Camp Morrigan

The military encampment at the heart of Camp Morrigan was once one of the watchtowers at the borders of the Kingdom of Tallstag. These fortifications protected the kingdom from external invasion and roving monsters that sought to harm the populace, and they were built over several centuries to address different threats. The southernmost tower was built in the second century to help warn of and fend off attackers from the neighboring Dumein Dominion. Over the centuries, this watchtower saw more action than any other along Tallstag's borders, and as its importance continued to expand so did its population.
By 1050, a proper town had grown around the central watchtower and garrison, and perimeter walls were constructed to enclose this population. Soon after, the town began to elect its own representatives to run their government, wresting control of the town out of the military Knight Corporal's hands. The mayor worked closely with the Knight Corporal in matters of defense planning, food stores, and other strategic matters, but things like business licenses or street cleaning outside the military garrison were explicitly the purview of the mayor and the citizens.
In the recent Everyn War, Camp Morrigan was the first settlement of Tallstag to fall to the Dominion forces. The attackers brought dozens of siege engines and threatened to destroy the town entirely. After a brief siege in which much of the town's walls were destroyed and scores of citizens were killed, the mayor and Knight Corporal announced their surrender, putting the town at the hands of the Dominion. In the years since the conclusion of the war, the Federation has contributed a great deal of money and manpower to rebuilding the town and its buildings - though the perimeter walls have not been rebuilt since the Federation considers them no longer necessary. There is still hostility for the Federation among Morriganders, but it is not as strong an undercurrent as other towns and cities that suffered longer, more destructive sieges and attacks.

Demographics

The majority of the population of Camp Morrigan is human, with halflings, dwarves, elves, and gnomes making up other significant portions. The farms around the town are predominately human and halfling, while many businesses in the city are run by dwarves and other non-humans.
The town is relatively poor economically, with the majority of jobs in agriculture, hospitality, and of course the military. The confluence of people and cultures has led to a thriving tavern scene that trends more toward the seedy gambling hall than the fine lounge, and most people in the city have their preferred gambling haunt for one reason or another.

Government

The dual nature of Camp Morrigan - the military outpost and the surrounding town - is also apparent in its dual rulers who have separate powers but tend to cooperate in many areas to make sure the town is run efficiently and safely. The Mayor is the civil leader of the town, responsible for much of the town's upkeep and everyday functions, while the Knight Corporal is in charge of the military outpost and the town's safety. The Knight Corporal is appointed by the regional government in Forest-end and does not have any set term limits, though most occupy the position for around 5-10 years. The Mayor is elected by the non-soldiers in town every three years, and each officeholder can serve a cumulative (though not necessarily consecutive) 30 years in the position before being barred from re-election for life.
Both of these leadership positions have an army (literal in one case, metaphorical in the other) of assistants and career bureaucrats to help with their jobs and managing the smaller details. Each leader is also responsible for appointing the judges on the various courts - the military has only one court, while the town separates its courts based on the severity of the offenses. In a case where a soldier commits a serious crime outside the military garrison, the highest civilian judge and the single military judge both preside over the trial and must come to a unanimous decision on verdict and sentencing.

Defences

Historically, the central military garrison - containing the original town's eponymous watchtower - has had strong walls that protected the area from all manner of intruders. These walls still stand, though they are somewhat beaten down in some places and have been receiving repairs and rebuilding over the last two years.
When the town officially sprouted from the military garrison, one of the first things they did was to build a perimeter wall around much of the town and some parcels of farmland. This perimeter wall stood strong for centuries until the recent Everyn War saw the attacking armies breach it in several places on route to capturing the city. In the time since the war, the Everyn Federation insists that a perimeter wall around the Camp is not necessary and will not approve any plans to rebuild it.
The majority of the military force stationed at Camp Morrigan are rangers, capable of scouting through the wilderness and identifying threats to the town and the lands beyond. There are very few heavy infantry or cavalry units, though they have historically existed to help repel invading armies from the south. Now, with the Everyn War concluded, these units have been diminished but are still stationed at Camp Morrigan in a new capacity: the heavy bruisers of the town's Watch. While the town has its own patrol officers who respond to many calls and complaints, the soldiers are called in to deal with violent crimes or with the town's underbelly and organized gangs.

Infrastructure

The roads and general condition of Camp Morrigan could be described as comparable to any other fortified town. The soldiers assist with some of the road repair and maintenance, though mainly in the areas directly surrounding their garrison. The rest of the town relies on laborers to take care of the roads and maintain general cleanliness.
The military outpost has its own large central well that provides water for it, while the rest of the town relies on a series of a couple dozen wells dug for their fresh water. With no river or lake nearby, the underground sources are responsible for 100% of the town's water supply.

