Gazetteer Entries Begin Here!
THE NORTHLANDS
The Northlands is an important part of the Lands of Harqual. The (human) traditions of much of the northern half of the continent originated with the humans that came to worship the North Gods. Many of these traditions have changed in the Northern and Southern Heartlands, but in the Northlands, humans tend to stick to the traditional ways. However, there are exceptions. The humans known as Northerners have a strong presence in the wilds of the Northlands, but there are cities and kingdoms in the northern lands. However, they are rarely considered civilized by humans living south of the Greystone Mountains or in the lands of the Ragik Peninsula.
THE COLD BARRENS
This desert is a frigid place that southerners consider desolate. However, for those that live in and around the cold desert, it is as beautiful as it is deadly. There are many dangerous creatures in the region and the communities and lands that exist here are populated by some of the toughest peoples in the Northlands. The City-state of Coldstone is considered the safest place in the region. Yet it is also a very rigid place with many laws that protect its citizens from each other and outsiders.
The barbarians of the Cold Barrens can trace their lineage back to the time when the North Gods lived amongst the tribes of the Northlands. Their ancestor tribes were never favored, however. Many of them were followers of Xuar before he betrayed the pantheon. Therefore, they were forced to leave the protection of the North Gods and live in the wastes of the Cold Barrens.
This has made the current tribes a bit bitter. They tend towards the evil side of chaos and neutrality, but they are never followers of the Sword Gods. (Xuar betrayed them too, after all.) They prefer to worship Konkresh and Uller but the worst of them worship Gruumsh and Vaprak. The dead deity known as Zell is the closest many of them have to a "North God" patron deity. Zell was a Sword God who "saw the light" and joined the North Gods. He was the God of Struggling and Ardor, which is something the tribes of the Cold Barrens often take to heart.
COLDSTONE
Proper Name(s): The Archbishopric of Coldstone, The City-state of Coldstone, Drukarhorm Naeissak
Ruler: Archbishop Dagmar Frosthall [LN male high dwarf Clr12 (Hades)]
Government: Feudal Theocracy
Capital: Coldstone
Major Towns: Allahrd (pop. – 4,900), Coldstone (pop. – 16,200), Eriton (pop. – 1,950), Favhrd (pop. – 3,750), Kulden Hill (pop. – 1,000)), Listër Hill (pop. – 3,980), Littlehorn (pop. – 1,610), Mound Watch (pop. – 1,200), Red Bluff (pop. – 2,500), Sauiton (pop. – 975), Umbrastone (pop. – 4,500), Wit Zaal (pop. – 2,080)
Provinces: One archbishopric and three bishoprics.
Resources: Bronze, crafts (dwarven), diamonds, granite, and silver.
Coinage: Pentacle (pp), Star (gp), Pale Moon (sp), Pebble (cp).
Population: 686,846 – Dwarf (high) 60%, Human 20%, Halfling (hairfoot) 12%, Dwarf (hill) 4%, Half-Elf 3%, Other Races 1%.
Languages: Axiomatic, Barbarian, Centaur, Common, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Halfling, Kitt, Orc, Terran, Undercommon.
Alignments: LG, LN *, LE, N, CN
Patron Gods: Hades.
Major Religions: Berronar, Clangeddin, Cull, Cyrrollalee, Dike, Darahl, Dumathoin, Eddelis, Hansa, Inanna, Jalivier, Lokun, Moradin, Ptah, Sanh, Ulaa, Uller, Urogalan, and Yondalla.
Minor Religions: Alathrien, Arvoreen, the Daghdha, Dionysus, Erevan, Hel, Issek, Konkresh, Lendys, Loviatar, Mahridaar, Narvi, Sigyn, Tarsellis, Telchur, Vergadain, and Wee Jas.
Shrines and Cults: Amand, Anacoro, Anon, Brandobaris, Celestian, Deltum, Jaeger, Kurtulmak, Meriadar, Nesus, Seraph, Sheela, eve, Zealot, and Zell.
Alliances: Kingdom of Jewels (tentative); The Township of Kimsbridge (trade).
While the City-state of Coldstone sits in the northern hills that border the Greystone Mountains, it is tied through history and tradition to the Cold Barrens. Its ruler, Archbishop Dagmar Frosthall, considers the bulk of the desert to be under the Archbishopric's sway and protection, yet he isn't overly militant about it. Coldstone is strongly aligned to the Church of Hades and the Archbishop is one of the church's most notable members in the Northlands. He is devoted completely to Hades and has little patience for the
"prattling thanes of the Kingdom of the Greystones."
While Coldstone is feudal theocracy of Hades, other faiths aren't forbidden within its borders. Both the Dwarven Deities and the North Gods have a strong presence in the land. Each major religion has a temple somewhere within the Archbishopric. However, most of the other churches are forced to set up their temples outside of the city-state of Coldstone, which acts as the theocratic capital of the Church of Hades. However, the other churches of the North Gods don't have to abide by this restriction (but a few have chosen to do so). The Archbishopic is considered to be a theocracy dedicated to all the North Gods but with Hades as the controlling spiritual presence in the land.
This means that death is viewed as a finite thing for Archbishopric's citizens. It is considered illegal to raise people from the dead in Coldstone without the approval of the Church of Hades. Restoring people back to life is considered taboo the victim died of unnatural causes and is quite young. Tragedies involving children are usually overlooked, as family is important part of society in the land. Once a young person passes from adolescence to adulthood, however, they are no longer exempt from the perils of death.
The land's dwarven name is Drukarhorm Naeissak.
PCs and Magic that Restores Life
Adventurers are never brought back to life by the Church of Hades. Other temples dedicated to the North Gods might raise a dead adventurer, but never within the city-state itself and the cost is more than coins. The adventurer's companions must agree to perform a dangerous task to benefit Coldstone with no assurance that any of them will be brought back to life if they die. The soul of the dead adventurer must abide by this as well or the restoration of life will not work.
PCs are not exempt from the rules regarding the casting of forbidden magic within the Archbishopic. Raising the dead within the city-state will get a PC executed. (It is a law you do not break. Period.) The casting of healing magic on those who are still alive or hovering on death's door is usually okay, but PCs should be very careful when using healing magic when clerics of Hades are around. Necromancy spells that are considered Evil are also considered forbidden and casting such a spell will get a PC tortured and then executed by an inquisitor.
The rules outside of the city-state are a bit more forgiving for healing magic but not for Necromancy. Casting such spells can get a PC lynched and burnt at the stake. Citizens of the Archbishopic aren't backward bumpkins who will scream that a PC is a witch. Necromancy is considered a blight on the land and those who use it are considered to be agents of chaos and evil, regardless of the caster's true alignment.
Redstone Castle (text is partially cutoff on map)
More to be added...
DM's Note: If you're wondering what the asterisk means under the Alignments line, it denotes the dominate alignment (around 50%) for each gazetteer entry. The other alignments have less of a presence (50% divided # of other alignments). Thus, for Coldstone, LN is the land's primary alignment, but there are also people that are LG, LE, N, and CN.
Also, since I've updated the timeline for Harqual, the Alliances lines for each entry are subject to change. Note all of them will change but many will
Hex Map Version
