Winter crest

Winter

Northern gate of Aeternia — snow, song, and the long road south

The northern city of Winter under snowfall

Overview

Welcome to Winter, a forlorn bastion on the edge of desolation—the last hearth before the vast, merciless snows. In the land of Kelos, Winter serves as an independent city-state where the hardy carve out a fragile existence beneath the long shadow of the frozen citadel, Grimspire. A place where myth and memory intertwine, and the price of magic and vengeance lingers in the very ice that holds the world together—a tale told best in whispers.

To those brave enough (or desperate enough) to come:

The road east leads directly into Caratania and ends at the fortified town of Harnburg and it is here that Winter conducts most of its trade.

The town of Winter offers basic—but vital—amenities: inns of timber and hearth, a mercantile hub for traders, and a bustling monster-hunting guild that never sleeps. But it does not have the noise or chaos of cities or more southerly towns.

Hunting guides and trappers still venture north in summer; in return, the town exchanges pelts, ore, and precious tales of Grimspire’s fate, but work opportunities are limited. Every year there is talk of reopening the gold mine which sits close to Grimspire, but every year th Aliance rejects the request.

The town’s goliaths and dragonborn, stoic and ash-pale, stand as silent guardians, guided by traditions both ancestral and arcane. The town has a silent, stoic undertone, but where talk is viewed as cheap and conversation only takes place when necessary.

Visitors should heed the unspoken rule: do not disturb Grimspire. Tales of the white dragon, the death-blasted citadel, and the undead hunters walk among the icy corridors are whispered to discourage adventurers. The noble houses—keepers of that shameful legacy—keep these stories alive, weaving them into the bitter winter wind.

Areas

  • Old Quarter — timber longhouses, smiths, and taverns near the river stairs.
  • Hunters Quarter — hardened miners gamble away their hard earned gold
  • Dragon Quarter — mostly Dragonborn.

Factions & Orders

  • Winter Watch — wall guards and pass wardens.
  • Chanters of the Dawn — keep the winter-lit rites of Aeter.
  • Caravaners’ Guild — contracts, routes, and thaw festivals.
“If you can sing through Winter, you can sing anywhere.”

— Innkeeper of the Silver Lantern

Economy & Trade

  • Furs, smoked river fish, amber, and cold-carved statuary.
  • Waystations southbound to Eldinun; sled convoys in deep winter.
  • Spring markets draw Serydina sailors and forest clans alike.

Threats & Superstitions

  • A frozen bell beneath the river rings on nights of crimson aurora.
  • Caravan stones east of town shift place after blizzards.
  • A lost pilgrim returns with verses no priest can place.

Places of Note

The Silver Lantern Inn

The Hall of the Winter Alliance

A timber-and-stone longhall that serves as the council chamber for the three ruling houses: Von Nightshade, Icebreaker, and Dragoon. Inside, ancestral banners hang heavy with frost, and the central firepit never burns more than embers—symbolic of fragile unity. Disputes are settled here, often with daggers of words, sometimes with steel.

The North Pass

The Hunters Lodge

A sprawling inn, guildhouse, and marketplace all in one. Monster hunters from across Kelos congregate here to take contracts, boast of trophies, or drink themselves senseless. Its walls are lined with grim trophies—fangs, claws, and broken weapons taken from beasts slain in the north. Outsiders find both opportunity and danger within these smoke-choked halls.

The River Stairs

Nightshade Chapel

Built and maintained by House Von Nightshade, this shrine is dedicated less to gods than to remembrance. Within lie the memorial stones of Grimspire’s fallen, though their names are spoken with shame. The chapel’s black-veined stone and ever-burning candles are said to draw the dreams of the dead, making it a place both sacred and unsettling.

The River Stairs

Icebreaker Yards

The open fields and training grounds of House Icebreaker, where goliaths and dragonborn drill with axe and spear. The clanging of steel carries across town, and it is here that Winter’s famed hunting parties are armed and outfitted before venturing into the wilderness. During festivals, the yards host brutal contests of strength and endurance.

The River Stairs

The Frost Market

Winter’s mercantile heart, set within a ring of log-built stalls that remain open even in bitter snow. Trappers sell furs beside prospectors hawking ore and gems, while spice traders from Caratania bring rare warmth to the icy air. Rumors speak of black-market stalls hidden in back alleys, where relics from Grimspire and dragonbone charms change hands under hooded cloaks.

The River Stairs

The Dragoon Warrens

A fortified cluster of stone dwellings belonging to House Dragoon, carved partly into the hillside beneath Winter. Known for their secrecy and discipline, the Dragoons maintain the warrens as both barracks and home. Whispers claim that tunnels beneath connect to the ancient foundations of Grimspire itself, though few outside the house have ever walked them and returned.

The River Stairs

Citadel Grimspire

To the north lay the ruins of Citadel Grimspire rising from the mountain flank. This granite stronghold holds a cursed place in the history of Winter. adventurers come seeking to unearth both its riaches and secrets, but few return.