
  As well as being entertainers, Ravensburg’s skalds 
  serve as keepers of history and custom (which they 
  naturally pass on through stories). A center of learning it 
  may be, but there are very few books in the hall. Wise in 
  Royalmark’s folktales, history, genealogies, and heraldry 
  (and notably more ignorant in those of other lands), the 
  skalds residing here earn a living as freelance scholars.
  The hall contains a small shrine to both Hoenir (god 
  of knowledge) and Galdraföðr (minor god of storytell-
  traditions & sins
  since some cults have slightly different focuses in 
  Royalmark, and Ravensburg in particular, players of 
  clerics may wonder how this affects their sins. The 
  short answer is that it doesn’t.
  While clerics of sigel are under no obligation to 
  venture north and seek out Thrym’s minions, they 
  are still required to combat them should they en-
  counter the fell creatures. likewise, scaetha’s cult 
  being relegated to funeral rites in the city doesn’t 
  mean clerics can escape punishment for avoiding a 
  tour in the Withered lands.
  At the end of the day, unless an exception is clearly 
  noted in the text or a sidebar, the usual rules for 
  sins always apply to clerics. Traditions are the work 
  of mortals—dogma is the word of the gods.
  
  ravensburg
  
  ers; see Matters of Faith). out of long-standing tradition, 
  any cleric of either deity or visiting skald or song mage 
  may seek hospitality here. After three days he must either 
  move on or earn his keep by serving as a scholar.
  While the rich can afford to maintain a personal skald 
  to keep them entertained while they feast, the peasants 
  must rely on public storytelling events. Twice a week, on 
  marketdaeg and milcdaeg eve, the hall opens its doors to 
  Ravensburgers. outsiders are permitted entry to these 
  events only in the presence of a noble of Royalmark. no 
  food or drink is offered, but patrons are free to bring 
  their own (and usually do). As the communal feast un-
  folds, the words of poets and storytellers transport the 
  revelers to distant times and places.
  Legendary Endeavors: if you have this supplement, 
  skalds’ Hall counts as a minor center of skaldic study. 
  students must speak Auld saxa and the stories they learn 
  must have either a local (Ravensburg), national (Royal-
  mark), or Cultural (saxa) focus.
  14. ale-House
  The nearest thing Ravensburg has to an inn is the ale-
  house. supported by the royal treasury, under whose 
  hospitality guests’ reside here, visitors can enjoy flagons 
  of small beer, a breakfast of porridge and cheese, an 
  evening meal of bread, cheese, and roast mutton, and 
  entertainment (usually a storyteller reciting tales in Auld 
  saxa) all for free. visitors are only permitted three nights 
  accommodation, however. After that, extra nights cost a 
  mere 2 ss per night. Guests are permitted to bring their 
  own provisions, and several small fire pits are available 
  for those who desire something more substantial.
  save for daggers, the carrying of weapons within the 
  ale-house is forbidden. All weapons must be handed 
  over to the doorman, who secures them in a sturdy 
  chest. Wearing armor is considered bad social manners, 
  but is not expressly prohibited.
  There are no private rooms. lowly peasant or lofty 
  noble, all must sleep in the communal; hall. naturally, 
  more distinguished guests are given seats close to the 
  hearth and receive thicker sleeping furs.
  1. tHe sHield Hall
  Royalmark has never launched an invasion against its 
  neighbors, nor has it suffered any major invasions, but 
  war is in its people’s blood. Those expecting, or actively 
  seeking, trouble head to the shield hall for protection. 
  The workshop is home to ealdwald Beorhtgarsunu, a 
  master shield-maker.
  ealdwald does not stock shields—every shield he man-
  ufactures is custom-made for its wielder to ensure it is 
  the correct weight and size to afford the best protection. 
  unlike his Anari counterparts, many of whom who now 
  favor metal, ealdwald only works with wood (although 
  his shields still have metal rims and bosses).
  A standard small or medium shield (he does not make 
  large shields) costs as per the Hellfrost Player’s Guide. 
  for an additional 10 gs, he adds a custom design to the 
  shield face. ealdwald also produces special shields for 
  those with money. The modifiers cannot be combined 
  into a single shield.
