Doingorod

Doingorod has been inhabited sporadically since prehistoric times, when tribesmen raised ancient dolmens on the foothills of Mount Edain to ancient bear and wolf spirits. According to local lore and tradition, the Winterberg that looms over the town has long been the home of dwarven thains of ancient Sarphil, and the occasional break through into collapsed dwarven cells and vaults in the early construction of the stone houses of Doingorod demonstrates that such tales aren't mere speculation. The lands around the city have long been home to pagan, if not entirely primitive cults, and sites of place-magic and the worship of primal forces such as animal spirits, the sun, the moon, and the seasons abound across the forested hills that surround the city.

When the first stone blocks were laid atop one another by the legendary Brandon the Builder in the first construction of Winterkeep, the settlement below the fortification was nothing more than a rude cluster of homes that gathered together for common defense against the primal wilderness that ringed the town. The settlement around Winterkeep swelled steadily, if not quickly. The lands around the Winterberg are harsh and dangerous, and famine, misfortune, and plague were a constant danger.

The Orthodox Faith was introduced to Doingorod by the deaths of St. Felix and St. Regula. Siblings, the two were, according to Church doctrine, fleeing certain death in the south at the hands of a cruel relative. They sought refuge in Winterkeep some time in the 3rd century of Dale Reckoning under the protection of Northking Roderick. The pagan king Roderick sought to possess the beautiful sister Regula, and when she refused him, he ordered the two children decapitated. After the decapitation, the two siblings got up, and carried their heads forty paces up the hill before the astonished and horrified inhabitants of Doingorod, and prayed to the Lords Assembled before lying down in death. They were buried on the spot where they lay down. Eventually, the Chantry of St. Felix and St. Regula was constructed on the location of their graves in the early 12th century. The first Orthodox Winterking, Edrick the Good, founded the Abbey of the Blackfriars in 853 DR as a gift to his youngest son.

In 1053, Winterkeep and its attendant lands were integrated into the High Kingdom of the Cymru following the oath of fealty taken by the last Northking, Torrhen Dain, to High King Arthrys ap Llaiddraigon at Sarshel. When the civil strife of the Kinslayer War was kindled by Medraut, son and Companion of High King Arthrwys, Torrhen and Winterkeep rode in the van of the High King. Indeed, it was Torrhen himself who bore the body of his slain lord along the Kingsroad from Brwydr Camlan, through Winterkeep and the High Pass, to the Landing of the Old Kings on Icemelt Lake. Torrhen Dain would later ride with the young Imphras I Heltharn to repel the advance of the Witchling Horde across the Watchwall, and when he later swore fealty to the newly crowned King Imphras, he would be named Duke Torrhen von Doin, and Doingorod would be incorporated into Impiltur for the first time in 1085 DR.

In 1123 DR, the Chantry of St. Felix and St. Regula would be commissioned, ostensibly upon the grave sites of the two martyr saints, but also incorporating an ancient megalthic stone into the foundations. The city walls would be completed in 1218 DR, encompassing the whole of the city of Doingorod on both sides of the river. A canal was routed around the circumference of the walls to form a moat.

The rise of the walls in 1218 was emblematic of the rise of the power of craftsmen and industry within the city, and with that grew the influx of the concept of guilds and merchant coalitions from the southern cities. Since the incorporation of the Duchy of Cirdan into the kingdom of Impiltur, the city of Doingorod had been ruled directly by the Steward (Stadholder) of the Lord of Winterkeep. The tensions between the rising power of the guilds and the patriarchal authority of Duke Beron von Doin finally culminated in the Guild Revolt in 1236 DR. The city was convulsed in revolt in the spring and summer of 1236 as the city's craftsmen rallied under the leadership of Rudolf Brun, an influential city councilor. The city essentially besieged the stiff-necked Duke Beron behind the walls of his fortress, bringing trade and commerce to a complete standstill. Minor skirmishes between the rebel craftsmen and the forces of the Duke were inconclusive, and eventually, as summer passed into dangerous winter, cooler heads prevailed in the negotiations between the Steward and the rebel Brun. The Duke was eventually pressed to sign a new constitution reorganizing the rulership of the city of Doingorod along more egalitarian lines, with 16 councilors. Eight councilors must be nobility, appointed by the Duke, and eight must be the heads of the city's eight guilds. Brun reserved for himself the title of Burgomaster, with executive authority over the City Council with veto power reserved for the Duke's appointed steward.

