Kermaria
Demographics
Kermaria is a large town with a diverse population of Bediz and Faerie Tuath. The vast majority of the population are Lethaned, with Manchais and Fortunate Islanders making up small, but notable minorities. The city is a major stop on the circuit of the itinerant Pilhaouer, traveling from their homes in the mountainous ar goat to sell their wears and obtain winter supplies in the town and the hamlets surrounding it.
A large number of the Bediz population are some degree of Boermerzh and the population skews slightly female. The Druids make up a large (~45%) segment of the population, quite large for an urban population. This often places it at odds with the Faithful, who hold a stronghold in nearby Landreger, Kermaria's primary political and civic rival in the region.
Of the Fae Tuath, the Korrigan population is largely made up by Teuz, Jetins Kriores and Poulpiquet.
Boléguéans and Hoseguéannets, typically smaller populations among the Korrigan Tuath, hold an outsized presence in the town, serving as arbiters for the other tuath who frequent the town. The city is considered neutral ground between the Gargantuan Kriores of the ar goat and the Jetin Kriores of the ar mor, where, under the guidance of Boléguéan arbiters, they meet to trade and negotiate. Fées-des-Houles are a common site on market day, but few live within the walls, instead traveling in on their ships along with the Jetins. Most Korrigan live in the small hamlets and villages surrounding the town, rather than intra-muros. The Poulpiquet of the region typically travel along the Pilhaouer routes, rather than living in the town permanently. The poulpiquet population make their living as ragpickers, hawkers and tinkerers. Other Korrigan, such as the Kornikaned, Margot and Gargoul, have a very limited presence in the region, typically existing as solitary fae rather than large troupes.
The Fomorians, remnants of Viking raiders who plagued the area over its long history, are largely confined to the Western floodplains in the hamlet of Crec'h an Taro, which hosts a small fishing a boat repair industry.
Government
Kermaria serves as the de facto capital of the County of Dreger, although much of the administrative infrastructure is found in the old capital in Landreger. Favoured by the Konts of Dreger to distance themselves from the Church-controlled stronghold, the city hosts numerous civic functions, including the Palais de Justice, tax offices and the county mint, the latter taking advantage of the ample alluvial gold deposits of the surrounding region.
Functionally, the Keriliz district of the Southern bank is under the direct sovereignty of the Barony of Blackwater, but the Barons, historically strong supporters of the Kont, typically defer to the policies established in the more prosperous Northern bank.
Outside of the Kont and the Barons, the most important position in the town falls to the Bridgekeeper of the Kemaria Bridge, an appointed position charged with collecting tolls across the crucial bridge crossing. The position is highly sought after by wealthy peasants and minor nobles alike, coming with a variety of perks, including a generous percentage of the tolls, sumptuous apartments in the bridge towers and the prestige of a well-connected courtier. At present, the position is held by Sieur Geoffery de Pont-Blanc, a minor nobleman and distant relation to Janed "Ar Gammez" Pentevr, which has caused tension with the Monforz supporting nobility of the city.
The location also marks an important spot in the administration of regional Korrigan Troupes, with the Boléguéans holding court on the nearby Tumulus known as the "Mound of Justice." The Hoseguéannets similarly hold court in the "Circle of Vengeance", a Cromlech found in a valley outside of the town. These two locales are revered by the local Korrigan and Druidic populations as important cultural and administrative centers for inter-troupe relations, where treaties are made, disputes are resolved and wars are declared.
Defences
Lannoun was a frequent target of raids, from Formorian and Norman vikings to Sidhe pirates from Logres and Emain Ablach. The destruction of Lexobia prompted the creation of the castle overlooking the Western half of the town, as well as a network of smaller fortifications. The Kermaria Bridge has been retrofitted with crenelations and a pair of square towers, marked with arrow slits and crossbow holes, making it somewhat more defensible. However, easy access to the city from the sea or the Meneziou Are has made it a frequent target of both raiders and monsters.
Smaller castles in the Barony of Blackwater and the Viscounty-Bishopric of Landreger assist in the regional defense, with the lakeside castle of Kastell-Tonkedeg serving as the home for the majority of the Count's Windgaurd and the seat of the Barons of Blackwater.
During the flood season, the riverfront is a frequent target of raids by the Finfolk, with Crec'h an Taro and Keriliz being the most common targets, lacking the defensive walls of Lannuon.
Industry & Trade
The town has a thriving harvest of eel and salmon, which swim up the Leger river and are caught in special traps and channels. Flour and flax are processed in its many mills, as is buckwheat. Mussels are grown on networks of submerged ropes in the Maidensbay.
The town has a strong tradition of jewelry-making, known for its skilled goldsmiths, silversmiths and lapidaries. Largely defined by the Korrigan artificiers of the Boléguéans, Bediz and Tuatha smiths have also flocked to the city, making it a thriving centre of the luxuries trade. Gold is drawn from the rivers and riverbeds.
Infrastructure
The Leger river is lined with numerous watermills, processing flower and flax, owned by the Count of Dreger and managed by the Bridgekeeper of Kermaria Bridge, who collects a sizable income from the operation of these in addition to the tolls they collect.
A major Imperial road connecting Kermaria with Montroulez from the West splits into 3 routes after crossing the Leger, leading to Landreger, Kastell Roc'h Derrien, and Gwengamp
Built on the sloping hills overlooking the Leger, the town is navigated on an incline, with the streets made of a network of sloping ramps and staircases, criss-crossing with each other in an inexorable climb to the top. At the highest point stands the old commandery of the Urzh Kroashent, which is now operated exclusively by the local Perfect, who also holds a manorial estate at the nearby Kastell Kergrist.