  Light: the shield weighs one-quarter less than normal 
  (+50 gs); Strengthened: the shield has +2 Toughness 
  (+150 gs).
  The use of magic in a shield judgment is forbidden. 
  ealdwald’s shields, even his strengthened ones, are quite 
  mundane, being a product of great skill rather than 
  arcane arts. Anyone challenged to, or demanding trial 
  by, shield judgment is quietly urged to pay a visit to the 
  shield hall.
  1. idol maker
  from towering columns to versions that fit in the palm 
  of one’s hand, Ravensburgers own a large number of 
  idols. Crafted to resemble one or more of the gods, the 
  wooden objects can be found in everything from the 
  largest temple (in the form of statues or shrines) to the 
  smallest hovel (where they serve as places of personal 
  devotion). Responsible for carving them is leofgifu ec-
  glafsdohtor. The most common size is that of an adult 
  human head. indeed, usually only the face of the god is 
  shown as this scale.
  Prices range from 5 gs (fist-sized and quickly carved) to 
  2,000 gs (an elaborately carved pillar). Regardless of size 
  or the deity depicted, carvings that cost 200 gs or more 
  possess the same basic ability as a norn charm. The only 
  difference is that the Benny only works for a follower of 
  the god whose image he carries.
  idols that cost 1,000 gs or more and that are placed in a 
  consecrated temple or shrine possess a greater ability. Al-
  though they still only contain a single Benny, it recharges 
  on the anniversary of its use. only the designated high 
  priest can use this particular Benny, though he can nomi-
  nate another worshipper of the deity to benefit. most 
  keep it for when they are casting resource miracles.
  1. tHe great temPle
  The center of eostre’s cult, the Great Temple holds 
  clerics of both aspects. formerly just a single hall of wor-
  ship, the temple has grown into a sprawling network of 
  side halls and outbuildings containing granaries, bar-
  racks, stables, veterinary clinics, a midwifery, a smithy 
  and farrier’s workshop, and other such necessities. The 
  cult of eira maintains a small infirmary here. A few of 
  these buildings are detailed individually below.
  most of the clergy are sowers and Husbanders of the 
  Cultivator sect, though a few Reapers are stationed here 
  for security purposes. The clerics manufacture and sell a 
  range of alchemical charms and herbal brews to anyone 
  with the money. many citizens living nearby get married 
  by a priest of Hothar, but come to the Great Temple for 
  eostre’s blessing. The service isn’t free, but it is popular 
  with couples who want children.
  every year the clerics hold a great feast two weeks 
  
  Hellfrost: City book 4
  0
  after Reaping day. food is parceled out to the citizens 
  of Ravensburg, each receiving the exact same amount 
  regardless of rank or status. Traditionally, the nobility is 
  expected to refuse their share, ensuring that those more 
  in need are catered for.
  1. sHrine of vetH
  Ravensburg has no sewers (an Anari invention), but it 
  does have granaries, root cellars, and thatched buildings, 
  all ideal homes for vermin. officially charged with keep-
  ing the granaries vermin free, but available for private 
  hire, is mouser Coelgeat the young. At just 16 years old, 
  he lives up to his nickname.
  Coelgeat had only just finished his training when the 
  then high priest passed away. Being the only other priest 
  in town, the High king promoted him to high priest. for-
  tunately, veth’s cult is small, with no complex hierarchy, 
  vast number of followers, or wide-ranging duties.
  serving under Coelgeat are two paladins. While they 
  think the youth lacks the experience necessary to hold 
  a high title, neither desires it themselves—as paladins, 
  it is forbidden. Thus, while they mock the boy behind 
  his back and perform cruel impersonations (Coelgeat 
  has a high-pitched voice) in secret, they obey his orders 
  without question.
  Three clerics is not much in a city with a population 
  upward of 20,000. Aiding the clergy in their endless, and 
  largely thankless task, are a large number of semi-feral 
  cats and vicious dogs. The cats, their fur stained with 
  veth’s holy symbol, have the free roam of the entire city. 
