Frost-March Hold
Frost-March hold is the northernmost settlement in Silvaria and is responsible for providing stone, ore, and gemstones to the rest of the continent, as no other settlement has a mining operation as large nor as fortunate as the one in Frost-March. The settlement is ruled by dwarves and due to their affinity for mining dwarves remain the largest portion of the city's population however some districts of the city have been set apart for non-dwarf residents. As glorious as the hold is people worry about their safety, not because of what lies outside of Frost-March as many other settlements would worry for themselves, but rather what is beneath the hold.
Demographics
The upper class of Frost-March are all dwarves however this is simply because of the deep rooted clans in the hold. All of the mining operations were founded and owned by dwarves and thus they command the most wealth. This is not to say that all dwarves are richer than humans or even elves in the settlement. Many dwarves are nothing more than common miners, blacksmiths, architects, stone carvers, or whatever other trade their clan has passed down. Humans are the second most common race in Frost-March and surprise the dwarves with their diverse trades and ever changing lifestyles. Humans occupy just about every profession dwarves do (although in smaller numbers) and more that few dwarves participate in such as farming and woodcutting. Halflings, elves, and other minorities in the hold occupy the same niche as humans do although they do not shift in life-style as much as humans do. Although years ago elves and dwarves in the hold conflicted and chafed against one another recently the relationship between the dwarves and the elves has become better than the dwarves relationship with any other race in Frost-March. The two reasons for this being the elves immense magical help with thwarting the threats of the underdark and both races mutual hatred of the drow and duergar.
Government
Frost-March Hold is governed by the elders of each of the 14 dwarven clan families. Whenever a law had to be changed or put in place or other important issues came up any one of the clans would call the Council of Stone to gather. The name Council of Stone was originally a derogatory term used by humans who would jest about the elders of the clans being as old as the stone itself in the hold, however the dwarves never really took this comment as disrespect and after a long time of this joke being passed around the name stuck. Whenever the council meets they discuss the matters that need to be voted on and then proceeded to vote, with most elders vote counting as one. In the case of a tie in votes back in the beginning of the hold the elder of clan Ironmail who employed and trained guards for the settlement would act as a tiebreaker, however since Frost-March signed into The Silver Pact each of the three elders of the mining clans now get two votes to cast each rather than one, acting as both tiebreaker as well as having significantly more influence than the rest of the clans.
Guilds and Factions
There are 14 main dwarven clans in Frost-March hold, each having a heavy hand in some part of the holds industry, some working together and with good relations such as clan ShatterHand who deal in mining and clan SootPalm who deal in blacksmithing. On the other side of the spectrum clan ShatterHand has malicious relations with the Pulk clan who is older but also has their hands in mining. Due to law and especially tradition all of the clans are stuck in the industries they inherited with very few exceptions. These clans are by far the largest dwarven families in the hold and the only ones that hold real influence, both in government and in culture and economy. Minor clans, most immigrated ones, exist in the hold however few people in Frost-March know their names let alone listen to them.
Type
City
Population
35,000
Location under
Owning Organization
Comments