Hoss
The Dragon Glass City
Shrouded in mist and ice, Hoss is a city isolated both geographically, and politically. Known as the traitors of The North Honor, Hoss is infamous for its rivalry with Often and Fike as well its questionable practices of draconic enslavement. This practice was adopted during The Dragon War as a means of turning lesser dragons back against their more powerful enemies. It is an extremely difficult thing to manipulate a dragon in this way, even ones that are of lower cognitive ability. However, a group who called themselves Dragonstalkers were determined in the art of draconic manipulation. They spent every hour of their waking lives during the later years of The Dragon War focused on the domestication of lesser Dragons. It is a demanding profession, both physically and mentally. However it was instrumental in claiming victory for The Ward during The Dragon War. Additionally, this feat of mortals would not have been possible without the help of The mages from The College of Hoss.
The city’s parasitic relationship with Dragons is visible even in its structures. The whole city is covered in Dragon Glass. An obsidian slag made by blasting sand with Dragon Fire. This protects the city well from both siege and storm.
# Overview
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Main Opportunity | The city is cut away from the rest of the world, both politically and geographically. This isolation creates the perfect environment for those who seek for a place to hide, or a place to practice the more questionable facets of Magic at The College of Hoss with like-minded individuals. |
| Main Challenge | In its isolation, the city faces challenges with scarcity of resources and self-serving, egomaniacal rulers. It is a difficult place to be a common person. |
| Climate | Continental |
| Cuisine | Fish, Farmed goods |
| Export | None |
| Size | Medium |
| Outer Villages | Some |
| City Leader | Grand Archon Dallance Fjall |
| Primary Language(s) | Common |
| Majority Racial Group(s) | Human, Dwarf, Goliath |
| Majority Religion(s) | Monotheistic worship of Adrathar, Father of the Wind |
# Major Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Distinguishing Features | Island, Costal |
| Architecture | Dragon Glass Structures, protection from the Greatwinds |
| Color(s) | Purple and Gold |
| Symbolism | A vertically oriented sword with symmetrical dragon heads protruding from each flank |
| Defenses | Blackguard Naval Fleet, Military, Dragonstalkers, The College of Hoss |
# People Groups
| Group | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Nobility | Social Class | The upper crust of the city’s society. Not as refined as foreign nobility, but obviously more well off than the rest of society. Comprised of the Grand Archon, their supporting council, successful business owners, merchants, and families of long standing wealth. This small group is known for being allowed to do almost anything they want as long as the Grand Archon allows it. |
| Commoners | Social Class | The general populace. Known as a pragmatic and unpretentious people. They are shipwrights, soldiers, smiths, shop keeps, and many other things of the like. The community that exists amongst them is very close, however they are extremely distrusting of outsiders. |
| Peasantry | Social Class | Those of lesser means. Farmers, builders, dockworkers, Stormdew gatherers, and people of the like. They live difficult, hungry lives jam packed into small homes. A great deal struggle to the point of homelessness, some even falling on such hard times they are eventually swept away by the Greatwinds as they have no where to go. |
| Dragonstalkers | Mercenary/Guild | Warriors who dedicate themselves to the practice of draconic enslavement. This profession is extremely difficult and dangerous, with a very high mortality rate. These individuals will hatch, raise, or capture lesser dragons. This practice is done both by an organized group or by independent individuals. The former is known as The Arendari, a group allied with The College of Hoss that is known for their service to the Grand Archon. Some Dragonstalkers are also rumored to practice dark rituals, like replacing one’s own blood with that of a dragon. Some Dragonstalkers will ride their dragon, while others use it more like an attack dog. Originally the only relationship between dragon and dragonstalker was exclusively an abusive one, but now there are some who have close relationships with hatched dragons. Similar to that of a horse and its rider. |
| Mages of The College of Hoss | Academic station | The College of Hoss is a small institution at the edge of the world. On paper they present themselves as a prestigious place of study, focused simply on the understanding of Zol. However their reputation in history and rumor is much different. They have been known to push the boundaries of magical practice, pursing dark power. Lower ranking members of the institution present themselves similar to staff and student of other academic institutions like Kerketh Academy, but it gets harder and harder to ignore the mysterious nature of the higher ranking members of the college. Many claim they seek the dark sides of necromancy, experiment with the blood of dragons, and commune with eldritch beings. It also does not help their reputation that they are considered to be sister schools with The Kybis Assembly in distant Kapesh. |
