Moraest

A Town in the Trees

Authored by Luke Thomas, with assistant from his friends Roan and Ian.

They're in the trees! I love it.

— King Liam Shol

Hidden Amongst Nature

A large town in the Frisolan Woods of the northern mirillian fields. With its large tree-homes and Hillside Holes, Moraest is incredibly in tune with nature around the town. From above, the city is near-unseeable during the day, but at night, the towns bright twinkling lights can be seen from the highest Skyships.

Smaller Folk

The inhabitants of Moraest are generally the two main types of the smallfolk, Gnomes and Halflings. Forest Gnomes are one with the trees in the forest, hollowing and furnishing them into homes, all while keeping the trees living and well cared for. Stout Halflings are one with the land in a more literal sense, creating their homes in the hills around Moraest, large subterranean structures that serve as homes for large families of Halflings. Gnomes and Halflings are not often United in this way, with city Halflings and gnomes often being at odds with each other due to cultural differences, but United stays Moraest.

A Crumbling Castle

While most of the town is in sync with the woods around it, there are two major exceptions to this. The first, Castle Crumble. Named by the inhabitants of Moraest for its ruined state, Castle Crumble is the ruin of the final stronghold of the Frisolan Kingdom, for which the woods around the town are named. It is here that the Adirilians were gifted divine power from their god Adir, and the Frisolan Army(and their King, Earhart Friso) was finally defeated for good. In the 550 years since this decisive battle, the castle has not been well-kept. The once human town around it was abandoned, and left derelict for almost 100 years, until some a gnome and a halfling, married without their families consent, stumbled upon the ruins, and founded a place where they could live free from prying eyes. Gnomes and Halflings were welcome to live together in this new town, promptly named Moraest, named for the Halfling Woman Mora Tellas, one half of the founding couple. The new inhabitants of the town established Castle Crumble as a town center and courthouse of sorts, where the Lawmaster would work, where taxes were paid, official business was conducted, etc. the courtyard of the castle was converted to a market square with a bustling night market, and festivals and parties were held there as well. What Castle Crumble is not, is a defensive structure. The Castle, while being used for government offices, is still only maintained in the most minor way, leaving it unsuitable for battle or defense.

Bane or Boon

The second exception is the Wizards Tower being built on the outskirts of town. The Mage Guild (called the Towers) has had a relatively minor presence in the Frisolan Woods, with only a minor outpost in the village of Appalla nearby. The tower in construction is a tall structure made from gray-stone bricks with red-roof shingles, with a courtyard being built around it. The Towers have often held an interest in the magical artifice that many Gnomes excel in, but many city Gnomes are far too proud to allow their work to be studied, fearing copycats and people out to steal their work and research. The Towers have found the Gnomes of Moraest to be much less prideful, and much easier to work with, and thus have decided to have a permanent residence in the town. This large construction on the outskirts of town has upset many of Moraest’s inhabitants, as they are afraid of destroying nature, and the Towers tendency to not be accepting of nature magic. Other townsfolk argue that the tower will bring in more trade and supplies to help enrich the towns folks lives, and besides, there are a few thousand townsfolk and a few hundred wizards, what can they really do?

A Druidic Haven

Another note to be made of Moraest, it is one of the least effected areas attacked during the Druid Purge, a genocide in which the Towers attempted to eradicate Druidic magic, deeming it a curse upon the people of the world and a mercy to be put down. The Purgers came to Moraest, but the nature of the town and the near hidden nature of many of the structures in the town kept the local circle of druids from being destroyed. This is another reason people are tentative about the Tower, it could mean further scrutiny on the Druids that assist the townsfolk in matters involving nature and the will of the forests.

Self-Sustaining

Due to the nature of the town being almost communal, the Azure Guard(the Adirilians military’s guard branch) has zero presence within Moraest. Crime is incredibly low in town, and when it does come up, it is dealt with internally, generally through fines or slight restrictions. There is no prison in Moraest.

Infrastructure

There are farms around Moraest, complete with mills and small silos. Roads cross through the town, as well as a few small bridges over a few streams that snake through the town.

Guilds and Factions

• The Moraest Druid Circle
• The Kingdom of Adiril
• The Towers

Founding Date

184 PS

Alternative Name(s)

Edraal (formerly)

Type

Town

Inhabitant Demonym

Adirilians

Location under

The Mirillian Fields

Owner/Ruler

King Liam Shol

Owning Organization

The Kingdom of Adiril