Established in 3318 ART, First Grasp is the first Cretian settlement in the Great North. It serves as a portal between the Cretian border, and the frigid and unforgiving environment of the Great North.
While Cretia does not have any recognized territory in The Great North, there is still a Magistrate put in place by Cretian government that runs a form of Cretian law in First Grasp.
First Grasp is a small melting pot of individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Cretian settlers come to First Grasp for a variety of reasons. For some, it is the opportunity to prosper and acquire wealth in a way not possible back in the Cretian capital, others are simply on the run from a past they would much rather forget.
In addition to Cretian settlers, First Grasp is also occupied by members of the different peoples that live throughout the Great North, such as the Shonari, Urein, and others of these lands.
As a result, First Grasp serves primarily as a trade outpost. Having access to few natural resources immediately, it is a place that those from the various towns throughout the Great North travel to in order to trade and sell their wears.
A gem excavated from the rock beneath glaciers in The Great North. The stone is known for its warming properties, used by the Urein to stay warm without flames in the frozen tundra.
After the discovery of cannons during the Battle of Brandied Bay in 3343 ART, Cretia quickly began research and development on their own equivalent weapons. While not as potent as the Red Dragon Rubies utilized in Libertalia’s cannons, Bonfire Ice can be compressed to produce similar arcane explosions for the use in projectiles.
As a result, First Grasp received a new funding grant from Cretia in 3345 ART to establish Bonfire Ice mines in the Jötunjokull. This has required significant negotiations and careful relationship building by Magistrate Hoffman. The location of these mines is kept secret, but all excavations are brought through Ember’s Rest at the foot of the glacier for initial processing and further transport to First Grasp.
Before the founding of First Grasp, Unendlicht was the only avenue for trade from The Great North to the rest of the world, primarily with Vhekadla Shonar which was the most accessible nation via the Frozen Sea. With First Grasp being established, people in The Great North now had access to a new avenue for goods and trade.
As a result, Unendlicht does no trade with First Grasp. And executes the following to undermine the town’s success.
Unendlicht owns most of the roads near their coastal towns. These roads are what many local tribes use to get through the pass in Jötunjokull down to First Grasp. As a way of discouraging trade with First Grasp, a tariff is placed on any goods going through these roads. People pay the tariff, as the opportunity in First Grasp is great enough to make up for the additional tax.
Unendlicht’s cleanest solution to this conflict is for First Grasp to go away. In order to find the weak points they can exploit, there are rumors that spies have been sent to work in First Grasp’s government.
Since First Grasp is backed by Cretia, they don’t have a strong desire to undermine Unendlicht. In the ideal scenario, the two would be trade partners.