In recent years, a second bridge of stone was cast over the Icehilt River in 1338 DR, further uniting the two sides of the city, and in 1362 DR, the massive Von Doin Gunworks were completed, transforming the city, and hopefully, according the city elders, banishing for all time the superstitions, ignorance, and mysticism of the ancient hills.

Since the signing of Beron's Constitution in 1236 DR, the city has been governed by a City Council of 16 councilors overseen by the executive authority of a popularly elected Burgomaster. By law, the Council is composed of eight councilors appointed by the Duke for a lifetime position. These councilors must be of at least the noble rank of knight and many of them have been landed earls. The other eight councilors are composed of the eight officially recognized guilds of Doingorod. These guilds, all dating back to before the Guild War of 1236, are the Guild of Clothiers, the Guild of Smiths, the Guild of Millers, the Guild of Tanners, the Guild of Builders, the Guild of Vintners, the Guild of Bargemen, and the Guild of Butchers. The Burgomaster is elected for a 6 year term by popular election of all landowning males within the city limits. Originally set up as a governor on the popular power of the city council according to the Constitution of 1236, later Dukes have realized that the city is well and capable of governing itself efficiently, so the important position of Steward (or Stadholder) of Doingorod has become a largely ceremonial position.

The Council meets at least monthly in the Rathaus of Doingorod. Serving the last year of his sixth four-year term, the current Burgomaster Vilhelm von Aubrecker is well liked, but widely considered to be entering his dotage. The current Steward of Doingorod is the distant and withdrawn Count Doctor Victor Mordenheim.

Law and Order

Three major organizations enforce the law of the both the Duke and the City Council of Doingorod within the boundaries of the city walls and within a days ride outside of them. Though they nominally have very specific and regimented areas of responsibility, they often find themselves in each others way more often than not.

Night Watch

The first group, known as the Night Watch, is a the professional patrol force of the city. Organized about one hundred years ago, the Night Watch has as its official duties that patrol of the city's streets, the defense of the common good, and the enforcement of the laws of the City Council. The Night Watch, contrary to its name, does patrol the city at all hours, traveling its streets in groups of two or more, depending on their assigned district. In addition to arresting those who break the laws, Watch patrols often assist passersby with heavy loads, give directions, search for lost children, provide basic medical aid, and referee verbal disputes.

The uniform of the Watch is a doublet of leather armor studded with iron rings, under an overshirt of green, black, and copper. Members of the Watch are armed with light steel shields, clubs, daggers, and short swords. If a watch patrol encounters a major disturbance, they will blow the distinctive "trembling" note horns they carry on their belts to summon aid, and one member of the patrol will immediately run to the nearest guard tower or guard post to spread the word, usually summoning additional aid from the City Guard if necessary.

A secondary arm of the Night Watch, and its newest branch having been formed only in the last forty years is the division of Watch Inspectors. The Watch Inspectors are all former Night Watchmen who have shown either particular skill in post-crime problem solving or are significantly well connected with the city's elite (or both). They are called in to determine the facts of suspicious activity, bring murderers to justice, and uncover conspiracies to commit crimes.

* Night Captain Gerhardt von Pappenheim: Overall commander of the Night Watch under the direct authority of the Lord Mayor and the Steward. * Inspector Louis Leforte: Politically well-connected Watch Inspector. * Watchman Darun Restern and Watchman Havemark Greely: Patrol officers of the Nightwatch with the unenviable patrol routes across the Market Bridge from "Grey Fingers" to the Northbank District.

