Ulfskiir (uhlfs-keer)
Situated at the base of the mountains known as Kayalith's Toes, the town of Ulfskiir is unique among its neighbors in the Demesne of Ice in that it is home to other giants besides Frost Giants. Because of its location among the mountains, Stone Giants also call this place home, though they and the Frost Giants bicker over who should be the proper rulers of the town. Currently, the town belongs to the Frost Giant Ulf clan, though this is a recent development after a longer period of Stone Giant rule.
As is tradition among the Giants, when a new dynasty takes over a town the old name is purged from all documents and monuments, and the new family's name is adopted. Most Stone Giants have been loathe to adopt the new name, despite centuries of tradition and norms, as they feel the recent Moot was unfairly biased against them and there should still be a Stone Giant ruler. Instead, the Stone Giants refer to the town by its previous name, which it was known as for almost 600 years. This tension between the Giant groups has split the town into factions and threatens to boil over into civil war, if the other Jarls cannot find a way to ease the tensions.
Demographics
As is the norm for towns of the Demesne, Ulfskiir has a few prominent Giant families and is otherwise made up mostly of the giant-kin races of firbolgs and goliaths, though there are a considerable number of earth genasi in this mountainous area as well. Humans, dwarves, halflings, and other races make up about 15% of the population.
Though the town is located in the northern tundra where life is difficult, the town's location near the mountains means it has slightly better crop-growing capabilities than other towns, and the Forbidden Forest is only a few days' trek away to bring wood and forest game back to the town. As a result of these factors, there is a wider variety of industries here than almost anywhere else in the Demesne. This has allowed a larger variation in incomes and lifestyles than other Demesne towns see. It has also allowed the Giant families to grow their businesses and purchase other non-Giants' businesses to become local nobility.
Government
Like most of the Demesne, Ulfskiir is ruled by a hereditary Jarl that comes from among the Giants. Unlike other towns, however, Ulfskiir has two different types of Giants vying for control whenever succession is uncertain. The title of Jarl is not male-only and does not pass to the eldest child, but each jarl decides which of their children is most worthy to succeed them. When a jarl dies without naming a formal heir, the town convenes a Moot to decide the next leader - and, potentially, the next dynasty. Each family in the town - not just the Giants - selects one representative to cast the family's vote at this Moot. Traditionally, families tended to select their eldest member, but that was never a certainty and is becoming less and less common over time.
Where there are multiple heirs of the existing dynasty, the Moot can choose from among those heirs. When a line dies with no known heirs, the Moot chooses from among the other Giant families. Because Ulfskiir has two different types of Giants, each with several different families, this process is even more political and further deepens the divide between Frost and Stone Giants.
The Jarl appoint a small council of advisors to help them administer the town's government. These appointments tend to be somewhat nepotistic and almost always political - but they are not limited to the Giants. Each council usually has at least one non-Giant member, chosen from among the tradespeople and citizens usually to oversee certain industries in which the Giants have no direct knowledge or connection.
Defences
Ulfskiir is one of the few towns of the Demesne with a formal, recognizable perimeter wall. Because it is somewhat isolated in its area of the island and because the Forbidden Forest is not too far away, the town has a large stone wall that promises to keep out all threats short of an actual invading Giant warband. This wall has towers every few hundred feet, always in sight of at least two others, and manned by skilled rangers and trackers. Most threats are roving bears or other tundra predators that follow caravans toward the city, which the guards are able to scare away or kill off quickly.
Infrastructure
Unlike other towns in the Demesne, Ulfskiir has a bit of infrastructure in the form of crude roads and wells that pull water from under the mountains. Because the town is situated near the mountains and the geothermal activity that produces slightly warmer ground, permafrost and ice are not as big of an issue as they are in other places. Ulfskiir is able to maintain gravel roads, and a few main roads in the town are even roughly paved, though cobblestones tend to still fare poorly in the frigid environment.
History
Though much of Ulfskiir's history is known, there are legends of other towns in this area during this Giant age. Specifically, Giant legends tell of an ancient city of the Fire Giants located under the mountains near present-day Ulfskiir. The current town is not connected at all to subterranean passes, and attempts to locate mine-able caverns nearby have proved futile so far. What we do know is that the Stone Giant town that has undoubtedly had many other names in its past but is now known as Ulfskiir was founded on or near the present site in 2089 1A.
The giants were warring with one another, and the Stone Giants set up this outpost to guard access to their precious mountains. There are no other known Stone Giant towns from that time that still exist, though many suspect others were/are located in what is now the Forbidden Forest or even higher up among the treacherous mountains of Kayalith's Toes.
As the Giant wars raged on, Frost Giants came to dominate much of the northern tundra, as few other Giants could tolerate the climate and harsh wintry weather year-round. The Stone Giants dug in and were able to survive in this town, mostly because of the warmth provided by geothermal vents that rose to the surface here near the mountains. By the time the Frost Giants expanded into this town, the Stone Giants were no longer a warring people and had settled down into a society with the giant-kin that lived around them. The Frost Giants acceded to the Stone Giant rule - at first, anyway - and began settling the town alongside the existing peoples.
The first sign of tension came in 2511 1A, when the Stone Giant jarl died without any known heirs. As is Giant custom, the town convened a Moot, consisting of one member of each of the town's families, and discussed who the next leader would be. The few Stone Giant families each put forward their own candidates, but the Frost Giants united around one of their own, arguing that Frost Giant rule in the rest of the northern tundra indicated that there should be a Frost Giant in charge of this town, too. After much debating and several rounds of voting, the Stone Giants ended up splitting votes among themselves, and the Frost Giant candidate came out as the new jarl.
Despite this contentious process, the Stone Giant families were quick to rally around the town's new leader, and the area soon returned to its usual harmony. This tension repeated itself many times over the centuries, with Frost and Stone giants regularly swapping control of the town. Since that first contentious vote, both sides learned to unite around one family and one candidate to take on the "other side". The Stone Giants regained power in 897 2A, holding it until 1483 2A. The resulting Moot took almost two seasons of deliberation and ended with arguably the most contentious vote ever, where the Frost Giant candidate won by only one vote. Because there were only two candidates and no one abstained from voting, this was declared the majority, and the Frost Giants took over the jarldom.
It is tough to say why the Stone Giants are bitter about the result this time after several centuries of Moots and swapping control back and forth. Perhaps it is that the vote was so close, or maybe they feel the Frost Giants paid people off to gain an unfair advantage (both sides do this informally but don't acknowledge it outright). Many Stone Giants believe there was some large conspiracy for several years by the Frost Giants to gain control - and many have even begun to question if the previous Jarl died of natural causes, as was originally declared. Needless to say, this tension has not boiled down in the year since the new Jarl was appointed (and thus, the start of a new dynasty in the town). Most non-Giants do not have a side in the quarrel, but if it comes to some sort of civil war, they might have to choose sides. Or perhaps they will choose their own side and throw off the yolk of the Giants in this town.
Architecture
Like other places in the Demesne, Ulfskiir's architecture resembles traditional Norse buildings with wood or stone walls and thatched roofs which typically have chimney holes to let out smoke. The influence of Stone Giant culture can be seen in their homes and other non-Giant homes which more closely resemble what one would find underground: lower, more squat buildings made entirely of stone with few adornments and only one entry. Larger community buildings are about half-and-half, with some being the more "plain" stone design and others hewing closer to the Norse great hall template.
Founding Date
2089 1A
Alternative Name(s)
Beldraskiir (former name)
Type
Town
Population
3,508
Inhabitant Demonym
Ulfii
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Comments