Cities & Settlements: Midrikaul & Vlasta

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Kilaana
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Cities & Settlements: Midrikaul & Vlasta

Postby Kilaana » Mon Nov 16, 2015 9:18 pm

Midrikaul

The hamlet of Midrikaul is located roughly 2 miles south-west of the village of Vlasta . The history of the settlement has been much obscured over time, but the overall impression most locals have of the area is that several centuries ago, a village was established south of the stream that flowed into the lake. The terrain was notoriously marshy yet rich in mineral deposits. The village was not large, but it consisted of some stone buildings at some point as is evident from the lingering ruins scattered around the bog.

It is not really clear what happened, and even the name of the village is lost, but some time during the Kingless years (otherwise known as the Interregnum) the whole village had been destroyed. The locals of both Midrikaul and Vlasta will tell of an orc raid that decimated the area. According to it, most of the people fled on boats, leaving only the late chief's wife behind, Maedre, with several companions to defend the small island near the mainland. Some of the people heard her calls for them to stay and not abandon their homes, and they stood and fought off the orcs. Maedre died that day, and the legend goes that it was the way the hamlet got its name. The legend, as it is told in Midrikaul itself, is even more elaborate, including sightings of ghostly apparitions of Maedre and her companions. This is generally considered a bad omen by Midrikaul villagers, who take it to mean that trouble may be on the horizon.

At this time, Midrikaul is located at what seems to be an artificial island on the spot where the marsh meets the lake. After the initial village was destroyed, the stream spilled into the marshy bog that stretch half a mile to the north and south respectively, and reaches some mile and a half into the land.

With most of their farmland gone, the inhabitants turned to fishing and hunting as a main way to get food, though some land is still worked, south of the marsh, on a raised and more dry plateau that makes the south shore of Lake Vlasta. The village graveyard is located there, too. As of 20 years ago, some of the locals began to search for precious bog iron, always on the lookout for the possible goblin and orc raid. The iron is not as abundant as those that can be gained in the mountains, but it helps the community make some coin. A local blacksmith works them into the raw iron ingots before shipping them to the nearby village of Vlasta.

Though the hamlet can be reached over the land, the route is always shifting due to its marshy nature and can lead to dead ends and possibly death traps. Most of the inhabitants go about using the flat bottom boats, both on the lake and the bog itself. At least twice a week, a larger boat sails over the lake to Vlasta village and back, carrying provisions and iron. Folks that still live in the hamlet are hardy and tough, with a no nonsense approach to life and with little patience for “foppish, soft half-men” of the city folk.

Sometimes, while looking for iron ore, people do find some remains of the old village, but those are useless. A few old coins, not of much worth, were found, but nothing else. Most of the ruins were destroyed by water or the stones scavenged to build the new houses. Villagers are adamant that there is nothing of any worth in the bog, only the danger of getting stuck and drowned in the mud. As you stand on the shores of the lake in Midrikaul, you can see the west shore of the large island, just several hundred yards away. The locals refuse to go there, but even they are not sure of the reason. Several different tales can be picked up about it, both in Vlasta and Midrikaul.
“Violence is the mark of the amateur.” ― Garrett, Thief: The Dark Project

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