Huelva Castle
"From here, for generations and here today, we have guarded our nation from any who passed through those mountains with malicious intentions towards our people. We shield our fellow L'yonians from the cold winds that attempt to ruin the world we have made for the ones we love. We are the Lion's pride, its heart, its teeth, and its claws, and we will never forgive those who have trespassed on our Rock." -Asada Ziyad II, shortly before raiding Charlemagne's army during the The Siege of Huelva.Huelva Castle is a spectical to behold, a masterpiece in terms of defense and defensive engineering. The castle has two sets of walls, the outer made of wood, the inner of stone, centered around a large stone keep. The keep itself is three stories tall and roughly 100 meters in length and width, its sides dotted with decorative carvings and loop-holes for ranged defenders to safely fire from inside. The carvings depict the many heroes of House Ziyad defending their homes from foreign invaders and monsters, most notably is the depiction of Affan Ziyad III slaying Betohmen Reeglas, an ancient Black Dragon of enormous size. The outlying village of Huelva lies just shy of half a mile west of the castle. A bustling village town surrounded by fields of barley and potatoes, Huelva is known for its quarries and stone workers. It is because of the hard work from the quarries that the masons and stone carvers have amply supplies of stone and is because of them that Huelva Castle stands strong to this day. To ensure the safety of the villagers, around a dozen small, stone safe houses line the road to Huelva to shelter villagers in case of a surprise attack. Built in 587 by Usad Ziyad, Huelva Castle is the home of House Ziyad.
Demographics
The majority of the population has settled in the village of Huelva west of Huelva Castle. Many have built their houses either near the stone quarry or near the fields, closer to the village center. There are two taverns in Huelva that provide the inhabitants with food, drink, and entertainment, as well as several shops that sell general goods. Roughly two dozen inhabitants work in Huelva Castle as scribes, squires, engineers, diplomats, and house servants.
The
Government
Much like the other two Houses that govern L'yon, House Ziyad has proved themselves to be of the people for the people and have brought prosperity to their inhabitants. Positions of power that normally are held by royalty are shared with their people equally. They participate in the L'yonian tradition of adopting proven members of their communities into their ranks. House Ziyad has always looked for those who defend their homeland with pride and dignity. Many of the Knights of Ziyad are common folk who have proven to have these traits either on the battlefield or during times of turmoil.
Having such prosperity does require a fair share of obedience on the part of the common folk. The laws set into place are reasonable, but rigid and stern in punishment if broken. Punishment for law breakers typically includes giving property to the community or forced labor in the mines for an extended period of time, largely dependent on the severity of the crime committed. However, if the crime is severe enough, punishment can include exile or even execution, though the later hasn't been used in over a century. Crime rate is low.
House Ziyad does not believe forcing the common folk to bear the burden of the state so taxation in Huelva is minimal. The rulers of House Ziyad use their most of their wealth to keep their civilians safe by providing protection, housing, as well as food and water. House Ziyad then collects donations from for extra benefits to their settlements and Huelva is no exception to this. The money is then spent on things that improve the life of their vassals, such as festivals, emergency funds for disasters, new tools or research in medicine and agriculture.
Defences
Huelva Castle stands on a level plateau some ten feet above the ground with its gate to the south is the only gradually sloped area near the walls. The walls of Huelva Castle stand forty feet high and are roughly twenty feet thick, made of a combination of sandstone and granite. Around the foot of the plateau they have dug a moat that is twenty feet wide and seven feet deep and is filled with water that is electrified by their mages that have specialized in lighting and fire magic. These mages also plant fire triggered mines that detonate in a fiery explosion if struck with fire magic.
There are four towers on each of the corners of the walls. Ten feet higher than the walls, they are each loaded with two medium ballista that is equipped to shoot fifteen times before more ammo must be fetched in the bottom of the tower. These ballistas, with their elevated range and extremely well trained operators, give the castle the means to destroy incoming siege equipment, as well as inflict heavy damage to invading troops. On the roof of the keep is the Dragoon's Lance, a gargantuan ballista that fires thirty foot bolts meant to slay dragons, though it can also be used against ground troop with devastating results to anything it strikes.
Infrastructure
The village of Huelva has an impressive series of quarries and mines that pull iron, stone, coal, and copper from the earth below. Well paved roads connect the mining areas to the village center where the shops and local entertainment is located. The Dragon's Tooth and Talem's Biscuit provide food and drink to patrons while traders from around L'yon come to contract the masons, sculptors, and quarry men as their prowess with stone is unmatched in the Kingdom of L'yon.
Alternative Name(s)
The Lion's Rock
Type
Military, Base
Population
~800
Inhabitant Demonym
Huelvian
Owning Organization
