Ardvik
A charming town at the edge of a fjord, Ardvik consists mostly of single story wooden buildings with high roofs. Its docks are the most important part of town and most of the buildings revolve around them. The cliffside behind the town features a carving of Kord. at the top of this cliffside is the temple district, which can be reached by a precarious stairway.
Demographics
80% Human, 20% Other races
Most of the people living in town are craftsmen, lumberjacks, or farmers. At all times there is traveling merchants to be found in the harbour, but most of them do not reside in the town.
Government
The town's elder, Gun-Britt Galetoga, is known throughout Igersve for her wisdom. The town's day-to-day ruler, Jarl Thorleif Gudmundson, is a bit of an oaf but means well. The law in town is kept by two parties. The first is the local militia, under the Jarl. They do their best, but don't have much manpower to get any real things done. The other is the Stormsingers, priests of Kord known for their strength and righteousness. Though their official tasks lie in the worship of their god, they are known to complete their rituals of strength through displays of peacekeeping intimidation or violence where needed. Their leader, Henrik Bredaxlar, tries to fill in where the Jarl fails to help the town.
Defences
The cliffside forms a natural defensive wall around the town. At the top of this cliff, all around the fjord, guard towers were built.
Industry & Trade
Most of the people work to provide the town with either food or wood. The nearby mine has also proven fruitful. Since the trees on Drapfold are so ancient and near to the town, there is three shipwrights that have settled in Ardvik. The ship they produce are some of the best in Igersve.
Ardvik's biggest import is booze. What little they produce themselves is consumed by the locals, so when the raiders come around the stocks need to be large enough to sustain them.
Infrastructure
In town there are three shipyards, a windmill, furnaces, two smiths, and a lighthouse.
Districts
Ardvik consists of four districts: The harbour district, the temple district, the Jarl district, and the public district.
The harbour district is located around the docks. Most of the buildings here have a few spare rooms for sailors to sleep in during the season. During the winter season, these are simple houses, but during the summer they become more of an inn.
The temple district lays on top of the cliff around the fjord. It is reached via a rickety stairway. The temples are mostly made of stone, with the few residential buildings in between made of wood. The lighthouse of Melora is the largest building, while Kord's temple and his arena are the most impressive. Pelor's windmill is also crucial for the town.
The Jarl district is not open to wanderers. It is the smallest of the districts, consisting of only a few large buildings. The Great Hall, the Elder's house, the militia barracks, and the prison are found in this district.
The public district makes up the rest of the town and is by far the largest. Houses and shops are the most common buildings here, though there are also some craftsmen and other buildings.
Guilds and Factions
The most important guild in Ardvik is that of the shipwrights, the Sea Tamers. Ardvik produces the best ships in the land and the shipwrights there are some of the most influential in the guild.
Another large guild presence is held by the Horizon Seekers, a guild of navigators for ships. Most captains know how to find their way to Ardvik, but beyond that they would rather call upon the guild than try their luck.
A peculiar one on the island is the Gourmet Gorget. This guild of cooks is most prominent in big cities, but Ardvik is an exception to this rule. The island hosts a wide variety of ingredients that are hard to get anywhere outside of the Tairnadal realm. Since that area is not always open and welcoming, the guild turned to Ardvik to hunt for these delicacies.
History
Ardvik was settled by a group of raiders from Igersve, who had just finished plundering the coast of Lostrua. On their way home to Vennesland, they were hit by a storm and drove northward. The land they sat out the storm on seemed empty, so they decided to settle there the following summer. Even though the Tairnadal have since shown themselves to be the original inhabitants of the island, Ardvik proved to be a profitable position to keep and so the Igers stay.
Points of interest
Lighthouse of Melora: A large tower with a fire burning at the top. The priests of the tower keep this fire burning at all times, to provide light to incoming ships and bring them into the harbour safely.
Kord's Arena: The god of strength appreciates a good display of it, and the priests organise a monthly contest to provide it to him. The building itself is impressive, being made of stone and able to hold almost 500 people.
The Great Hall: A large building made of stone and wood. The inside holds a large fire at the centre and the Jarl's throne. Feasts are held here on holidays, or whenever the Jarl feels like it.
The Wild Mountain Inn: This four-story inn is the largest in the town. It's known for being rowdy and loud, but the rooms are cheap, and the food and drink are good.
Tourism
Especially at the start of summer, Ardvik is visited by many raiders as a last haven before their season on the seas truly begins. The temples in Ardvik are also richer for it, all the crews know to pay tribute to the gods before heading out. This is also the reason an etching of Kord has been made in the cliffside near town.
Geography
In the dale, next to a fjord. Fresh water is gotten from further up the fjord, where it streams in. The views of the ocean as seen from the top of the cliff are breath-taking in the mornings, when the mist is illuminated with the gold of the upcoming sun.
Natural Resources
The wood from the forests is some of the oldest and hardest available. The mine nearby yields quite a bit of iron. Quarries have been created in the cliffside.
In terms of food there is farms for grain and orchards for fruit. There is also cattle and sheep- and goatherders.
Founding Date
3155
Type
Town
Population
320
Inhabitant Demonym
Ardvikings
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Additional Rulers/Owners
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Vehicles Present
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