Jedi Archeologist
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To codify the seat of House Layne
- Image Credit: x
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
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- City Name: Frosthall
- Classification:
- Castle
- Fortified Village
- Location: Vandor
- Affiliation: Confederacy of Independent Systems
- Population: Moderate
- Demographics:
- Human (92%)
- Other (~8%)
- Wealth: Medium - Frosthall has a stable economy perpetuated by interplanetary & intraplanetary trade, but no large industry is able to bring any large amount of wealth to the town.
- Stability: High - The population of Frosthall is small and mainly consists of people native to the planet, tied to Vandor through centuries of ancestry. In a village with such a tight sense of community and limited outside exposure lead to low crime rates, primarily incentivised by the punishment of becoming a social pariah.
- Freedom & Oppression: Frosthall is a fairly free city, although this is limited somewhat by the level of social connection. Only a very small percentage of outsiders live in the capital city, and those who do are easily identifiable. Crime is low simply because of that social connection, as light penalties such as theft are dealt with personally, often by the Lord of Frosthall himself. The punishment of social ostracization, while not officially given, is still severe enough to heavily discourage crime. Heavy penalties such as murder almost gaurantee expulsion from the city and a life of a social outcast. However, Frosthall is also very egalitarian, and the harsh conditions of Vandor have lead to a largely collaborative and supportive social structure throughout the city and its various classes and social echelons.
- Description: Frosthall, Capital of Vandor, and Seat of House Layne. Originally nothing more than a stone hut, after nearly six centuries it has become a great castle and fortified village, braving the elements of Vandor to etch out an existence on its snowy slopes.
A true marvel of architecture and engineering, Frosthall consists of two main rings, separated by large stone walls. In the inner ring consists of the 'castle' portion of the village, with the great hall, archives, administrative portions, and keep. Meanwhile, the outer ring is where the actual village resides, with all the dwellings of Frosthall's inhabitants, shops, taverns, stores, warehouses, and hovertrain station that links the capital with the rest of Vandor.
Outer Wall
- Hjalford Road: The main street of Frosthall, Hjalford road extends from the gates of the inner ring -- Frosthall's castle -- to the hovertrain station. A variety of shops, taverns, and other public establishments are all located along the road,
- Village Square: The village square, located halfway along Hjalford road, is the central gathering spot for the villagers of Frosthall. Despite its name, it's actually a circular paved clearing, lined with taverns and strung lanterns, seeming to always cast create a festive atmosphere in the village.
- Drunk Luftgriff: The most famous and well-established tavern in Frosthall, complete with three levels -- the bottom floor devoted to the dining hall, with the upper two floors providing overnight accommodations. It's a popular favorite among the working peoples of Frosthall and has a regular crowd every night.
- Galersonn Distillery: Producer of the finest alcohol and mead on Vandor and home of Galersonn Brewing, the Distillery is one of the central locations of Frosthall's Village. Galersonn sees a healthy degree of business not only from Frosthall but from all parts of Vandor, and even engages in limited off-world production. Drinks such as Norgbrew, a warm frothy drink produced with spices and fermented Kod'yok milk, are local favorites produced here.
- Hovertrain Station: Hovertrains connect all of Vandor's geographically isolated settlements, and Frosthall is no different. The hovertrain station is a primary source of interplanetary transportation, both people, goods, and commodities. Suffice to say, Frosthall certainly relies quite a bit on its hovertrain connection and would be worse off without it.
- Entrance Hall: Damp, wet, and especially cold, the Entrance Hall of Frosthall's castle is built with extra-reinforced walls to try and isolate the forever-chilly corridor. Fires burn futilely in sconces whilst guards do anything they can to keep warm, but despite both technological and magical efforts, it seems that everyone and everything is cold in the Entrance Hall. This has grown to be a lesson taught to most, that not everything is in their control, and thus the Entrance Hall serves as a metaphor of sorts for any visitor or inhabitant of Frosthall.
- Grand Hall: Unlike the Entrance Hall, the Grand Hall is quite warm and snug for a castle surrounded by perpetual blizzards. Smaller in comparison to other manors and castles, the Grand Hall of Frosthall is nevertheless undoubtedly the central location of the castle. Location of all meals, audiences held by members of House Layne, or meetings in general, the Grand Hall can be interchangeably referred to as the Feasting Hall. Although the walls of the Grand Hall are heated and quite well insulated, the room is still furnished with a surplus of hearths and candles; if not to create more heat, than to create a more lively atmosphere than the comparatively dim and cold Entrance Hall.
- The Archives: Although as not technologically advanced as other galactic archives, the Archives of Frosthall features a vast collection of knowledge in either book, datacron, and holocron form. Originally based on the personal collection of House Layne's patriarch, the Frosthall Library has grown vast with knowledge of items, worlds, and force-related knowledge acquiesced by centuries of exploration and adventure by members of House Layne. As a further memorial, the library contains a bust of each contributing member of House Layne as well as their written memoir, a tradition stemming back to the House's founding and expected from each leader of House Layne.
- The Brumal Keep: The original structure of Frosthall, made out of stone and through the Force by Berr Layne, the Brumal Keep serves as the private quarters of House Layne and those who are granted permission to stay there. A large tower that is connected to the Grand Hall, the majority of the structure consists of bedchambers and private suites, although the top of the tower is a locked room in which the ancestral blade of House Layne, Frostbyte, resides on display, along with the lightsaber of each passed member of the family who wielded such a weapon.
