Hemstetten
Hemstetten is a town southeast of Vol Dorma and the Imperial Highway. It is situated in a narrow valley only just on Anderfels grounds. Due to the close proximity to the original border between the Anderfels and Tevinter, the influence of the Tevinter Imperium's architecture and culture is much more noticeable here compared to the more remote villages of this region.
Demographics
Dominant Ethnicities:
Humans of both Ander and Tevinter origin
Social Classes:
A majority of Soporati, with a small but decent upper class consisting of a handful of Altus families as well as Laetan and Praeteri representatives; slaves are a luxury but not uncommon
Average Age:
30s-40s, the hard work on the fields and plantations lets people grow old and weary quickly, the youth is drawn to the cities
Most Common Professions:
farmers, craftsmen, artisans, merchants, guards, tavern workers, brewers
Government
The town is normally ruled by a Proconsul under the command of the Preater of Vol Dorma.
Hemstetten belongs to the jurisdiction of Vol Dorma.
The most recent Proconsul is (or was) a man named Servis, his fate is currently unknown, yet allegedly rumor has it that he was killed by the Nightbrand Legion. Not long ago the town has been taken over by this mercenary group and their leader Killian made himself its new ruler.
The Magister of Vol Dorma, Adrialla Vortas, has been informed on the situation and her soldiers are awaiting orders on how to deal with the intruders. All attempts of them taking the town out of the mercenaries' hands failed so far, as the Nightbrand Legion outnumbers them, so the Imperial Forces might need to be called in to help.
Defences
The town's main defense are the steep and rocky surrounding hills. Still there is a tall wall on the road that leads in and out of town, and a heavy iron gate that keeps intruders away. Archers and battle mages man the wall and two towers on it. Throughout the town there are watchtowers that keep an eye out for disturbances and disruptions, and in the case of an emergency the guards seal off portions of the town to contain any dangers - such as intruding darkspawn or raiders - to one location and prevent them from reaching the castle. The different quarters of the town are separated by stone walls as well, although not as high ones as the walls at the gate or castle, and kept in a simpler style. The castle is supposed to be the last bastion in the case of an invasion and also fortified by walls and guarded by towers.
Furthermore, on top of the highest of the surrounding hills, there is an additional large watchtower that overlooks the town, the valley, and a large portion of the surrounding area. In case danger from the outside approaches, such as a larger darkspawn group, this outpost lights a signal fire to warn the town; in the case of an impending attack an additional alarm is sounded and the guards below can prepare before the town even comes in sight of the enemies.
Industry & Trade
The main trading partner of Hemstetten is Vol Dorma, to which the village delivers mostly foods such as rice, spices, tea, and peppers, but also rice wine. The latter is particularly popular in the bigger cities along the Imperial Highway, because from Vol Dorma the wares of Hemstetten are delivered far beyond the town's own reach. Occassionally the town also sells crafted goods such as pottery, woven fabrics with intricate patterns, tools, and a special soap made with local flowers and spices, which is currently in fashion in noble circles.
In the past Hemstetten used to also trade with neighbouring villages, but since the start of the Blight these started to disappear - either because they were destroyed in darkspawn raids or the inhabitants fled the impending darkness. This led to somewhat of a dependency on Vol Dorma for imports. The main goods the town imports are dried meats and fish, raw materials such as iron, which is hard to come by in the area, as well as minerals such as salt and lyrium.
A few known stores, inns, and other establishments:
- The Bubbling Tub - a small Tevinter style bathhouse in the old quarter of town, affordable also for low-income people
- The Steaming Cauldron - a low budget inn in the market quarter near the lake, owned by Elma
- The Whip! - an eccentric pub with eccentric owners Frederick and Roderick, very popular with travelers and serving a very special drink
Infrastructure
Hemstetten lies at the end of a narrow, v-shaped valley and is built on the steep rocky slopes of the surrounding hills. One main road leads into the town, around a small lake in the rear portion of the town, and to the castle. The streets are mostly dirt roads and not fortified, the narrower paths leading up the hillsides to the farmland as well as the portion of the street leading up to the castle are stone-flagged.
Several small streams flow to the lake within the town, coming from the hills, and one small, partly subterranean river leads out of the town again. Many small wooden bridges cross the various streams within the town limits, and a small pier at the shore of the lake functions as an extension of the adjacent marketplace.
The castle, located at the very end of the town and valley, is built in typical Tevinter architecture, yet kept relatively small and simple. After the gate follows the courtyard, and directly across lies the main building of the castle. It is a two-storied estate built directly against the mountain walls. The castle courtyard has an asymmetrical shape and five corners, overlooked by three towers. Like the town itself the castle is also surrounded by high walls and can be reached by crossing a drawbridge. Stables, barracks, and several smaller outbuildings can also be found in the courtyard. The castle also features a subterranean prison.
