Losdell

Government

The Valanders are a scattered, dispersed people, with only their clan chiefs serving as the loose authority of the high mountain regions. As a result, there is no system of feudalism or government instituted hierarchy. As a result, most villages are independent, although predominantly inhabited by only one or two clans.
Losdell is no exception. It tends to its own affairs more than anything else and rarely bothers with things from beyond its valley. For leadership, the town looks to a council assembled from the farmers, craftsmen, and merchants. Usually only one or two each, but that may vary from time to time as others are deputized for special occasions and events like fairs and festivals.
Laws are quite simple. Nobody may practice violence against another, steal from them, slander, or infringe on another's land. Disputes are to be settled by the council, or if unable to breach an agreement between the conflicted parties, a duel with quarterstaves as a last result. Taxes are low, meant for maintaining the commons wall and ensuring the cistern is properly maintained, or to pay for something to make a festival particularly special.

Defences

Beyond its remoteness, it has no defenses beyond that of the terrain that surrounds them. There is only one path out of the mountain pass to descend back down to the more settled lowlands, and even the more inhabited highland regions. Some of the hills and ridges form a bit of a defense against potential hostile enemies.
Nothing remains of the ancient walls and towers of the city. There has been no need for defenses in hundreds of years, as there are no real threats in the mountains. Losdell is too far from the rest of the world to be worth conquering and wouldn't need more than a small company of troops to occupy, which usually costs more than its worth, as the inhabitants pay little attention to the broader politics of the realm and instead keep to their own affairs. The council does appoint a Captain of the Watch, but that is a mostly ceremonial title except when it comes to dealing with nearby wolf-packs on rare occasions.

Industry & Trade

The foundation of the village economy is agriculture, with shepherding being the primary source of income and supplies, as the high ridgelines and hills are unsuitable for the production of large amounts of grain. Instead, individual families and farmers along the valley floor grow barley as their grain-staple and root vegetables to supplement their diet.
Few trees grow so high in the mountains, so they trade wool for the bulk of their wood, supplemented with the iron ores and relics that they can sometimes find throughout the valley and ridges. A few families also have small tin mines, but those are primarily personal use or for trade to the blacksmith.

Infrastructure

Being built from the ruins of ancient Loshold, ancient capital city of Losgard, there are the remnants of this city scattered throughout the valley. Underneath the city, the old sewers and drainage tunnels still fulfill their original function, albeit in a much more limited manner. Some sections of the ancient roads still exist, and the bulk of the village is built in what was once the central market square, so between the grasses and dirt, there still lies the ancient cobbled stone square.
Otherwise, there is a small water-driven mill above a waterfall that falls into the lake, with a well-trod path leading between it and the main village. A few small wooden bridges have been lashed across the streams feeding into the lake so travel around the shoreline is more manageable for those dwelling further away from the town center. There is a blacksmith with a forge, but, beyond that, the village is very basic.

Assets

• Sheep

• Stone

• Peat turf

• Barley

• Wool

Guilds and Factions

The Council: Representatives appointed by their respective professions to serve as long as they are capable or they decide to retire. Primarily made of the oldest among the traders, craftsmen, and farmers, they are looked to more as a guide and source of wisdom than anything else.
Granary Guild: Hardly a proper guild, it is the collection of farmers and shepherds in and around the valley who communicate and support each other by returning wandering livestock, repairing fences, and spreading the news of any wolves in the region.
Artisan's Band: While few in number and local in their business, the handful of craftsmen and artisans in the region have made a collection of their own to help procure supplies at reasonable prices, ensure that outside merchants don't put them out of business, and hold each other accountable to provide a guarantee of trust to the local community.
The Traders: Some of the few people in Losdell who have ever left the valley, they try and cultivate a sense of superiority and worldliness compared to their more isolated neighbors, which many resent, but cheerfully.

History

Long ago, the human kingdom of Losgard flourished, with its capital high in the south-eastern mountains of the continent, with the Elven kingdom of Mavalleth further up in the peaks. The two dwelt in harmony with a close alliance between them and the nearby Dwarven strongholds in the nearby areas of the peaks. They were bound by oaths of friendship and eternal vigilance against the return of Aranxes.
Yet, their vigil was not vigilant enough, and he created his first great army of the undead and Dwalfarin , which he threw against the allied kingdoms in a brutal, multi-directional assault rather than coming from his ancient stronghold in the north. With most of the defenses and watch there, the defenders behind the lines were cut off from each other and cut apart, while the front line was then assailed by an army from the north, preventing them from moving south to aid their allies and other armies.
It was a crushing defeat for Losgard and the great kingdom was utterly shattered. Loshold was crushed in a siege, its inhabitants put to the sword, the very stones torn down and smashed, filling in part of the lake along its shore. So much blood was shed, according to legend, that the entire lake was tinted red for years afterward.
After Aranxes' and his forces were eventually pushed back by the Starlit Host, some measure of peace settled into the continent. The kingdom was shattered and torn further apart by ambitious warlords who strove to recreate Losgard with themselves as its king. Kingdoms fractured into ever smaller realms and regions until the borders eventually stabilized, until again being disrupted by Alaria Nineslaw and her religious crusade.
Yet, when chaos spread across the land and internal strife drove things even further, scattered people sought the lost valley of Loshold in hope that there might still be some remnant of its power and the magic of the Elves that could protect them. There was none, but its remoteness gave them the time and space to rebuild.
Over time, the village grew again from the ruins of the city, and its generations of inhabitants lived lives much the same over the centuries.

Architecture

Stone is the primary building material, with snug cottages often built into the hillsides and ridges to protect them from mountain winds and storms. Roofs are typically thatched with dried reeds. Doors are often the only aspect of the building made from wood and these are often elaborately carved or painted as a sign of wealth and prestige, since they are quite difficult to get.
Furniture is generally made of wood and passed down through generations as family heirlooms, as it is difficult to make the trek out of the valley and down the mountainside to get new wood.

Demographics: Predominantly Valanders , with a few other humans who have found their way into the village. Farmers, craftsmen, and a handful of regional

Type

Village

Population

260

Inhabitant Demonym

Loswegian

Owner/Ruler

Alaria Nineslaw