Svartsten

Cities

Frostmere

Population 20,000
Frostmere is a small town build on the edge of Lake Issjo. This large lake spends much of the year frozen, and even during the month of fire, sheets of ice can be seen floating in the water. The residents of Frostmere fish in the lake whenever it is completely frozen over, catching varieties of fish only found in the Issjo. This town also maintains thriving timber and fur industries.
Frostmere only reaches it's listed population during the coldest months of air. Over the rest of the year, it's people are scattered at numerous temporary camps throughout the surrounding forest.

Ostigar

Population 15,000
Ruler: Jarl Leseth Stigson
The mining town of Ostigar was founded by a prospector named Ostig and his family and grew quickly and considerably when rich veins of gems and minerals had been discovered in the area. The mines in and surrounding the town supply a great deal of Svartsten’s iron and silver as well as other gems and metals. The heart of the town is located atop a rocky bluff with a long zig-zagging road that has been carved into the side of the steep rock connecting it to the remainder of the town at the base of the bluff, with farmland fanning out from there. They are generally called “High Town” and “Low Town” respectively.
The Guild maintains a very strong presence in Ostigar given the wealth promised by the mines and often thinks they run things, always nosing their way into various official matters of the government. This is due in part to weak government in the past that had been all too happy to accept bribes in order to let the Guild have their way.
A great deal of the Jarl’s will is enforced by the far more outgoing and visible Sheriff Kasar, a very…fastidious man and a direct descendant of the founder Ostig. He is well loved and respected by the locals and one of the greatest falconers in the North. Anything that would generally draw the Duke out of the keep where he lives, he generally has Kasar attend to instead. Kasar has rooms in the keep, though it’s well known that he prefers to spend his nights in various tavern rooms with his posse of confirmed bachelors in attendance.

Other Notes:
Some of the greatest of jewel crafters in the North hail from Ostigar.
Criminals condemned to death are pushed from a particular ledge at the top of the bluff (it faces opposite Low Town, otherwise that would just be messy). The ledge is called, “the Stepping Stone”. Superstition says that any who stand upon the stones, condemned or no – are then fated to die before the next Calibration is done.
Falconry is considered a high sport and those skilled at training them are highly respected.
Old tales say that Ostig and his family employed beastmen slaves to dig the mines and that they had vanished, escaped into the depths below – and that they are still responsible for some of the cave ins or disappearances in the mines.
There is a massive half-buried, stone plinth with a pair of stone feet affixed to it located at the top of the road leading into High Town. What sort of figure had belonged to the rest of the statue long ago is entirely unknown as no traces of, or references to it had ever been found. The plinth was said to have been here when Ostig and his family first discovered the old path carved into the bluff leading up to where High Town is built.
The Jarl is known to be a fan of theater and the performing arts and pays better than most to local and traveling performers that brave the climate to visit Ostigar.

Skara

Population 5,000
Skara is a small market town that sits along the southern banks of the River Isig, at the point where the Ostigar Road reaches the river. The town huddles on the slope of a small hill, leading down to an extensive series of docks. The stone and timber houses are built closely together to shelter from the harsh northern winters. Most of the trade from Ostigar and Frostmere flow through Skara before going to Monument or being shipped to the rest of the world. Despite being a trade hub, Skara is most known for the fine apple brandy produce by nearby orchards.

• Guild Compound - The Guild maintains a dock and warehouse complex less then a mile downriver from the main town of Skara.

Korsning

Population 38,000
The second largest city in Svartsten, Korsning is built at the site of a First Age Bridge crossing the River Isig where it intersects the Great Northern Road. It is the center of trade in Svartsten, with most of the Caravan's that pass through the kingdom never travelling further upriver towards Monument. Most of the city is built on the hill that acts as the northern end of the Great Bridge, however there are extensive docks built on the Northern side of the river.

• Sodervakt A massive fortress which sits on the hill at the Southern terminus of the Great Bridge.

Trosa

Population 2,700

Sundsvall

Population 29,000

Vasteras

Population 7000

Other Locations

Hogvakt

Hogvakt is a fortress that sits on the Northern border of Svartsten. It is the only other large gathering of the Royal Guard other then Monument itself. Hogvakt is timber and stone fort, built on old First Age ruins, atop a hill that overlooks the great Northern Road. There is a small garrison of sixty royal guard under the command of Berger Frosttouched. They are responsible for watching protecting Caravans and the northern border from raids by Barbarian and Icewalker tribes.

• Hogvakt Town: This is a small hamlet where the trail leading up to Hogvakt branches off of the Great Northern Road. It consists of little more then a travelers Inn, a Blacksmith and a bare half dozen farms.