Sam's Respite
This small town in the northwest part of Ikitur is the main supply depot for the western fort at the tundra's edge. The northern waters are usually choked with ice bergs from the glaciers at the cliff's edge, so this slightly more southern town allows easier access to this part of the continent.
For many centuries, the western fort was the only settlement in this area, and getting supplies to them was incredibly complicated. A halfling trader, named Sam, that made the frequent trips between the fort and the closest city of Gorville decided to settle down and create a supply depot to make things easier. His chosen location, just on the northern banks of the Gora River, was about halfway between Gorville and the fort.
In the centuries since its founding, the town has been ruled by halflings and dragonborn alternatingly. The descendants of the original founder, Sam, died off a few decades ago, and the other halfling families are middle- and lower-class. The current ruling family is copper dragonborn, and the current ruler can trace her lineage back to the town's first dragonborn ruler.
Demographics
Like most of Ikitur, the town of Sam's Respite is mostly comprised of dragonborn. There are also many halfling families and a variety of other races around town. Most townsfolk are farmers, merchants, or traders, so they live relatively poor, simple lives. The few aristocratic families in town tend to own the merchant companies or several warehouses.
Government
The jarl of the town is a hereditary position that passes to the eldest child of the ruling family, which is currently copper dragonborn. The jarl typically appoints around three advisors to assist with governing the town and its industries. Like the rest of Ikitur, the judgeships in Sam's Respite are appointed by a majority vote of the kingdom's jarls and town leaders. They can serve as long as the leaders reappoint them.
Defences
Sam's Respite is surrounded by a stone wall, though it is not as thick or strong as a larger city might have. The city does not have to deal with threats very often, but its proximity to the tundra means that occasional undead find their way through the fort's defenses. The only watchtowers on the southern side of town are the ones that flank the main road's gate. The northern half of the town has four watchtowers - two flanking the main gate and the other two spaced another couple hundred feet away.
Infrastructure
The main trade road through Sam's Respite is paved and maintained to allow carts to pass easily. Most of the town's warehouses are along this main road, except those closest to the port. The inns and taverns that cater to the traveling merchants tend to be near the central road but back a block or two.
The river provides all the clean water the town needs but is augmented by several wells dug around the town. The town has a small underground sewer system that, like the above-ground gutters, empties into the ocean a mile or two away from town.
Architecture
The houses and buildings of this small town are mostly made of stone quarried from the nearby mountains. Many have the telltale features of dragonborn architecture: small gems or colored glass embedded in various areas of the house to refract light at certain angles. The town hall and few small temples are simple wooden or stone style and are only imposing or noted by their multiple stories in a town where the vast majority of buildings are only one story high.
Founding Date
2694 1A
Type
Town
Population
2,408
Inhabitant Demonym
Respiteers
Owning Organization
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