History

Though the Kingdom of Tallstag has been around since the late years of the First Age, they did not see a need to fortify or protect their borders until more than a century into the Second Age. As the nations of the south - and particularly the Dumein Dominion - began to expand, they came into conflict with the lands of Tallstag. At the same time, the Northern Forest was producing menacing beasts, and raiders were coming over the Backbone Spires from the western lands.
In response to this multitude of threats, the nation's government set about constructing a series of fortifications along the nation's perimeter - only two of which remain today. These were built over the course of a century and spanned much of the kingdom's borders, from the western mountains to the eastern sea coast and from the southern plains to the northern forest. For ease and quickness of construction, these outposts were initially singular, tall watchtowers with a minimal amount of surrounding land inside a wall. Over time, many of these towers outgrew their wall and built new barracks, armories, training halls, and other out-buildings.
The southern plains watchtowers were tasked with keeping an eye to the south and alerting the kingdom of attacks mounting in the Dumein Dominion so they could be prepared before the attackers reached an important town. The forces at these watchtowers kept their vigil for several centuries, warning several times of invasions or massing war bands. At first, the Dominion forces tried to mass and march through the plains, but they were easily spotted by the watchtower at present-day Camp Morrigan. They began to try to trudge through the swampy coastal areas to approach, but the southeastern watchtower was able to spot them there and warn Forest-end. Because of these two watch posts, there were no successful raids by the southern neighbors into Tallstag territory.
After 700 years of trying to take territory to the north, the Dominion switched strategies and launched a series of raids trying to quickly overtake the watchtowers, hoping to render them unable to warn the kingdom of successive invasions. Unknown to the Dominion, the leadership of Tallstag had commissioned magical communication devices from the Enlightened City of Kort and were able to warn their capital anyway. These raids took out both southern watchtowers several times, but the towers themselves were not destroyed, so when Tallstag retook the area they were able to re-man the outposts and return to their watch. This style of warfare between the nations quieted down for over 200 years, allowing the watchtowers to grow into proper towns.
When the civilian population finally outgrew the military presence (around 1240 2A), the citizens petitioned their king to get out from under the rule of the Knight Corporal. After much discussion, the town was allowed to elect its own mayor who would co-lead with the Knight Corporal. This arrangement ensured the military would still get a say in the town's defense - since that was still its primary function - but that the civilian population that had blossomed would not be kept under a harsh military fist. Both of the southern outposts enjoyed continued growth and prosperity and were somewhat lulled into false security by the lack of action to the south.
When the continent's wars started up again at the turn of the 15th century, the Dominion once again set their sights on conquering Tallstag and employed the same lightning raid strategy they had used previously. Where before the Dominion exercised some amount of reserve, this attack was ruthless and barbaric. The southeastern watchtower was the first hit, and the invaders managed to get through the walls before the town's defense could properly organize. The town was completely razed, and the central watchtower flattened. Camp Morrigan had been alerted of this attack and were able to close their gates to the enemy long enough for reinforcements to arrive from further north. This stalling they managed saved the town from suffering the same fate as its eastern partner.
In the wake of the lightning raids, Camp Morrigan was built up even more, and the perimeter wall's batteries were updated and strengthened. These improvements kept the Dominion at bay for some 70 years, but the recent Everyn War saw the town put under renewed pressure. Besieged from the early days of the war, Camp Morrigan managed to hold out and confound the attackers for several weeks. Reinforcements did not arrive this time, as the Dominion was able to attack Forest-end and other towns, preventing them from sending troops to the southern front. After nearly a month of intense bombardment, the walls of Camp Morrigan began to crumble, and the invaders were able to capture the town and its central watchtower.
Thankfully, the new leader of the Dominion was not as ruthless as his predecessor. He recognized that a post-war continental empire would need the watchtowers and outposts to maintain order and allow him to station troops for peacekeeping. And so the tower and the town were spared utter destruction. In the two years since, the animosity has stewed among the Tallstaggers, especially as the new Federation authorities kept a tighter leash and more strict control on the town's operations and administration. Outside of Forest-end, Camp Morrigan offers the strongest resistance to Federation rule, and the new Knight Corporal and mayor have their work cut out for them trying to maintain harmony in the town.

Architecture

There are two distinct architectures in Camp Morrigan, denoting from a glance whether the building is of the military half or the civilian half of town. The military buildings tend to be Romanesque or other stone and brick behemoths, generally devoid of decoration or adornment. The civilian buildings, on the other hand, tend to be more inviting. Houses are mostly Medieval dwellings, with thatch roofs and the odd paint job or colored bricks to add character. Businesses tend to be of wood and stone construction, with vibrant signage and decoration.

Founding Date

160 2A

Alternative Name(s)

Southern Watchtower (name until 1050 2A)

Type

Town

Population

7,205

Inhabitant Demonym

Morriganders

Owning Organization

Kingdom of Tallstag