Ipseld

This is a Summer Camp 2026 article and therefore likely incomplete or otherwise under construction. You're welcome to enjoy it is as it is, of course (and thank you!), but if you're interested in updates, please give Babikiye a follow!

The largest Fas settlement is the Fen stronghold of Ipseld. Built atop the remains of a yashelin outpost, Ipseld's architecture is a fascinating mixture of Fen ingenuity and yashelin ruins. The population fluctuates from year to year, and even season by season, but the vast majority of Fen Fas call Ipseld their home at any given time.
This sprawling settlement encompasses the majority of Fen territory, including a myriad of small, close quartered farms (the boundaries of which are never certain almost as a rule). The River Ipso splits the city in two as it snakes through the city and south through the territory.

Failed Yashelin Outpost

In an era long before the Fas species began, what is now the heart of the city of Ipseld was once an upstart yashelin outpost. The outpost was well on its way to becoming a proper town, when disaster struck. A tornado ripped through the community in the dead of night. None of them had ever experienced a weather phenomenon quite so violent. Shortly after this tornado, the residents began to track the frequency of tornadoes in the region. They were deemed too common to justify the placement of the town. So, the yashelin abandoned the outpost entirely.
Somehow, the buildings left behind slipped through the cracks of yashelin bureaucracy. No one came back to remove and recycle or reuse the materials, so the outpost was left to fall into ruin. The outpost was gradually forgotten except on the older and/or most pedantic of maps.
These maps were not consulted when the yashelin and fas drew the boundaries of the first "autonomous" Fas territory.

by Roberta Sant'Anna

by Nikolas Noonan

Lively Fen Settlement

When the Fen folks discovered the ruins while surveying their newly agreed upon territory, they pounced on the opportunity in front of them to take advantage of free extra resources. The first inhabitants of the ruins largely depended upon the ruins themselves for shelter. They repaired damage over time, fixed or added roofs where needed, and stabilized formerly crumbling walls.
By the second generation, the Fen had also added numerous structures of their own and expanded far out beyond the outpost's original borders. Since then, the settlement has grown in complexity and liveliness. No other Fas settlement, even the capitals of other Gens, are quite as large or organized.

Fear of Tornadoes: A Political Advantage?

Tornadoes have 'ruined' Ipseld on several occasions since the first one hit to the outpost, but the Fen always confidently bounce back. Where the yashelin saw an insurmountable environmental hazard, the Fen saw an advantage that was worth adapting for.
Since the yashelin are wary of the region, the Fen from Ipseld are able to rule mostly independently of yashelin meddling despite their proximity. So long as they shy away from the territory's borderlands and respect the health of their waterways, Ipseld and the Fen in general are left alone.

Weather Adaptations

The Fen have adjusted their city to the tornado season accordingly. Out of all of the civilizations on the planet of Aravu, yashelin and fas alike, the meteorological data and weather predictions that come out of Ipseld are of the highest, most accurate quality. They also have impressively constructed public storm shelters scattered throughout the settlement and a robust (and ear-piercingly loud) warning system.

Current Focus Relevance Notes

Ipseld was invented for Summer Camp, so I haven't explored how it fits within Samir's story. Ipseld is a major hub that almost all of the northern Fas have visited at one time or another for leisure or trade, though. Samir is likely no different. Since he deals in smuggled Kivrian goods as a side hustle, maybe this is the trade hub he smuggles them into?