| Stormblessed | Misc. | Individuals who prove themselves to be the most worthy during The Enduring, and are blessed with power by Adrathar. These individuals receive the utmost respect from their community. They are usually a little on the atypical side personality wise. |
| The Blackguard Fleet | Military | A Viking fleet of fearsome warriors, supported by Stormblessed and Dragonstalkers. Sworn to defend Hoss. |
# Goods and Services
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Fjall | Keep | The city’s main keep |
| Hoss Convergence | Teleportation Circle | The city’s main teleportation circle. Located within the keep. |
| College Convergence | Teleportation Circle | The College of Hoss’ teleportation circle. Located within The College of Hoss. |
| The College of Hoss | College | The city’s school of academia and magic. Known for its secrecy and rumored to be a place of evil magic and dark pursuits. It is a particularly small school, and one can only study there by invitation. It possesses three ranks: students, professors, and masters. It is overseen by its 12 masters, each chosen for their prowess in a one of the Schools of Magic. One master is voted by the others to act as Grand Master. Currently the Grand Master is Serricus Eidelon, an Aarakocra man of black feathers who has long outlived the expected lifespan of his species. Grand Master Eidelon is the college’s master necromancer. The college is located at the north west corner of the inner city. |
| The Obsidian Kiln | Misc. | The Arendari’s dragon hold. It is a large sea cave that has been lined with Dragon Glass, and given the infrastructure to support the profession of Dragonstalkers. It is a very well guarded location, many claim it to contain secrets beyond that of mere dragons. |
| Gloompass Markets | Market | The city’s main market |
| The Shard | Tavern | A large circular tavern, popular with the locals. |
# Authority
The city is ruled by the ruthless Archon Dallance Fjall, an old Goliath man known for his mercilessness. Archon Fjall treats those he does not favor with swift and brutal action, unless of course you are in the Archon’s good graces. In that case you can get away with almost anything. Criminals are tortured or executed for any crime that is not low severity, and he is known to attack enemy ships without warning. Despite the city’s low resources and small size, it is a very dangerous foe to be in battle with. Stormblessed, Dragonstalkers, The Blackguard Fleet, and mages of The College of Hoss make it a force to be reckoned with.
# Laws
The city enforces its own laws.
| Law | Severity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Murder | High | If one kills outside of self defense, or does not have governmental permission. It is a great criminal act |
| Void Worship, Wandering Worship, Wayward Worship, and Zolaen Worship | High | One cannot conduct worship of the Void Gods, Zolaen Gods, The Wandering Gods, or Wayward Gods aside from Adrathar, Father of the Wind. Essentially making it illegal to worship anything except for Adrathar and The Trinity itself. |
| Slavery | High | Owning slaves is an illegal practice, based in passages from the scriptures of Adrathar, Father of the Wind |
| Thievery | High | Theft, breaking and entering, forgery, fraud, etc. is punished in respect to the severity of the crime |
| Assault | High | Harming another without due cause in any manner is punished in respect to the severity of the harm done |
| Sacrilege Usage of the Ferric Alphabet | High | Using the Ferric Alphabet for Iron Light is seen as a severe crime. Within The Ward the Ferric Alphabet are holy symbols not intended for the hands of mortal tampering. This law bans the usage of Apparatum and the presence of Warforged. |
| Cognitive Enchantment | Medium | Manipulating another person’s mind via Enchantment (School) without governmental permission is a crime |
| Slander | Low | Harming the reputation of a staple business or highborn house that would cause financial harm is punishable by a fine |
# Modern Importance
In modern day, Hoss is not very relevant outside of The Ward. It is known for making trouble with its rivals Often and Fike, and many love to tell tales about Dragonstalkers. However its most relevant impact would be that of The College of Hoss, and its relationship with The Kybis Assembly.
# Historical Importance
Hoss is known as a traitorous city by most. It played an instrumental role in The Dragon War and defending The North Honor, but eventually it tried to claim itself as the capital, and its ruler the Grand Archon. This started its evolution into what it is today.
# Other Things of Note
- Sometimes young and ambitious minds from Often and Fike will abandon their cities, and try and find a place for themselves at The College of Hoss.
- Much of The Church of The Winds theology revolves around the idea of honor. Most outsiders view the majority of the city’s practices as dishonorable, but many from Hoss justify it as an honorable display of strength.
- Grand Archon Dallance Fjall uses the title ‘Grand’ to denote his superiority over the other Archons of The Ward. However the other kingdoms do not respect this title for the same reason the conflict between the three cities continues. The fact that the Archon of Hoss has always called themselves the ‘Grand Archon’ since the breaking of The North Honor is an item of much debate. Some are loyal to the titles, others think it a joke.