Norbrücke

Night Over the Poor District by ortsmor

Demographics

Population

8,000

Majority

Humans and Dwarves

Minority

Halflings, Gnomes and Half-Orcs

Enclaves

Dragonborn, Tieflings, Drow, and Duergar

Religion

No Official

Language

Common, Valic, Staplandic, Bravencian, and Undercommon

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Roughly translating to "Northbridge," Norbrücke hugs the banks of the Gutdal right before the river plunges into nearly a hundred miles of waterfalls and uncrossable rapids. The town was formerly a trading post, and the south side of the river reflects this with its well-built wooden walls and watchtowers surrounding orderly wooden buildings and a wooden motte-and-bailey keep (more of a wooden longhouse on a tall stone foundation, resting on top of a small man-made hill).

by do_ra913

The north side of the river has similar fort-like wooden walls, but resembles the typical thatch-roofed town or village of the region. The bridge itself rests upon two huge masonry piers that run deep into the riverbed. Apart from these, the rest of the bridge is entirely constructed of wood and precariously spans the distance between the banks and the piers. Thousands of wooden poles have been wedged over time between the piers and the underside of the bridge, lending a debatable amount of support.

Aside from the narrow road running down the middle, every available inch of the bridge is occupied by the town's infamous slums and "entertainment" district, stacking endlessly on top of one another and even hanging off the sides with the support of countless wedged wooden poles. It's said that the bridge is so sinful, the gods won't allow the neighborhood to rest on this earth, damned to always dangle over its eventual doom.

Economy

Exports

Primary: Fur, Timber, and Black Market Wares

Secondary: Flour and Spirits

Imports

Beer, Wine, Wheat, Iron, Leather

Government

(Coming Soon)

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Headquarters

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Built by an imperial knight (who was executed by Grand Duchess Beata), this elevated longhouse dominates the south side of the river. The structure consists of a grand wooden longhouse, tapering upward to a central point like a Scandinavian stave church (example here), however the entire building rests on a 14-foot tall stone base like castle keep. An exterior wooden staircase leads to the building's entrance on the 2nd floor, where the wooden structure begins.

Viking Hall by Nele Diel

Inside, most of the space is occupied by a great hall that towers several stories high at its central point. A long elevated rectangular fire pit stretches most of the length of the hall (think grand Viking longhouse), and a low platform on the far end features a fur-draped, intricately carved wooden high seat, or throne. Doors on this far end of the building lead to the Lord/Lady's private chambers.

Type

Large town

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