The city's most important structure is the Kermaria Bridge, marked by seven gothic arches spanning the river, each a unique and elaborate knotwork of stone. The span's length is crenelated for defense and is book-ended by two square towers, serving as the apartments of the Bridgekeeper (North Bank) and the town garrison (South Bank). A light-grey stone, the bridge gives off a pearlescent glow during sunrise and sunset, and the colourful ribbons Gaoithe Sidhe wraps through the intricate twisting vines of stone at night, giving the structure an eerie beauty of constantly moving lights against the shimmering waters. The structure is considered a wonder of Kriores engineering, created during the reign of Gradlon Mwar by a team of Bediz and Korrigan architects. The columns themselves, thick and fluted monoliths of stone, actually conceal within, apartments of the Kriores population, a network of small rooms and chambers accessible to only the small korrigan and bediz children, who occasionally find themselves within these labyrinths, describing wonderful decorations and vast spaces impossible to fit within the confined columns of stone after the cramped accessways. At high-tide, most of the columns are submerged, but these interiors remain watertight.
Districts
Crec'h an Taro - Located the the West of the Kermaria Bridge, this Fomorian majority hamlet is located on the floodplains near the mouth of the river, allowing the inhabitants easy access to the water. While some of the buildings in this district are located on hillocks or mounds of stone, the region is prone to frequent flooding and is often the worst hit by storm surges and high tides. The streets are unpaved and usually wet with mud and puddles, giving the slum the nickname of Kerfank or mudtown. The Circle of Vengeance in located in the hills above this district.
Keriliz- The agricultural Southern bank of the Leger falls within the Barony of Blackwater. Significantly less populated than the urban north bank, the region is largely made up of Teuz farmsteads and small hamlets. The Mound of Justice is found within this area.
Lannuon - The urban center of Kermaria, located on the hills of the north bank of the river.
Assets
Kermaria's largest and most notable asset is its crucial bridge crossing, the only of its kind for many kilometers. The soldiers of the Kont de Dreger enforce tolls on all crossings under the direction of the Bridgekeeper. The town also administers several mills along the Leger River, extending the town's influence beyond its boundaries over the villages and hamlets of the Leger estuary, which widens considerably as the river passes through the town. A bustling harbour to the North transfers goods from the flat bottom riverboats to larger seafaring vessels. The port is quieter than Montroulez to the west, but more vibrant than Landreger to the east. Due to it major Korrigan population, it is the favoured port of the Jetin Kriores of the Mor Emrodez, as well as the Sidhe of Emain Ablach. A floating Goblin Market appears around the bridge on the nights of the New Moon, marking the arrival of the Jetin ships to sell there wares from parts unknown, an event that spills over into the market squares in the city itself, leading to a semi-regular Fest-Noz throughout this time.
History
Kermaria was founded in the Crown Hills along the Leger river, where the natural geography allowed a natural ford across the river, the first for many kilometers, while also granting access to the Mor Breizh and a bountiful salmon run. Eventually, the tidal flooding and level of traffic led to the construction of the Kermaria Bridge that gives the town its name and its primary profits.
The region is was home to notable settlements of the Boléguéan Korrigan, who populated the tumuli found scattered throughout the hills. Known as the "Crown Troupe", the community was known for its highly sought after jewelry of precious metals and jewels. During the reign of Gradlon Mwar, the region became a merchant destination, with traders from as far as Slaver's Coast seeking it out.
The Korrigan settlement existed opposite the Bediz settlement of Lexobia, an old Imperial settlement marked by villas and a large bathhouse complex. Lexobia was destroyed during the reign of King Nevenoe I (~535 SI) by Manchais raiders and the site was abandoned in favour of its current location, prompting the construction of a defensive castle above the town.
The city has become a model of Korrigan-Bediz relations, with large populations of both living relatively mixed in its urban core and surrounding area.
Architecture
Kermarian streets are lined with fine half-timbered houses typical of a well-off city in the region, built onto terraced landings cut into the hillsides along the river. A small nunnery and several churches can be found in town. Its most important aspect is the Kermaria Bridge, a grand river crossing with gothic arches and fortified gatehouses on both sides. The bridgekeeper of Kermaria keeps his residence in one of them.
Numerous megaliths cover the area, testament to the Fae presence in the region. The Mound of Justice, an ancient tumulus topped with two menhirs and a cromlech, stands just outside of town, a meeting place of the Korrigan to arbitrate disputes between the troupes. One of the mehnirs has been defaced by the Southern Church, claiming it as the site of an important conversion and related miracles. This has led to tensions between the Korrigan and the Church in the region and remains a flashpoint between them. In a valley upriver from the city, the Circle of Vengeance is used for the settling of personal grudges, the dispensing of curses and trials by combat.
Geography
The Leger river flows from the peat-bogs of the Lordship of Gwengamp crossing the granite plateau to empty into the Mor Breizh at Maidensbay, where the town straddles the low, flat top hills to the north and south. At the river, the Kermaria Bridge connects the North and South banks.
The coastal river is highly affected by dramatic tidal shifts, that cause much of the river downstream to rise considerably, forcing most construction to be made upstream of the Kermaria Bridge, located at the point where the regular tidal cycle ends. During storms, much of the lower town is prone to flooding.
Natural Resources
The Leger River, straddled by the town, is a salmon run, and eels can be found in its waters as well. Several fish traps have been built to assist in the capture of these aquatic creatures as they migrate upstream.
Founding Date
~ 500 SI
Alternative Name(s)
Lannuon, Lexobia Nova (Formerly), Torgenniou Kurunenn (the Crown Hills) (Korrigan)
Type
Large town
Inhabitant Demonym
Kermarian
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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