City Guard

The City Guard serves as Doingorod's army, defending the city and environs from attack in the unlikely event that Duke's forces are caught unawares. In fact, the City Guard is a branch of the Duke's personal levee, and is under the overall command of His Grace and, secondarily, his appointed administrators. The City Guard also serves as bodyguards for the City Council, the Lord Mayor, and the Duke's Steward, and as honor guards for visiting diplomats. Contingents of the City Guard and the Night Watch jointly man the city gates and bridges; the former controlling access, while the Watch observes those who enter, pursues fugitives, and escorts visitors into the city.

The uniform of the Guard is brightly polished chainmail, covered by black tabards with gold trim. Guards carry weapons appropriate to their posting, such as longswords, rods, shortbows, shortspears, short swords, and daggers.

The City Guard is headquartered at Winterkeep and additionally maintain several small guard barracks around the city. They also maintain guard posts at every tower of the outer wall and the city gates.

* General Arell Fannon: Overall commander of the Duke's levee and, by extension, administrative commander of the City Guard.

Abbey of the Black Friars

The Black Friars Chapter House of the Order of the Sacred Shrike is an old force of order and justice in the city and it's surrounding countryside. The Abby was originally built on the order of Northking Edric the Good in 853 DR as a gift for his youngest son, Ealric, himself a proud member of the Order of the Triad of Sarshel Elethlim. The local chapterhouse has gone through both good years and bad years, even laying abandoned for a time before the integration of the city into the Kingdom of Cymru. When the paladin order was re-founded under King Imphras II, the Abbey was renovated and rebuilt to house the local chapter of the Order of the Knights of Imphras II. Offically, the Shrikelord of the Abby of the Black Friars has no real local responsibility or authority, merely maintaining the presence of the Council of Twelve and serving the interests of the Queen-Regent and the Orthodox Church. Unofficially, the knights of the Black Friars Chapterhouse protect the grounds of the Chantry of St. Felix and St. Regula as well as provide a theoretically disinterested third party for local disputes. The sworn swords of the order also investigate matters of state interest, such as the doings of the nobility, or events of possible national ramifications. In the last 50 years, the Knights of Imphras II have also taken on the responsibility of overseeing the administration of the Delgraben, the city's civil prison constructed on the Island of Rooks within the walls of their Abbey.

* Shrikelord Franz Albrecht: The current head of the Black Friars Chapterhouse. * Ser Henrith Bellamy: Adjutant to the Shrikelord.

The city rambles across the low, rolling hills on either side of the Icehilt River, at the feet of the great walls of Winterkeep. The Icehilt flow fast and strong through the northeast center of the city, too strong for serious navigation upstream much further than the mill-quays attached to the Gunworks and other industrial enterprises near the High Gate. The river is crossed twice by bridges, the Rider's Bridge and the Market Bridge. The river is also divided at it's southeastern exit from the city by the Island of Rooks, home of the old Abby of the Black Friars as well as the Delgraben, the city's civil prison.

The long developed south bank of the Icehilt is the city's oldest, and is mostly arranged around the Hill of Lindens, the highest point in the city aside from the Winterberg. The hill once held a fortress watchtower of the old Northkings, but that structure has long been dismantled, it's stones used in the construction of a rambling park of ancient linden trees; tall, straight trees which provide deep shade and sheltered bowers.

The north bank of the Icehilt has only been considered truly part of the city proper for the last two hundred years, and is both crowded and prosperous, with the confluence of both narrow, winding side streets and broad merchant thoroughfares. Both sides of the city shelter under the walls of Doingorod and are protected by a deep and relatively fast moving canal of the Icehilt which serves as a moat.

