Floodfold
Floodfold is one of eight regional territories of the Realm of Talevir.
The territory is administered out of Sureharbor, along the south of Fogveil Bay.
The territory lays claim to and controls the southwest of Talevir, from West Hills at the headwaters of the Clay River and from Central Plain at the edge of the converging floodplains of the Clay and Floodfold rivers in the north, and west from the Fog Bound Sea to Deer Valley at the Floodfold Gate Road in the east.
Sureharbor is one of the great old cities of Talevir and remains one of the wealthiest and most important cities in the realm in the 900s Post Sundering.
Floodfold territory is largely comprised of four regions: the west coast of Talevir Bay, the great floodplain at the confluence of the Clay and Floodfold Rivers dominated by freshwater marshes and wet meadows, the southwestern highlands above cliffside coasts, and the southern half of Fogveil Bay.
While Sureharbor is a major city and the most prominent trading hub of the Fog Bound Sea, the surrounding hills to the east and headlands to the southwest are relatively sparsely populated. The relative security of the headlands, in particular, offers an opportunity for an idealization of agrarian leisure as viewed by the folks of Sureharbor. As such, wealthy merchant families have invested in the established villages to ensure services such as city watch, restaurants, and tailors are present where they would normally be strange to see in rural settings, being kept available for when families visit their seasonal manses. The town of Mixtrand, at the edge of the mixed woodland hills and the grassy range at the center of the headland, has managed to incongruously become a town with readily available books, tomes, magical components, and special inks with such investment, despite its provincial nature.
The Floodfold Gate to the Central Plains is a region both important for the realm as a whole as well as difficult to traverse. The Clay River is fed by fog drip and rainfall off Fogveil Bay captured by the hills at its eastern edge while the Floodfold River is fed by rain trapped in the hills north of Deer Valley plus springs fed by meltwater flowing underground from the mountains at the northern edge of The Spine. While these rivers are always flowing, they alternate wildly from slow, meandering braided rivers around the summer month of Vestil, to swollen broad stretches of flooded fields in the winter months through Riesl, with floods striking earlier and across a greater area than the snowmelt-driven floods in Deer Valley. The winter-spring flood period makes overland travel south of the gate quite difficult, though the primary crossing town of Stilts is built up to handle ferrying travelers headed between Sureharbor and Deer Valley during this time. Winter waterfowl is the centerpiece of new year's feasts in the region and smoked duck is a standard provision from the area. As waters recede, farmers near the gate and south of the confluence take advantage of rich sediment to plant barley, sorghum, and wheat, followed by beets and onions heading into the fall. Farther south, the Floodfold River shifts from a raging, gulch-cutting behemoth to a rocky, erosion-swept gravel bed infested with willows; as such, even small vessels are unable to navigate the river for most of the year. Willow sprigs/bark plus seasonal herbs make this area an important source for ingredients for healers and herbalists, however. Tilled earth from the area between Stilts and Willow Gulch and cliff sides farther south are also a source for much of the clay and mud used to make pottery, roof tiles, and bricks needed throughout the realm.
The territory is administered out of Sureharbor, along the south of Fogveil Bay.
The territory lays claim to and controls the southwest of Talevir, from West Hills at the headwaters of the Clay River and from Central Plain at the edge of the converging floodplains of the Clay and Floodfold rivers in the north, and west from the Fog Bound Sea to Deer Valley at the Floodfold Gate Road in the east.
Sureharbor is one of the great old cities of Talevir and remains one of the wealthiest and most important cities in the realm in the 900s Post Sundering.
Floodfold territory is largely comprised of four regions: the west coast of Talevir Bay, the great floodplain at the confluence of the Clay and Floodfold Rivers dominated by freshwater marshes and wet meadows, the southwestern highlands above cliffside coasts, and the southern half of Fogveil Bay.
While Sureharbor is a major city and the most prominent trading hub of the Fog Bound Sea, the surrounding hills to the east and headlands to the southwest are relatively sparsely populated. The relative security of the headlands, in particular, offers an opportunity for an idealization of agrarian leisure as viewed by the folks of Sureharbor. As such, wealthy merchant families have invested in the established villages to ensure services such as city watch, restaurants, and tailors are present where they would normally be strange to see in rural settings, being kept available for when families visit their seasonal manses. The town of Mixtrand, at the edge of the mixed woodland hills and the grassy range at the center of the headland, has managed to incongruously become a town with readily available books, tomes, magical components, and special inks with such investment, despite its provincial nature.
The Floodfold Gate to the Central Plains is a region both important for the realm as a whole as well as difficult to traverse. The Clay River is fed by fog drip and rainfall off Fogveil Bay captured by the hills at its eastern edge while the Floodfold River is fed by rain trapped in the hills north of Deer Valley plus springs fed by meltwater flowing underground from the mountains at the northern edge of The Spine. While these rivers are always flowing, they alternate wildly from slow, meandering braided rivers around the summer month of Vestil, to swollen broad stretches of flooded fields in the winter months through Riesl, with floods striking earlier and across a greater area than the snowmelt-driven floods in Deer Valley. The winter-spring flood period makes overland travel south of the gate quite difficult, though the primary crossing town of Stilts is built up to handle ferrying travelers headed between Sureharbor and Deer Valley during this time. Winter waterfowl is the centerpiece of new year's feasts in the region and smoked duck is a standard provision from the area. As waters recede, farmers near the gate and south of the confluence take advantage of rich sediment to plant barley, sorghum, and wheat, followed by beets and onions heading into the fall. Farther south, the Floodfold River shifts from a raging, gulch-cutting behemoth to a rocky, erosion-swept gravel bed infested with willows; as such, even small vessels are unable to navigate the river for most of the year. Willow sprigs/bark plus seasonal herbs make this area an important source for ingredients for healers and herbalists, however. Tilled earth from the area between Stilts and Willow Gulch and cliff sides farther south are also a source for much of the clay and mud used to make pottery, roof tiles, and bricks needed throughout the realm.
Type
Territory
by Thomas Smith
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