  As sacred animals, harming one is a surefire way of be-
  ing dragged before the court. The dogs are kept leashed 
  except when actively hunting rats.
  1. granaries
  maintained and protected by the cult of eostre Plant-
  mother, the granaries are actually the property of the High 
  king. Raised on wooden pillars to discourage vermin 
  and keep the contents safe from flooding, unthreshed 
  grain is draped across long horizontal posts. only when 
  it is required is it taken down and threshed. The floor is 
  dotted with large, heavy wooden coffers. These are used 
  to store root vegetables and smoked cheeses.
  Common citizens do not store their produce in the 
  granaries—every house has its own root cellar and grain 
  is laid across the rafters. What rests in the granaries is the 
  personal property of the High king and the cult of eostre 
  (which takes 10% of the king’s harvest as payment for 
  storage and various blessings performed throughout the 
  year). only in times of famine are the contents dished 
  out to the people, and then only sparingly.
  0. temPle of gullveig
  With the best will in the world, the honey gathered 
  from the temple’s hives and Gullveig’s meadow is barely 
  enough to keep Ravensburg’s royal court and nobility in 
  mead. fortunately for the cult’s master brewers, it is ale 
  that slakes the thirst of the common man. (Wine, even 
  that fermented in nordmark, is far too Anari for Ravens-
  burgers’ tastes.)
  vast quantities of standard ale are brewed here for daily 
  consumption. Additionally, the temple manufactures a 
  small number of special brews. Too expensive for daily 
  consumption by commoners, they are traditionally pur-
  chased only on important feast days. Among the special 
  ales are Plantmother’s Blood (7% ABv; a very dark ale), 
  storyteller’s Bane (5% ABv; a light and refreshing brew 
  easily downed in great quantity), and War-Axe (12% ABv; 
  three pints will fell a normal man).
  even as high priestess, Ale-lady Wigwynn Anfriths-
  dohtor, is only permitted to collect 16 pounds of honey 
  from Gullveig’s meadow each year. Always desperate for 
  more to add to her paladins’ vats, she pays 10 gs pound. 
  such is her knowledge of the precious honey that she 
  can tell it from normal honey with a casual sniff.
  Wigwynn has never got on well with the cult of sigel. A 
  habitual drunk, and thus a constant sinner, they consider 
  her to lack moral strength and integrity. The words she 
  uses in return cannot be printed in this supplement.
  1. Hall of ravens
  Thunor may not be an overly popular deity in Ravens-
  burg, but his influence is still felt in the name of the city 
  (which means “fort of the Ravens”), the High Cyning’s 
  throne (known as the Raven Throne), and his bodyguard 
  companies, and the presence of ravens at the offering 
  stone (see Hellfrost Gazetteer).
  According to local folklore, the trees surrounding this 
  circular wooden hall have always been home to mated 
  pairs of ravens. The birds, while noisy and something 
  of a pest, are considered sacred animals. Harming one 
  incurs permanent outlawing from Royalmark, while kill-
  ing one gives the perpetrator a bad reputation across the 
  entire marklands.
  The hall itself is a temple of Hoárri, minor goddess 
  of divination (see Matters of Faith). fluttering from the 
  roof is a wind sock in the shape of a stylized storm drag-
  on, a nod to Thunor’s lordship over creatures of the air. 
  despite having no ties to the cult of Thunor, the clerics 
  have long used the ravens in their divinations. By study-
  ing their raucous calls, their behavior, and their flight, 
  the clerics can foretell things yet to pass.
  on rare occasions, the oldest bird, a venerable avian 
  known as Thunor’s Herald who has been around for at 
  least 50 years, converses with the clerics, passing on news 
  from the heavens. even more rarely, he alights near a citi-
  zen and reveals something of their future before flying 
  away with a caw that sounds suspiciously like laughter.
  Clerics of Hoárri or Thunor who pray here immediately 
  before taking the Beast master edge may, at the Gm’s 
  discretion, attract a talking raven. Aside from its ability to 
  speak, the creature is a normal bird. see Rassilon Expan-
  sion for notes on talking animals.
