Velchester (velch-ster)
The town of Velchester has a storied history, traded back and forth between nations more than most other cities in the world except its close neighbor of Crowsbane. As a trade stopover town, Velchester saw travelers from all over eastern Ayndrinor. But its location and function made it a strategically critical town to keep neighbors in check and control the regional trade, and all three local nations conquered and reconquered it at various points of the Second Age.
Velchester is located in the fertile plains of eastern Ayndrinor, with the Wessil Hills not far away to the northwest and the verdant forest about two days' ride to the east. It connects the historically prosperous and flourishing city of Everyn with trading partners in Wessil and Brandis, with the capital of the Dumein Dominion not far away though harder to reach due to the forest density.
Demographics
For most of history, the town of Velchester has been dominated by humans, with halflings the most prominent of the other races. The specific ethnicity of the humans changed many times, depending on whether it was Brandis, the Dumein Dominion, or Wessil that controlled the city most recently. Over the last few centuries when the town was held by the Dominion and saw little conflict, the prevalence of elves, dwarves, gnomes, and other peoples increased drastically. Today, humans make up just under 50% of the population, while halflings are around 30%.
The town has a distinctly stratified economy and class system. The lowest rungs of society are farmers and herders, working the fields and selling their goods at market for whatever they can get. The middle rung is made up of laborers and small entrepreneurs who do mostly OK for themselves but do not live opulently. The highest rungs of society are occupied by the merchant families and those who own large conglomerations in the town. Even within this top class, there is a vast difference between a small vintner and the wealthiest family that controls almost all trade in and through the town.
Government
Formally, the town is ruled solely by a Consul that is appointed by the monarch in Dumein Keep with the assistance of a small advisory council. In practice, the wealthy families have formed a sort of shadow council that control much of the town's politics while the official authorities keep up the appearances of impartiality. This shadow council has to play a discreet game, however, as acting too obviously would draw the ire of the monarch and risk potentially losing their fortunes or their businesses.
Defences
The town of Velchester is surrounded by a strong, thick stone wall. The customs and guard houses that flank the two gates where the trade road enters and exits the town are robust and hold around 50 soldiers each. Many of these troops are stationed there for show to deter any criminals or those who would try to rob or smuggle, though the manpower is needed to facilitate efficient inspection of all incoming carts and caravans. Within the city, the Watch maintains several towers that serve as barracks, jails, and armories. From these towers, squads go out on patrol and can be called to other towers or areas to provide backup.
The walls of the town have been destroyed, rebuilt, destroyed again, and the rebuilt many times over the centuries, but the current walls have been in place since the tenth century. Following the Dominion's retaking of the town from Brandis, they rebuilt the areas of the wall that had been demolished in the siege and attack. Over the centuries, the Dominion has rebuilt or renovated sections of the wall as they start to fall into disrepair, but the wall as a whole has been present the entire time.
Infrastructure
The main trade road through Velchester is paved and maintained as well as any road in the world. Because much of Velchester's - and the region's - prosperity lies in a large volume of trade passing through town, the government recognizes the importance of keeping the road in top condition. The deference showed to the mercantile traffic extends to the side roads, which much cross the trade road via underground tunnels that can easily become muddy or flooded in rains. Pedestrians caught impeding merchant carts on the main road face heavy fines or short jail stints depending on the severity of their obstruction. This system has angered residents since its adoption over 100 years ago, though their complaints are drowned out by the concerns of the wealthy families whose family fortunes rely heavily on moving as many caravans through town as possible.
With no river or other freshwater source nearby, the town of Velchester has had to resort to a series of deep wells to supply drinking water for its citizens. These wells are placed at even intervals throughout the town and are maintained by the town government. The area surrounding Velchester is home to many farms, farmsteads, and sprawling grazing fields. Many of these implement windmills to grind their grains and prepare their goods for transport and selling in the town's markets.
History
The town of Velchester was founded by merchants in the early years of the third century. As the various nations of eastern Ayndrinor began to grow and interact with one another, trade between the nations flourished - as did competition and conflict. The trade was the first step, however, and it was for this reason that a group of merchants set up a stopover town a few days' travel southwest of Everyn. The town was independent but closely aligned with the large city-state. Merchants from Brandis and Wessil passed through, spreading their cultures and occasionally resettling to Velchester after years of traveling.
As the nations prospered and began looking to expand their territory, control of the main trade artery for the continent was on everyone's mind. The Dumein Dominion was the first nation to claim ownership of Velchester, though this only lasted for about two decades. The kingdom of Brandis captured the town in 279 2A and held it for almost 50 years. Wars between Brandis and Wessil saw the town change hands again, and Wessil kept control of the town for about 20 years before losing it to a burgeoning Dominion. Every time the town was captured, its name was changed to reflect the culture that held it at the time. Most of these names have been lost to history, forgotten by the annals of imperialism and conquest that haven't touched Velchester for over 500 years.
The Dominion held Velchester for over a century, from 348 to 479, before Wessil once again waged a war far to the northeast and took the trading town. This Wessilite rule lasted for about 40 years before the Dominion once again retook the town. Velchester remained Dumeiner for many centuries, though continental wars would occasionally threaten the city, and several occasions saw devastating sieges that killed many civilians and damaged much of the city but ultimately failed to capture it. The renewed wars of the late ninth century saw the town fall to a stronger-than-ever Brandis, though this strong army could not hold the town for long. The Dominion took the town in 913 2A, renaming it Velchester for the final time and consolidating their control over this vital trading town.
Due to the history of conquest, Velchester's noble families trace their lineage through the different ethnicities and nationalities that held the town at one time or another. While many of the current prominent families are of Dumeiner origin, there is at least one Wessilite family and one Brandisienne. Several other families are rumored to have ties to these other nations but are keeping them secret for fear of falling down the social ladder when the true Dumeiners discover any perceived "impurities" or inadequacies. In practice, the non-Dumeiner families exercise as much power as other families of similar size, and fears of being ostracized are widely believed to be overblown.
Velchester has existed in its current state for over 500 years, under the control of the Dumein Dominion. When the nation began to expand recently, embarking on the Everyn War, Velchester's streets were filled with marching troops instead of laden caravans for several days. As troops marched between different theaters and areas of conflict, they frequently passed through Velchester. The nature of the town being what it is, agents of enemy nations were able to infiltrate Velchester and report on troop movements, much to the frustration of the Dominion.
Where other towns in the region fear that the new Everyn Federation will bring new governments or structures, Velchester feels confident that its status as a vital trade hub and concentration of wealth for the nation will insulate it from such changes. The recent war and aftermath have had little to no effect on Velchester, and the citizens and noble families are more than happy for it to stay that way.
Architecture
Like most plains towns, Velchester sports small homes made mostly of timber and brick. They are relatively simple and unadorned but serve the purpose they need. Many would be described as frontier houses or even the simple houses of medieval central Europe. The larger businesses like taverns and inns tend to be half-timber constructions resembling Tudor buildings, while the large government buildings and temples tend to be in Carolingian style with high sloping roofs and relatively simple walls.
Founding Date
202 2A
Type
Town
Population
13,904
Inhabitant Demonym
Velstans
Owning Organization
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