Category:Midgaard

Ah, Midgaard! The big city! If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere; truly a city of wonders. Located in the center of our Realm, with Cathracharraig to the north, Mervue to the south, Solace to the west, and the dark mysteries of Wildwood to the east. What lonely farm boy doesn't dream of one day visiting the Temple of Avatar, or catching a glimpse of the King and his entourage of Guards of the Light? What adventurer doesn't long to trade tales with Jake the Thorn Slayer in the Dragon's Bane Inn, or rest up in Aelmon's Sanctuary?

Level Range: 15-35

Builder: Crom

Directions

Walking route from Nom: 4s, 6e, s, 2e, s, 19e.

Walking route from Sol: 3e, s, 3e, 3s, 5e, n, 17e.

Portaling point(s) suggested: Aelmon.

Connections

Midgaard lies at Midgaardia's heart; more characters either visit or pass through Midgaard every day than any other portion of Midgaardia.

Midgaard connects via one gate in each cardinal direction to Midgaardia's extensive highway system, which, in turn, provides travelers passage from this big city to various regions, including Cathracharraig at the foot the northern mountains, Wildwood extending eastward from the Great Wall, Mervue on the shores of the southern ocean, and various points westward such as the Meadow, Stonehall, and Solace. See Highways/Great Wall for more information about these indirect connections.

Midgaard's four corner guard towers also connect upward to the Airways, another "highway system" (of sorts) for those who can (and who prefer to) fly rather than walk about Midgaardia. See the Airways for more information about where these skyways lead.

In Midgaard's northeastern quadrant, its Warriors' Guild connects to the subterranean Hall of Warriors and its secret Rogues' Guild connects northward underground to the headquarters of The Outsiders.

In Midgaard's southeastern quadrant, its park connects with Midgaard Fair to its northwest and The Museum to its southwest.

In Midgaard's northwestern quadrant are entrances to the city's prominent Temple of Midgaard, side-street entrance to Midgaardia's underground Olympic Grounds, and an alleyway-room entrance (via a secret locked door) to one of Midgaardia's Ruined Lairs. If you can convince the businessman you can enter into Pariah's Paradise.

Also, atop Midgaard Keep is an entrance to the Hall of Justice.

Navigation

Midgaard is big and square. At its heart lies Midgaard Keep and around its edges lie defensive walls, punctuated by towers, with one gate in each cardinal direction leading to a highway. Between Midgaard's heart and its edges lie various streets, homes, and shops, as well as entrances to various other areas (see Connections above).

Midgaard Keep is also square and it has four floors. On its first (and ground) floor is its Main Hall, at the center of which lies Aelmon's Sanctuary—a safe infirmary room where Aelmon the Healer stands; this room serves as a default recall point for all characters between levels 15 and 51. This hall connects via gates in each direction to each one of Midgaard's four main city streets (see next paragraph). Hidden doors on both sides of each of these four gates connect to interior hallways that lead to one of four tower stairwells located in each Keep corner. These stairwells lead up to Midgaard Keep's second and third floors. Midgaard Keep's second floor contains a throne room with a large antechamber; various nobles and castle staff wander about these rooms. Midgaard Keep's third floor contains halls and several bedrooms where more staff wander; one of these bedrooms even houses a priest trainer. At the south-center of this third floor is a narrow stairway that leads upward to Midgaard Keep's fourth floor, where brave and daring hero-tier characters may enter the Hall of Justice.

From each of Midgaard Keep's four gates, a major road extends outward through the city, and each of these four roads leads to a different courtyard just inside Midgaard's city walls: Ofcol Boulevard northward to the Northern Courtyard, Soldiers' Way eastward to the Eastern Courtyard, Mervue Street southward to the Southern Courtyard (and Midgaard's Executioner's Block), and Solace Lane westward to the Western Courtyard. Heroes' Circle encircles Midgaard Keep, connecting these four roads. Along these four main thoroughfares lie Midgaard's most important places of business. Northward, along Ofcol Boulevard, lies Midgaard's bank; a jeweler, a grocer, an alchemist, an herbalist, and a baker also operate their shops along this boulevard. Eastward, along Soldier's Way, an armorer and a weaponsmith have shops, as well as a leather worker and a map vendor; there is a pet shop here, as well, and an inn called The Dragon's Bane, whose owner, Jake the Thorn-Slayer, likes to reward fellow dragon-slayers. One may find a berzerker trainer among his customers. Southward, along Mervue Street, a bow-maker sells various low-level archery items. And, westward, along Solace Lane, Thrul buys and sells certain magical goods like scrolls. Also, alongside southern Heroes' Circle, Andromeda sells some magical objects, too, and Catalyst operates a brewery.

From each courtyard, a gate extends through Midgaard's city walls to a highway beyond. Side streets circumscribe Midgaard both inside and alongside these city walls and connect its four courtyards. Here and there along these side streets, doors open outward into guard towers where stairs lead upward to "wall walks" that extend along the top of Midgaard's defensive walls. Various guards patrol these walls and towers and, in the southwest tower, an assasin trainer stands. Along these side streets but opposite Midgaard's walls are several other places of interest. In Midgaard's northwest corner lies its Warrior's Guild, where warriors may find their guildmaster. A bit north of the Eastern Courtyard lies a bar called H.F.I.L. where both a paladin trainer and a ranger trainer may be found. Along the southwestern side street are mainly empty houses, though one contains a sorcerer trainer. Along the northwestern side street, among more empty houses are a bar called the Golden Lion where a bartender sells drinks, and Ganymede's Gallery of Cookies and Curiosities, where Amalthea, Comet, and Callisto each sell their respective wares.

Midgaard may be divided into four quadrants separated by its four main cross streets. Northwestern Midgaard is dominated by the large Temple of Midgaard, home to a cleric guildmaster, which may be entered both from Solace Lane and from a side street a bit north of Midgaard's Western Courtyard. An alley extends alongside this temple's northern edge between this same side street and Midgaard's Northern Courtyard. A second alley meanders from this Northern Courtyard through northeastern Midgaard; in this northeastern alley, rogues who know rogue lore may find their Guild (and, thus, their guildmaster). Archers may find their guildmaster atop a tree at the northern edge of The Park, which dominates Midgaard's southwestern quadrant and which may be entered both from Mervue Street opposite The Fletchery and from a side street a little south of Midgaard's Eastern Courtyard. Both Citizen's Way/Lane/Row and a third alley snake about from Midgaard's Southern Courtyard through its southwestern quadrant, where they pass both various homes and a dump; within this residential section, more hidden doors lead to two more guildmasters, one for mages and one for psionicists.

See Midgaard Map for more detail.

Adventuring

Most visitors to Midgaard come not to gain experience but to benefit from from its various services, which include:

• Banks: Bank.
  
• Etchers: Jeweller.
  
• Healers: Aelmon.
  
• Identifiers: Thrul.
  
• Infirmaries: Aelmon's Sanctuary.
  
• Pet Shops: Petshop.
  
• Shopkeepers: Aelmon, The Alchemist, Amalthea, Andromeda, the armourer, the baker, the bartender, the bow-maker, Callisto, Catalyst, Chuckie, Comet, the grocer, the Herbalist, the jeweller, the leather worker, Thrul, the weaponsmith.
  
• Smiths: Armourer.
  
• Trainers: the Ex-Wayfinder (for rangers), the guildmaster (for mages), the guildmaster (for rogues), the guildmaster (for warriors), the guildmistress (for psionicists), a hairy barbarian (for berserkers), the Hitman (for assassins), The Lord of the Hunt (for archers), a Master of Pain (for sorcerers), an old Paladin (for paladins), the Paean (for priests).
  

Because Midgaard is a "lawful city" filled with wandering citizen and townguard mobs, any characters who start fights within most parts of it risk becoming outlawed (see Lawful Areas for more information on this subject). Those who practice rogue lore will be able to see which mobs to avoid fighting around (namely, those showing lawful flags) and so, if they are careful, then they may be able to fight most anywhere in Migaard without ever becoming outlawed. Also, any outlawed characters who are jailed and who use their awareness skill (if they've practiced it) may see a way to spring themselves from jail, although this will not remove their outlaw flag.

One part of Midgaard where characters may fight freely without risking becoming outlawed is in The Park in its southeastern quadrant. Here, various ducks, swans, and sparrows (all level 15 with heroic alignment) wander about with nary a citizen nor townguard in sight.

Notes

The city of Midgaard was revised in 2014. Various staples of the area were removed or rewritten, for reasons that are still to be determined. One notable example was the elimination of the mage and psionicist guilds and their replacement by inaccessible nondescript buildings with no entrances. Adjacent houses were also sealed shut. But the most significant and visible change was the elimination of the various townguards that had long patrolled the city streets. Death Guards, Guards of the Light (both lvl 50), wandering guards (late 30s), sentinel guards near Aelmon and the entrances to Midgaard and the powerful Elite Midgaard Townguards (lvl 118) have all been phased out. Solely the executioner, the jailer (and his more recently-created assistant) have survived the purges. Shopkeepers, too, have been rewritten as have their rooms, though their levels and functions remain intact.