Landreger
Demographics
Landreger's demographics are heavily dominated by Bediz, standing in contrast to the more evenly distributed surrounding regions of Dreger. It holds a small female majority, but supports a lesser than average population of Boermerzh and Milliget, compared with the rest of the County. Sidhe, Korrigan and Formorian populations are low and mainly restricted to areas outside of the urban core.
A notable stronghold of the Southern Church, the Faith dominates religious practice in the city with a heavy hand, actively discouraging displays of Druidic or other religions.
The Bretoned dominate the demographics with over 80% of the population, followed by Norman and Gallian heritage in rapidly declining percentages.
Government
Landreger is the Old Capital of the County of Dreger and formerly the seat of the Count. The title of Viscount of Landreger is conferred as a matter of course to those holding the position of Count and they hold the reigns of government power. However, following the reign of Duke Yann "Ar Ruzh" I, local political power is shared within the Viscounty-Bishopric of Landreger itself with the powerful Bishop of Dreger. Both the Viscount and the Bishop have the powers of High Justice at their disposal. For the most part, the Viscount's power is drawn from the rural regions of the Viscounty, while the Bishop rules largely uncontested within the city walls. County senechals operate as independent agents from the Church, which has lead to some political intrigue as the two factions vie for more influence.
Ecclesiastic courts are maintained throughout the city as the primary courts of justice, in keeping with the Church's position that Landreger constitutes a special administrative zone. All taxes and tariffs gathered within the city and its port are exempt from County collection, going directly to Church coffers. Likewise, most security, regulations and laws are created and maintained by a council of Church officials and designated laypeople, executed by the Bishop.
Defences
The Gwendi and the Yeodi, flowing right up to the steep terraced hillside of Landreger, provide the primary defense of the city combined with a curtain wall with 2 towers and a fortified gatehouse along the Southern edge of the city. Further to the South, at the mouth of the Gwendi, Kastell Roc'h Derrien, the seat of the Count of Dreger, overlooks the main road into the city, providing additional security from the large fortress and its garrison.
Industry & Trade
Compared to the bustling port of Montroulez in the neighboring Barony, the port of Landreger is slow, often empty save for one or two ships, giving the city its nickname of the "Silent Port". The port is not without its supporters, who use it as a stopping point to avoid ducal customs and tariffs. Often times, these ships are associated with the Southern Church or its fervent supporters. The port maintains a small trade in flax, stripped in nearby mills running along the three rivers around the city, as well as cereals, potatoes and cloth. A small fishing fleet operates out of the harbor a well.
The town supports a modest economy of sawmills and boat-building, making use of the less-traveled port to assist in the construction of these vessels without the logistics of constant traffic. Mills for the stripping of flax also line the three rivers that flow through the city.
Infrastructure
An Imperial road leads Southwards to Ker-Ahes, with a smaller road passing nearby on an East-West access. The slope of the promontory of which the city sits has made bridges unfeasible. Instead traffic into town must either use the ferries that cross the river, or a long detour to a narrower stretch of river some distance to the South.
The port of Landreger sits on the Eastern side, along banks of the Gwendi, the wider and deeper of the rivers that flank the city. The banks of the Yeodi, which meanders and curves through the countryside, is lined by several mills, owned by the Bishop, as well as networks of locks, holding pools and channels to supply the mills with power. An arched aqueduct, redirected from an Imperial network, brings water into the city from upriver along the banks of the Gwendi.
Assets
The real wealth of Landreger comes not from its trade, but from its cathedral, a mandatory stop along the Tro Breizh Pilgrimage, and its collection of important relics of the Southern Church. The near-constant trickle of pilgrims has led to a lucrative industry of relic sales, inns, taverns and other hospitality, ranging from large bunkhouses for the common peasant to more luxurious appointments for the nobility and their entourages. This has led to the ecclesiastic authorities being able to afford the construction of impressive works of architecture, such as the three-towered Cathedral at the highest point in the city, a massive treasury and several cloisters on intricate stonework. Religious buildings, including abbeys, hospitals and chapterhouses pack the streets, and the city has become an administrative hub for the region.
The Palace of the Bishop is seen as a tastemaker in the region for both religious and secular circles, known for its extensive grounds and dedication to an well-developed aesthetic.
