Ferossa (Feh-Ross-Ah)

Gateway To The New North, The City Of Waterfalls

The sound of thirty one waterfalls rushes above all else in Ferossa, their cascading waters providing life and nourishment to the great pine forest, Dartino's Green, in which the city is built. Sat snugly between the trio of Mountains known as The Three Sisters, It surrounds both the Upper and Lower Hearth Tarns, which cascade their overflow over the Ferossan cliffs into the vast body of water known as Lake Adherence. The city spreads down the stepped plateaus below the the mountains, onto the wider, flatter, areas surrounding the Tarns, and up to the very cliffs themselves. The Count's manor, The White Palace, sits atop a thin, pointed, plateau that juts out from the top most reaches of the city, ending almost 150ft above Upper Hearth tarn. Off the very tip of this needle like outcrop tumbles the tallest and most majestic of all Ferossa's waterfalls - The Synesian Cascade.
This is indeed a city of unparalleled natural beauty. But it is also one of great riches. Until the nigh un-traversable ice of the Frozen Wastes began to retreat, some 200 years ago, Ferossa was one of the most northerly cities in the whole continent of Hisenor , covered in snow year round, with little to offer but lumber from it's forests and iron from it's mines. Since the wastes began to retreat, however, it has taken on a new lease of life. It has become one the most important trade hubs for the burgeoning business done with the countries of the New North, those infant nations that have sprung up in the new lands left uncovered by the retreating ice. All manner of goods pass through the markets of Ferossa, heading both North and South, bringing riches to both the merchants that transport them, and those that now call the city home.
Ferossa has been ruled by the Synesia family for the last 480 years. The family have proven themselves loyal servants of the throne, and the title of Count of Ferossa is one they bear proudly. However, this noble family line is in danger of dying out. The current Count, Herrota Synesia , is nearing 50 years of age and, having never married, has no children. His only sibling, his older sister, Bertilda Pretenera , has married the king of Gelding Wood , Bernado Pretenera , and, as such, her own children no longer count as Synesias. With no close blood relatives left, this could mean that Synesian rule over Ferossa may be coming to an end.

Demographics

Ferossa is a primarily human settlement, with them making up roughly 49% of the population. Dwarves make up another 12%, halflings a further 11%, and goliath 10%. The remaining population is made up of small amounts of myriad different races. Ferossa is a highly feudal environment, with landowners making up less than 2% of the population, and most others classing as serfs or transient. However, a rapidly growing merchant and artisan class has begun to spring up in recent decades, and these freeholders now make up nearly 5% of the population.

Government

Ferossa follows the laws of Gelding Wood as set out by the crown, enforced by the Count and his City Watch. Taxes are paid upwards in a Feudal Pyramid, with Serfs paying taxes to the Landlords, Merchants, and Artisans, who in turn pay upwards to the Barons and Landed Knights. It is from the taxation of these Barons and Knights, as well as a tax on the value of goods entering or leaving the city, that Ferossa's coffers are filled.

Defences

Ferossa is a very difficult city to invade or attack. Its location is highly defensible, with only short stretches of high walls and towers in existence between near sheer cliffs and rocky slopes to the east and west, and a marine approach near impossible from the south due to the Ferossan cliffs. Even should an invader manage to get into the city, they will find themselves facing a steep, uphill slog, up plateaus and ridges provided by the natural tiering of the terrain, with the paths between the levels acting as narrow, defensible chokepoints that cannot be bypassed. A determined attacker may choose to instead attack via the paths over the mountains to the north, but face a long, arduous journey through narrow cuts filled with snow year round. Should they pass through those, they would arrive, exhausted, into two narrow passes that culminate with high, thick, walls and immense, fortified gatehouses and towers.

Industry & Trade

The land around Ferossa is too uneven and hard for most forms of farming, so most food is either imported, or fished from either the tarns or Lake Adherence. The money of Ferossa is made through the export of it's primary natural resource. Lumber. Specifically, the Ferossan Dark Pine. This tree is evergreen, and grows quickly, allowing for rapid reforestation for a hefty lumber industry. In addition, trade has become a major player in Ferossan income. Acting as staging point for trade between the New North, and older countries to the south, Taxes from these trades fill a large portion of the City's coffers.

Infrastructure

As city intersected by many rivers, and built around two tarns, the builders and architects of Ferossa have become somewhat adept at building bridges, with no less than 28 major stone bridges spanning the waterways. The people of Ferossa also value the cleanliness of these waterways, and have, as such, built an impressive, if somewhat complex, sewage system that drains into an underground river which itself disgorges into Lake Adherence a number of miles away from the city.

