The Summit Delta

Dwarves make up the vast majority of the population, loyal to House Greymutter but with a distinct cultural flavor. These are not the gilded artisans of the mid-Ridge cities — they are hard-worn frontier dwellers. A small but visible population of goliaths work as guides and sled-beast handlers, while humans, half-orcs, and a scattering of mystics and spirit-seekers of other races drift through like ghosts on the wind.

Though distant from the heart of dwarven politics, the Delta is under firm control. It is ruled by a hereditary Warden of the North Gate, appointed by House Greymutter. The current warden, Braggund Copperline, is a former mountain ranger and Summit survivor — a grim man with deep scars and deeper oaths. The law here is practical and absolute. Theft is punished harshly, duels are sanctioned, and no magic is allowed within the city’s soul-barrier unless approved by the Soulguard. Taxes are light for residents but sharply levied on outsiders who profit from the port, funneling revenue back to Azure Ridge's central coffers and the Soul Trade Alliance.

Its defenses are robust for a port of its size. A soul-infused curtain wall protects the settlement from both man and beast. Twin watchtowers flank the harbor mouth, and in times of siege, the Soulveil — a magical barrier generated from the Bastion — can cloak the entire settlement in spiritual fog. The town’s militia is small but lethal, composed mainly of retired scouts and mercenaries. Deterrence, not numbers, is the strategy.

Trade here is survival-based, not luxury-driven. Goods from the Lagoon — raw gems, rare furs, spiritual artifacts — are exported southward. In return, the Delta imports food, weapons, tools, and soulstone batteries to fuel its flare tower and healing circles. A black-market also thrives, quietly tolerated by the Warden so long as it stays orderly. Artifact smugglers and illegal spirit-binders are always being watched — but not always stopped.

Despite its modest size, The Summit Delta is well fortified. The docks are carved directly into black stone, reinforced with pine-timber scaffolding and lit by runes powered by froststeel. Heated cobble paths run to every major building, many of which are half-sunken into the cliff for warmth. The Soulguard Flare Tower sits atop a steep rise, its beacon fueled by gemstone energy, guiding ships through fog and ice year-round. The city contains stables, a fortified granary, spirit-wards at every gate, and a soulstone forge used by only the most trusted smiths.

The town is divided into five functional areas:   The Stonepier, the working dock and lifeline of the Delta.   The Stead, where residents live in blocky homes insulated with pine and rune-laced stone.   Frostend Market, a covered trading space for regional goods and mystical wares from the north.   The Outer Yard, home to the taverns, fighting rings, and mercenary halls.   Soulguard Bastion, a temple and fortress operated by agents of the Soul Trade & Realignment Enterprise, where spiritual rites and resurrection contracts are managed with cold precision.

The Delta’s greatest resource is its strategic location. It is the only safe northern harbor and the only settlement licensed by House Greymutter to manage traffic to and from The Summit Lagoon. Beyond that, it is known for its resilient draft animals, froststeel weaponry, rare herbs like icevine, and an unparalleled pool of seasoned guides.

Three major groups maintain influence here: The Pale Compass: a trailblazer guild offering maps, guides, and passage north.   Soul Trade & Realignment Enterprise: the spiritual-economic powerhouse managing resurrection, soul transactions, and death-rights.   The Bloodcarve Pact: a shadowy network of smugglers and illegal cartographers with ties as far south as the Royal Violet.

The story of The Summit Delta begins with failure and remembrance. Centuries ago, a dwarven expedition known as The Greyreach Host set out from deep within the Azure Ridge to explore and establish a presence within the northern continent of The Summit Lagoon. Composed of nearly three hundred warriors, cartographers, rune-masons, and spirit-guides, the Host was a symbol of dwarven ambition — the first formal attempt to stake a claim in the untamed northern wilds.   What followed was one of the most tragic chapters in dwarven history.   The expedition vanished. No messages returned. No survivors walked back from the ice. For months, the north remained silent, until finally a team of soul-scouts and war-priests traced their echo-trails to a wind-scoured bluff above a frozen inlet. There, among splintered sleds and half-buried relics, they found the remains of what came to be called the Frostsunder Collapse — the site where the entire Greyreach Host was believed to have been overwhelmed, not by an enemy, but by the very land itself.   The causes remain a mystery. Some blame shifting ice, others whisper of soulstorms and forgotten gods. But one thing was clear: the Azure Ridge would never again underestimate the north.   In response, House Greymutter commissioned the construction of a permanent outpost — The Summit Delta — to serve not just as a port for trade, but as a watchpost, pilgrimage site, and spiritual boundary. Over time, it grew into a full settlement, carved from stone and frost by those who had lost family in the collapse or who sought to prove themselves worthy of the fallen.   Each year during Midsunnar, the settlement holds the Silence of the Grey, a memorial rite where the names of the Greyreach Host are recited in full. Many Deltans claim descent from those lost, and more than one street is named for a member of the doomed expedition. The Frost Anchor, a massive runic totem recovered from the collapse site, stands as both a warning and a vow: that no expedition shall depart without the land’s blessing — and that none who die in the wild will be forgotten.   More recently, the Summit Delta played a minor role in the True Tax Agreement Era, when House Greymutter allied with House Thassyran. Though distant from the politics of the southern isles, the Delta became a useful staging ground for soulstone trade and the quiet watch of northern borders. A small Soulguard chapel was constructed soon after, tying it more deeply into the expanding reach of the Soul Trade & Realignment Enterprise.   Thus, The Summit Delta is a place layered with purpose: a town built atop a grave, standing as a sentinel to an untamed continent, caught between memory, ambition, and survival.

