Location The Gate City

[Bluster]

The Gate City It was a terrifying thing to the Vantha when they lost their trust in the outside world, but it brought a unique problem. Already, they had outsiders inside their walls, and something had to be done with them. Still dedicated to their hospitality, the Vantha knew they couldn’t just turn their guests out into the snow. Though it also went against their greater hospitable instincts, the city turned the Savintar Warrens into an internment camp while they tried to come up with a better solution. It didn’t take long for Jennai, the host of the Savintar Warrens, to put forward a plan of her own after seeing how uncomfortable her guests were in their new situation. Immediately, every hold that was able contributed to the task at hand with Iceglaze and snowsong playing the biggest role in the construction of Jennai’s idea. The plan was a simple one. If they could not trust their guests to roam freely inside the city, the only way to feel safe was to give those guests a place of freedom outside the city. She had proposed a small town outside the Icewall Gates, and the people took to the idea and the work it required right away. Iceglaze built another, shorter wall to surround the intended town to protect them from outside threats and another gate to go with it. Snowsong constructed a great lodge, and Winterflame saw to the design and creation of its kitchens. Frostfawn builts stables for any bringing animals with them. Every idle hand contributed, and even those with work aplenty wanted to do their part. Construction began in the Summer of 517 AV and lasted two seasons, and by that winter, though Avanthal’s people had hoped Morwen would return and make this all unnecessary, Avanthal’s outsiders were given a new home. While the construction was mostly performed by Iceglaze and Snowsong, the maintenance and function of the Gate City, as it came to be called, was largely taken over by Winterflame. While Snowsong may serve as the welcoming committee, everyone knows it is Winterflame who is at the heart of Avanthal hospitality. It is at their tables and around their food that stories are told, songs are sung, and friends are made. They still do allow Snowsong to play its part. The Lodge The Lodge is perhaps the crowning achievement of the Gate City. Upon entering one of its several entrances, on finds themselves in the wide open, vault ceilinged great hall that runs the length of the building. This is where the bulk of daily activity occurs. In the center of the room, running lengthwise, are long tables with benches on either side. There are several large, stone fireplaces built into the walls around which furniture sits for people to meet at when it is not a meal time. Two communal meals are held during which all the inhabitants of the Gate City (and many Vantha as well) gather together. While there are those set times for eating, the kitchens are always open, and there is usually at least one cook on duty. In recent times, as meals have become rationed, the kitchens do not serve extra meals. Off to one side of the great hall are the facilities used to keep the Lodge runnings. The greatest area of this is the kitchens, but storage and cleaning facilities are here as well. Jobs are available here for those with the appropriate skills in cooking as well as for general labor. On the other side are the living quarters. There are a variety of spaces available, some for single individuals while others are large enough for entire families. If one is interested in either temporary or permanent housing here, they should speak to Jennai. She has her own living space situated in the middle of all her guests. Gate City Market Recent events have made the Frozen Falls Market unusable. Firstly, a strict watch on so many outsiders is not achievable, and secondly, the Frozen Falls Market has suffered the same fate as everything in the north. It is no longer frozen. It has thawed, creating a messy mire of what was once a serene and beautiful location. Seeing the opportunity, Marus Trench, a trader who had come to Avanthal seeking a steady trade partner only to be caught in the chaos, started a market place in the Gate City, mirroring the Frozen Falls Market in its set up as a nod to those who came before. All of the shops that had found a home in the Frozen Falls Market picked up at the new home Marus had provided. New shops and trinket traders have popped up. If there are questions on the availability of merchandise or items, please contact your ST. Also contact your ST if you would like to open a business in the market or would like a job in an existing business there. The Lesser Gate The wall surrounding the Gate City is about two stories tall and is broad enough (and strong enough) to fit one of the Icewatch’s bears on top. The Lesser Gate is made of thick, heavy lumber and is always protected