Neti

A mining town in the Zagarian mountains known for the production of Light Crystals.

Origin

Neti was founded in the 64th year of the Fedheran Union after attempts to tunnel through the Zagarian mountains led to the discovery of luminous crystals. The tunnelling began in 65FU and led by Almerian Sonoderi, brother of Lord Amalorn, in an effort to reach Hel - formerly ruled by the Purgers. After the Fall of Utopia, the Purgers disappeared and Hel became inaccessible through the pass at Anvil and by sea. When Almerian saw the light crystals, however, he abandoned the imagined treasures of Utopia and ordered the workers to focus instead on extracting all the light crystals they could find. Their camp quickly became permanent and Almerian named the new settlement 'Neti', after his pet bird.

Architecture

Being a mining town in the mountains, most of the architecture of Neti is made of stone. Dwellings are often single-storied with two rooms. They are built in square blocks of ten to twenty with a shared enclosure for animals (usually pigs) and latrines. Barracks for bachelors and seasonal workers are located next to the mines with their own private taverns to serve them with food, drink and past-time enjoyment.

History

After the death of Almerian in 77FU the settlement was taken over by the Throne and the first Baron was instituted. This change opened the village up to anyone from the Fedheran Union who wished to visit or settle there, and it grew into an industrious town.The Baron received funding, not only from the King, but also from merchants, craft guilds, and aspiring landowners looking to gain a foothold in the area. A lot of the sponsorships came in the form of paved roads, stone buildings, clean wells, and monuments to the founders.

Conflicts

In the 82nd year of the Fedheran Union, the King ordered three expeditions to dig in the Zagarian mountains for light crystals. Two of them were successful and gained the same support than Neti had. With this success came a rush of enterprising miners, some hailing all the way from Notandari, to build their fortuned on light crystals. The competition was not welcomed by the Netians. Unofficial raids were sent to sabotage neighbouring mines and villages, leading to stories of malicious hauntings and poisoned springs. Retaliation often came in the same form, however, bandit raids and sabotaged equipment did not affect the well-established Neti as much as the newer efforts.
The Merchants' Guild were deeply affected by internal rivalries. Their post in Neti was burned down four times in as many years and several of their members died unexpectedly under mysterious circumstances. As the conficts began to trickle into the capital city of Hammar, regulations were put in place, limiting the mining and sale of light crystals. The mountains were cleared off any unsanctioned mines, leaving only Neti and four others to operate.

A Miner's Life

Since the miners are an important workforce they are often treated very well by their employers, and honoured by non-miners, but are quickly discarded in cases of injury or old age affecting their production. The loss of employment can have disasterous consequences to the workers and their families, causing their evictions. Death in the mine is always preferable as it means a large payout to their families before they are evicted.

Founding Date

64FU

Type

Large town

Inhabitant Demonym

Netian

The Power of the Scroll

Since there are many rich people who have an invested interest in the town and the resources produced there, there is usually assistance available for the families of anyone who can show a Scroll of Empowerment as confirmation of their contribution to the industry. The Guild of Scribes and the Practitioner of Healing are among the organisations who offer discounted services to miners, smiths and guardsmen. However, if no one in the family has a Scroll of Empowerment they are likely to be evacuated and replaced with fresh and eager workers.