Westley (wezz-lay)
By far the most fortified of the Serene Republic's western towns, Westlay is near the edge of the Forbidden Forest on the open plains. From here, scouting parties roam the wilderness and the forest looking for evidence of Giant activity, which are met by mercenary and military squadrons also based in Westley. Due to this primary function, the vast majority of the town's population is in the military or hired by the nation as mercenaries to assist with the frontier security. The remainder of the population are engaged in supporting the military - in the hospitality industry, as well as construction and other general support functions.
Westley was the second of the three frontier towns to be founded, though the settlers struggled to maintain security in the early weeks and months. The plains surrounding the town are fertile and could support a decent number of farms and herding lands - except for the constant threat of Giant and beast attacks that created the necessity for the town's founding. A portion of the walled town is reserved and set aside for agriculture, but the majority of the town's produce and meat are imported from elsewhere in the nation.
Demographics
Like much of the Serene Republic, Westley is primarily made up of humans, giant-folk, and halflings - though this town has a bit more cosmopolitan feel due to the presence of scores of mercenaries from all over the world. It is possible to encounter someone of just about every race and culture in this town. The vast majority are either part of the military (and are paid steadily but somewhat poorly) or mercenaries (with a variety of wage levels). Food and ale/mead are provided for the soldiers in their barracks, which balances out their low wages unless they want to splurge on fancier fare. The rest of the town has varying levels of incomes, based on where they work and the clientele they have.
Apart from military/mercenary and support, the other main industry in the town is mercantile and trading - namely the merchants that transport produce and dried meat from elsewhere in the nation. These merchants are paid based on the type of goods they transport and the type of establishment they deliver to. A small number of citizens in the town are farmers or herders, tending to the small agricultural plots inside the walls.
Government
The main government representative of Westley is the Garrison Commander, who oversees most of the executive functions of the town, aided by a team of three different advisors representing different sectors of the town. The Mercenary Coordinator represents the interests of the mercenaries in town and acts similar to a guild leader in terms of liaising between his constituents and the higher town government. The Agricultural Advisor oversees the farmers and herders that provide a small portion of the city's food supply and makes sure the town does not take any actions that would adversely affect these groups or the land on which they live and work. The third of the councilors is affectionately known as the Mayor but officially is the Town Representative, and they are responsible for the more mundane functions of the town such as permits for businesses, cleanliness of the streets and sewers, and construction and maintenance. These three advisors present their constituents' opinions and whatever evidence or testimony they can muster on specific issues, often arguing against or supporting at least one other advisor. The Garrison Commander hears these arguments in closed-door council sessions and then has unilateral power to decide and implement any policy changes.
The judicial arm of the town is made up of one court, with one lower judge who acts as a bureaucratic functionary more than anything, assessing Watch reports of small, nonviolent crimes such as theft or vandalism, and recommending appropriate punishment. Final say on these punishments, as well as all aspects of any violent crimes or any crimes at all committed by the soldiers in Westley, falls to the Garrison Commander. Many outside Westley see this arrangement as very draconian and unfair to the non-military citizens, but the system has been maintained to preserve order and lawfulness in a garrison town that would otherwise descend into some amount of debauchery and anarchy.
Defences
Westley is arguably one of the best defended towns in the entire world, mainly because it has to be. Giants and vicious beasts routinely attack from the nearby forest, with the former trying to smash walls and decimate the settlement with every foray. The town's perimeter wall is more than twenty feet thick, with alternating layers of cemented stone, steel lattice, and filled dirt. Westley is one of only a handful of towns in the world to employ this method of wall construction and reinforcement - but almost no other town has the stringent defensive needs of Westley. Along this wall sit twelve watchtowers, watching all angles of approach an enemy might take - each topped by a ballista capable of targeting enemies several hundred feet away. In recent years, the town has begun to modernize these ballistae to make them arcane powered and capable of projecting lightning or fire, but so far only three of the twelve have been upgraded.
In addition to the thick walls, there is a defensive ditch around the town - not filled with water, but enough to slow the Giants who try to breach the town's walls. There is only one drawbridge that spans this ditch, allowing carts and soldiers in and out from the southeast. There is a rumored secret tunnel that connects the city to the forest more than a day's travel away - but no public plans or officials have ever confirmed this.
Perhaps the most important aspect of Westley's defense is its people, the thousands of soldiers and mercenaries stationed inside its walls - and, occasionally, on patrol outside them. Almost every type of military unit can be found in this town, including siege and anti-siege specialists, light and heavy cavalry, archers and musketeers, and all manner of infantry units and capabilities. There are a small portion - about five percent - of the population that practices magic in some capacity. The nation has a number of dedicated arcane units that support other troops, and some mercenaries that come to aid the town have varying proficiency with magic.
Infrastructure
Westley is about as advanced as one might expect from a frontier town devoted almost entirely to the military. The streets are all paved, to allow carts and soldiers to move freely and quickly through the town in any weather. The town also has a dedicated sewer system that drains waste away from the streets and buildings to natural caves under the town. With no river in the immediate area and the coast a few miles outside the town's walls, there are no ships or watermills, but for any type of grain processing Westley uses windmills. The main focus of any infrastructure system or improvement is making the town more efficient, so the military and mercenaries can better respond to the many threats the town deals with.
History
This town on the far western plain, almost right up against the Forbidden Forest, was founded just a few weeks after the mountain town of Isolde in 941 2A. As groups of settlers continued to scout and explore the plains for suitable places to set up new towns, several decided to look along the coast and find a spot near where it met the forest. Upon finding a suitable spot - a collection of small hills around a slightly taller central one - they began building walls and setting up their semi-permanent buildings. Giants attacked several times during the first year of the town's founding - trying to uproot the pesky humanoids before they gained a hold in the area. However, thanks to other groups of settlers who stumbled upon Westley and reinforced the town's numbers, they were able to beat back the Giants every time - with varying numbers of losses depending on the specific attack.
After three years of hard work and toil, the town had a functional perimeter wall that would hold up under most mundane assaults - and provided more than ample room for the town to grow and expand. This allowed the townsfolk to build a central castle, several barracks, and truly permanent houses and shops. As this was happening, other engineers were brought in to thicken and strengthen the walls, resulting in the layered approach that has been renovated and maintained for over 500 years. This effort took almost five additional years to fortify the entire perimeter and included digging the defensive trench around the walls.
Over the last 500 years, the only certain things in Westley are a steady influx of soldiers and mercenaries, and constant attacks by Giants and dangerous forest beasts. The town faces at least one threat a week, and at least one serious Giant assault every year. With the number of soldiers that die or get injured during the defense of such attacks, plus the soldiers who reach retirement or rotate to other, less busy parts of the kingdom, there are constantly soldiers and mercenaries heading to town, usually accompanying the supply caravans every few days.
Architecture
The vast majority of buildings in Westley are built purely for function with no mind to beauty or architectural aesthetic. Most would be considered brutalist, though usually made of stone with only small concrete sections. The non-military civilians have unofficially taken it upon themselves to beautify the city, and their houses and businesses are gawdy by any standards but stand out like neon lights against the drab, "boring" buildings of the rest of the town.
Founding Date
941 2A
Alternative Name(s)
Western Garrison
Type
Town
Population
6,210
Inhabitant Demonym
Westleyers (wezz-lay-ers)
Location under
Owning Organization
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