Gothiel, Heartlands Options

[BBB]

A brief description of The City of Stars

Gothiel is the holy city of the Church of Elbereth. The settlement is relatively new - the temple was a baronial keep, later a bandit fortress and for a few years a stronghold of the Church's martial wing before the city was built up around it.

The symbol of the city is an eight pointed silver star on a dark blue background, surrounded by a wreath of green leaves.

At the heart of Gothiel is the Temple-Fortress of Elbereth on top of a crag, surrounded on three sides by the river Windrush. This crag connects via a neck of high land to a range of hills, and settlement has grown out across this neck of land and down into the river valley over the past few years. There is a local saying that there's no such thing as a level street in west Gothiel, just that some have less of a slope than others.

As a result of its relative newness, most of the town is still built of wood. The Temple-Fortress and the city government offices down the grand processional that leads away from it are stone, but most shops and houses are built from the local chestnut and oak woods. There are parks, gardens and plenty of open spaces either for the city to grow into, or where the land is a little too steep for foundations, and given the local populace's religious bent, plenty of room to look up at the open sky.

Life in Gothiel is generally pretty good. The streets are kept safe by the City Watch, the Council are actively interested in the welfare of their citizens, and if trouble does break loose, the church has a fair number of military members to "deal" with it. Not that this happens often, as powerful rites cast on the city make it physically unpleasant for evil creatures to linger there though one side effect of this is that the worshippers of Dunatis, the evil god of pain have set up a small enclave of their own, as they find it appealing. The locals discovered that trying to chase them out of town didn't work, as they liked the "being hit with sticks" part of the process, so they have mostly been left in peace.

There is nothing much in the way of high society, most of the nobles consider it rather a primitive place, but equally there is no real poverty, with the church providing for those who fall on hard times. For the most part the people tend to be craftsmen and the city is particularly proud of its carpentry and wood-carving, merchants and artists, who are actively encouraged by the church. A large number of elves live in or near the city, and there's a small but visible dwarven populace mainly smiths and stonemasons.

The Temple-Fortress itself is an impressive building, forbidding grey stone on the outside, the inside has been re-worked in marble and silver, centred around the high altar, in a huge, high-pillared hall whose ceiling magically displays the night sky above and the movement of the stars.

Gothiel folk love any excuse for a party, though by comparison with the delights of Halgar these are pretty rustic affairs, typically involving a bonfire in the market square, dancing and large amounts of food and ale. The locals claim there's more, and better, ale brewed in Gothiel than anywhere else in the Empire.

The area around the city is considered part of the Gothiel "territory", and contains a number of small villages, mostly arable farming in the river valleys, and sheep up in the hills. Not all of these are exclusively ‘Elberethian’ in nature, but many are or at least have decided it's wise to claim to follow the Church whose troops patrol the area and dispose of bandits and suchlike with ruthless efficiency.

[BBB]

Major Events in Gothiel IM 1007

NOTE: What follows is very much a brief draft - I need to check on some names and details to flesh things out a little and will do so eventually

As Imperial cities go Gothiel is somewhat unusual in that the the city itself is little more than a meeting place for the guilds and for dealing with the wider Empire. The people of the land dwell very much in the greenwoods of the territories and seem to have little reason to congregate within the city itself. Few live there and it is little more than administrative centre focussed by the presence of the Hallowed Temple at the heart of the settlement. The people, in keeping with their goddess and her most fervent Elven followers, seem to love simple dwelling under the stars and this desire is reflected amply nature of the territory and over the past year this has become even more so with more and more leaving the shrinking conurbation and taking to the welcoming wilds.

Were one to seek to assault the city one would find very little worth taking and the over the past few years the land has been made wholly inhospitable to any seeking to invade by the sterling work of the city’s Marshal-At-Arms, or Commissent, the Ranger Martin. Any who were to travel with Martin and his Starlight Hunters they would quickly become convinced that he knows each and every villager by sight and they know him in person. His knowledge of the local lands and the territories unsurpassed, a knowledge that would serve him well in the latter part of the year. Each village seemed possessed of those who would fight to defend their patch, who would snipe and harry any moving force and slip away in the forests before such a force could retaliate. Indeed the long winter months are often taken up with the making of the infamous Gothiel Yard, somewhat lethal arrows used by the militia, which only serve to enhance the deadly force of the Gothiel Rangers.

Strangely during the year a force of Silverfolk ventured into attack the lands. An army was hastily drawn up to defend the territory but lacking in a solid Wall Warband to hold the line, and despite the heroic efforts of those present, they were not initially able to contain the forces that slipped in. Driven back they were forced to take refuge in a recently restored fortification several things were learnt from this encounter:

The surprise of the Silverfolk on arriving indicates that they probably were not expecting to arrive in Primus, given the nature of the disease that awaits each and every one of them who step on its soil, breathes its air or drinks its waters.

Secondly they had amongst their number an Assassin of some skill, great skill, who on discovering the presence of Selgard in Gothiel’s defending forces took some professional pleasure in hunting him. It seemed however that its true target was the city spirit.

