Umberthroat

Photo by Tj Holowaychuk on Unsplash

<

A city straddling a fjord formed over the northern seas. There is a tangled network of bridges stretching between the two halves of the city that now spans from the northern Dock district just above sea level to the western Portside District and eastern Starboard Borough on the cliffs above. Populated mostly by orcs, dwarves, and humans.

Originally founded in 743 Nian as the small orcish coastal city of Leewater and in 767 Nian as the dwarven cliffside city of Queensmount. The two cities joined into a singular community in 822 Nian as a pact honoring the god-queen of the sea, Umberlee, after her voice rang out through the cliffs, sparing the two cities after the seas rose to drown Leewater below and the rains flooded Queensmount above. Renewed and united, the two cities became the singular Umberthroat.

The city renews its civic vow with Umberlee by casting a portion of the city's wealth into the ocean during the annual Fair Seas Festival on Umbermin 30. This wealth—usually money, but valuable items such as gems, jewelry, fine art, and wine are also acceptable—scatters to the sea floor and is gradually pulled into the depths of the ocean by the tides and currents. In the early weeks of Brightmin following the Fair Seas Festival, unscrupulous or unsuperstitious individuals often try their luck at claiming some of Umberlee's tithes for themselves before the sea does. Though the goddess has not decreed such acts as opposed to her ways, those that borrow from her gifts often find themselves coming up short when payment is due.

After The Dissolution War of 1057, the cessation of the Odrian Kingdom and the rise of the Republic of Kashia Odra, Umberthroat was well positioned as a major port town to continue to exert political power as a city-state. Like most Odrian city-states, Umberthroat holds power over approximately 100 square miles of land around the city, not including the sea territory that the city also lays claim to.

## Government System

Umberthroat elects officials using a two-part tournament system. There are loose parties that hopefuls may campaign under, but independent single-member parties are not at all unusual. Prior to the first part of the tournament, parties may advertise in favor of their candidates.

The first portion of the election tournament involves bracketed debates where the winner is decided in a direct democratic vote by those in attendance. These debates are moderated by organizers whose job is to keep participants speaking on the given bracket's topic and tally the audience's votes at the end of each. Typically the number of participants is whittled down to four in this part of the election process, but occasionally the gross number of candidates necessitates that eight move on to the second phase.

After the initial round of debates and democracy, the second part of the tournament is more traditional. Here, candidates face one another in martial combat as a sign of their commitment to their policies and to the office. Election duels are usually only to first blood, but participants have been known to escalate the fight to more severe thresholds if both parties agree to the change of rules. Such changes are unusual and are known to draw incredible crowds to the election tournaments.

### To the Death

There are only three instances in the history of Umberthroat's elections wherein these duels resulted in the death of a participant.

The first was between Alarde Merle Woehearth and Oxcradle in 1072, a scarce dozen years since Umberthroat's reformation into a city-state.

The second was between ABC and XYZ in 1234.

The third was between ABC2 and XYZ2 in 5678.

## Notable Residents

Durnan Bärtig

Mirt Bärtig

Umberthroat Dragon Heist Team

Volokhan Grimshoulder