Gelid Falls



Gelid Falls is the human capital of Laffin's Empire, situated within a vast mountain valley between two mountain ranges. This valley is dominated by a broad, slow moving river fed by a series of waterfalls that flow off the frozen peaks above. The river floats for many miles before emptying into Lake Soothing, a lake so large it is a veritable sea. Areas of the lake are heated and though it is cool at its edges, the close you get to the middle the hotter it gets, till it steams. Hot springs and geysers nearby the lake are common, and the bath-houses and spas of Gelid Falls are legendary, supposedly possessing amazing healing properties. The lake then leaks out into another river which flows a hairpin course to the Ochine Ocean itself.

Surrounding both sides of the river and around the lake are thousands of homes and businesses, and to the northeast starts the vast moors where farms and livestock are raised. All the trails within the moors eventually lead to the Emperor's Highway, a broad street of stones that winds its way from the lake, through the city center, past the homes of the wealthy near the Falls themselves, and up into the mountains where it finds its way to most of the human towns in the Ring. This road is daily checked for obstructions that would halt commerce.

Gelid Falls is a wet place, even by Hearth standards, and most of the morning and evening, as well as the night is full of a chill, thick mist if by the river, or a warm fog if nearby the lake.

Emperor's Falls The entire face of the mountainside about the falls has been carved with painstaking care to resemble the front of a castle, and indeed has many windows cut into the sheer rock for those within to gaze out upon the valley. There resides the Emperor and the Council.

The actual entrance is set within a deep cavern worn out of the mountainside by the falls further down the river. Only barges and other watercraft can reach there, flowing into the cavern where a lake puddles. Men, horses, whatever needs to venture within, are let out of the boats onto the rocky shore. Many dozens of broad upwards sloping tunnels take one into the vast networking of connecting halls and rooms of the palace.

Banner/Colors: The banner of Gelid Falls is vertically long and is pure white with silver edges with three waterfalls in blue falling down its entire length and merging to splash off a golden arch that dominates the bottom, and puddling in swirling currents. A stone throne rests within the water beneath the arch, seating a bearded figure in silver robes with mist billowing behind him.

Population: 80,000-90,000; 70% human, 25% dwarven, 3% wild children, 1% kenku, and sprinkling of cheval, genasi, okilei, trufflefolk and free peoples. Also the usual domovoi in the occasional household.

Primary Language: Common

Year of Establishment: 304 YoF (Year of Frost)

Government
Government: Gelid Falls is ruled over by the Emperor who rules for life. He is chosen by the Judges of the Cold Guard, Generals of the Fell Fallmen, and the Heads of the Houses (aristocratic faction, generally consisting of the wealthiest merchants, mayors ((of which there are three; two for each end of Gelid Falls, and the moors)) and other wealthy and influential folk.)

Government popularity: All in all the Emperor is a popular figure amongst the human and dwarven people, for if he were to become unfair or cruel he could be brought down by the Cold Guard, whose leaders are brought to power by the people.

Army: The Emporer retains massive barges where his soldiers, the Fell Fallmen as most call them, are trained and housed. At a moment's notice they can be shipped to any area along the length of the river or lake.

Defenses: Gelid Falls is ideally situated with only one main road, which always has a small company of look-outs ready to start a small but effective avalanche to block the passage. Otherwise an army must attack by coming down the sides of the steep cliffs themselves, and wet ones at that. Any troop movements coming up from the moors can be seen for many many miles, removing the element of surprise.

Primary Enemy: Gelid Falls has not been under attack for nearly 400 years. A persistent but generally merely annoying organization of river pirates however are known to make the occasional raid. Their main craft remains miles out of sight within the river leading out of the lake, sending dozens of smaller boats out across the river to wreak havoc in such a broad area that few know they are being raided. The boats then sail back to the main ship which then disappears into one of the many hundreds of branches the river takes.

Fighting Style: Soldiers of the emperor and towns guardsmen are trained mainly with reach weapons such as halberds and guisarmes, which are best for fighting from their barges or snagging those hiding within the fogs the city is famous for.

Fell Fallman [General] Prerequisites: Base Attack Bonus +1 Region: Gelid Falls Benefit: You have had some training within the ranks of the Fell Fallmen and are used to fighting in murky surroundings. You can see an extra five feet than usual in fogs and mists and your opponent does not have concealment from you unless he's too far to see at all. Special: A fighter may select Fell Fallman as one of his fighter bonus feats.

Society
Slavery: Slavery does not exist, nor ever has within the capital, though indentured servitude is common place.

Constabulary: There are two forces at work in the Gelid Falls. Those of the Emperor and those of the City. The Fell Fallmen are of the emperor, and after their first year of training they may leave the service of the Emperor for the City. They become one of the ranks of the Cold Guard who patrol the streets in wind, rain and the fog of night. When it comes to law they are above even the emperor and the aristocracy, upholding the laws regardless of the culprit. These men are chosen by the Judges of Gelid Falls who in turn are voted in by the people of the city. The Cold Guard are chosen for their sense of what is Just and Right without a thought to who breaks the laws, just that they have. By law the lowliest lieutenant can arrest even the Emperor, though in the history of the city such has never actually occurred.

Laws: <>

Dueling - Though dueling is allowed, there are provisions. First, neither dueler may not have:
 * 1) 1. Young children, or wife with child
 * 2) 2. Outstanding debts
 * 3) 3. Indentured servitude under another

Method of execution: Only the Emperor or the combined agreement of the Judges may sentence a man to death, and this death is brought up painlessly by exposing them to the fumes of certain pools on the outskirts of Gelid Falls which causes a man to fall asleep and soon die.

Organized Crime: There is a well-organized smuggler/black market movement referred to as the Wisp and is rumored to be led by a changeling refereed to as the Countenance, but is in fact a circle of eleven people who work together to bring about the illusion of their being one man ruling over all. This consists of seven humans (2 women, 5 men, with one of the men being a small but highly intelligent midget), two dwarven men, a cheval woman, and a true changeling without known gender. None have ever been seen together, or even in sight of the other, and indeed have not been since the organization was formed, though the changeling is the official voice carrying the news from one to the other. They are the masterminds of the raids by the supposed river pirates, which is used as a cover for the true goings on. The goods stolen are often found on caravans coming back into Gelid Falls where they are resold, none knowing they are often rebuying their own product. Many other underhanded deals are also orchestrated by the Wisp, but even those planted by the Cold Guard rarely have any idea what they are truly doing.

Common skills of inhabitants: Though nigh any craft is pursued somewhere within the expanse of gelid falls, stone carving, masonry, boat building, rope/net making, and weaving are common crafts in the main city. Out in the country everything from leather working, thatching and brewing can be found.

Clothing: The common inhabitants of gelid falls normally dress in thick fleece sweaters (or long, ankle-length skirts) or insulated robes. The wealthy tend to wear flimsier, more extravagant dress, though almost always with hooded cloaks and capes to keep out the moisture.