  The norns’ cult has long dismissed the ability to fore-
  
  ravensburg
  1
  tell the future by watching birds as utter nonsense. That 
  Thunor’s Herald passes on news from the heavens is of 
  no interest to the norns—he is merely a messenger and 
  herald, over which the god of thunder has some author-
  ity, and the news he carries has, as with all such things, 
  been ordained by the goddesses. Thus, he reveals what 
  is, rather than what will be.
  . Hall of metal rain
  Bows have never been popular with saxa huscarls. 
  They are fine for the fyrd, but a true warrior uses short 
  spears and throwing axes to strike his enemies dead at a 
  distance. sigegar Aethelgarsunu, a master weaponsmith 
  like his father before him, is only too happy to provide 
  the huscarls with the tools of their trade.
  for those with limited budgets or who need a weapon 
  in a hurry, sigegar sells standard throwing axes and 
  spears. for those with deeper pockets, or who pride 
  themselves on carrying the best weapons available, the 
  smith can create customized weapons. These fine weap-
  ons are balanced to perfection for the individual user. 
  They grant +1 to Throwing rolls at medium and long 
  range, but only for the person for whom they are made. 
  other users suffer a –1 penalty to all Throwing rolls using 
  these weapons. Perfection comes at a price—throwing 
  axes cost 100 gs each and short spears 150 gs each.
  Creating one of these weapons takes four days, during 
  which time the buyer must be available for measure-
  ments and test throws.
  . Heaumer
  A heaumer makes helmets. saxa wear both pot helms 
  and full helms. The full helmet differs in style from the 
  Anari bucket helm. instead of being a solid piece, it has 
  a neck protector at the back, ear and cheek guards, and 
  a nose guard. 
  in place of the nose guard, some full helms have a 
  hinged face guard. These are designed to resemble the 
  wearer, allowing him to be identified on the battlefield. 
  for 50 gs, inlaed ealhraedsdohtor can replace a standard 
  face guard with one designed to resemble a ferocious 
  troll. This gives the wearer +1 to intimidation rolls, so 
  long as the face gold is down. A new full helmet with a 
  grisly face guard costs 200 gs.
  4. not-ravensburg
  long ago, the Hall of kings lay on the outskirts of the 
  city. over time, the city grew larger and more buildings 
  were constructed. Although it was never forced on them, 
  many non-saxa living in Ravensburg chose to set up home 
  in the new suburbs. Given the strange customs that take 
  place here, it has become known as not-Ravensburg by 
  traditionalist saxa.
  it is not fenced off from the main city, though its bor-
  ders are obvious by the marked change in the style of 
  houses—in place of longhouses, the residents prefer 
  square, wattle-and-daub construction—and the profu-
  sion of foreign tongues spoken here. 
  foreign customs may be practiced openly here, so 
  long as they do not slander Royalmark or involve sedi-
  tion. The cult of Hothar is intolerant toward the deni-
  zens of not-Ravensburg, what with their alien customs 
  and all, but it is powerless to do anything about it—so 
  long as they swear fealty and pay their taxes, the High 
  king has granted the inhabitants permission to follow 
  their foreign ways.
  even with the ale-house (see #14) open to all, many 
  non-saxa visitors prefer to seek hospitality here, some-
  thing the native Royalmarkers are only too happy to 
  oblige. most householders are prepared to offer strang-
  ers of the same culture or race hospitality for three days, 
  more if they bring gifts. Attempts to persuade the High 
  king to allow the opening of an inn have fallen on deaf 
  ears—that is a step too far for eyolf.
  . barraCks
  separated by alleys just large enough to walk down, 
  these four immense halls are the barracks of the Raven 
  companies. once located on the edge of town, they are 
  now surrounded by part of not-Ravensburg. The bar-
  racks are easy to identify from a distance, for fluttering 
  from the roof of each dormitory is a colored banner 
  marked with a stylized raven. The individual halls are 
  little different to a conventional longhouse. Aside from 
  the captain, who has separate quarters at the rear of the 
  building, the men live and sleep in the communal hall. 
  meals are prepared by servants over open fires.
