Ogrimph (ah-grim-pf)
Ogrimph is a fairly large town located in the middle of the Morgran Desert. It is situated on and around a large oasis in the desert, located in a valley between several large rocky hills. Over the centuries, the people of Ogrimph have developed advanced methods of water filtration and storage, making use of the limited hydration the area receives naturally to sustain their town and the people within it.
As one of only a handful of desert settlements in the world, Ogrimph has cultivated and bred uniquely hardy plants and livestock, respectively, that can withstand the desert climate and provide sustenance for the people. Most of the town's goods, however, are imported from nearby areas that are more bountiful - such as Loraica.
Demographics
While Ogrimph started out primarily orcish, it is quite diverse today, with the only unifying trait of its population being perseverance. There are still a sizable number of orcs in the town - about 30% of the population - but humans, halflings, tieflings, gnomes, dwarves, and even a few elven families now call this town home.
There are not many lucrative trades in Ogrimph, and as such the vast majority of the population are considerably poor. The town is run somewhat as a collective or commune, where each person or family has access to common goods to supplement what they are not able to grow or produce themselves. The only aristocratic family in the city - and by extent, the current ruling family - has created a monopoly on importing resources and finished products from elsewhere in the world and providing them to the Ogrimphey for a price. These goods include timber and stone for housing and construction, finished furniture, pottery, tableware, and many other necessities and commodities that cannot be produced in Ogrimph naturally.
Government
Ogrimph is run as an elective monarchy officially, but in practice its government is a hereditary monarchy. When the wealthiest family can threaten to stop the flow of goods into the desert town, that family wins all elections. The official code of government was agreed upon by the first settlers of the oasis almost 1,000 years ago, though its 'corruption' by the Blaadtoth family has been in place for over half that time. The first magnate of the family whose mercantile success led to political success was Karkon, who was elected Viceroy in 999 2A. He used his elected position to strengthen his trading business, and within his 40-year reign was able to squeeze out all economic competitors.
The Viceroy is advised by a panel of councilors who oversee the minor administrative tasks of running the town and the desert part of the Concord. These advisors tend to be the Viceroys children and siblings, as they believe everyone else in Ogrimph covets their throne and power. Because of this, the Blaadtoth family tends to be quite large, with each generation having up to a dozen children.
The Viceroy is in charge of every aspect of the town's governance, including its judicial system - the direct leadership of which is passed off to a family member as part of the advisory council's duties. Many people in Ogrimph are most frustrated about this aspect of government, as many feel that the Blaadtoths use this arrangement to punish any upstart entrepreneurs or innovators that could challenge their dominance.
Defences
The leaders of Ogrimph have long believed that a perimeter wall would trap heat and make it even more unbearable to live in the town - and so they have never built an external wall. For the past 300 or so years it has not been necessary to have one even; the few desert predators tend to avoid the congested and populous area, and there are no other civilized people who would have the desire or ability to attack Ogrimph.
Law enforcement and general protection are carried out by the Watch - whose local title translates to Foxes in Common. These Foxes are trained to track animals through the sand and survive the harsh desert climate for days at a time with little water or rations. Some units patrol the area around Ogrimph for predators, while most are stationed at various small garrisons within the town itself.
Infrastructure
Though Ogrimph exists in a rather large oasis, it is still subjected to intense heat and frequent sandstorms. The climate of the area makes it difficult to maintain paved roads, and so there are very few in town. Most goods traveling to and from the town utilize camels and other desert-adaptive pack animals to carry goods or drag sand-skimmer carts between towns.
The oasis at the geographical and metaphorical heart of the town is kept clean for drinking purposes - it is off limits to bathers; there are no fish in the water; and no one is allowed to dump anything in it on penalty of death. Apart from this, some homes in the more exterior neighborhoods have dug deep wells to access water, though this has to be rationed even more cautiously than the central supply.
History
Much like Legoba far to the west, Ogrimph was originally settled by wandering orcs who grew tired of nomadic life in the harsh climate. They found a large oasis able to support them easily with enough room and fertile land to spare, and they set up a town that began to grow slowly. Over the next few centuries, the Ogrimphey cultivated the land and toiled to develop resilient plants and livestock that could sustain them in the long term.
Every few years, a group of people would begin to feel claustrophobic in Ogrimph and decide to set out and search for new, more hospitable home. One of these groups founded the town of Dunes Respite in 942 2A, while many others either perished in the desert or relocated to Loraica, Gel Morgran, or beyond the seas.
As time passed, trade between all of the settlements on the peninsula increased and thrived, with the two desert towns specifically needing to import a lot of goods from the other areas. Relationships between the towns were amicable, though there were no official treaties or agreements. That changed in 1386 2A, when the leaders of Dunes Respite threatened to start a trade war and hold goods bound for Ogrimph hostage in their stopover inns - all due to extortionate prices the Blaadtoth Viceroy was charging merchants to access his town.
Over months of tense negotiations, the leaders of all four desert towns agreed to join The Desert Concord, a loose confederation that codified trade practices and mercantile laws between the towns. The Viceroy had to give up a bit of power and autonomy they had previously enjoyed over setting prices and dictating access to their town, and the historically independent city of Gel Morgran had to accept some constraints on their regional hegemony as well. Dunes Respite and Loraica saw very few changes but were more than happy to have the status quo in writing.
The Concord is enjoyed by most residents of Ogrimph as it limits the exploitation and abuse the ruling Blaadtoths can inflict on the population - though there is widespread frustration that the confederation allows the Blaadtoths to maintain their absolute monopoly on imports and the town's government. There have been many uprisings and assassination attempts over the centuries, though these have slowed to about one every couple years since the adoption of the Concord almost 100 years ago.
Architecture
The architecture of Ogrimph is largely function over form. Stucco and clay-brick houses are the norm by a vast margin, with only a few houses adopting other styles. All houses and businesses are built with many windows on the northern side to allow cool air to pass through and eventually exit the wood mesh/lattice or linen curtained main doors on the southern side.
The Blaadtoth Palace is a different story, however. It is made of imported black marble and features many brass accents that glint in the desert sun. Constructed almost 300 years ago, in 1190 2A, it represents the excess of the family - and, inadvertently, their oppression of the townsfolk.
Founding Date
538 2A
Type
Town
Population
5,026
Inhabitant Demonym
Ogrimphey (ah-grimp-fay)
Location under
Owning Organization
Comments