by two pairs from the Icewatch. There is an accompanying gatehouse where those watching the gate can be protected from the elements. This is where any newcomers are first stopped, though it would be an extreme instance where a traveler would be turned away, back out into the northern reaches. Marus Trench (NPC) : Name: Marus Trench Race: Human DOB: Spring the 50th, 468 AV POB: Syliras, Sylira Title: Manager of the Gate City Market, Envoy to the Outpost Skills: Negotiation, Persuasion, Organization, History, & Mathematics Gnosis: 1 mark of Xyna Marus arrived in Avanthal the winter of Morwen’s disappearance. He was a trader, and in all his journeys and deals, he had never found there to be a steady source of trade with the artists in the north. His purpose for coming to the north was to fill that niche that he had seen, but those plans were quickly brought to a halt when the killings began and outsiders were forced into the Savintar Warrens under a strict guard. Despite this though, he kept his eyes open and missed no opportunities when they arose. When the Gate City opened, he leapt on the available space and set up a market of his own, bringing trade together both locally and globally. When Xyna appeared to him, he accepted his place in Her numbers readily. In person, he is short-tempered and grumpy, presumably due to the rough start he got in Avanthal, though those who knew him before said he was that way all along. While things did indeed start slowly, he has created a steady and profitable business and trade for himself that has also benefited the Vantha he lives and works so closely with. If one starts him on business discussions (or an actual business deal), he comes to life, and the bitter demeaner quickly disappears. Jennai Coolwater (NPC) : Name: Jennai Coolwater Race: Vantha DOB: Winter the 82nd, 495 AV POB: Avanthal, Taldera Title: Owner/Manager of the Lodge (and to a lesser extent the Savintar Warrens) Skills: Socialization, Persuasion, Hostessing, Storytelling, & Leadership Gnosis: 1 mark of Morwen Jennai grew up watching her grandmother Geninsi run the Warrens. Not only was it something she was familiar with but something she longed to do as well. As her grandmother began to slow down, Jennai began to take over more and more of the responsibilities at the Warrens, taking to them as if they were old habits, but when the Warrens became a prison, it broke Jennai’s heart to see her and her grandmother’s home of hospitality turned to such means. She voiced an idea, the idea of the Gate City, and it was quickly given life. As it was her idea, nobody balked when she took it over as her own. She is a very approachable individual and, as only the best of hosts can do, remembers many of the little details about her guests. She is a leader among the people of the Gate City, and the ambassador between the Vantha and the outsiders who reside with them. Temperance Mezzerin (NPC) : Name: Temperance Mezzerin Race: Human DOB: Spring 50th, 468 AV POB: Sunberth, Sylira Title: None. Skills: Jack of all trades Gnosis: None known. Temperance, like Marus, had the bad fortune of arriving when the murders began. She found herself holed up with the rest of the outsiders in the Warrens but seems to have harbored no ill will to the Vantha for her temporary imprisonment. When she was allowed to finally be active among the Vantha again, she proved her worth and her trustworthiness. It seemed there was nothing she wasn’t good at. Any task she set her mind and hand to, she seemed a natural at, and she quickly became sought after in most every hold. Furthermore, any relationship she entered, she seemed meant for, and she adapted to any role needed of her. Mother, sister, friend, lover, she could do it all. More than one Vantha has fallen in love with her, but she refuses any invitations to make a permanent place for herself in a hold. Bojar Snowsong (NPC) : Name: Boyar (BO-yar) Snowsong Race: Vantha DOB: Summer the 46th, 497 AV POB: Avanthal, Taldera Title: Icewatch member, official head of escorts through the city Skills: Persuasion, Investigation, Detection, Observation, Weapon: Spear Gnosis: 1 mark of Morwen When the Gate City was established and trust began to go back out to the outsiders who had made Avanthal their home, the need for a watch on those entering the city was recognized. Bojar, a headstrong and welcoming young addition to the Icewatch, readily leapt on the opportunity and organized a steady rotation of Icewatch pairs from various branches to escort outsiders on their day to day travels and business within the city. Some resent this duty, but Bojar seems born to it. He is a joyful fellow, as is his Kelvic bond Detina. They often joke with those they lead about and bring smiles to anyone’s face who comes across them. He believes Snowsong is still the heart of Avanthalian hospitality and actively works to prove that.