High Hold

High Hold is one of the three main human establishments on Antonica. Although it isn't considered one of the human capitals, it is still an important settlement. It is the halfway point between Qeynos and Freeport, and is located in a canyon deep within a mountain range with a single winding path on either side of the settlement that leads through deep canyon passes to the surrounding greenlands.

The paths through the canyons leading to High Hold, which are called High Hold Pass, are very rocky and treacherous, where one slip can, and will, lead to a lethal fall. The paths themselves are wide enough for a few wagons to travel side-by-side comfortably with no issue even at the narrowest points. There are several guard towers built inside the cliff walls every now and then. There are gateways with portcullises built at the beginning of the canyon passes and at the end, right before you walk into High Hold.

There are two main areas to High Hold proper: the settlement which one walks into upon entering High Hold, and High Hold Keep itself, the castle built into the mountainside. Upon entering High Hold, you are briefly detained while your belongings are searched. If it is determined you are a merchant, trader, or any other form of business dealer, you must pay a business fee, otherwise you must pay a less expensive traveler's fee. If the fee is not paid, entrance is denied. The nobles of High Hold justify this fee with the fact that travel through the pass is both the fastest and safest form of travel between Qeynos and Freeport.

The settlement of High Hold can be likened to a giant open-stall bazaar with buildings and few establishments. Many merchants line the stalls of the area trying to peddle their wares to other travelling folk while a few others set up shop in actual buildings. There are no houses or residencies, except for inns.

High Hold Keep is the castle which is the heart of the area. The castle houses many nobles of human descent and is, by all accounts, an impenetrable fortress. The keep consists of the courtyard outside, the noble quarters, the worker and servant's quarters, the jails, the visiting quarters, the mines underneath, and the lookout towers above.

The income for High Hold comes from three main sources: the fees imposed upon travellers at the gates, the fees imposed upon merchants and business owners in the settlement outside the keep, and the gems and ore that are mined from deep within the mountain. The most valuable gem, which to these people is what diamonds are to other cities, is the cat's eye agate. The cat's eye agate is an orange agate that has veins of blood-orange running through the center of the formation, which resemble the slits in the center of a cat's eye. When cut and polished into a sphere, the finished product resembles a cat's eye.