Boville River Valley

Boville is a trading post that serves the greater Boville River Valley region. It supplies beef and dairy products to various regions of the Kingdom of Kerak. Eleven large family ranches make up the bulk of the herds but a few independent ranches have managed to stay in business. The eleven families have formed a Cowncil that governs local economic issues such as grazing rights, herd health, and herd defense. However, a regional Prefect still rules the region. The majority of the population lives on ranches miles away from the small oupost, but the town itself does have a ten dozen permanent residents that run shops and services the most important being the slaughterhouses.

Government

Monarchy (Kerak). Local Goverment structure consists of The Town Cowncil.

Industry & Trade

Imports

Ale Fruits/Vegetables Luxury Goods Tobacco Tools Wheat

Exports

Beef Dairy Products

Trade and Commerce

The Cowncil heavily regulates the cattle and dairy trade in Boville and the surrounding River Valley. All cattle are tagged, births and slaughters are recorded, and every vat of milk is tested. Each family is given one month to slaughter. Independent ranches are allowed to slaughter during the last month. Around 150-200 cattle are slaughtered per month. The region currently fields around 25,000 beef cattle with that number increasing as local populations grow. Ranches are free to produce as much milk as they want. The region currently fields around 150 dairy cows which produce around 4500 liters of milk per day. About 40% of the milk is used for cheese. All milk that is transported out of the region is required to be pasteurized. Ranches pride themselves in their frequently updated milk cap designs. A game using those milk caps has grown in popularity in and around the surrounding regions.

History

Boville traces its origins to Cadford. There, the soon-to-be Boville River Valley region’s first cattle family, The Domingo family, moved far south to have undisturbed pastures to steer their large herds. They wanted to distinguish their cattle from the grain-fed cattle that dominated Casford by raising only grass-fed beef. Without the protection of Cadford, the Domingo family had to turn to mercenaries to help defend the herd from natural predators, rustlers, and other threats. As the Domingo family’s wealth grew,other families from Cadford moved south to do the same. Territorial disputes arose and families fought each other many miles away from any law enforcement presence. Eventually, an alliance of eleven families formed and either forced out the other big families. including the Domingo Family), or reduced them to much smaller ranches. To both ensure their control over the region and make sure the remaining families didn't fight each other. a Cowncil was formed to regulate the cattle trade and a collaborative village was built to support the ranches. They named it and the region the Boville River Valley. A petition to become a recognized settlement was presented to the Capital of Kerak City which was accepted and a Prefect was sent to govern the village. While there was now an official court and law enforcement presence in the region, most disputes between ranches would still be handled behind the closed doors of the Cowncil. Boville's grass-fed beef quickly became popular throughout the Kingdom. With the family wars over and regional stability all but assured, the ranches were able to grow their herds large enough to feed much of the kingdom. They expanded to dairy soon after, and became a powerful competitor in that industry as well. To distinguish their milk from other producers, one of the 11 families, the Florez, started designing their caps with various colorful designs. Their designs became popular with children, who would use them to play Caps, a milk cap stacking game, and the other families to follow in their footsteps. The game spread throughout the Kingdom and Boville River Valley Milk Caps are considered the most valuable amongst Caps enthusiasts.

Points of interest

Chambers

The Cowncil meets and holds offices in a building known as Chambers. Either a Cowncil member or temporary representative of each family is available for meetings most days.

Milk Cap Museum

A museum dedicated to Milk Caps and the Caps game is located near the docks and holds the largest known collection of Milk Caps. Its gift shop features many hard to find caps that attract collectors and merchants from around the kingdom.

Steers and Beers

At four stories tall, Steers and Beers is the largest Inn and Tavern in town. Also located near the docks, it frequently attracts travelers and merchants looking for a drink or freshly cut steak. It's run by Evelyn Garanca, a former captain of a merchant ship.

Geography

The Boville RIver Valley is situated along the western banks of the Periphery River between Cadford to the north and Austinburgh to the south. Its pastures extend west to the base of the Blue Mountains. The pastures are mostly flat in the east with rolling hills to the west.

Type

Village

Population

361

Inhabitant Demonym

Mixed; Majority Human and Hobling

Location under

Continent of Alteria

Owner/Ruler

Prefect Roberto Villazón

Owning Organization

Kingdom of Kerak