La Pez

On the western shore of Lake Sildar sits the town of La Pez. It is a fairly small fishing village, though it does have a decent surrounding population of farmers and herders. La Pez is the only town in Oestbernia located on Lake Sildar, so the freshwater fishing and access to other nations via the lake make it a unique and valuable asset.
Before the town was called La Pez, it was an elven outpost for many centuries. The elves had settled the area some time in the First Age, to help them move goods and keep in contact with the western part of the continent, since their main kingdom is isolated in a forest between the lake and various mountain ranges. This elven town was quiet and small, though many citizens had dealings with various supercities in the area - and thus lost their memories when The Smiting occurred. It also served as a waypoint for arcane scholars traveling between the Torloch Observatory and other areas of study.
As humans began expanding in the Second Age (predominantly around 450 in this part of the world) one group of settlers came across this elven town and tried to live peacefully with the elves - thus the town's current name, which can be translated from old Castillon as "The Place of Peace". After a few years of living together, tensions began to rise between the elves and the newer, ever-growing population of settlers. Exactly what these tensions were and what caused everything to boil over are both contentious topics, as the elves have one account of events and the historians of La Pez recorded a vastly different story. Regardless of how it started, the tensions between the two groups came to a head and eventually led to all-out war in the streets. With their larger numbers, the humans were able to beat back the elves initially, and many decided to flee across the lake on ships. Many hoped the king in Fianna'bhaile would mount a force to take back their town, but the king at the time saw it as yet another excuse to draw the elves further into the forest and retreat from all contact with the outside world.
Today, these historical tensions are still evident around Lake Sildar, with the added component of fighting for fishing hauls. The three towns that border the lake and send fleets of fishing vessels daily (La Pez from Oestbernia, Iascaire'bhaile from the elven kingdom, and Ravniy from The Dale) are extremely competitive when it comes to lake territory and the "good" fishing spots. Vessels from all three towns have taken to employing guards to deter other boats from attacking, or to defend the vessel if attacked. The town governments have more or less sanctioned this by maintaining armories near the ports where mercenaries can buy or borrow weapons as they go out on the lake.
Apart from the fishing drama, La Pez is a quiet town surrounded by rolling plains and gentle hills, dotted with farms and herds of livestock. Occasionally, threats arise from the hill-land, which is largely unpopulated. Gnolls and goblins are the usual suspects, but other groups of peoples and even dangerous monsters have emerged from the hills to attack this lakeside town. In these situations, the guards of La Pez try to hold off the attackers for a day or two until reinforcements from Castillon can arrive.

Demographics

La Pez is made up mostly of humans and halflings, with a small group of huundari that make up about 5% of the population. Notably, there are no elves that live in or near the town, due to the town's history of driving out the original elves. The most popular and lucrative industry in the town is fishing on Lake Sildar, and fishermen make up a majority of the working class. Then, there are the mercenary guards who accompany the ships and fight off competitors and would-be pirates; this group is somewhat small but is paid rather handsomely for their protection duties. The farmers around the town mostly subsist on what they can grow, though they do sell a portion of their produce to the people of the town and tend to have a little bit of money for non-essentials. There are a few noble families in La Pez, though they mainly live on the outskirts in villas overlooking wineries and large estates. The two families that live in town have large manors on hills overlooking the lake.

Government

The people of La Pez elect their mayor every five years, at the same time they choose their five representatives for the National Council. The mayor typically is able to run the town by themself, though many appoint a few advisors to assist with this duty. The fishers' guild is another powerful entity in city politics, and most mayors tend to act on their suggestions quickly, lest half the city stop working or join in revolt. Taxes in La Pez are mainly taken as a small share of what one produces - fish or crops usually - or a small portion of one's income in the case of inns or artisans.

Defences

The inland side of La Pez is surrounded by a simple wooden wall, adorned with several watch towers around its perimeter. This wall meets the lake on both sides, with larger watch towers there to protect the ports from invasion or smuggling. The port itself has several smaller watch towers with gunpowder cannons atop each, plus a central armory where ship guards can buy or borrow weapons for their duties. The town's Watch is fairly small, with a special unit of around 30 soldiers that stay well trained and fighting fit in case of attack. The rest can shoot a bow, which is usually all that is needed to keep an enemy away from the walls long enough for actual soldiers to arrive from the capital.

Infrastructure

The port facility in La Pez is well maintained, though not particularly advanced or awe-inspiring. It is home to a fleet of fishing vessels and several drydocks to repair or build new ships. The main trade road that runs through town is paved and well maintained, paid for by the Oestbernian government to help goods move quickly between towns. Because the town does not export much, there are not many other paved roads, and the temples and government buildings tend to be located along the main thoroughfare.

Architecture

As a small fishing village, the architecture is drab and mostly boring, consisting mainly of Tudor and Georgian style homes and buildings.

Founding Date

499 2A

Alternative Name(s)

Ivadh'cladach

Type

Town

Population

4,384

Inhabitant Demonym

Pezians

Owning Organization

Oestbernia