Sarzig

The farthest north city in Arran, Sarzig sits on the southeastern coast of the Skagen, a bay that opens up into the north sea. It borders and has good relations with the Premyslid Principality to the northeast, and sits at the confluence of the rivers Leben and Sizau. A poor city surrounded by an even poorer region, Sarzig sees most of its income roll in from a bustling fishing and whaling industry. Aside from the marshy lands the city is built on, the remainder of the coast rimming the Skagen is rocky and inhospitable, with the villages here scraping a living as subsistence farmers or very meagre craftsmen. Tower homes are common to protect against Kayung Orc raids from the northwest, though these raids rarely reach the city itself. Ships are at risk to these attacks, disrupting the main source of work for the city’s inhabitants. Duke Siffrid has set about improving the realm, though his actions are limited by his own modest treasury.

Politics

Sarzig is a relatively unimportant city in the grand scheme of things. Despite its size and position commanding the northern border of the kingdom, its relative poverty and lack of resources means that it has stagnated behind much of the development throughout the rest of the nation. Duke Siffrid and his forebears has worked hard to improve this, but their own meagre incomes can hardly match those mustered by the southern dukes. Even particularly cruel and driven ancestors lacked the ability to drag the city out of the muck it resides in. As such, Sarzig continues on much as it has for the past few centuries, ignored at the edge of the world. It struggles to provide safety to all of its citizens, perched in villages around the rim of the Skagen bay. They suffer Orc attacks regularly, further interrupting whatever enterprises the Dukes seek to undertake. With so many of their citizens busy with simply trying to survive, there is little mood for politics among the peasantry. Duke Siffrid is beloved for even trying to help them, such is the low bar that he’s measured against.

Among the nobility, however, has bled more of a Premyslid attitude towards quality of bloodlines and an importance on character. With little else to occupy their attention, and little wealth to call their own, they place an even greater than usual importance on proper fashion and etiquette, stretching what they have into the territory of absurd levels of detail. All of this helps to isolate outsiders, with a notable example being the Black Princesses from Premyslid. As different as they are, they are considered intolerable to the native nobility, ostracizing themselves even further with behaviour considered strange and otherworldly. This forms the major flashpoint in the duchy, with many nobles privately plotting to do away with them to preserve the otherwise good character of the Duke himself.

Groups

Swords of the Rock

A slightly unconventional knightly order, the Swords of the Rock are a cadre of hermit warriors who live in the north. Scattered across the shores near Sarzig, they function as bulwarks against the predations of the Kayung Orcs, helping to defend the isolated fishing villages on the cliffs and rocks of the bay. Each knight is landed, though often with little more than their own small stone tower to call home. A retinue often lives with them, hard men ready to fight to defend their homeland from Orcs. The network of knights is considered vital by the Dukes and people around Sarzig, and many tales are told about their heroism. In reality, the task is horribly lonesome even with a handful of followers, and so the order often has trouble replenishing its ranks. Eccentricities and outright insanity are not uncommon, unfortunately, owing to other rumours beyond the romantic tales. They are tremendous fighters, however, often facing down entire war parties nearly single handedly.

The Whalers' Guild

Sarzig makes most of its money off of whaling and fishing, with practically all the trade flowing through the city having some sort of root in the sea. Ships routinely sail off into the Skagen or beyond to haul back ambergris, whalebone and ivory. The job is a dangerous one, however, with sailors threatened by Orc assaults as well as the tumultuous waters of the bay. To support and protect themselves, the whalers have organized themselves into a guild, helping to keep crews well trained and prepared to battle anything that would threaten their ship. Headquartered in a hall on the city’s docks, the guild is officially made up of just the captains that sail from the city. While any sailor is welcome in the hall, it is this membership that votes on decisions and chooses the direction the guild takes. The hall also serves as a meeting place for out of work sailors, making it easy for captains to fill out their crew before setting out to sea. Collectively, the Whalers play an important political role in the city, influencing the Duke on matters relating to the region’s largest industry.

