Vintergard

The First City of the Frost People

As one sails into the vast western bay, Vintergard emerges from the ice—a city born out of necessity, evolving over centuries into a vibrant settlement of bone, leather, and frozen stone.   The coastline is lined with docks, crafted from whale and fish bones, some reinforced with magically hardened ice to withstand the passage of time. Small sailboats and fishing vessels drift in the calm waters, while larger ships venture farther out to hunt—pursuing birds, seals, or the mighty sea creatures whose names remain unknown.   Upon entering the city, one first encounters the large storage houses where supplies are stacked—barrels filled with fish, dried leather hides, intricately carved bones. The homes of the Frost People are made either of ice or from the massive ribs of oceanic leviathans, round or elongated, resembling the ribcages of giants.   The harbor district is always bustling. Merchants call out their wares, the fish market draws visitors with its salty aroma, and people go about their daily routines. But deeper into the city, the scene changes—a maze of narrow alleyways where houses have been built chaotically, without planning or pattern. Each resident erected their home where they saw fit—some resemble igloo-like structures, while others are small domes of bone and leather.   At the heart of Vintergard stands a monumental structure—an inverted ship from the time of the Exodus. Its once wooden hull now points toward the sky, supported by tusks and ribs from the largest creatures of the sea. This is the assembly hall, where people gather to celebrate, deliberate, and uphold justice. The vast square before it serves as a gathering place for ceremonies, festivities, and market days.   Near the grand hall are other public buildings shaping daily life. A simple yet essential structure is the healing house, where wounds are tended and illnesses treated—built from compacted ice with inner bone reinforcements. Not far from it lies the guards' training ground, an open space shielded by snow walls. Here, defenders of the city practice with weapons made of hardened bone and ice, while an adjacent building stores their equipment and trains new recruits. Hidden among the alleys is a small ice amphitheater—not a grand construction, but a modest, semi-circular depression with steps carved into solid frost. Here, residents gather for storytelling, simple performances, or important announcements, as echoes softly reverberate through the icy chamber.   Farther north stretches the craftsmen's quarter, a more systematically designed area. Here, bones are cut, leather is tanned, ice is shaped—workshops tightly intertwined, as each trade depends on the other. The butcher processing meat works next to the tanner treating hides, beside the bone-worker crafting tools and jewelry.   The city is defined not only by its architecture but also by its defenses—a massive ice wall encircles Vintergard, built to shield the Frost People from the relentless creatures of the frozen wilderness and the fierce winds. Two great gates lead outward—one to the north, the other southwest toward the trade routes.   Within the wall lies something unique: niches filled with frost-glass, bearing the names of all children born here. A magical register, a tribute to those who began their lives in Vintergard. For over 3,000 years, this record has been maintained, and the wall steadily fills—a quiet testament to the past and future of the Frost People. From the frozen vantage point atop the wall, one gazes upon the icy land—a world harsh and unforgiving, yet full of life. Vintergard is more than just a city in the ice—it is the first bastion of the Frost People, the heart of their history, and the origin of their world.