  When practicing large formations, such as the boar’s 
  head and shieldwall, the Ravens train on the open 
  ground south of the barracks. one-on-one sparring takes 
  place in the temple of Tiw (see #5).
  . ConfederaCy mission
  With no easy access to Bridgewater by land or river, 
  Royalmark’s exports to and imports from the Confed-
  eracy pass through scathmoor. in order to facilitate trade 
  and smooth over any ruffled feathers, the Confederacy 
  opened a trade mission in the capital. Given that scath-
  moor profits most, it was decided that the mission head 
  would always be a native of that town.
  The incumbent, edbald Herelafsunu, hates his post-
  ing. He is sick of sampling cheese and ale, tired of having 
  to compliment artwork and jewelry generations out of 
  fashion, and detests the high cost of local pipeleaf. To 
  make matters worse, his knowledge of Auld saxa is rudi-
  mentary and he speaks it with a heavy foreign accent that 
  almost makes him impossible to understand.
  edbald was appointed here by lady skald Aenellion. A 
  storyteller himself, edbald has convinced himself that his 
  stationing here was a direct way of preventing him from 
  competing to become scathmoor’s ruler. unfortunately, 
  edbald is deaf to his own voice, which is monotonous in 
  the extreme. more unfortunately for the locals, edbald 
  
  Hellfrost: City book 4
  
  continues to try and impress them with tales and songs 
  of his own composition.
  Although his position warrants a property close to the 
  royal court, edbald has deliberately opted to live on the 
  edge of town. He might not be able to mix with the rich 
  and powerful here, but at least he can speak his native 
  languages (saxa and Trader) openly.
  despite being stationed in Ravensburg, edbald is di-
  rectly responsible for all trade between Royalmark and 
  the Confederacy. While the problems in distant Ridderhill 
  are a local matter, they are damaging trade. Possessed of 
  little money, edbald is prepared to pay adventurers in 
  trade goods if they can end the deaths quickly.
  . translators’ guild
  While far from being dead, in the other marklands 
  Auld saxa is the preserve of storytellers, scholars, and 
  clerics. in Ravensburg, it is the official native language. 
  The Translators’ Guild is not an official guild (another 
  Anari concept). Rather, it is a collective of multi-lingual 
  people looking to make money from the ignorance of 
  foreigners. for a mere 5 gs per day, one can hire a fluent 
  translator to help interactions with the locals.
  Conversing through a translator removes the –1 Cha-
  risma penalty (see p. 19). Royalmarkers will still see the 
  character as a foreigner, but at least he has taken some 
  steps to try and appease the locals.
  . troll Hide tannery
  A former apprentice at Troll & Toad leather Goods in 
  Bridgewater (see City Book 3), Cedric ap-luther came to 
  Royalmark to seek fame and fortune. He has only partly 
  succeeded. not as talented as his former master, he has 
  only managed to transform troll skin into hide armor. 
  extremely durable, it is also very light—a suit weighs just 
  10 pounds. The rarity of troll skin and the added work 
  required to turn it into a workable material means that a 
  suit costs more than conventional hide—125 gs.
  Cedric believes he can manufacture conventional 
  leather than is thinner, and thus lighter, than normal, 
  but without losing any of its strength. All he requires is a 
  specific ingredient—troll urine. The raw resource is not 
  available on the open market and Cedric would need at 
  least a gallon (the daily output of two adult trolls) to 
  prove his theory. Prepared to put his money where his 
  mouth is, he has put aside 200 gs to pay any adventurers 
  who can deliver a cask of troll urine to his workshop.
  . Cavalry barraCks
  The smaller of the two building is home to a company 
  of mercenary cavalrymen in the High king’s army. most 
  of the warriors are of Anari origin and speak little Auld 
  saxa. As a result, they tend to keep to themselves (al-
  though they are hands-on with the locals’ daughters).
  The larger building is the stable block. Having no far-
  riers or veterinary of their own, the mercenaries must 
  pay the temple of eostre to see to the well-being of their 
  mounts. As mercenaries, this necessity is paid for from 
  their wages rather than the king’s coffers.
