Neidr
Neidr and its neighboring towns and villages comprise what is called the Neidr City-State of The Pythos Empire. As a controlling city, it is moderately populated, by mainly lower class farmers, farmhands, poor workers, and shop keepers. It is an out of the way territory that thought that it would be quite happy to be forgotten by the other city-states. As the economy crashed after the empire was unified, it found that it needed to come up with new strategies in order to maintain itself. Relying on its number one resource, the horse, it put forth several efforts to create a resurgent economy. Even with its newfound success, Neidr strives to remain apolitical and only has allegiance to Pythia itself.
Day to day life here is usually routine and uninteresting, with people working hard to make a living. Frequent events at the Showstables, Auction House, Racetrack, and Gaming Grounds build city morale as well its bank account and supplies many people with jobs, entertainment, and escape from their daily worries. The city economy thrives on these four venues and would not have been able to grow and become the controlling power in the territory without their existence.
Demographics
Despite The Pythos Empires general hatred of nonhumans, the people of Neidr, especially those farther away from Pythia, are much more accepting of others. The people here still adhere to the national laws, but most will not go out of their way to cause trouble or report nonhumans. Dwarves have always been the exception in the Empire and valued for their forging abilities, workmanship, and equal dislike of most things nondwarven. Elves however are still hated, but there is a bit of sympathy for half-elves. As such the population here is about 96% human, 3% dwarf, and 1% halfling, with perhaps a few others hidden in the shadows.
Government
The government here is simple and currently run by a council of the 10 most productive horse owners. Only the top producing horse owners are represented and any additional owner wishing to be on the council must be voted on for entry. Each council member has one vote and each member is only answerable to the council and Pythia if applicable.
Defences
While this city has no walls, it is surrounded by wooden fences around its perimeter, mostly to keep the horses inside of its boundaries. It is defended by a small militia that serves as local law enforcement and military defense when needed. The militia is run by a representative of The Pythos Empire and can request additional support troops when needed. Troop barracks are located around the perimeter of the city lands and house several catapults. Additional trained attack War Monitor, Lizarriot, and mounted Spiked Monitors are housed in a barracks near the training grounds on the southern edge of the city near the Silt River.
Industry & Trade
Most inhabitants here make a living either directly or indirectly related to horse farming. Due to Neidrs location on the flat grasslands and access to the Silt River, food and water for raising horse has allowed them to become the main industry of the city. While merchants of all varieties do exist in the city, the main export is in live horses for sport or in horse meat. These are most often exchanged for the more rare building materials.
After the war unifying The Pythos Empire, The First Holy Emperor required that a great feast be held to celebrate the united peoples of the city-states. The lack of cattle and pigs in the region required that the abundant horses left over from the war, become utilized as the primary meat source. The wounded and dying horses from the battles were butchered and served at the first Konj Kuvar feast as a way of honoring the warriors who fought and died during the war. From this point forward horses were bred and raised for their meat and became the official and preferred meat of the Empire. Advancements in Monitor training have continued to make horses obsolete other than for food and sport.
Infrastructure
Originally set up as an expansive farming community, the great influx of people, merchants, and livestock has created a fast changing city blueprint. After the unification of the Empire the farming town transformed into a farming city. The wealthy that once occupied the center of the city have been slowly relocating to the cooler eastern side of the city.
Hard packed dirt roads that once crisscrossed the inner city have been replaced with cobblestone but the merchants and shops are still set up encircling the former glory of the central and once wealthy citizens. Cobblestone roads now radiate outwards from the inner city connecting the new wealthy manors in the east, as well as leading to the famous Neidr Showstables, Auction House, Neidr Racetrack, and Gaming Grounds. Dirt roads still run throughout the remainder of the city. Most common folk live on the outskirts of the shop sections and the poorest live farther out towards the grasslands. Farmers both large and small live on homesteads out in the grasslands.
Districts
Several districts have sprung in the modern day city of Neidr. While the wealthy have moved and begun building estates in the cooler, eastern portions of the city, the middle class have moved into their old neighborhoods in the central part of the city. Here they feel that they are moving up in the hierarchy and are closer to the merchants and shops and away from the sights, sounds, and smells of the less fortunate inhabitants. Shops, merchants, inns, pubs, and bakeries encircle the inner city forming an economic boundary between the middle class and lower income people who live on the other side of the shops. Despite their lower income they are a happy people who feel they are just as close to the shops and entertainment as anyone else is. Beyond this, the grasslands open up with farms and homesteads scattered around the plains. The Neidr Showstables, Auction House, Neidr Racetrack, and the Gaming Grounds are all located equally spaced in a semi circle in between the edge of the city buildings and the grasslands.
