Northgard

Northgard is one of the largest cities on the continent of Vandal.

Current Stats:

Population: 150,000-200,000

2 Armies with 20,000 soldiers each

City Garrison of 10,000 soldiers with 1000 support staff

Culture and Important Features:

Knights Templar architecture.

St. Muhamud's Basilica is a masterwork of art.

Arcane magic is suspicious to the locals because of the Age of Eternal Night and the Magelords.

A mayor and a city counsel run Northgard while the religious aristocracy run the Church of Andrulykis from St. Muhamud's Basilica. The basilica is located deep within the city with the White Tower located behind the basilica as part of Castle Retribution.

Castle Retribution was added to the White Tower in 12970 YE (Daybreak) as part of a restoration effort of the White Tower.

Heavy City Walls with canons.

One Large Harbor on the SouthEast corner of the island. Where the river meets the North Sea. Two small harbors on the South side of the city on the river.

Multiple Palaces. Multiple Marketplaces.

City History:

The city was built on a large island off the northwestern coast of the continent. A small river separates the island from the mainland. The river is now known as the Katana River for the slight curve it has as it cuts the island from the land.

The island is host to many resources. Originally, a thick forest covered the very rocky terrain. Preventing permanent farming settlements and grazing ground for livestock. It was uninhabited for an unknown amount of time before Andrulykis crashed into the ruins of the tower. No record of who built the tower or why it was built has survived. It's main visitors were the seagulls and wildlife or a stray boat that put to land to wait out a storm.

Since that time, Northgard Island has become the largest concentration of followers of Andrulykis. The forest is progressively cut back and the stony countryside is flattened to make way for the cities large stone structures and walls. One of the biggest contributors of it's success is the vast iron vein found on the island.

The city's story begins when Andrulykis was first imprisoned in the mysterious ruins of the White Tower by Dracula Therion in 12538 YE (771 AEN). It is believed that Andrulykis spent close to 200 years in the broken tower before anyone stayed longer than for a rest. Occasional travelers or fishermen would land and investigate the island looking for the strange tower they could see poking from the forest and boulders. Upon finding the cursed remains of Andrulykis haunting the tower, the humans would expeditiously retreat.

It was in 12753 YE (986 AEN) that a brave group of adventurers known as the Brothers Grimm, traveled to the island to find the source of the ghost that haunted the tower ruins. The adventurers were from a small fishing village along the northern coast. Together, they crossed the dividing river and cut a path through the boulders and trees to confront the ghost. Instead of a banshee or ghost, they discovered the cursed spirit of Andrulykis.

In awe of the being they had found, and based on the mutual hatred for evil and the undead, the humans and the spirit became friends. It was during this time that the humans were told of the spirit's plight of being bound to the tower, and so Andrulykis gave the band a sacred gift, the knowledge of Immortal Power, to assist them against the forces of evil since he could not leave.

United in blood, training and in purpose, the Brothers Grimm returned to their village. They explained the plight of the cursed soul that lived in the tower and encouraged the chief of their village to send a settlement to the island to be near the tower and it's inhabitant. Heimdall led the first pioneering group as the other brothers traveled the vast reaches of Terra. Each bringing the power they were blessed with to the livestock humans of the vampires.

The first settlement arrived and named the new village Northgard as a symbol of human resistance to the vampire rule during the Age of Eternal Night.