Thirdly, and most importantly, the Dragon Everdawn, gifted with Dragonsight, glimpsed a possible future, the aims of the Silverfolk and what they had planned for the Final Dawn. It seemed nothing less then ritual colonisation of Gothiel. The vision he was gifted with saw the Silverfolk bring a ritual device onto Primus at the Final Dawn, array themselves up around to guard it and then watch it activate, spreading a silvery sheen across the land, converting vegetation and animal into something else, something alien, something no doubt of their own home. For the first time since the killing of the Hag Queen a decade or so before, somewhat ironically at the hands of the dark and merciless Northwarden Gustav Thorenstein, the Silverfolk were planning a full scale incursion and Gothiel was where they would start…

[BBB]

Final Dawn IM 1007

The Final Dawn in Gothiel, not unlike the a previous Final Dawn with the Battle of Sellaville’s Snow was met on the field of conflict, a Battle that became known as named “The Second Battle of Amora’s Doom”.

Whilst the battle raged at the Doom an attempt was made on the life of Mouse, the City Spirit of Gothiel. Although hidden safely in one of the many villages she and her protectors were stalked by an assassin of some skill and attacked by the very villages native to the place as they suffered from some sort of control. The nature of such believe to be ritual or, given the natural skills of the Silverfolk, neuronic.

The assination attempt failed but not without being close...

[BBB]

The Second Battle of Amora's Doom

The good men of Gothiel were able to gathered a fair number to its call for aid in the Battle at the Doom.

Amongst those forces present were The Starlight Hunters, local Archers of incredible skill lead by their Commisent, Martin Versey. The Flagellant band of the Nebulous Knights, lead by Vox Michael, ever ready to throw away their lives in the fight forces of darkness. The Swan Riders, an elegant and swift Mount, lead by the Elf Eldias. A contingent of Imperial Yeoman Archers, lead by Simeon Black. Even the Warlord’s own, lead by the Warlord Senator Aaron Steadfast himself were present.

Present were also various Heroes including Kelvar, fresh from victory at Vashen Heit and still with a frightening amount of thunderous electrical ritual power at hand. Stirge, Orcen Mage of Earth, Invoker of Totems. Ariel, Mage of Light and ritualist to The Swan Riders. Mithaniel, he who is Wintersong, Elven Warrior. Everdawn, The Winter Wyrm, revelling in the power of season drawn from the death of the year.

The details of this battle are long and told elsewhere. The result however was victory, a near flawless plan conceived by Martin took full advantage of the vision glimpsed by Everdawn’s Dragonsight.

Denying the Silverfolk entrance into Primus but leaving certain questions unanswered and a portal in need of some exploration…

[BBB]

Events in Gothiel ~ Martius IM 1008

In the aftermath of the victory at the Second Battle of Amora’s Doom the city, or more precisely the territories of Gothiel seemed to retain a number of those who had been present at the battle or defending the city, such as Tanis.

Senator Steadfast himself took to patrolling the territories and was impressed in equal measures by the land’s beauty and danger. He soon saw that any invader who sought to come against Gothiel who face the most immense resistance from the depths of the forests for what would ultimately be a prize not worth trying to hold. Years of diligent work by Martin ensuring that behind every tree a possible ambush, every man a possible Ranger, and every step a possible trap, and every breath possibly the an invaders last.

As in that other shining city of faith, Alguz, the very essence of the Plague Season manifested as an evil able to be slain by force of arms and dint of faith. And this year Governor Darig and the Stadtus Barack took to dealing with the issue in that manner best espoused by Mercenaries. With its death the visitation of disease upon the people was greatly lessened, lives spared and burdens reduced.

Martin and the Winterwym, Everdwan, continued in their investigations in the rural lands, although what they sought or were seeking is not widely known. In the city itself Barack was able to capture a most curious thief…

[SRussell]

IM 1009

Gothiel had been peaceful for much of the year, though its quiet nature was perhaps too laid back for some. The folk had began to revert back to their woodland skills, prefering to whittle their woods rather than striving to use more modern methods and it became apparent that their initiative was suffering from the lack of materials and goods available to them.

Elven immigrants were spoken of, taking up a place deep within the forest and their calming influence began to be felt by a few.

While this was addressed, the threat of Myronese incursions to the Heartlands became apparent. Agents abroad in Alguz came Gothiel's way for reasons unknown, though it seemed part of a scouting force.
After a battle by the Gothiel defenders and Bastion helds had taken place on the outskirts of the Greenwood, it became apparent that they had bene followed by scouts from the Empire. These trackers had directed sires from the Empire to position their helds and had resoundly crushed the Myronese.

Shortly before the Deathly season, Wagons loads of ores and scrap metal flooded the markets of Gothiel from Halgar and Deci and smiths took up their trade again, though the people seemed reluctant to turn away from carpentry once more.

Later still, it was spoken that something powerful and wicked had been unleashed by Myronese ritual before the battle and for some months Gothiel waited in anxious anticipation of a greater evil to come... but it never did.