Assets
While individuals may be or become wealthy, most people are low income or middle class and the city itself is poor in comparison to other city-states. The only real assets of value are the farmlands themselves and the abundant horses that are raised in the city. With the new developments of the Neidr Showstables, Auction House, Racetrack, and Gaming Grounds, the city council is putting forth new efforts to raise money and influence in the Empire.
Guilds and Factions
Few guilds exist in this city, but the most powerful ones are those related to the horses. Some of the more significant guilds are:
Auction Guild, that coordinates the buying, selling, trading, and auctioning of horses.
Breeding Guild, that oversees the breeding numbers and purity of the horses as well as organizing show competitions in the Neidr Showstables.
Butchers Guild, that manages the quantity and quality of horses that are prepared for market.
Racing Guild, that directs and regulates the various horse races and betting for the Neidr Racetrack.
Sport Guild, that organizes various horsemanship games and events for the public on the Gaming Grounds.
History
Neidr has always been a very apolitical city-state both before and after the unification into The Pythos Empire. When the war broke out, it quickly sided with Pythia and made great profit supplying it with horses and food for the war effort. After unification the demand for horse and food was severely diminished, rich politicians moved out, and Neidr was plunged into economic turmoil. It has struggled ever since, barely sustaining itself, and being reduced to just a few farming communities, merchants, and peasant workers. Many had to find work any way that they could, often through many unsavory and illegal ways. Eventually the city council formed to try and reverse the direction of the city and implemented many new ideas and strategies to bolster the economy. Their greatest breakthroughs came from the ideas to put people to work building and running the Neidr Showstables, the Auction House, the Neidr Racetrack, and the Gaming Grounds. Since the time of their ground breaking, the economy and has steadily improved year after year.
Tourism
Tourism here was nonexistent for most of the city's history, but with popularity of Hesta Bucatar's book, Hooffing It: Meals On The Move by Hesta Bucatar, her popular eateries, The Excellent Equus and The Cavall Cuisine, people come from all over the Empire to taste her delicious foods. The city councils initiative creating the Neidr Showstables, the Neidr Racetrack, the Auction House, and the Gaming Grounds has begun to cause a huge influx of tourists to the economically suffering city. The council is beginning to search for available land to build several inns to accommodate the new travelers.
Architecture
Spruce, cypress, and oak with limestone and sandstone are usually used for constructions here. The lower class usually have homes made from mud bricks and shanties held together with various scrap materials. The middle class has stone foundations with wooden walls and roofs and painted various earth tone shades. The upper class can afford to have imported materials of higher quality stone and wood to build their houses from. They usually paint their homes with golden hues representing the vast grasslands of the region.
Geography
Neidr is located on a large, hot, dry, grassy plain directly below the capital city-state of Pythia and continues south until it reaches the Silt River. It is wedged between the city-states of Orm to the west and Yilan to the east.
Natural Resources
Few natural resources exist here in the grasslands. Most resources come from the many varieties of horses and chickens that are raised here in the farming lands.
Alternative Name(s)
The City of Horses
Type
City
Population
Approximately 9,000 residents live in and around this city.
Inhabitant Demonym
Upper class inhabitants are often referred to as "Horsemen" and the lower class as "Stablers" due to their jobs working with horses in one manner or another.
Owning Organization
Religion:
The state religion of Neidr is the same as that of The Pythos Empire as decreed by The First Holy Emperor Of The Pythos Empire in 248 A.S. For nearly 500 years the people have worshiped Ssarpele, The Black Serpent Of The Dark. All other religions are prohibited and punishable by imprisonment or death. Some exceptions have been made for Ssarpeles offspring of Nyoka, Ukame, Se’em Kohltul, and The Dark Serpent which are overlooked on occasion. Recently several worshipers of Mehwaz, God Of Sport and Collita, Daughter Of The Harvest have been discovered in Neidr. Despite their claims of innocence and good intentions, all offenders were arrested and sentenced to public executions by order of The Holy Emperor.Points Of Interest:
- The Excellent Equus
- The Cavall Cuisine
- The Neidr Showstables
- The Neidr Racetrack
- The Auction House
- The Gaming Grounds
Notable People:
- Hesta Bucatar
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