Skjold, the hold in Norsca of High King Ulfric Grondal, lord of the Bjornlings
Skjold is the capital of the Bjornling tribes of Norsca, ruled by the enigmatic High King Ulfric Grondal, father of the infamous Aranessa Saltspite, the Pirate Queen of Sartosa.[1a]
Geography[]
High on a cliff above the Sea of Claws stands the Bjornling town of Skjold, where King Ulfric Grondal rules over the surrounding chieftains. Over centuries, many restless explorers, traders, and reavers have set sail from Skjold's wharves for foreign lands. The town is frequented by travellers from the south and Bjornlings who flock to the port looking to sate their wanderlust. The main settlement spreads across a clifftop verging on the Eldagrimm Gulf, a broad inlet on the Bjornling coast.[1a]
Steps carved into the cliffs lead down to the water, where lie the town's wharves, and maritime craftsmen ply their trade from caves and shacks on the wave-lashed rocks. The people of Skjold are pragmatists and their fealty to the Ruinous Powers is relatively innocuous. Around the walls are standing stones inscribed with intricate runes and Dark Tongue script imploring the gods for protection. The town is rowdy and typically Norscan, but foreigners are tolerated and even welcomed if they have something to offer. Southern vessels can anchor in the bay and go unmolested, unless they provoke the Bjornlings or an ambitious chieftain sees an opportunity for easy gain.[1a]
King's Hall[]
Atop an elevated rise surrounded by a wooden stockade is the King's Hall and several other low buildings belonging to King Ulfric Grondal. Surrounded by his huscarls, shieldmaidens, and jarls, he lives well on wealth from plunder and trade. But Ulfric is troubled -- his jarls plot to take his place while his only heir has sworn to kill him. His daughter was born a mutant and declared by Ulfric as unfit to live. His huscarls tossed her from the cliffs, but she survived. Many years later, she is a notorious pirate, calling herself Aranessa Saltspite, and King Ulfric has heard that she's vowed revenge on the tribe of her birth.[1a]
The hall itself is a tall, single-storey building with beautiful carved doors, covered in intricate patterns and depictions of Norscan longships at sea. The king and his retinue spend their evenings in the smoky meadhall, playing host to merchants and explorers who stay in the town. This is where voyagers come when they return from exploration, to share stories, boast of their exploits, and show off their plunder. The mead and the company is rough, but outsiders are a common sight and if they have a good yarn to share, they are welcome. The Norscans are not known for subtlety, and during a feast it is easy to detect the main challenger to Ulfric's rule. This is Jarl Hrothgar Olveksan, who has crossed the ocean and seen the green and deadly land of Lustria.[1a]
Olveksan is wealthy and wears trinkets stolen from the denizens of that New World continent. Important visitors like Olveksan stay within the King's Hall at his favour -- the lodging house is basic but better than the longhouses outside the stockade. Olveksan makes a good patron for any parties of adventurers planning to explore the oceans and will provide crew and maritime knowledge in exchange for glory and gold.[1a]
Another building contains the king's collection of maps from centuries of seafarers' journeys. These are inscribed on skins and parchments -- some stolen and others of Norscan origin.[1a]
Hafskael's Yard[]
At the base of the cliff is a strip of shingle with keels and ships in various stages of construction hauled up on the stones. Smoke drifts through a hole in the roof of a longhouse where the master shipwright Hafskael plies his trade. A crowd of apprentices and thralls work with Hafskael to build some of the finest longships in Norsca. He is currently crafting several dragon ships for Oda Winterclaw and a king-ship for Ulfric. From sunrise to sunset, the cliffs around the cove echo to the sound of sawing, hammering, and Hafskael's gruff commands. The shipwright himself is a burly character with a thick black beard, shaven head, and unsmiling, weathered face.[1a]
He knows every inch of each vessel that's left the cove, from the trees used for timber to the blessings bestowed on them by the Ruinous Powers. Despite his serious demeanour, Hafskael treats his workers with respect, believing that a longship is only as sound as the weakest craftsman who worked on it. If a damaged ship puts in at Skjold, Hafskael's apprentice shipwrights will fix it for a price if it is clinker-built, such as a Knarr or Longship. Norse sailors hang around the cove and can be hired -- a Bjornling can row, sail, and fight with the best of the Empire's marines. Furthermore, even the most accomplished of Hafskael's artisans has the Bjornling wanderlust.[1a]