02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

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Highgate offers unique protection from the pirateinfested
waters. It actually hoists ships out of the water
and suspends them from massive cranes jutting from
the high cliffs above. The city itself is built atop these
heights nearly a thousand feet over the water. Indeed,
travelers must either endure the myriad flights of
stairs or brave one of the rickety mechanikal elevators
to reach the city proper. Highgate is an incredible site
to behold, for dozens of ships can be found hanging
along the sheer sea cliffs at any given time.
The city above conveys great natural strength and
remarkable beauty. It is actually carved into the stony
mountain named, appropriately enough, Highgate
Rock. Blocky buildings built with the local porous
stone, a warm red brown color full of fossil shells and
easily corroded when exposed to the air, are situated
layer upon layer with tiered avenues crisscrossing
along rock faces or atop various crags and overhangs.
At one point the city abuts a ravine that drops straight
down into the sea, but a single massive stone bridge
spans the 350-foot ravine and another third of the city
is seated row upon row on the other side.
Winds of War
in reCent months thousands of soldiers from highgate haVe
moVed Closer to the front lines. lord general gollan has
heeded the requests of Warmaster turpin, but the loCal
military has beCome inCreasingly Worried about the threat of
Cryx—more and more blaCkships haVe been reported on the
moVe up and doWn the broken Coast. should highgate lose
too many of its soldiers, southern Cygnar Will beCome quite
Vulnerable to inVasion, and things Could beCome muCh Worse
if the khadoran naVy moVes against Ceryl. it Would forCe
the City to send aWay many of its Warships.
Noted Persons
Lord General Vincent Gollan, Earl of Shieldpoint,
Supreme Knight of the Highgate Vigil, Senior Knight
of the Prophet (male Caspian Pal15): General Gollan
is in charge of all military forces in Highgate—navy,
army, and scouts—and reports directly to King Leto.
He is also the governor of the Shieldpoint province
although he delegates most of these administrative
tasks to his staff. He defers to the mayor on civic policy
but has the authority to take control of the city in times
of war or crisis. He is held responsible for all western
defenses against the nightmare hordes of the Cryxian
island empire. His hatred of Cryx is as unwavering and
absolute as his honor. The lord general does not like
to admit he is long past his prime, and he has hopes to
give a few more years of service before retiring.
Locales of Highgate
Chapel of Light: Few churches can boast of having
produced more battle-chaplains than the Chapel of
Light in Highgate. Dedicated to both Ascendants
Katrena and Solovin, this church draws the most
rugged and battle-ready priests into its service. The
chapel is connected to the great hall of the Knights
of the Vigil and tends to the order’s spiritual needs
in addition to helping to train its few paladins. The
chapel is supervised by Prelate Nathan Burgis (male
Caspian Clr8/Pal4), a former Knight of the Prophet.
Nathan has become obsessed with the notion that
Blighterghast, the nearby dragon of the Wyrmwall, is
a larger threat to the city than distant Cryx. He has
urged the Knights of the Vigil to discover more about
the wyrm and its minions.
Cragspire Lighthouse: Occupying the highest point
in the city, this famous lighthouse has a fantastic long
view and can shine its beacons quite far either west or
south. It uses a complex code of flashes to indicate
weather and tide conditions as well as the likelihood
of pirate attacks. The lighthouse is manned by a small
staff paid by the army and supervised by a keen-eyed
old gobber named Diggins (male gobber Exp5). Some
subordinates chafe at being ordered around by a
gobber, but Diggins is trusted by officers of the navy.
He is an expert on coded signal and has a peculiar
knack for accurate weather prediction.
Craneworks, The: The many powerful cranes of
Highgate and the steam engines that power them are
masterpieces of engineering, but unfortunately they
are also in constant need of maintenance. A small
army of mechanics and craftsmen work night and
day on the Craneworks and their engines sometimes
overseen by Lord Mayor Stromroy (male Thurian
Amk12), an arcane mechanik of renowned skill who
would rather be at the Craneworks than in council.
During dangerous times the Craneworks becomes a
frenzy of activity as military vessels are lowered for
battle and merchant ships are hoisted aloft. Two
important individuals here are the dockmaster and the
rig-foreman. Dockmaster Hugh Went (male Caspian
Exp9) is responsible for coordinating all arrivals to
World Guide 173