Camalin
The capital of Briana is a title that holds a lot of weight and it’s a weight that its people are delighted to carry. Camalin is a grand, industrial city nestled comfortably in the confines of the Wodenwood.
Demographics
The vast majority of the population is either Briane or Tuatha, as they are the dominant peoples in the region. Most other ethnicities are vast minorities or travelers who intend to someday leave. The ethnic map of the city is as follows:
- Briane: 43%
- Tuatha: 23%
- Rema: 16%
- Vörðr : 16%
- *Others: 4%
Defences
Camalin would be difficult to assault, as the innermost parts of the city are on the crown of a large hill. While it has expanded as the population has grown, the defenses of the original city remain and have continued to advance throughout the centuries. The outermost suburbs of the city are surrounded by a sturdy, lumber fences, towering 20 feet above any oncoming forces. This is advantageous for the city, as the density of the forest combined with the rugged, hilly terrain is difficult for an army to get through on foot, and makes transportation of any siege engine hell. The main entrance into this portion of the city is blocked by a sturdy gatehouse, funneling attacking forces into a barrage of arrow fire and rocks.
Should they breach the inner gate, the army must wind their way through the city up to the gates of the middle city. However, the walls of this division of the city are not sturdy lumber, but solid stone: more specifically, the material known as Foch, or snowstone, much more durable than the types of stone used in other regions.
Industry & Trade
The main industries and trades of choice mostly have to do with lumber. Ask around, you'll find that the majority of people are in the logging industry, whether they by chopping the trees down or running the sawmills that turn them into lumber. This is primarily due to the abundance of Skywood in the surrounding forest: timber from these trees is legendary for its durability, forming the strongest shields. As such, the city is a major contributor to the trade of skywood.
The only trades that compare are those of mining, masonry, and metallurgy. With the city's easy access to the materials of the earth, mines and quarries are incredibly common, and just as beneficial to the city as the lumber. That which lumber can't support is built by stonemasons, who collect their materials from any number of quarry-men and miners, all of whom are in turn sustained by the blacksmiths who repair and forge their tools, of which the materials are collected by the miners.
The fur trade is also great industry, as the Wōdenwood is home to a wide menagerie of animals known for having thick, dense coats of fur. Many citizens of the city's outer neighborhoods hunt and often take their furs into town to trade. Many a man come within the inner city with the coat of a fine stag, hoping to trade it in for some extra coin or something else that may be of interest. this maintains a constant flow of trade thus sustaining a suitable economy.
Infrastructure
Camalin is called by some the “Sawman’s Cradle,” and for good reason. Every district in the city has at least one or two sawmills, carving the great Skywood trees into usable lumber. The lumber mills of Briana are legendary, and those in Camalin are no exception. Other seats of infrastructure of the city are the smithies and the quarries. Stonemasons build what the lumbermen can’t support on its own and the blacksmiths forge and repair the tools used by them, meaning business is almost always good.
The city is surrounded by a thick, Skywood forest, there are only a few roads that lead to Camalin. Much of the travel takes place via the Ælen River , which flows from the northwest all the way to the sea on the east coast, past the Allfire Peaks. This river is the most efficient route to travel, as it is relatively calm most of the time and thereby easiest to navigate. Therefore, most of the people and resources come in and out of town via the river.
Sewage is dumped into trenches that are connected to sewer tunnels, which in turn are connected to aqueducts that lead out of the city, as opposed to in, thus carrying waste out of the city without dumping it into the river. These aqueducts are only used to bring sewage out of the city, as the river is the primary source of drinking water for the inhabitants.
Architecture
The vast majority of buildings in Camalin are simple and made for practicality over flare. Most of the outer residential buildings are simple timber homes with thatched roofs. Once inside the middle city, the buildings become bigger and more expensive, though not by much. Many of these buildings timber post structures with thatched roofs, although certain religious centers or barracks are constructed from stone.
Geography
The city is settled in the winding forest of the Wodenwood and is spread out from the top of a great hill, one of the tallest in the rugged woodland. The city is further supported by the Ælen River, which is the easiest way in and out. This river floods occasionally, but it does so in a pattern that is easy for the inhabitants to predict and the river is calm most of the time. In addition, the river flows past the Allfire Peaks and empties into the sea to the east, allowing for Briana to have trade and influence in the southern regions and gives them access to the ocean, should they so desire it.
Natural Resources
The greatest resource of the region is the Skywood trees that dominate the surrounding wood. The lumbar of these trees is one of the symbols and most valuable treasure of not just Camalin, but also Briana.
Aside from that, the surrounding hills are rich in ores, such as iron, and the stone known as Foch, or snowstone. This type of stone is hard and makes for strong building materials, thus making it desirable for construction and defense. Mines and quarries also occasionally dig up valuable gems and minerals, which the people are quick to trade among themselves.
The eastern section of the of the middle city is reserved for shepherds and herdsmen, who raise livestock such as pigs, sheep, and cattle. The southern division is reserved for farmers who wish to grow their crops, most often wheat and barley. These sub-sectors helps to sustain the population, without chopping down the valuable forest.
For those residing in the outer city, however, herds are small and usually reserved to sheep and dairy cattle. As such, much of their food comes from the Wōdenwood: many people hunt, and the woods are rich with deer, boar, and a mass abundance of small animals. If the hunt goes poorly, many are happy to try their luck on the river, with its abundance of fish and other freshwater life. During the spring, all the best fishermen gather on its banks, to get the best they can out of the populous salmon and gigantic sturgeon that swim up the river to spawn. Not only is fish meat plentiful this time of year, but many who are lucky dine on delicious caviar.
Alternative Name(s)
The Sawman’s Cradle
Type
Capital
Population
50,000
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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