Landmarks

Personalities

Duke Siffrid

Sarzig is the capital of a dark and poor region, mired in mud and rain for much of the year. Despite its reputation for poverty and criminality, its people are relatively hard-working and honest, clinging to a hard life of fishing and whaling along rocky and inhospitable shores. Perhaps no better example of this undeserved reputation is Duke Siffrid. A proud and honourable man, he has devoted his life to the improvement of his realm. A young ruler, he has nonetheless seen a moderate amount of success in his ventures thus far. His wife is a cousin of Prince Jonas of the Premyslid, and rumours of corruption and demonic influence swirl around the couple. Nonetheless, those who know him think him an honest man, and within his realm he is generally beloved. He is tall and thin, with brown hair and a curiously twirled moustache. His eyes are somewhat sunken, and make him appear more serious than his demeanour suggests.

Margit and Riinu Rothko

Being so far to the north, Sarzig has a natural friendship with the Premyslids to their northeast. Allied to keep the bay clear, and also to preserve peace along their border, their nobility often intermarries. Duke Siffrid’s grandmother came from the Principality, and his own bride does as well, being a first cousin of the current Prince Jonas and hailing from one of the great houses. Alongside her, Siffrid’s cousin also married her twin sister, the two women coming to the duchy when they were sixteen years old. Controversy has followed them at nearly every turn, and they are wildly unpopular in Sarzig and its surroundings. Known as the Black Princesses, or the Premyslid Spiders, the pair are accused of all sorts of witchcraft and occultism. Their reputation isn’t helped by their reserved and insular nature, conversing only in their own language or in hushed whispers with their husbands. Since their arrival, the Duke is said to have gone down a dark path, completely entranced by his bride and shunning the typical Arran way of life. This is in contrast to his previously good character, and has led many to believe that to remove the Spiders would return their duchy to a prosperous road. The twins are both rather plain, with long black hair kept tight to their heads. Hairnets or pins hold it up, often the only way one can tell them apart. Their skin is pale, and they often dress identically, further confusing things. Their most unique feature is their eyes, which are like pools of onyx, giving then their name and encouraging their reputations.

Reinhardt Vogel

The Swords of the Rock play a major role in Sarzig legends. Considered folk heroes to most, the order is the main bulwark for the surrounding villagers from the predations of the Orcs in the northwest. Among them, some figures stand out, each known for some great act of heroism. Stories are told of the most infamous of their order, and their emblem can earn its bearer great respect in the northern duchy. Despite the potential adulation, it takes a special breed to commit to the loneliness and isolation that comes with their meagre holdings. Some feel this much heavier than others, living alongside small villages and hamlets as their lords and protectors. Among the living Swords, Reinhardt Vogel may be the most famous, having defeated a famous Orc warlord during a raid on his home. While the rest of his militia fell, Reinhardt faced down the warlord and his band single-handedly, emerging from the battle as one of the greats among his order. In the years since, his mental state has declined significantly, with either the isolation or some other lasting trauma taking a major toll. His tower has become dilapidated, and he shuns the company of others, living as a hermit and feared by the villagers nearby. For his part however Reinhardt has continued to be vigilant against Orc invasion, emerging from his home several times over the years to combat raiders like some vengeful warrior-spirit. The Knight is only in his thirties, yet appears much older than that, with bedraggled hair and a shaggy beard. His armour is unkempt, but functional, and bears the sigil of the order as well as a family crest. Few dare to meet with Reinhardt in person, though many see him standing on the parapet of his tower home in the evening or at daybreak, watching for Orc raiders.

Egon, Whaler's Guildmaster

The Whalers' Guild is a stale of Sarzig, with tremendous respect being lent to its membership. Made up of the established captains in the city, it is a gathering place for sailord to relax and plan the seasons sailings. Membership comes complete with a personalized flagon, a gift from the guild bearing the name and ship of the captain in question. When a member dies, their mug is retired on a wall of honour, pinned full of tankards in a stark reminder of all the men lost at sea. The guildmaster is typically a captain who has either lost their crew or ship, accepting the post as a ceremonoal role in return for their loss. Egon is one such captain, having lost his entire crew to Orcs. He lost an eye and right arm in the attack, barely clinging to life when another crew found him amidst debris. Bent with the weight of shame, Egon spends much of his time in the guild hall, ensuring journeymen sailors are up to snuff and keeping crews well supplied. He is older, with a long gray beard and hair. Salt whipped, leathery skin is wrinkled on his face and hands. His words are seldom during meetings, but when he speaks all listen.