  0. Hall of Joyous union
  The cult of Gersemi (see Matters of Faith) occupies 
  a strange place in the minds of saxa. on the one hand, 
  she is a traditional goddess associated with eira. on the 
  other, she encourages behavior considered unnatural 
  by right-minded citizens. Ravensburg is no different to 
  other settlements in that regard.
  unable to prevent the cult from opening a temple, the 
  high kings ordered it constructed on the edge of the city. 
  Because of the tradition requiring priests to hold the posi-
  tion of high priest, the cult of Gersemi the matchmaker has 
  an official presence at the temple. The honor of arranging 
  marriages and uncovering skeletons falls to matchmaker 
  Angyth Cuthfreasdohtor. elderly but still clear-minded, and 
  extremely knowledgeable concerning the noble families of 
  the region, it was she who arranged High Cyning eyolf’s 
  marriage. Although she holds no official position at court, 
  the king has been known to seek her advice on occasion.
  on paper she is in charge of all aspects of the cult lo-
  cally. in practice, she rarely interferes in the business of 
  her seven underlings, all paladins of Gersemi the Con-
  sort. Heading the free love aspect of the cult is Compan-
  ion Wulfhild Godredsdohtor.
  one of the paladins, edred leofstansdohtor, newly ar-
  rived from southern Royalmark, is actually an unwilling 
  spy for jarl Wulfmund Angarsunu. unless she extracts in-
  formation from important courtiers and nobles, the jarl 
  has promised that her family will be put to death in the 
  most horrid manner imaginable. edred dare not discuss 
  her problem with her sisters in the faith or other resi-
  dents of the capital just in case one of them also serves 
  Wulfmund. Possessed of very little material wealth, she 
  would be very generous with religious favors to any he-
  roes who can bring her kin to Ravensburg.
  sigel’s clergy frequently hang out outside the temple, 
  berating worshippers as they leave for poor moral behav-
  ior and giving in to lust of the flesh.
  1. lenko’s exCHange
  The inhabitants of Ravensburg happily barter for 
  goods, although saxa can be extremely reluctant when it 
  comes to accepting foreign wares. such goods may look 
  good, but they may also be a corruptive influence. lenko, 
  an engro, has no such qualms. He buys all manner of 
  foreign or unusual goods with no questions asked, offer-
  ing 20% of their true market value. in return, sellers can 
  receive hard coin or locally manufactured trade goods.
  lenko sells his foreign goods to the inhabitants of not-
  Ravensburg. since everything is second-hand, he charges 
  just 75% of the normal price. At the Gm’s discretion, 
  visiting heroes can pick up tomes of lore and learning or 
  alchemical scrolls written in languages other than Auld 
  saxa here.
  
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  New Asper, risen from the devastation of the Golem Uprising, is a bustling modern 
  yet one well aware of its past. It is also a city ruled by an incompetent master. While 
  he dines and hunts, political enemies sharpen their tongues, and their blades.
  A visit to Ravensburg is to step back in time. Home to the Heah Cyning of the 
  Marklands, Ravensburg is a city caught in time, its people reluctant to embrace new 
  ideas. It is also the center of royal politics, where the great jarls and kings gather to 
  discuss the future.
  Inside you will ﬁ nd:
  * Information concerning the cities’ history, social hierarchy, 
  government, military, religion, and more. Gamemasters can weave this
   information into their adventures, while native player characters can 
  use it to enhance their heroes.
  * A full color map of each settlement.
  * Dozens of unique locales that can serve as places to visit or 
  spend  money, or as the focus for an adventure.
  This book is designed for GMs and players.
  The Hellfrost City Books are guide books that expand upon the information detailed in the 
  Hellfrost Gazetteer and Hellfrost Atlas. They are written for the epic Hellfrost setting, which 
  is designed for use with the award-winning Savage Worlds RPG.
  TWO CITIES, BOTH HOME TO GREAT LORDS!
  © 2016 Triple Ace Games Ltd. Hellfrost and all related marks and logos are trademarks of  Triple Ace Games. Savage Worlds, and all related marks and logos are 
  trademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. © 2016. All rights reserved. Used with permission. 
  
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