Frosthold

The bastion of humanity within the Far Reaches, Frosthold is home to not only the governing body of the Reachers but also the high clerics of their pantheon. All roads lead to this city, and all commerce passes through its walls.

In the Shadow of Magic

Frosthold itself is built to be defensible. Nestled in The Howling Heights, the city has one main entrance, which is bracketed by the Frosthold Garrison. In spite of all of this, the city's primary defense is one that, to its citizens, is its most detestable: The Archmage of Frosthold. The Crystalbarb Pinnacle predates the city itself by decades at least. Despite the lack of communication with the illusive wizard and the disgust for arcane magic that is intrinsic to Reacher culture, the first immigrants to The Far Reaches chose to settle in the shadow of the tower dedicated to the thing they hated most. It seems that, in the face of a hostile and unknown land, the evil they knew was preferable to all of the evils that they did not.

A Center of Cultures

Though the humans of the Far Reaches tend to be insular and prejudiced against other races, Frosthold itself is a center of trade, and passersby can often find members of other races wandering the streets. Dwarves and Gnomes from the north and west respectively are occasional travelers to the fortified city, and Hauflinfolk are a common site in the city, though many of the more ignorant humans have difficulty distinguishing them from human children. On rare occasion, even the odd entrepreneurial elf will arrive in Frosthold with wares to sell or ancient knowledge to trade. Reacher Half Elves are far more common, though they go to great lengths to masquerade as either full Elves, or more commonly, full-blooded humans.

Unconventional Forces

While the Frosthold Garrison maintains order within the city, and a well-supplied militia patrols the walls immediately outside to city, Frosthold has no standing military. It relies on adventurers and mercenaries to deal with problems outside the militia's jurisdiction. This makes for a plethora of opportunities for adventurers in search of glory. While pay is often less than such dangerous tasks would suggest, the possibilities of treasure from an ancient ruin or forgotten cache are enough to entice many would-be glory seekers. Frosthold capitalizes (or exploits, depending on who tells the story) such seekers in order to ensure the safety of its citizens.

A Starting Point

Though Frosthold has existed as a city for nearly 70 years, a majority of new arrivals in still come as immigrants rather than being born there, even as relations with the Elves worsen. While it is quite possible that adventurers within the city were born there, it is equally possible that they came to the Reaches from the east either looking for fortune or for a fresh start. The Far Reaches are a land of opportunity for many, and the draw of both riches and anonymity appeal to many an adventurer.