Guilds and Factions
The Ferrymen of the Yeodi and the Ferrymen of the Gwindi are two rival organizations dedicated to shepherding all visitors and goods across their respective rivers into the city. Constantly at odds, the only unifying cause that unites the two factions is their monopoly of traffic and their often violent opposition to attempts to build bridges into the city. While operating legitimately in their primary purpose, the groups also operate extensive thieves guilds within the city and surrounding countryside. Both groups pay the Bishop for their licenses to operate, but rumors abound that these payments include some extra incentive for their extralegal endeavors.
The Southern Church has made Landreger a stronghold, despite the historical support of secular authorities of the country towards the Fae and Druids, and the city has risen to become on the the largest and most prominent gatherings of the Faithful in the region, even as it loses economic ground to nearby rivals Montroulez and Lannuon. The "suffocating presence" of the Clergy has led the current Count, and many of his predecessors to favour Montroulez over their own seat, giving the city the reputation of a "giant monastery" by some travelers, notable for its conservative severity and stillness.
The most notorious of the factions of the Faithful within the city are the Silent Sisters of Llydaw, who maintain an active presence in the city as their primary center. Even within the generally ecclesiastic city, the autonomy of the Silent Sisters is respected and their power feared. The Sisters of Ganymede, the Order of Albi and the Black Order also maintain large presences within the city.
History
Landreger was founded as a monestary and seat of the Bishopric during the reign of High-King Alain I, shortly before the The Battle of Keremma Dunes, by St. Tugdual, the son of Hoel Mwar, the deposed thirdson of Budig II, High King of the Bretoned. Under the patronage of his brothers, King Deroch of Dumonia and Tewdr Mawr, High King of the Bretoned, and with the monetary support of Childebert I of Gallia, Tugdaul oversaw the construction of a large wooden cathedral on the site. His tomb, located in the depths of the monastery complex, serves as a mandatory stop on the Tro Breizh.
The Monastery and city was sacked by Norman raiders during the reign of High King Nevenoe I (546 SI) and the cathedral was burnt to the ground. Seeking to shore up protection of Dreger, Nevenoe made the city the seat of a secular bishopric. A stone cathedral was erected on the spot, but was burned and destroyed by Formorian invaders in 612 SI, the site remaining dormant under the reconquest of the region by Duke Alan "Al Louarn" II. A third cathedral was built on the site, a continuous history of expansions and renovations developing it into the Gothic structure now found on the site.
The Counts of Dreger were open and fervent supporters of the controversial Duchess Konstanza and the House of Pentevr. Following the ascension of Duke Yann "Ar Ruzh" I of the House of Dreux, the region went into open rebellion, which was quickly put down by the Duke. As punishment, the administration of the city was stripped from the Count and placed under the control of Church authorities.
The city is known for its role in the folk tale of the Bat and the Swallow.
Architecture
A pair of quays line the riverfronts, the town tightly packed between the two, forming a veritable wall of houses. Two square towers flank the entrance to the mainstreet like a gatehouse. The center of the town is marked by a large public square featuring grand Gothic Cathedral and monastery, complete with a large chapterhouse and a cloister of 40 granite arcades, in the grassy center of which stands the Kalvar of Landreger. The cloister is made, by order of the Bishop, to serve as a marketplace for the populace on holy days. The Bishop's Palace, a fenced-off mansion, serves as the primary urban residence of the Bishop. Religious buildings are common here, ranging from small unornamented chapels to vast elaborately decorated complexes.
The streets of Landreger are twisting caverns of tightly packed halt-timbered houses, occasionally separated by narrow alleyways.
Geography
The town, once known as the "Three Rivers Monestary" is located into terraces on a peninsular hill formed at the confluence of the Yeodi, Gwendi into the Dreger River. No bridges connect the banks of the river, transportation instead relying on a robust network of ferries, operated by two companies of rival ferrymen (See: Guilds and Factions), armed with long poles to shunt passengers and cargo across the waters on flat-bottomed wooden boats. These barges travel up the rivers from the bay transporting sand, stone, wheat and flax in an out of the city.
The slope of the hill rises sharply from the harbour, giving the streets a noticable uphill climb to the central square and Bishop's palace.
Founding Date
248 SI
Alternative Name(s)
Bishopsport, the Silent Port
Type
Town
Inhabitant Demonym
Landregered
Location under
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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