Cities & Settlements: Outentown, Sarshel, Thelnam

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Kilaana
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Cities & Settlements: Outentown, Sarshel, Thelnam

Postby Kilaana » Mon Nov 16, 2015 9:11 pm

Outentown

One of the largest thaedar settlements in the Uplands, Outentown sits at the convergence of the Herald's Road and the Prince's Road, making it a convenient pitstop for tradesmen and travellers from as far as north-eastern Laviguer situated at the base of the impressive Earthspur Mountains, to the fortress-city of Ilmwatch to the northeast, as well as nearby Sarshel to the south.

Once common in the lands of the northeastern Inner Sea, thaedar are organizations created by several farms for common defense, transportation of goods to market, and a pool of labor for harvest time. They range in size from the equivalent of a thorp up to a small village. The most well-known and prosperous of these communities focus their efforts on agriculture and herding. They command competitive prices for their goods and wield power and influence in the region much like Goldenfields near far-off Waterdeep. Thaedar throughout the Uplands usually maintain their own security against bandits and other marauders, although occasionally they commission hireswords and adventuring bands for particular tasks or needs.

Outentown's strength lies mainly in its tight-knit community, headed by the elders of the village's leading farmsteads. Disputes affecting the community at large are often settled by the council of elders. In special cases, an elder may be called to represent the thaedar should an audience with the High Herald be required.

Like most Impilturans, the commonfolk of Outentown are known for their self-reliance, martial aptitude, and piousness. Their devotion to Chauntea and Ilmater is palpable in their daily lives; observance of each season's turn is marked with the appropriate celebrations. In times of trouble, Outentown's military force shows itself by the number of families that quickly exchange their pitchforks for armament.

Note: Outentown only partially follows canon, it has been made into a large thaedar instead of a small city with thaedar surrounding it. The reason for this being that our area map would be too full of cities in too close proximity of each other if Outentown were a city.

Sarshel

Sarshel...the jewel of the Reach, the capital city of the Uplands, as the people of the region would say. This was the trade hub of the harsh north once, second to Damara, and Sarshel's former prosperity still shows in its people and architecture. Most of the working population is centered around the City Square, as those who remain in the city would prefer to live with the convenience of having the market nearby, where the flow of traffic would guarantee business. Still, the number of abandoned homes cannot be missed even by the passing eye; a poignant and nagging reminder of ill times on the horizon. Inhabitants include dockworkers and their masters; the pious and faithful who remain to serve; the proud, stubborn and wealthy families who still cling to the old ideal of a once-powerful Sarshel. Multi-level apartments are the way to go in Sarshel, and even then no common man could have said he was poor, for Sarshel took care of its folk in its day. However, times have become hard; those who envisioned a better future have long left for Hlammach and Dilpur. Those who cannot, or who possess a keen eye for opportunity, have taken advantage of the looming shadow over the city, and are slowly adding to its downfall.

With the Queen having relocated elsewhere and the Palace now occupied by Lords Rilaunyr and Silaunbrar (the latter who is in part busy currying favor with the young King-in-Waiting Imbrar II), maintenance isn't quite its usual standard, and the palace grounds are showing their age. With trade from Damara severely shortened, Sarshel has little by way of finances to upkeep the 200-room palace when most of what remains in the coffers will supposedly go towards maintaining her still-impressive naval fleet.

The impressive Triadic Temple still stands watch over the city, though its halls bear the sign of age and lack of funds for proper upkeep, like most of the city. It is here that the Knights of Imphras II still gather on occasion, though rumor has it that a new temple is being built in Dilpur in preparation for the ascension of Imbrar II. The veneration of saints and holy martyrs of the church constitutes a cornerstone of worship in Impiltur, and this is clear when treading the temple grounds and even throughout the city.

Sarshel's visual style has a sort of crumbling grandeur reminicent of old Bucharest mixed with a slightly Gothic influence. Streets are generally very narrow, with the widest lanes only near palace grounds and in the immediate vicinity of the Triadic Temple where the knights might march on horses out the city gates.

Thelnam

A small, sleepy village on the majestic Easting Coast. Its founding appears uncertain, but no less colourful. Some attribute it to a single man whose obsession with finding the perfect catch led him from the great glaciers of the north to the more temperate waters of Impiltur, where he found his fortune; which form it came in - a fish, a woman, or a hefty pouch of gold, it remains a subject of debate among the old nags as they while away their days with mugs of spiced ale against the salty coastal breeze. Other tales strive to paint a more glorified picture from the shipwrecks that have been found along the rocky shores: that the original inhabitants of the village were little more than cutthroat pirates who dragged themselves ashore as the Bitch Queen thrashed their ships in Her fury. In retaliation, these men turned to Valkur the Mighty in supplication, and created a shrine in the cliffs atop which the village stood, so that He might forever protect them from the Bitch Queen's revenge. Still others say that Thelnam is nothing more than the best place to go if one wishes to find the freshest crabs for supper.

Travellers to Thelnam often fall prey to the scrutiny of the locals, who watch from behind windows, or on benches outside their huts, eyes and ears open for the first sign of anything remotely interesting, foreign, or of particular gossip value.
“Violence is the mark of the amateur.” ― Garrett, Thief: The Dark Project

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