Himinborg

Eternal vigilance is the most honroable duty.

- Allvaldi of Himinborg

Character

Himinborg is a transient place, always watchful, never settling down. It's a city of strangers, travelers, and migrants. More than the rest of Ysgard, it's oriented toward the rest of the Great Ring, but its attitude is suspicion, distrust, and cautious acceptance. Himinborg doesn't mean to be cold, but it never reaches out a hand for fear that it might be bitten.

Ruler

Heimdall. However, since Heimdall must constantly watch over Bifrost, he is ruler in name only. Though Himinborg is filled with his petitioners and warriors and his name's invoked before every judgment, arrest, or oath, he has little interest in ruling from the hall. The most visible sign of his presence is his horn, the Gjallarhorn which will sound to warn the gods of Ragnarok, which hangs above the entrance to the hall when Heimdall is within. Bards tell that the Gjallarhorn is hidden at the base of the World Ash when Heimdall is elsewhere.

Behind the Throne

Bjorn Hammarskold is the true power in Himinborg, the man hwo speaks in Heimdall's name and who's said to command the Biforst itself. A true believer in the tenets of the Fated. Bjorn does nothing to shelter the Clueless from the predatory tricks of the warriors of Himinborg. He is the judge of all disputes and crimes in the city, and his rulings are quick but merciful. Often, all debts can be paid and all crimes forgiven if the offender agrees to serve a specified time in Himinborg's militia.

Description

Himinborg, the "Cliffs of Heaven," is the massive and beautiful hall of Heimdall, found next to the entryway of Biforst into Asgard. Himinborg is one of the very few Aesir halls found outside Asgard's walls, and so is a strong redoubt clad in plates of mirrored steel. Its watchtowers are constantly manned, even in the foulest wather, by the priests of Heimdall.   Although it lies outside the walls of the Norse realm, Himinborg is the hub of Asgard's travel and trade. Everything and everyone passes through its gate to get to the Prime Material, and so more of the Clueless arrive here than anywhere else. Rogues and parasites often cheat the most naive: those that escape with lives and purses intact are worth watching.

Militia

Himinborg's walls are manned by einheriar, planar warriors, petitioners, and criminals who volunteered for the duty rather than face exile or stiff fines. Himinborg's troops are among the finest in Ysgard, for they're the advance forces that must defend against the giants and other creatures that sometimes charge across Biforst. The Himinborg militia patrols constantly, watching for raiders, making counterstrikes, and keeping track of the movements of hostile forces near Asgard.   The watch captain is Heinrik Ivarsen, a huge bear of a man with a booming voice and little patience. In times of need, Ivarsen and his predecessors have summoned valkyries from Asgard to defend the walls, but such desperation is rare - Himinborg prides itself on its ability to stand alone.

Services

If a basher has proven herself in battle she can ask a boon of most anything in the hall, but a bubber or a coward is hard-pressed to find anyone to help her. Bards sing a basher's praise in exchange for gold rings, drinking horns, or other gifts. Though the songs themselves are long, dreary affairs about monster-slaying, drinking, and trickery, a basher's got to keep up a reputation to get any respect in Himinborg, and a bard's praise is the quickest way. 'Course, if a reputation soars high enough, the einheriar expect a basher to live up to it.   Himinborg is well known for its fine horns, both drinking horns and hunting horns. Carved from the horns of bulls, rams, and oxen, they're decorated with images of Heimdall and Odin. The finest craftsman is Sven Makkirsen, a bariaur who was forced to settle down after he was lamed in battle.

Local News

The clan of Doksmid dwarves has set up a small camp besides the western entrance to the hall. There they sell metalwork, from shears to shields and helmets to horseshoes. Led by Thorin the Strong, they are tough bargainers and unquenchable drinkers. Their prices are whatever they feel they can get away with.    Himinsborg is a boasting hall for heroes returning from expeditions to the Prime, the Inner Planes, or the Lower Planes, a place for bloods to strut and swagger. The tale currently making the rounds is the saga of Arnulf Trollborn, a powerful rogue who wrestled a cornugon baatezu in Sigil and won seven years service from it. The creature is on display near the hall's central pillar.