Northern Frontier

Gruff northern merchants, hunters, fishers, and trappers all flock to this trade hub, bringing tales from the far corners of the Northern Frontier to Fort Eisenmoor’s many taverns and taprooms. Dwarven traders and craftsmen can often be found in Fort Eisenmoor, keen to bring the wealth of nearby Angveldt to market. Anakim are also not uncommon, wandering east up the Frostknife Inlet to seek employment as sellswords and bodyguards. With no standing armies outside of the local garrison and town watch, there is plenty of work for mercenaries in the north, and Fort Eisenmoor is the preferred place to secure new contracts.

The town itself is named for the Eisenmoor family, the town’s founders, and long-standing hereditary commanders of the garrison under the title of Sheriff. While the town is run by a duly elected Mayor and town council, the Sheriff of Eisenmoor operates behind the scenes, wielding the true authority.  Though the Sheriff, and thus the Eisenmoor family itself, publicly report to the Mayor’s office, the Mayor and town council would quickly lose the confidence of the townsfolk without the protection of the garrison. The Eisenmoor family is well respected, and despite a few minor exceptions, have rarely abused their position and authority.

Aside from Eisenmoor Manor, the Mayor’s residence and the Town Hall, most of the buildings in Eisenmoor are modestly constructed single-story structures. Walls of wood or fitted stone are topped with steep tarred rooftops designed to shed the heavy wet snowfalls of the winter months. Interior lofts are common to make use of the extra space that the high angled A-frame designs afford. The streets of Fort Eisenmoor are narrow and its buildings tightly packed, as though the town itself is huddled together for warmth and refuge from the cold winds of the unforgiving north.

To further protect the town and lend it the namesake as a fort, the town proper is surrounded by a sturdy wooden palisade on all sides, standing roughly twenty feet tall and made from ironwood trees harvested from the Highgreen forest. Watchtowers are spaced approximately every forty feet along its perimeter and are connected by a walkway of wooden planks fastened to the interior side of the palisade. This allows the garrison to easily access and defend every portion of the palisade as required.

There are three stout gatehouses that allow entrance into Fort Eisenmoor. The East Gate and Southwest Gate lie along the Frontier Trail, while the Northwest gate leads to a separate trail that winds down a steep bank until it reaches the Fort Eisenmoor docks.

There are many outlying farms and pasture lands that surround Fort Eisenmoor. However, by Sheriff’s order, no structure can be built within a hundred feet of the palisade. This strip of land surrounding the fort is kept clear of all obstructions, giving the garrison upon the walls and watchtowers superior sightlines on any advancing foe.