Blackhand District

The Blackhand district, so called because of the work and coal blackened hands of the people who both live and work there, is the northernmost of the city's districts. It is the home of the city's industry, nestled up against the protect cliffs of the Winterberg and south bank of the Icehilt River. This is the location of Doingorod's tanners, slaughterhouses, paper mill, dyers, jointners, ironworks, and, largest of them all, the Von Doin Gunworks. It is a warren of old and tangled streets, most of them cobbled and paved with gray stone. The alleys may be connected by steep and twisting black staircases that take one from one level to another. It is also the home of the city's poorest and most desperate citizens. Theft, prostitution, assault, public drunkenness, and even murder are far too commonplace in the Blackhand. In the recent years of continual growth of the city's industry, the district has begun to spill over it's traditional boundaries of the Kingsroad and the Market Road, lending some locals to term the newly dangerous streets the "Greyfingers" district.

• Dandelo's
• High Gate
• The Pumpworks
• Von Doin Gunworks

Rathaus District

A broad district running between the Market Road and the Riderbridge Road, the Rathaus district derives its name from the Rathaus, or State House that defines its purpose and character. It is the administrative center of Doingorod, and houses the Rathaus, the Hall of Justice, and the headquarters of the Night Watch (the so-called Rabbit's Lair, since, as the saying goes: "They are in your garden when you don't want them, but when you need to find one, you never can.")

It is also the center of commerce for the city, as the convergence of the Market Road and the Kingsroad forms Doingorod's largest open air market, the Chantry Market in the plaza before the Chantry of St. Felix and St. Regula. This district is the home of the guild headquarters of each of the eight city guilds, and Linden Street, which defines its southern border, is the premier shopping area of the city.

• Chantry of St. Felix and St. Regula
• The Hall of Justice
• Linden Street
• The Rathaus

Linden Hill District

This crescent shaped district arcs around the gently sloping south banks of the Hill of Lindens and is the home of the city's wealthy merchants and nobles. Beginning at Linden Street, the prosperous store fronts of jewelers, goldsmiths, and importers gives way first to elegant but restrained townhouses. Broad and well-planned streets sweep gently around the low hills near the heavily forested park and eventually house the opulent homes of the truly wealthy guild lords and city earls. Schloss Aubrecker, the rambling home of the long-time Lord Mayor of the city is located here, as well as the mansion of House Brun, the politically powerful controllers of the Guild of Clothiers.

This district is truly defined, however, by Linden Hill Park, the heavily forested crown of the Hill of Lindens. This 5 acre parkland occupies the entirety of the summit of the hill from which it takes its name and is criss-crossed by cobbled paths and roadways. The pathways are lit at night by magical globes of pale blue light, giving the forest an ethereal quality. The stones for the cobbling, as well as for the benches, bowers, small pools, and fountains that dot the part were all drawn from the dismantling of the Amonrut, the old watchtower fortress of the Northkings that used to dominate this hill.

• Brunhaus
• Linden Hill Park
• Schloss Aubrecker

Ten Coins District

The Ten Coins District runs along the southern bank of the Icehilt River from the city walls to the Ridersbridge Road, using the Kingsroad from the Southgate as its spine. This district is defined by the middle class, and is dotted with housing from one end of that spectrum to the other. It is also the home of all those in the city who make a living sailing the southern reaches of the Icehilt River, from fishermen (an increasingly rare occupation given the corruption beginning to seep into the water from Blackhands upstream), to the bargemen and scullers who convey goods and people from one side of the river to the other and also to the villages and towns downstream, some as far as Wye.

• Abby of the Black Friars
• The Delgraben
• Magdalena's Bakery

Northbank District

The entire northern bank of the Icehilt River is considered a single district of the city. Once, long ago before the advent of the city walls, this was the independent town of Northbank, but it has long since been incorporated into the city proper. This is the newest, and thus the busiest district of the city, housing the avant-garde industries, the dance halls, prosperous merchants and down-on-their-luck shops. The Northbank Market is a burgeoning and lively open air market that is beginning to rival the Chantry Market across the river. It is the home of the newer wealthy families who rose up through the recent economic boomtimes, their houses built with architectural styles from across the country and even from across the Inner Sea. It also houses the largest amount of the city's immigrant population, those that can afford the marginally more expensive rents here versus the cut-rates in the Blackhand.

• Lumley House:
• The Deep Dive:
• Turgaden's Bookstore: