Jigow is a fishing town on the far northern coast of Xhorhas.
Description[]
Jigow is a collection of villages that grew together into a fishing port on the far northern coast of Xhorhas where the Ifolon River meets the Emerald Gulch Sea.
Points of interest[]
- The Unbroken Tusk inn, an establishment renowned for their pies.
- Beefslab Butchers, owned by Vars.
- Black Islands, the smallest island contains the entrance to the Emerald Grotto, a curling network of underwater caverns.
Meatwaters[]
The Meatwaters are the primary docks of the city on the banks of the Ifolon River and home to its thriving fishing industry.
Jumble[]
A collection of densely populated villages in the center of Jigow, the Jumble is further inland and built among mangrove trees and horizonback tortoises that serve as mobile homesteads. Its a lively part of the city dwelling in the everyday chaos — a series of twisting streets give the district its name. They filled with shrines, stables taverns, amphitheaters, shops, athletic fields, and workshops.[2]
- Helter-Skelter, a dynasty outpost of Jigow, contating baracks for Aurora Watch and a two-story dodecahedral residence of Durth Mirimm.[3]
- Within the center of the Jumble, a three-story temple shaped like a dodecahedron is dedicated to the Luxon.[3]
Wetwalks[]
On the eastern edge of the city are the Wetwalks, stilted homes built over low wetlands where paddies are cultivated to grow grains. One of rice farms is conjointly run by Gakthash and Uvuroh clans.[4]
Map[]
Official map of the Jumble district of Jigow, by Deven Rue from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep.[art 3]
Society[]
Demographics[]
Around 795 PD, when the town of Jigow joined the Kryn Dynasty, it "gained a significant drow population". By 836 PD Jigow had a population of 13,210 of which 56% were goblinkin, while 31% were orcs,[1] and soon after, the other folk in Jigow were known to include humans.[5]
Notable people[]
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Taskhand Durth Mirimm | NPC | A drow soldier in command of the Kryn Dynasty's forces at Jigow. |
| Elder Colbu Kaz | NPC | A goblin priest, an elder representing goblins of the city, and the creator of riddles for the Merit Festival.[6] |
| Elder Ushru | NPC | An orc priest, an elder representing orcs of the city, and the host for the final competition of the Merit Festival. |
| Belana Zolaed | NPC | A drow priest of the Luxon at Jigow. |
| Irvan Wastewalker | NPC | A young human contestant in the pie eating competition[2] and a member of Ayo Jabe's adventuring party. |
| Maggie Keeneyes | NPC | An ogre who knows how to complete the maze puzzle and a member of Ayo Jabe's adventuring party. |
| Dermot Wurder | NPC | A goblin maze competition contestant guided by Maggie Keeneyes and a member of Ayo Jabe's adventuring party. |
| Ayo Jabe | NPC | A water genasi and a member of Ayo Jabe's adventuring party.[7] |
| Galsariad Ardyth | NPC | A drow in wizard's robes and a member of Ayo Jabe's adventuring party.[7] |
| Agathe Silverspoon | NPC | Orc cook in the Unbroken Tusk Inn who makes the best pies in the city.[2] |
| Sharpwatch | NPC | An aarakocra judge for the maze contest. |
| Omo | NPC | A goblin referee for the Ifolon Plunge.[7] |
| Maryl Bronzefang | NPC | An orc arm-wrestling champion of Merit Festival and a member of Aurora Watch. |
| Vars | NPC | An owner of Beefslab Butchers. |
| Beetle and Zag | NPC | A goblin couple who own a rice farm and hold a rice harvesting contest.[4] |
| Adan | NPC | An orc trainer of horizonback tortoises.[6] |
Government[]
Durth Mirimm is the taskhand in charge of the city, working in partnership with the elders of the orc and goblin clans; Ushru representing the orcs, and Colbu Kaz representing the goblins. The relations between the taskhand and the elders is strained, as Durth Mirrim puts the interests of the Dynasty before the citizens of Jigow. Meanwhile the clans elders do their best to maintain the cultural heritage of their peoples.[1]
Culture[]
The people of Jigow have longstanding rivalries between their clans, and these competitions are celebrated, ranging from hunting to cooking competitions to sports. Though some citizens have adopted worship of the Luxon after its introduction by the Kryn Dynasty, many feel that the presence of the drow is stifling their local culture.[1]
Jigow holds an annual Festival of Merit, involving variety of contestants: warriors, artists, arcanists, and athletes.[2] There are eight competitions: seven during the day, each rewarded with different Medals of Merit, and a final competition at dusk with a special prize.
- Pie-eating contest in the Unbroken Tusk inn (entry fee of 5 silver).[8]
- Maze Puzzle (entry fee of 3 silver): A wooden, four-foot-tall maze specifically constructed for this festival. Sharpwatch is an aarakocra judge who has great vantage point from above, picking up anyone who fails the contest by hitting a dead end. Anyone can try again, paying the fee every time they enter.[9]
- The Ifolon Plunge (entry fee of 5 silver): Contestants gather on a pier to race the Ifolon River. To win, one needs to swim 75 feet upstream, fighting off hungry sharks, reach a wooden post with a rusted spear sticking out of it, and bring the spear back.[7]
- Armwrestling contest (free to enter): Vars, the contest host, accepts betting. Anyone can place bets on the winner, giving five silver to Vars, who pockets a small share of the wagers.[10]
- Rice harvesting contest (free to enter): On the most northwestern side of the city, contesting teams of two operate on their farm section of twenty-by-five feet in length and width. One member cuts down the crops, while the other gathers them together and prepares them for drying.[4]
- Tortoise Race: Adan trains horizonback tortoises to be the mounts or mobile buildings for the clans of Jigow. However before he can begin, the tortoises must be moved from the paddock in the middle of Jigow to the city's gate. This task is given to each of the contestants.[6]
- Riddles (entry fee of 2 silver): Participants are presented with three riddles involving props: a wooden box with four keys of distinct metals, a star map of Exandria, and a row of colored bottles. To win the contest, one must unravel at least two riddles.[11]
- The Race through Emerald Grotto: With dusk, the last contest of the Merit Festival begins, gathering curious folk around the paddock, now cleared of horizonback tortoises. Elder Colbu Kaz and Elder Ushru choose two teams who gathered the most medals during the festival. Starting on the Black Islands southeast of Jigow and granted one Potion of Water Breathing each, contestants must dive into the depths of the Emerald Grotto and find the Emerald Eye, which symbolizes the competitive spirit of the city. The winners receive 100 gold and praise as city's Champions of Merit.[12]
History[]
During the Calamity, on a site that is now adjacent to the Emerald Grotto, the human warrior Alyxian prayed to the Moon Weaver[13] for aid by the light of Catha, and received a golden amulet with her blessing; the amulet would eventually become the Jewel of Three Prayers.[14]
Jigow was founded by the Kryn Dynasty around the year 735 PD, after bringing together the goblin and orc clans that lived in the area. These included the Gakthash, Uvuroh, and Zetek goblin clans and the Norgab and Shoomat orc clans.[1]
By 836 PD or shortly thereafter, the Jewel of Three Prayers had been returned to the prayer site.[15]
Trivia[]
- The "Encounter of the Week" article
Battle of the Braggarts on D&D Beyond expands on the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount adventure hook of the same name that takes place within Jigow. The article is however non-canonical. - At the Q&A prior to the 2020 C2E2 live show (unrecorded), Matt mentioned an orc/goblin town in the north of Xhorhas that is focused on competition, which matches the description of Jigow perfectly.[16][1]
- In "Causatum" (2x70), Jigow was found on the map and mentioned in discussion by the Mighty Nein as a possible destination in their continuing investigations. Beauregard shared with the group what little she knew about the town due to her general historical knowledge.[17]
- Jigow is the starting location of the adventure module Call of the Netherdeep (2022). Matt gave an overview of the town in an interview with Todd Kenreck.[18]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, pp. 139–140.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 18.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 28.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 25.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 18. The map on p. 224, showing the Allegiance of Allsight's explorations of the Netherdeep, is dated 836 PD.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 26.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 23.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 20.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 22.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 24–25.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 26–27.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 29.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 34.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 141.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 34. The map on p. 224, showing the Allegiance of Allsight's explorations of the Netherdeep, is dated 836 PD.
- ↑ Flando's summary of the Q&A. See the replies by u/geniespool and u/m_busuttil
- ↑ See "Causatum" (2x70) at 0:23:53.
- ↑ "Jigow | Call of the Netherdeep | Mathew Mercer | Critical Role | D&D". YouTube. Dungeons & Dragons. February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
Art:
- ↑ Depiction of Jigow, by Max Dunbar (source). Used with permission. This page contains unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
- ↑ Official map of Jigow and points southwest from Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 137. This page contains unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
- ↑ Official map of the Jumble district of Jigow, by Deven Rue from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep. This page contains unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
- ↑ Fan art of Jigow fishing boats, by Kiyoko (source). Used with permission.
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