Karolis - The Thormenalan District

The Thormenalan District covers the southern end of Karolis from wall to wall. It goes as far north as Baker Street, the first east-west street in Karolis that runs the entire width of the town. Entry into Karolis from the south is through the Altanos Gate.   Immediately upon entering Karolis through the Altanos Gate, there is caravanserai on both sides of the Soremna - Altanos Dakel. Beyond them are warehouses and stables.
Pound for pound, the Thormenalans move more goods through Karolis than any other Kingdom, even more than the Haradelans. The Thoremenalans are well-known as crafty traders and merchants. Their reputation is well-earned, for only the Symidians have a merchant class that is as developed and prominent in their society.
As well as moving the most goods through Karolis, it must also be noted that there are more Thormenalans in Karolis than people from any other Kingdom. Only the Haradelans come close, but even the combined populations of Kandorans and Trilians do not surpass the Thormenalans.
Thormenalan merchants are more likely to bring family members to Karolis when they travel there and are more likely to stay for an extended period. Families are a common sight in the Thormenalan district. Children running through the streets and families out and about town are expected south of Baker Street.
In Thormenalan culture, it is expected that the sons and daughters of merchants will begin helping their parents when they turn eight. They will learn the ins and outs of selling, profit, and merchandising. By the tender age of twelve, they are ready to accompany their parent or parents on trips to foreign lands in the pursuit of goods to sell. By the time they reach the age of majority, they are experienced merchants.
The preponderance of Thormenalans in Karolis gives the town a Thormenalan feel. Commerce is everywhere, as is lending and banking, which the Thormenalans have been developing and using to extend their influence. Merchants in Karolis can now borrow money from Thormenalan moneylenders to purchase goods and future goods.
The Thormenalan merchants use a mixture of house guards, private mercenaries, and Thormenalan troops stationed at Outpost Krotus to guard their goods and persons. The Thormenalans are well known for the many mercenary companies that call Thormenal home. Many have sent small groups of soldiers to Karolis at the behest of a wealthy merchant. This makes for a riotous combination of colors on liveries about town, and it is often hard to keep up with which uniform belongs to which merchant or mercenary company.
Thormenal is socially stratified; the merchants do not hang out in the same tavern as the soldiers that guard them, save the one or two personal bodyguards to the merchant and their family. After the sun sets, the Thormenalans retire two blocks west of the Thormenalan warehouses. There, two taverns serve very different groups of people.
The Tall Grass Tavern, almost to the southern wall of Karolis, is a wild, seedy place that serves mercenaries, mostly Thormenalan. The ale is cheap and plentiful, coming from a brewery in the nearby village of Symlon, and supplemented with rarer ales from Altanos. The food is edible, warm, and hardy.
Iriva Maylo, formerly of the Red Dawn Mercenaries from Ularum, owns the Tall Grass. She is a hard-bitten woman with years of service behind her. She was smart enough not to spend too much time and money in taverns like the Tall Grass when she fought with the Red Dawn.
She employs a local hunter, Umal Dovda, to keep the tavern in fresh meat to feed the hungry masses of mercenaries that darken her door. In return, Umal keeps a room at the Tall Grass as his primary residence, but he rarely stays there.
Across the street to the north of the Tall Grass is the Gilded Trencher. The Gilded Trencher caters to the Merchant class and is a much nicer establishment.
The Gilded Trencher features fine Thormenalan and Koronnan wines, imported Thormenalan food favorites, and even entertainment from Thormenal. The Trencher’s owner, Porbril Laris, knows precisely what his highborn clients want and are missing from home and supplies it in droves.
South of the Altanos Gate lies Outpost Krotus, a small Thormenalan military fort whose name changes with every election in Thormenal. With the prohibition of military troops in Karolis, a special provision was given in the Soremna Declaration for each of the kingdoms that desired to build a small outpost near Karolis where its troops could provide an escort for essential goods or people moving to and from town.
The outpost is still under the jurisdiction of the Linvolkan and the Voleshderin. They only meddle in the outposts if they have no other choice. There is a military commander in Outpost Krotus, as there is in Outpost Mundar, the Haradelan equivalent on the west side of Karolis.
The commander of Outpost Krotus, Erkan - Captain - Jastan Nevaris, is in close communication with the Thormenalan merchants. He commands a small contingent of fast cavalry from the Thunder Hooves Mercenary Company, a handful of City troops from Altanos, and a small delegation of heavy cavalry from Altanos that House Krolum provides to act as honor guard for Merchants and goods important to Elector Krolum.
When not escorting goods south to Altanos, Nevaris’ troops patrol the Soremna - Altanos Dakel to keep it clear of bandits. Bandits are often a problem and prey on unguarded shipments traveling the road. Sometimes they ask for a toll or a stipend for their protection, and other times they relentlessly attack, killing and pillaging.

Type

District