Droyca (DROY-ka)
This is the hometown of my heroine and setting of part of Chapters One and Two (they move north at the beginning of Chapter Three), where she was raised by a foster family (unbeknownst to her until Chapter Two). Ria's Childhood Home is the only building I've elaborated on so far.
Demographics
Primarily Laranians, but due to being a border town—and especially because it has been set aside as a diplomatic nexus—the population includes Ecrians and Lowlanders of more than one variety.
Government
Ruled by Lord and Lady Droicia from their nearby estate (five minute walk uphill to viewpoint), but also has a town council of three elders from various walks of life who do more of the day to day ruling/oversight.
Defences
This is not a particularly defended settlement. The fields are open to all, though fenced to keep livestock in... as much as fences can be trusted to do with energetic animals trying to break out now and again. The whole point of the town is to welcome people together, so while there are guard patrols (both internally and externally, as well as at the Estate) to make sure nothing untoward is going on, there are not walls. This has actually been a boon, as the town keeps growing.
Infrastructure
For all it is a diplomatic destination, it's still a town like any other. Buildings in the center near the large communal hall (where one of the village elders is always present) are more functional, while residences ring the town with fields beyond that. Most residences have at least a small yard for their own livestock, while larger areas are often somewhat communal (a rough stable owned by an extended family collectively) if not open to all. A rudimentary sewer system is in use, though it's little more than covered trenches for much of the town.
The roads in Droyca are one of the ways it differs from most Chailaran towns, as they are all well-built, stone-paved roads designed with an eye for drainage and with walkways on at least one side. Travelers are one of the purposes of the town, and so royal resources were spent long ago to enhance the travelability of the roads to and from in every Chailaran direction, at least. Epraisia had made some token efforts to continue the roads, but they quickly begin to degrade within an hour's walk from Droyca proper.
Districts
Droyca is designed in threes, much like the name implies. At the crossroads itself sits the Council Hall and a large square used as a gathering place for a variety of purposes. The three districts are roughly diplomatic, crafting, and agricultural, with residences scattered throughout and around the edges. The diplomatic sector is to the more Chaecrian side (northeast), ascending toward Droicia Estate. The crafting sector ranges along the border with Epraisia (south), and the agricultural sector opens into Chailaran pastures and farmland (northwest). The crafting sector has also become a merchant's dream, with open-air markets where wares of every origin are bought and sold. Though most places to stay are in the diplomatic sector, those near the crafting sector tend to be more commoner-friendly than those edifices closer to Droicia Estate.
Points of interest
Droicia Estate up the northeastern hill/ridge. Central council hall and forum.
Tourism
It's not so much that there are many tourists so much as there is a goodly portion of the town devoted to hospitality of various forms to serve those on diplomatic missions of whatever sort might bring them to Droyca. A large twelve-sided wheelhouse is located next to the central guard post for single, male travelers, and a group of smaller wheelhouses and roundhouses are kept by a local family as options for those traveling with family or entourage. Several larger stone buildings are home to or available to noble delegations, the largest of which is a permanent home to the current Chaecrian emissary and his family. Support structures are the majority of the diplomatic sector, providing everything from food and drink, to lodging and stabling, to entertainment.
Architecture
Droyca has grown over the years since it was officially deemed a diplomatic center. The outermost areas containing villager residences are mostly wood-structured, thatched, wattle-and-daub roundhouses like any small village in Chailara. Families that have been in Droyca longer, those with more money (such as those catering to travelers), or those with favored positions working for the Estate have evolved into dry stone wheelhouses, some with support structures of both wood and stone. Architecture has progressed enough that the main buildings or those meant for noble use are trussed stone edifices beginning to make use of ornamental design features rather than being purely functional. The Estate on the northeastern rise above the town has grown into a small castle or a large manor house, depending on the perspective of the viewer. It is built of stone with a thatched roof that is gradually being replaced with the new fired-clay tiles.
Geography
The town was built around a crossroads of major roads, each of which are the most convenient and flattest paths. In this case, that puts most of the town in something of a valley, while the hills enclose it in a protected area. The hill north of town is just to the east of the northern road (which forks to lead to Asharqora and Shartorin). On this northeastern rise (which continues as a rolling sort of high ground) lies the manor of the Lord Droicia, and the grounds around it are dedicated as his estate. To the east-southeast of town lies Lake Droyca (also Orzenreed Lake), the easternmost shore of which is the landmark by which the Chailaran/Chaecrian border was drawn. South of town the roads divide in multiple directions, with an eastern road following the southern shore of Lake Droyca eastward (a road which forms the southern border of Chaecrya), a southwestern road to the sea (which forms the southern border of Chailara), and a southern road through Epraisia further into the Lowlands. (This southern road splits further south, and the eastern fork leads to Fethonia, capital of Feshaesia.)
Natural Resources
Most of the natural resources in Droyca are in the farms and the pastureland that supports sheep and cattle. The lake has been fished in the past, but due to limited stock it is not a significant asset anymore, and fishing has been limited to personal use only. There is a quarry further north along the same rise as the lord's estate, but it is used for building materials only, not anything of significant value (no gems, ores, or coal).
Type
Town, roughly 1,300 residents
Founded in
1st-2nd century RR
Controlled by
Lord and Lady Droicia (see Droicia Estate)
King and Queen of Chailara (indirectly)
Inhabitant Demonym
Droycan(s)
Country
Chailara
Region
The Midlands
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