Skaterun

Population: 10,424 (43% human, 31% orc, 12% half-orc, 8% dwarf, 5% halfling, 1% other races)
Government: Alderman Albertus Ghuld governs the town with the assistance of town officials, including Dock Master Ellien Ingranness, Tax Master Klin Morscheck and Watch Master Taulet Jorgruumund.
Defence: A local force of Stubborn Shields keep order in the streets and assist the Dock Master in accounting for all trade in and out of the city. No walls enclose the town, but local patrols keep watch over the outlying farmers and shepherds. Cogs out of Korseal Bay patrol the waters north of the town.
Commerce: Skaterun, while small, is the principal trading port in the entire Frosthalda. While exotic goods are still rare and expensive, Skaterun is as good a place as any to find anything of value outside of Gungarad City.
Organisations: A temple to Kavura, called the Tidewell Temple, offers services and blessings to the sailors and fishers of the town. On the outskirts of the settlement to the east is a lonely shrine to Nahi, but is mostly avoided by locals.
Outside of Jormungrod, Skaterun is the only trading port in the Frosthalda, the gateway from the chill northlands to the wider world. Those trade ships that make the long journey from Rilga or Langharad all make port in Skaterun, making the town a vital location for the Earldom. The town is quaint and lively, the streets bustling with activity at most times of day as merchants and dock workers ferry goods hither and thither. A small but well-off merchant class trade in the goods that flow in and out of Skaterun, storing materials in large warehouses before shipping them to the other settlements of Gungarad. Along with imported goods, Skaterun is also the principal fishery in the region, providing the people of Gungarad with fish and shellfish from the Hrodn Sea.

An Old Enmity

Skaterunners hold a hostile attitude towards their Jormungrodi neighbours across the Hrodn Sea. As Gungarad began to grow as a nation, growing Skaterun from a small fishing town to a vital trade hub, the town became a prime target for raids and pillages by Jormungrodi longships. For generations, the people of Skaterun have had to fight to keep them and their families safe. Even now, as Jormungrod undergoes a drastic cultural change and reaches out in the spirit of friendship, Skaterunners are not likely to let go of their generational grudge. News that Earl Jorig has extended invitations to Jormungrodi emissaries has sent suspicious and unhappy ripples through the town.

Government

As one of the most important settlements in Gungarad, the alderman Albertus Ghuld is under great pressure to ensure his town operates smoothly and that trade in and out of the city continues uninterrupted. A human man in his early forties, he has established a reputation in his twelves years as alderman as a shrewd and strict governor, enforcing strict punishments for those who try and dodge taxes or avoid the trade tariffs.

Crime

The pride in their town and their country is as strong among the people of Skaterun as the other towns, and crime here is limited mostly to petty misdemeanors or rival disputes. The dock master ensures that every ship that arrives in town is inspected and their goods catalogued. There are no organized crime groups in town, though unknown to any, the Nightlarks to the south have begun seeding operatives there to aid their expanding expeditions into the Frosthalda.

Geography

Skaterun stands on top of the chalky cliffs of the Hrodn Coast. Its buildings are made of wood, thatch and rough stone, a haphazard patchwork of houses, hovels, huts, lean-tos, storehouses, shops and taverns. The smells of brine, fish, seaweed and the salty Hrodn Sea permeate the town, mingling with damp earth and the enticing aroma of smoking fish from the towns numerous smokehouses.
Dirt roads wend and wind through the town, creating a chaotic honeycomb layout without reason or rhyme. Shepherds, piggeries and dairy farms dot the countryside on the outskirts of town, though the rocky earth has proven difficult to farm.
A stone causeway zigzags down the cliff side from the town proper to the expansive harbor district below. Flocks of seabirds constantly pester the fishers and sailors as they bring goods ashore. The smell of brine, fresh fish, seaweed and the salty Hrodn Sea permeate the docks, and the wood and stone roads of the docks are always wet underfoot.
Alderman Albertus’ residence dominates the town, a simple stone round tower that climbs fifty feet high, adjoining a basic stone hall. Every evening, a large beacon fire is lit atop the tower, serving as a lighthouse for ships approaching at night. Just to the east of the docks, following a rough track carved into the cliff side, is the Tidewell Temple to Kavura. Cut into the very rock of the cliffs and extending over the waves below, the temple is the principal religious building in Skaterun.

Landmarks

Tidewell Temple

A temple to Kavura, carved into the rock of the cliffs to the east of the harbour. A large central chamber has a large crevice in the floor before a rough stone altar, and the sound of the sea can be heard within. A curving stone bridge connects to a shrine built atop a rocky outcropping in the water, where ceremonies are performed.

Beacon Hall

Seat of the alderman of Skaterun. The only residence in the town made entirely of stone. A fifty-foot high round tower rises above the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. A stout stone hall adjoins the tower, serving as the main audience chamber for the alderman. A simple wooden palisade encloses the grounds of the hall.

Shrine to Nahi

A little under a mile to the west of town stands a simple shrine to the mysterious deity Nahi, marking the boundary between land and sea. Only a single acolyte is said to care for the shrine, and few people pay it a visit.

Taverns

The Trout Pan
A raucous but pleasant public house for locals and visitors. Large taproom with small wooden tables and chairs, with a stone hearth and small platform stage for musicians to perform.
Carolor Brundawin: A rather slender half-orc with a heavily broken nose. Loud, jovial and welcoming.
The Three Gulls
A dingy dive bar, catering to the rougher clientele in the harbour of Skaterun. Cramped and with basic and uncomfortable furniture. Smell of damp and mould pervade the place. Very basic fair. Clients are suspicious of strangers.
Eyda the Hammer: A hulking, muscular human woman with huge biceps and thick neck. Her hair is shaved short apart from a thin strip on top of her head which is tied back. Wields her signature hammer.

Shops

Uward’s Smoking Barrels
A shop selling spices, herbs, dried goods and tobacco.
Uward Dregunhardt: A bulky, broad-chested orc, with outward curling tusks. Cheery and good natured, enjoys talking shop and appreciates all manner of tobacco.

Type

Town

Owning Organization

Earldom of Gungarad

Key NPC’s

• Albertus Ghuld: Alderman of Skaterun (Beacon Hall)
• Ellien Ingranness: Dock Master (Harbours)
• Klin Morscheck: Tax Master (Office in the mercantile district)
• Taulet Jorgruumund: Watch Master of the Stubborn Shields (Barracks in Beacon Hall)
• Tidekeeper Ceimar: Priest of Kavura (Tidewell Temple)
• Elias Goodweather: Local retired sailor, bonvivant (Mercantile district)