Centeno (sin-ten-oh)

The sleepy seaside village of Centeno rests on the western coast of Oestbernia. It lies about halfway between Cebada and the port town of Storvak in the Toldrun See, about four days sea travel from each. The village's small agricultural production goes mainly to provisioning ships that stop in the port, though enough is held back to ensure the townsfolk are taken care of first. There is also a small smithy and carpenter near the port that can help with basic ship repairs to allow the vessels to get further up the coast to larger drydocks.
Centeno has been around for less than a millennium, having been settled in 561 2A by the crew of a wrecked ship sailing south from Castillon. As they could not continue on their journey, they deconstructed the ship and used its hull to build their houses and the village's first buildings. They had enough supplies to last for several months and quickly began planting some of their vegetables to grow crops. Other ships that sailed along the coast noticed the small settlement and dropped anchor nearby, feeling somewhat protected by the settlement - small though it was. Eventually, other settlers and travelers from inland began hearing of this new seaside village and relocated their families to start a new life here. The original ship-wood houses have mostly been rebuilt or have fallen into disrepair over the centuries, but the main town hall has preserved some of the original ship's wood in its main double doors at the entrance.
Centeno has been one of the Oestbernian towns most plagued by Inquisition raids over the last four hundred years, as it is the closest port to the See and does not have a strong defensive presence. It also had several dwarvish families living here - who mostly have relocated further inland over time to avoid these raids and the kidnappings or killings the Inquisition would inflict on them. Each time the raids came through, they would burn a few houses searching for dwarves, dragging off any they found, accusing them of heresy and treason to dwarfkind. Eventually, Oestbernia stationed a small contingent of soldiers in Centeno to prevent these raids, which worked well as a deterrent - enough so that the soldiers were removed about thirty years ago and no raids have happened since.

Demographics

The majority of Centenorians are human, with halflings making up most of the rest of the population. The dwarves of the town left several decades ago, tired of being targeted by raids by the See's Inquisition. Most workers are simple farmers or fishers, with a handful of craftsmen (carpenters and smiths mostly) to assist with construction and building and ship repair. To an outsider, the people of Centeno would be relatively poor, but no one in the village goes without food or housing. There are no aristocrats or nobles in the town, as there are no lucrative industries or prestigious services here.

Government

The citizens of Centeno elect their mayor every five years, at the same time they elect their representatives for the National Council. Unlike other places in Oestbernia, the mayor of Centeno has no term limits and can potentially serve for life if the people keep electing them. As a quiet village, there is not much for the mayor to do, so they usually keep whatever jobs they had before on the side and do whatever mayoral duties as they come up. There is one judge in the town that oversees any cases brought - either civil or criminal - though sentencing is done by the mayor depending on what the crime or infraction was. This judge likewise serves for life, unless the citizens petition the mayor to hold a new judge election, at which time people can vote to keep the current judge or replace them with a new one.

Defences

There is no formal wall around Centeno, as most of its population is too rural and spread out to make a wall useful. The village's Watch is also a small group of around ten full-time watchmen, with another couple dozen that can be mustered if the town falls under attack. As with many other rural or frontier settlements in Oestbernia, the Watch's goal is to hold off attackers long enough for reinforcements to arrive from the nearest garrison. Being further from the hills, Centeno does not face many threats from gnolls, goblins, or others; the main threat actually comes from pirates and rogue ships that try to dock and steal from the port's warehouses.

Infrastructure

The only paved road in Centeno is the main road that runs through the heart of the village. This connects to the trade road and other parts of Oestbernia and serves as the main artery for outlying people to make their way to the village center when necessary. All other roads are made of dirt, though they are as well maintained as possible to make them more navigable in harsh weather. The village gets its water from several wells that pull from underground aquifers or lakes.

Architecture

The buildings of Centeno are simple, usually wooden cottages with mostly thatched roofs. A few houses of the slightly better off families are made of stone, and some others have wooden or slate shingles. The temples and main government buildings tend to be a mix of stone and wood, mostly in a Tudor style.

Founding Date

561 2A

Type

Village

Population

923

Inhabitant Demonym

Centenorians

Owning Organization

Oestbernia