The farmland of the town is located on the steep slopes of the hills to the left and right. The fields are built in the shape of narrow terraces and most have an irrigation system fed by the streams running downhill.
The narrow streets in the town are almost labyrinth-like, and the houses appear as if they are stacked upon one another; a lot are built directly onto the slopes and rocks as well. The higher the houses are located in the main portion of Hemstetten, the more simple they get; around the castle though there is no farmland and the houses are fairly elaborate. This is where the upper class resides, in larger estates with multi-story terraces leading around and connecting them with each other and the roads leading into the town center. Just like the castle the upper class houses and a few high-class inns overlook the town and the whole valley from this position.
Assets
In terms of assets, Hemstetten isn't significantly different from most other towns in the Anderfels and general Tevinter region.
Like most towns, and Hemstetten is fairly big, it features a variety of pubs, inns, and taverns, such as the "Valley Vista Inn" and the "Steaming Cauldron". One of the more notorious establishments is the pub "The Whip", that often serves experimental drinks and is loved by the more daring citizens and adventurers alike.
A little more on the unusual side and showing the stronger Tevinter influence in the area are several bathhouses of varying quality and size. None are as imposing, extravagant, or large as the ones in the large cities, but they still invite weary travelers to freshen up, rest, and enjoy their stay.
Furthermore there are of course a variety of stores to be found in all quarters of the city, over general goods stores to more specialized vendors that sell, books, magical items, art, tools, and weapons.
Guilds and Factions
The artisans of the town are loosely assembled in an artisan's guild with the main purpose of setting up trading arrangements with the outside as well as sharing knowledge and resources amongst each other.
The town also used to be home to a small temple with a regularly occuring mass and rituals. Yet, the day after the Nightbrand Legion invaded the town the temple had been burned down.
History
The origins of Hemstetten are in its castle, which used to be a secret outpost of the Tevinter Imperium during the time of Anderfels' independency. After the desert region became a part of the Imperium again, the fortress slowly started to lose its significance as a military base and instead its potential for farming and as a fairly secure trade hub was discovered. Despite being relatively close to Vol Dorma and the Imperial Highway, the town grew only slowly and initially the majority of settlers were those who were looking for some peace and quiet but still wanted to remain close to civilization, as well as those who came from further in the desert who couldn't afford life in the city but wanted to be at least closer to one.
Slowly but surely the village grew, and the fertile grounds and secure water supply made a great foundation for a village. Working together with human and dwarven engineers the installation of the irrigation system on the hill slopes improved the yield of crops dramatically once again, and secured the cultivation of rice and other grains. This investment and explosion of crops quickly made a lot of farmers rich and the town grew dramatically, so that the town's borders were expanded several times.
After the beginning of the Blight the main gate and wall were fortified and the watchtower on the hill renovated. Apart from this not much changed for Hemstetten initially, but after a few decades the influence of the darkspawn became more and more noticeable. While Hemstetten never became a main target of a bigger horde, it still always received its fair share of attacks. Hundreds of darkspawn regularly march to Vol Dorma and are fought back, the remaining creatures scattering and usually picking one of the nearby villages as a new target. Hemstetten is the only remaining village to so far withstand, but without help from the Imperium and military it might find a similar fate as its neighbours sooner or later.
Architecture
The strong Tevinter influence is very notable in Hemstetten, despite the village being on Anderfels ground and nowadays also inhabited by a majority of Ander citizens. The buildings entirely kept in Tevinter's imposing style of vertical lines, strong contrasts, and dragon imagery, are the castle, a large portion of the old quarter surrounding the lake and castle, the watchtowers, as well as the walls inbetween quarters and at the entrance to the city. Newer buildings derivated a little from the classical style, some are built entirely in the style of an Anderfels desert town even with sandstone instead of granite and marble, and so the rest of the town is a colourful mix of cultural styles and eras.
Geography
Hemstetten is located in a valley between rocky hills usually simply referred to as "Hemstetten valley", as there are no other significant settlements or landmarks nearby. The valley is located a few days southwest of Vol Dorma and the next entry point of the Imperial Highway.
Natural Resources
Minerals and other raw materials are rare in the area or at least only hard to come by. There are no mines or natural caves, the ground is either too soft and crumbly or too hard for conventional mining tools. Instead of investing into a risky mining venture the town instead played on its strengths, which is farming.
A variety of fields with grains, rice, different types of tea, fruits, vegetables, and spices are grown on the fertile slopes. There are a variety of smaller plantations belonging to the artisan guild that produce silk and lacquer, which are used in creating rare and expensive but beautiful fabrics and household wares.
Type
Town
Population
7000
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Related Reports (Primary)
Related Reports (Secondary)
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