Eastern Watch

Like its two tundra cousins, the Eastern Watch is a fairly isolated town that is heavily fortified to defend against the neverending onslaught of the undead from Eiselberg Keep. It is also heavily populated by dragonborn who have called this island home for several millennia, since the fall of the great dragons in this area of the world.
The town here was known as Vasiliysk since its founding and was renamed during the reign of Peter VI when he embarked on his continental unification and modernization project. The dragonborn of the town still use this name today except when referring to it on formal documents or in formal company.
The town exists on a gently sloping plain that borders the sea and rises toward the forest. There is a small portion of the town that is on the sea coast, but it does not have a port since the Frozen Strait is - as its name suggests - completely frozen for all but a couple weeks of the year as far north as Eastern Watch. Any ships that need to get goods to the town offload at Easton nearby where carts take goods up the coast. Even then, ships can only get into Easton a few months out of the year, so both Easton and Eastern Watch have extensive storage facilities to keep goods long term. Eastern Watch is also responsible for supplying goods to Central Watch, so their carts are made to withstand and traverse the harsh tundra ecosystem that dominates this area for almost the entirey of the year.

Demographics

About 60% of the population of Eastern Watch is made up of dragonborn of various colors. The ruling dynasty is currently - and has been for almost 500 years - of the red variety, after the previous white dragonborn line did not produce any recognized heirs. Of the remaining population, most are human, dwarf, or goliath. A few huundari exist in the town, as do a few elves and tieflings, but all three are small parts of the town.
The vast majority of workers in town are part of the military the mercenary contract system. The rest are involved in a variety of supporting industries such as hospitality, goods management, and construction. The people of Eastern Watch are relatively poor compared to workers in other parts of the world, but their basic needs are constantly met in a harsh environment, and most directly see the impact of their work - even if they remain in the town for only a few years.

Government

Like the other tundra towns, Eastern Watch has several military commanders that are appointed to lead the various units and mercenaries, with no ordained hierarchy between them. These commanders play at politics and create their own hierarchy, electing or choosing one commander to act as a sort of mayor for the town with a cadre of other commanders serving as assistants and advisors. This political game usually sees commanders offer extra benefits or treats to those outside their command, trying to win over the loyalty of other troops.
The only appointed position in the town's government is that of the chief judge, who is appointed and confirmed by a majority vote of the kingdom's seven town leaders. This judgeship has no set term limits, though they do need to be reconfirmed every five years.

Defences

The entirety of Eastern Watch is surrounded by a thick stone wall, a remnant - though it has been renovated and rebuilt several times - of Peter VI's modernization and fortification program from almost 1600 years ago. Included in this perimeter wall is a large area for grazing and animal storage, in the even of an undead siege - which sounds crazy but has actually happened to various tundra towns throughout history. The wall has only two gates - one in the south where the trade road enters from Easton, and one in the northwest where the trade road continues on to Central Watch. The wall has towers every couple hundred feet, keeping a watch for undead and other threats.
The soldiers are mostly ranged fighters who take on the undead with bows or crossbows, and there are ballistae at several of the watch towers to assist with this. The town also maintains a small unit of infantry to meet more significant threats head-on. Like the other tundra towns, the soldiers of Eastern Watch form two lines when sent outside the walls to confront an enemy: one line has large shields that are used to keep the enemy at bay, while the second line uses long spears and other polearms to attack past the first line. The lines can be made to form an arc or circle if threats come from multiple directions at once.

Infrastructure

The main road that travels through the center of town is cobbled and well maintained, as carts travel on it frequently and need it to get goods from one part of the kingdom to another. The warehouses and stock buildings are located just off this central road, in a few different parts of the town, and many have cobbled or gravel roads to assist carts. The rest of the town has simple dirt roads that are maintained simply by frequent traffic and the inability of the tundra ground to grow plants in the untrodden places. Fresh water is brought to the people through a series of wells dug into the ground, pulling water from vast sub-tundra reserves or subterranean streams and aquifers.

Architecture

The architecture in Eastern Watch is very simple, with the vast majority of buildings made of wood and only single story. Some of the taverns and other businesses boast a second story for living space - either for the shop owner and their family or for traveling guests. The main barracks, training ground, and temples are also made of wood and resemble Romanesque buildings with their simplicity.

Founding Date

1603 1A

Alternative Name(s)

Vasiliysk (vah-see-leesk)

Type

Outpost / Base

Population

4,602

Inhabitant Demonym

Vasiliyskers

Owning Organization

Ikitur Kingdom