Esalder Ideas

Traditions
-10% Construction Cost
+10% Trade Efficiency

Bridge of the ChillsbayOn the western bank of the Chillsbay, Esald has the status of a cultural crossroads in southern Gerudia. It lies between the Blue and White Reachmen and has learned to build bridges between the warring groups. This has placed Esald in a unique position where its nobility has ties across the region.\n\nEsald’s ties don’t end in the reach, however. The Gerudians who founded the city during the Era of Black Ice still hold influence in the area, thus making Esald one of the key connections between Gerudia and the rest of Cannor. Due to these connections, Esald has become a trusted meeting place where people from the three cultures of the Giant’s Grave can gather and find mutual understanding.
+1 Diplomatic Reputation

The Gerudian and the StarEvery child in Esald grows up hearing of the story of the Gerudian and the Star, the founding tale behind the Great City on the Bay. When Magnar av Urviksten was returning home from a raid on the Dameshead, as he had almost reached home port, he received news that his family had fallen from grace and he was no longer welcome He took his loyal fleet into the giant’s grave as refugees, not knowing what future awaited him and his people.\n\nHowever, as they sailed south of the Giant’s Manse, a blizzard blew them into the Chillsbay and sank much of the fleet. Magnar looked into the sky and saw a streaking star leading them east. Having not made port in months, Magnar led his longship along the path the star had blazed, taking him to some of the richest fishing waters he had ever laid eyes upon.\n\nHere, Magnar decided to make his new home. He took down the sail from his longship, painted on it a star and a fish, and declared the city of Esald to be founded here, where the star had led him and the fish had fed him.
+1 Yearly Prestige

Textile GuildsWhen Esald was founded, its location made it an ideal place for the trading of wool, cloth, and other textiles. Thus, powerful textile guilds dating back to the era of Black Ice have long been powerful forces in the city, making these industries highly efficient as the guildmasters grease the wheels of bureaucracy, ensuring that the textiles can flow across the Reach and Giant’s Grave.
+10% Production Efficiency

BranherrekEvolving into one of the most important institutions in the city, the guild of Branherrek leads Cannor in military innovation. Founded during the time of Black Castanor by the Redgarhaven migrant Einar the Blacksmith, it has always been famed for the quality of its weapons and armor.\n\nAs armies became larger and quantity became more important than quality, the Branherrek, or Iron Lords in Gerudian, changed their focus to developing and popularizing new weapons of devastating power, a quality so great that it couldn’t be ignored on the modern battlefield. In 1623, the first Ice Cannon was crafted in their forges, and in 1751 they would deploy the Dark Powder Mine, changing naval warfare forever.
-10% Military Technology Cost

Shrewdness and OpportunismJust as Magnar the Founder made his way out of a bad situation to found the city of Esald, Esald herself has developed a culture of navigating difficult times. When it was opportune to change from a republic to a monarchy, the change happened without trouble. When we kneeled before the Graytide and were allowed to keep many privileges the other White Reachmen lost, the other cities whispered of our shrewdness.\n\nThe most cunning move of all, however, was the integration of the outlying territories of Estshore and Chillpoint into the Esaldi core in the name of this new "Grey King", empowering Esald over her rivals and earning the favor of the Gray Orcs.
-10% Aggressive Expansion Impact

The Frozen GhostsIt started slowly, but swiftly escalated. A missing Gray Orc tax collector. The body of an orc acquitted for assaulting a human woman washing up frozen on the Estshore beach. The mysterious fire that engulfed the home of the chief Frozenmaw representative in the city. The Orcs took to blaming these attacks on "Sarmozd Arvakh" - frozen ghosts in the common tongue.\n\n Officially, there are no frozen ghosts, and if they did exist, the leadership of Esald would do everything in their power to protect their new overlords. Unofficially, many locals are quite discontent with serving those who just decades ago ravaged the land, and local mercenaries, spies, and assassins have taken matters into their own hands.
+20% Spy Network Construction

A New DawnOrok’s foolish rebelion cost the city of Esald everything. Razed and devastated, the once proud gem of the Chillsbay now lay desolate, failed by its leadership. Then the Gray Orcs moved in, and set about rebirthing the city anew. New blood, new structures, and new guilds revitalized the city and made it shine like never before.\n\nThey renamed the city Garok, and Garok now glows where the ashes of Esald once burned. Under this new dawn, the city grew to double the size it had been before the rebellion, and in 1506 King Gunk chose the renewed city to be the capital of the Grombari state.
-10% Development Cost

Ambition
+10% Morale of Armies