Burrath

Burrath is a city in eastern Galessia. A dominion of the United Tribes of Marfall, Burrath lies in the region known as the Blessed Breadleas, and is one of the Twin Cities, twinned with the Free City of Crosswell across the Esmar Lagoon. Known for the Gaothair Library, the largest of its kind in Galessia, Burrath is a growing hub of development, knowledge, and enlightenment, vying with its twin for the title of "Galessia's Waversham".

History

Burrath is the oldest city in eastern Galessia. Founded by weary expeditionists who set out from the Kingdom of Dergeria and traversed the entire Great Rainforest, and named for their leader, Merti Burrath, who perished during the last leg of the expedition, Burrath was conceived as a northern gateway for adventurers seeking to set out into the rainforests. An adventuring guild was created by the remnants of the expedition, hoping to attract adventurers to seek their fortune, but due to the remote location of the fledgling settlement, few ever made their way there. Thus, it wasn't long until the adventuring guild vanished, and naught remained of Burrath but a few buildings by the lagoon.
When settlers from the Kingcity of Herdskeep founded Crosswell a century later, they spotted the village of Burrath across the lagoon, by now mostly inhabited by orcs cast out from their tribes. Initial contact was hostile, and in the first years, the Burrathites commonly raided the young settlement. However, after the enterprising Crosswellians struck a deal with the village, relations cooled, and Crosswell began to grow. In its shadow, Burrath grew, too: often serving as a secondary stash and safehouse for the criminal elements of the Free City.
This changed when gnome scholar Fabiana Dimarccio landed on Burrath's pier. She had come over from the City of Bloomsburgh in Asmarea, searching for new horizons in academia, and found in Galessia the uneducated masses she sought to enlighten. However, in Crosswell, she encountered naught but ridicule for her heritage, and thus, she came to the town of Burrath, seeking a better prospect. The orcs and half-orcs of the town believed in proving one's worth, and with her immense intellect, Dimarccio quickly did just that, and was embraced in the community. She founded a house of learning, where many young locals got their first chance at a proper education. One of these locals was a young half-orc named Gaothair, who turned out to be a prodigious student. After his education, the two became partners, and founded two more institutions: the Dimarccio Institute for Official Gnomish Affairs in Galessia, or Diogag, and the Gaothair Library. For the remainder of their lives, the two oversaw the institutions that bore their names, growing the community into a respected city within the span of a century.
In modern times, Burrath has proven itself to be a pearl of civilization, making peace with Crosswell, and establishing relations across the seas, encouraging more gnomes to settle in the city. After the union of the tribes in Marfall, the wizened of Burrath were called upon to help establish a functioning democracy within the new nation. After both sides were pleased with the result, Burrath agreed to join the union as an observer entity for two decades. When the deadline came, war had broken out on the continent, and Burrath chose to remain simply to guarantee the proper flow of democracy during wartime. Due to this, within the Marfallian voting system, inhabitants of Burrath are considered to be the 67th Tribal Parish, unless prior tribe affiliation places them within a different one.

Politics and society

As a part of the United Tribes of Marfall, Burrath is ruled by a tribal government, currently led by Chief Raffaello Tagliaferri - the only chief in the union without any orcish blood. In reality, the designation as tribe is merely for clerical reasons, and Burrath functions as a semi-autonomous city within the union. Due to Burrath's history of being a functioning democracy prior to joining the union, the rulers used to be and are sometimes still called the Grandmaster. The city's center is Fabiana Square, with at its four corners, the four key institutions of Burrath: the Grandmaster's Hold, the Burrath House of Learning, the Diogag, and the Gaothair Library - the last of which has grown to an immense size, now the largest library in Galessia and the second-largest on the planet, only after the Sacred Bibliothec of Oghma the Binder in the Holy City of Hymnis.
Due to its location in the Blessed Breadleas, agricultural produce is plentiful here, as the rich arable land that surrounds the city has drawn many who seek a quiet life of farming to homestead in its vicinity. The city is humid and often warm, but does not receive the same torrential rains as the southern regions of Marfall. The River Kennar, which empties into the Esmar Lagoon by Burrath, provides water from the Gray Lake and further upstream to the mountains in the west. However, due to roving bands of bandits who live in the wetlands west of the twin cities, not many traverse the river.
As one would expect, the main industry of Burrath is academia and research. Scholars and students are plentiful here, studying and researching magic and the great questions of existence. Some of the greatest magic items are created in Burrath. However, the dream of the founders of Burrath has also come true, as in recent times, adventurers have flocked to the city in the hopes of finding the rumored treasures in the Great Rainforest. They tend to congregate at the city's piers, hoping to find comrades or sucker someone into braving dangers for them.
The people of Burrath are largely half-orcs and gnomes. Orcs are still present, but not many orc families live in Burrath, and therefore, most orc lineages become half-orcs eventually. The values of equity have persisted through the ages: anyone is permitted to settle in the city, as long as they can contribute to it. Therefore. Burrath is likely the most varied city in Galessia. Similarly, religion is varied here too, but Oghma is a popular deity among researchers, and wizards often pay tribute to Mystra, who has a temple in the city.

Burrath

67th Tribal Parish of the United Tribes of Marfall

Ruler
Chief Raffaello Tagliaferri