1. Soulguard Bastion A fortified temple and administrative center for the Soul Trade & Realignment Enterprise, built into the side of a sheer cliff overlooking the sea. It contains the only functioning resurrection circle north of Azure Ridge’s midlands — a tightly regulated spiritual facility where contracts for soul retrieval, storage, and return are negotiated with clerics trained in both commerce and resurrection rites.   The Bastion’s upper tower holds a beacon known as the Soulflare, a gemstone-powered lighthouse fueled by soulstone batteries. Its light isn’t visible to the naked eye unless you’re spiritually attuned — it guides the souls of the recently dead back toward the circle during extreme weather or astral dislocation.   For travelers and adventurers, the Bastion offers two things: high-cost life insurance, and a stark reminder that death is no longer the end — but it’s not cheap to undo.   2. Copperline Holdfast Home and administrative hall of Warden Braggund Copperline, the ruling figure of the Summit Delta. Built partially underground and reinforced with frost-forged steel, this holdfast is more than just a home — it is a memorial archive. Along its inner hall, a winding corridor known as the Line of Names is etched with the recorded identities of every known member of the Greyreach Host.   Each year during the Silence of the Grey, citizens and pilgrims walk this corridor in quiet procession, laying down stones of remembrance. Braggund himself walks it last, hammering the ceremonial strike upon the steel plate at its end — a solemn act marking the end of the rite.   Rumors persist that deeper levels of the Holdfast hold relics salvaged from the doomed expedition, including the cracked runeblade of Captain Elvara Hearthspan, the Host’s last known commander.   3. The Howler’s Flame This signal tower stands high above the cliffside and houses a magical flame that changes color with the coming weather. Normally a dull orange, the flame turns blue when ice storms or soul-tempests approach, and white when the northern winds carry omens of unnatural danger — such as soul disjunction, arcane anomalies, or wraith movement from the Summit Lagoon.   The tower is maintained by a blind dwarven oracle named Vrudin of the Ash Eyes, said to be able to “taste” the wind. Some believe he is soulbound to the flame itself, and can’t stray far from the tower or else die. The flame is one of the reasons The Summit Delta has never suffered a surprise attack or lost ship — at least, not one that didn’t ignore the warning signs.   4. The Crackjaw Tavern Equal parts tavern, inn, and fighting pit, the Crackjaw is the social heart of the Summit Delta’s rugged folk. Run by a goliath woman named Halna “Stoneback” Varr, the tavern is infamous for its nightly dueling ring, where disputes are settled through ritual combat known as the Break Call — a mix of bare-knuckle brawling and spiritual test.   The tavern’s walls are covered in relics from victorious fighters, broken weapons, spirit-touched tattoos, and even teeth nailed to a pillar known as The Biter’s Totem. Visiting adventurers are encouraged to try the Glacier Gullet, a drink so cold and strong it’s said to “chill your soul for crossing.” Halna herself is rumored to be an exiled champion from a Summit Lagoon warband, though she never confirms it.

This is not a land for leisure. Tourists who do visit are typically spiritual seekers or status-hungry nobles. Pilgrimages to the Frost Anchor or shrine rituals are common, especially during Midsunnar. Comforts are few, but the stories — and scars — are priceless.

Architecture Buildings are angular and sunken into rock, built for warmth and defense. Roofs are sharply sloped, eaves decorated with carved ward-runes. Most structures are built from black cliffstone and sealed with pine pitch. Windows are rare and narrow. Interiors rely on geothermal vents and soul-heated hearths. Public buildings glow faintly with soullight during dark seasons, creating a haunting, serene effect.

Set on a narrow coastal shelf between the northernmost mountains and the frozen inlet, The Summit Delta feels like it was wedged into the world rather than placed. Beyond the settlement lie jagged cliffs, glacier fields, and icy pine groves. To the north is the Black Drift — a treacherous span of glacier and mist leading to The Summit Lagoon.

Subarctic with only mild thaw in midsummer. Winters are long, brutal, and filled with stinging gales and whiteouts. Spring and autumn are brief transitions. Midsummar brings the rare calm: a week of clear skies, visible peaks, and intense spiritual significance for the dwarves.

Froststeel, a rare ore infused with elemental ice, prized for blades and wards. Glacier salt, used in preservation and alchemy.   Icevine, a medicinal plant harvested from crevices during brief summer blooms.   Cold-weather game, including white elk, summit bears, and frost hares — all essential for meat and pelts.