Although lacking in any formal form of defense, Frosthall's most powerful ally is in truth the weather of Vandor; unforgiving to mistake, hazardous to the individual, and a bitter executioner to all who dare to try and test its strength. Many a ship has crashed from high-intensity blizzards or storms which regularly cover the castle. The castle and village is also protected by two massive and strong walls, not to mention the Lord of Frosthall, who is a guaranteed warrior and protector for Frosthall. As a place frequented by the Knights Obsidian, that can mean that there are additional Knights to help protect the area, and a Confederacy garrison at Fort Ypso that would respond in case of an attack.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Frosthall may not have been the oldest settlement on Vandor -- in fact, it's one of the youngest. But that does not mean it is without a rich history nor importance to the wintry world.
Frosthall was settled by the former Jedi Berr Layne, who imposed self exile from the Order he had once served for unknown reasons around 230 ABY. After long years of journeying, the grizzled ex-Jedi would finally settle down on one of the most unlikely worlds for retirement: the backwater, frozen world of Vandor. It was by no means a luxurious setting; hardscrabble miners worked in ice caves and refineries while herders braved daily blizzards to tend to their flocks. But for whatever reason, Berr was drawn to Vandor. And so that was where he went.
By himself, braving the wilds and mountains, he raised the first stones of Frosthall with naught but the Force. He drew people from surrounding settlements to populate his new keep. He promised work, shelter, and most importantly, the protection that an experienced user of the Force could offer. It proved to be a tempting promise, and soon a bustling village was founded around the Brumal Keep. Soon, the settlement was graced with a hovertrain station, cementing the legitimacy of the village in Vandor society. From one of the villagers, Berr Layne took a wife, and soon begat an heir; and thus, House Layne and Frosthall began to grow together.
Frosthall would continue to grow in size, political power, and relevance over the next six centuries. The ruling members of House Layne served as protectors of the settlement, fending off opposing villages and towns and maintaining order throughout Frosthall's territories. This balance would continue until after the Gulag Plague, when the Winter War began. The entire world was embroiled in a conflict as a neighboring settlement, Caller's End, tried to annex Frosthall. Frosthall retaliated, led by the young Jormund Layne, and what began was a civil war that nearly tore the world apart. In the end, Caller's End was pacified and Frosthall was elevated to the de facto capital of the world, with the Lord of Frosthall, Jormund Layne, becoming head of state for Vandor.
However, this peace was tentative. Seeking to cement his power with offworld support, Jormund Layne married a lesser member of the powerful Zambrano family, Eva. Some say that the connection between House Layne, a family that had never strayed from the Light, and House Zambrano, the family of Sith Emperors, had put a curse on the former's bloodline. Jormund spawned an illegitimate child as his heir, Beris Layne, and the youth was not the traditional, fair and just person as most members of House Layne were. A second child was given birth to, Beric Layne, this time a true son of Jormund and Eva's union, but this was seen as an afterthought.
Beris Layne was a powerful young man, and he quickly grew in strength with feats of physical prowess and adeptness with the Force. It wasn't long before a nearly-adult Beris was captain of Frosthall's military, admired by those he fought for, respected by those he fought against. But those fights were nothing more than charades, tourneys held in lieu of real combat. Beris had a thirst for war, a thirst for violence. And Eva Layne, scion of House Zambrano, did not want to see an illegitimate bastard claim a throne that should rightfully be her son's. Seeing Beris's nature, Eva soon took to exploiting it; first by becoming a trusted, motherly figure, and then slowly by sowing seeds of conflict and bloodlust into Beris's heart.
It wasn't long enough before the dark seeds Eva had sown were ready for the reaping. A minor province, Valley Court, was behaving unruly, and Beris, now being driven by a dark lust in his heart, sought leave from his father to reprimand those who would disturb the peace. By now, Beris had become the worthy heir to the throne of Frosthall, and Jormund Layne saw no reason to deny his son extra experience in matters of ruling, so he bade that Beris quickly voyage and return. Beris set out for Valley Court, but unbeknownst to his father, with the full military might of Frosthall.
Little record remains of the atrocities committed by Beris that day, and the event is only named as the 'Tragedy of Valley Court,' and is unmentioned otherwise.
The entire planet in uproar, and Jormund wroth with fury at having his trust broken and the heir apparent to Frosthall conducting himself in a way that stood against the principals of House Layne, Beris was forcibly exiled from the planet, his titles and claim to the throne stripped from him. And in his place, the younger, legitimate son of Jormund and Eva Layne rose to the position of Heir, and soon Lord: Beric Layne.
Now, with Vandor as a member-world of the Confederacy, Frosthall functions as the capital of Vandor, host of the planet's Viceroy and all official precedings. It is not the largest settlement -- that claim would go easily to Fort Ypso, Vandor's only true spaceport -- but it is still a relatively large town when compared to Vandorian standards. Frosthall's castle and keep also serve as a regional base-of-operations for the Knights of Obsidian, which of course is presided over by Beric Layne, Lord of Frosthall and Vandor.
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