Jotunrath

Jotunrath, or Giant's Reach in Giant, is the Capitol of the Goliath Nation and has a population of roughly 40,000 people. Jotunrath is the second largest capitol city in the Conclave and was named after Jotunheim, one of the Nine Realms of the World Tree and once home to the first Giants. A testament to Goliath endurance and ingenuity, the city of Jotunrath was erected as a safe haven for Goliaths looking to escape. At first a simple walled settlement, years of crafting and otherworldly ice-magic created a snowy supercity where all outcasts are welcomed. The outsider, unwanted, or downright awkward dregs of common society can make a life for themselves in a city that was once thought to be impossible to build. A snowy, crystal middle finger to the Alliance.

Government

The first recognized leader of Jotunrath was Gremala Drathos who began uniting Goliath tribes when the first Alliance pioneers arrived and began taking slaves. After the Goliath Uprisings, the newly freed slaves fled back to the Frostback Basin, back to Jotunrath. With war brewing on the horizon, the Goliaths turned to the uprising's leaders. Gremala Drathos, Aela Stormcaller, Boudeca Warborn, and Ygrid Ironborn all sent out the call, that any and all Goliaths that wished to live outside of warring tribes, wanted more than scraps of scavenged elk meat, that wanted to build an outlasting legacy, should join them. After the Seven Year War, Ygrid Ironborn, aided by Aela Stormcaller and other allies, seized power and holds it to this day. Under Queen Ygrid is the Goliath Council, five Noble Goliath Houses who each hold their own properties and smaller armies. Each with their own advisors with a strict system of checks and balances between the people, the Goliath Chieftains, and Queen Ygrid. No single person shall ever hold total control over the Goliath people again.

Defenses

Jotunrath is surrounded by an impenetrable wall of solid ice, called the Wall of Drathos, that is 700 feet tall and over 300 miles long. The Stormcaller fleet protects the Bay of Ice behind Jotunrath with Warforged-Steel ships armed to the teeth. Any attempts to penetrate Jotunrath are met with a volley of long-ranged cannons and ballistas, a harrowing climb, or the full might of the Goliath army. Those who so choose to engage the Goliaths in an open skirmish do so at their own peril. Rumors of a large, icy ancient dragon protecting the skies above Jotunrath, further prove that a siege would be most unwise.

Notable Locations

The Ice Palace Erected by the finest Goliath and Warforged architects and decorated as a gift by the Drow of Val Royeaux. The Ice Palace is a large, crystalline structure that shines like a crowned jewel in the day, and dances under mesmeric lights at night. Home to the Queen and her daughter.

The Wall of Drathos A massive superstructure that is 700 feet tall and over 300 miles long. Within the wall are manned garrisons every couple of levels. Manned by them are a number of anti-siege equipment and tools to dislodge any attempts to scale the wall. Scaling the wall is nearly impossible since regular climbing equipment can't pierce the thick barrier of magical ice. Then there would be the task of scaling it while under fire. The Wall of Drathos was named after Gremala, and was actually reinforced by her dragon Hakkon who covered it in a thick barrier of ice. The Walls are meant to keep invaders out, as much as to keep its occupants safe. A symbol to would-be invaders that the Wall, much like its people, will not be toppled.

Freyr's Garden Queen Ygrid's garden which was a gift to her by her husband Tormund. Perhaps the only thing Ygrid missed about the Alliance, was its abundance of exotic flowers and plant life. Overnight, her husband had herbalist and gardeners from across the Conclave collect every flower they could find, and plant them. While more than half of them died overnight due to the extreme cold, those that survived mutated into gorgeous crystal-like flowers that shine under the sun. Tormund named the garden after Freyr, Norse God of Love.

The Coldhearth A forge deep within the cavernous underbelly of Jotunrath where master smiths and artificers use a mysterious source of energy, the Coldhearth, to enchant weapons and imbue them with true, uninhibited frost.