Haguenau Imperial City

• Status: Imperial City
• General Alignment: Lawful Neutral
• Settlement size: Large town / minor city
• Corruption +; Crime +; Economy +2; Law +1; Lore +2; Society +1
• Qualities: Strategic river crossing, trade hub, guild-dominated economy, seat of imperial bailiff, regional cultural center
• Danger +: +1 (forest spirits, river nixies, Unholde reported in surrounding woods)
• Demographics
• Country: Holy Roman Empire, Alsace region
• Government: Autonomous city council under Imperial oversight
• Legislature: Council of Aldermen with representatives from guilds, minor nobles, and civic notables
• Population: ~8,000–10,000
• Places of interest: Imperial palace (former hunting lodge), city walls and gates, river mills, guild halls, Market Square, Church of the Old Ways (shrine to pre-Christian deities), Haguenau Forest at city outskirts
• Current Ruler: Council of Aldermen, chaired by the Stadtvogt (Imperial-appointed city administrator)
• Other Notable residents: Master guildmasters, Imperial bailiff, priests of Wodan, Donar, and Zisa, local lore-keepers and sages
• Marketplace
• Base Value: Moderate (regional trade hub)
  Purchase Limit: Crafts and luxury goods available from guilds, limited exotic imports
  Spellcasting: Low but present (Goden / priests, minor ritual magic tied to nature and old gods)
• Minor Items: Daily consumables, tools, common alchemical components, local herbs
  Medium Items: Crafted goods, enchanted trinkets, specialized tools, scrolls of regional magic
  Major Items: Rare trade goods, powerful enchanted artifacts from guilds or imperial sources

Haguenau rises along the Moder River, a fortified hub of trade and governance in northern Alsace. Founded two centuries prior by Duke Frederick II the One-Eyed of Swabia as a hunting lodge on a river island, the settlement flourishes when Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa fortifies it and grants it town rights. On the site of the lodge, the Emperor builds an imperial palace, a favored residence where the famed “Crown Jewels of the Empire”—the jewelled imperial crown, sceptre, orb, and sword of Charlemagne—are preserved.

A century later, Haguenau attains the status of Imperial City and becomes a center of administration and law under the House of Habsburg, hosting the German Imperial Advocate for Lower Alsace. The city also houses the executive council of the Decapole, a league of ten Alsatian towns united for defense, economic coordination, and political stability.

The city thrives along the river, its streets winding between half-timbered houses, mills, and bustling guild halls. Shrines to Wodan the Wanderer, Donar the Thunderer, Zisa, Shield-Maiden of the Suebi, and Nerthus, the river goddess, are scattered throughout the city, reminding citizens that the gods govern the fates of both men and spirits. River nymphs known as Brenzele gather near the mills, their presence respected with offerings of bread and honey. Deep in the surrounding forests dwell Waldschrate, ancient tree guardians who punish those who harm sacred groves, as well as the pale, shadowy Unholde and the spectral hunters called Nachtjäger.

Daily life revolves around guilds, commerce, and devotion to the old ways. Autumn brings the Festival of Zisa, when the streets fill with oak garlands, painted shields, and offerings to the guardian of hearth and home. Smiths swear oaths to Donar before taking apprentices, while merchants carve Wodan’s runes above doorways for prosperity. Goden, priests and ritualists, interpret omens and maintain the sacred order that binds the city to the powers of the river, forest, and sky.

Despite its modest size, Haguenau wields regional influence. It stands as a hub of trade along the Moder, a center of imperial law, and the seat of the Decapole’s executive council. Caravans from Strasbourg, Ulm, and other Alsatian towns fill its streets with news, goods, and travelers. Beyond the walls, the Moder flows calmly, while the forests pulse with life—both mortal and divine—shaping the fortunes and fears of all who dwell in the city.

Haguenau endures as a place where ancient powers walk alongside men, where trade, law, and tradition intermingle, and where the unseen forces of river and forest remain an active and respected presence. Its streets, halls, and woods are alive with the sacred and the strange, a city both prosperous and vigilant under the gaze of the old gods.