History

The first official record of Ferossa is in PR.1208, when the scribes of the Kingdom of Dartino, long since fallen apart, recorded the founding of a village "On The Banks of The Twin Tarns, Within Sight Of The Great Northern Lake, For The Purpose Of Providing Lumber For The King's Armies." The Kingdom may long since have disappeared, absorbed into Gelding Wood, but the locals remember it in the name of the forest, Dartino's Green.
In the near two millennia since, Ferossa has evolved slowly. It was even abandoned for a almost a century, shortly after the war that saw the Pretenara family unite the Kingdom's of the area into Gelding Wood. There was little need for the lumber at that time and, with no where else to export to, Ferossa died. But as the kingdom grew once more, so did the need for lumber, and eventually Ferossa was settled once more. Since then, the village has grown into a town and, since the retreat of the Frozen Wastes to the north, a City.

Points of interest

Ferossa is known as the City of Waterfalls with good reason. A total of 31 waterfalls exist within the city limits, carrying meltwater from the mountains above to Lake Adherence below. These falls draw visitors from far and wide, seeking to catch a glimpse of this spectacular example of natural beauty.

Architecture

The architecture of Ferossa is hardy. Stone foundations provide a stable base amongst the snow covered ground, which is then topped with sturdy stripped log constructions, made usually from the local Ferossan Dark Pine, and covered with a roof of slate tile. A few of the grander buildings are made entirely of stone, but this expense is saved for building that truly warrant such a grandiose and time-consuming construction.

Geography

Ferossa sits in the shadow of three mountains at the southern end of the Saloess Ridge, known as The Three Sisters - Amarite, Francesca, and Melissa. The city is built around two tarns, near circular bowls left by glaciers long since past, known as Upper Hearth Tarn, and Lower Hearth Tarn. Three small rivers carry water into Upper Hearth Tarn. The first river, Pinnacle River, flows directly over the tip of the Pinnacle, and overextended needle like plateau that towers over most of the city and holds the Count's Manor, the White Palace. The fall is known the Synesian Cascade. the second river, White River, and the third river, Shaw's Water, tumble down a series of impressive waterfalls before reaching the Tarn. 
Upper Hearth Tarn then cascades over cliffs itself at it's southern tip, known as The Hearth Falls, into the much larger Lower Hearth Tarn just below. It is joined in filling Lower Hearth Tarn by two more meltwater rivers, The Great Rush, and Folly's Swim River, which themselves have a number of waterfalls within the city they tumble down to reach the Tarn. Lower Half Tarn reaches the shores of the immense Lake Adherence at a series of cliffs known as the Ferossan Cliffs. Here it drops over them spectacularly in a series of five huge waterfalls, known collectively as The Grand Cascade.
This whole scene of meltwater rivers, waterfalls, and Tarns, is set amongst the impressive, expansive reaches of a large Coniferous forest known as Dartino's Green. This combination of features has gained Ferossa no small amount of renown as a site of impressive natural beauty, with breath-taking views.

Climate

Ferossa has a very cold climate for the most part. From early Autumn through to Late Spring, snow blankets the ground here. In Late spring, the city thaws quickly, allowing rapidly growing alpine plants to bloom, and grow through the somewhat warmer summer seasons. These plants then die off quickly with the warmth as Autumn arrives, and the snow sets back in.

Natural Resources

Ferossa has three natural resources in great abundance. Lumber, Fish, and Iron Ore. The expansive forest of Dartino's Green is filled with the fast growing, hardwood conifer known as the Ferossan Dark Pine. Many lake fish live in the Upper and Lower Hearth Tarns, as well as the immense waters of Lake Adherence. Finally, Iron Ore is found in numerous veins throughout The Three Sisters mountains, and can be easily accessed for mining.

Maps

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  Ferossa

  A map of Ferossa, The City Of Waterfalls, located in the North-Western reaches of Gelding Wood , at the southern end of the Saloess Ridge mountain range.

Founding Date

PR.1208

Alternative Name(s)

The City Of Waterfalls

Type

City

Population

9029

Inhabitant Demonym

Ferossan

Location under

The Breadbasket

Owner/Ruler

Herrota Synesia

Ruling/Owning Rank

Count

Owning Organization

Gelding Wood