Cliffholt

This village in the northwest of the kingdom of Chernin has a long and storied past, despite its perpetually small population. Its main notable landmark is the large temple complex dedicated to Pelor, the New Dawn.
The village is run by a Baron or Baroness, who makes decisions for the day-to-day operations of the settlement. Historically, almost all of these leaders have been friendly with the church of Pelor and have given major concessions to the church in terms of taxes, land grants, law enforcement, etc. The struggle between the parochial and secular interests in the village has spanned as far back as anyone can remember, with the church lobbying to rename the area in honor of Pelor at least once a generation. Those at the top of the church's hierarchy have long striven to arrange marriages between their children and those of the secular Barons, to cement the church's primacy in future generations, but so far these efforts have not been successful.
The large church of Pelor is perhaps the strongest factor in limiting the village's size over time. While the village is by no means a theocracy, the church exerts its influence over the territory and populace. Armored members of the church supplement the village's small body of Watch officers, but there are frequent jurisdiction challenges between the two entities. Because Pelor is viewed by many around the world as one of the purest and most righteous of deities, the church here in Cliffholt wants to keep the village as pristine and peaceful as possible. This urge for serenity and almost unattainable perfection is what has driven many laypeople from the village throughout history, but their numbers are equaled by the incoming parishioners and would-be priests studying the ways of the church.
Religious pilgrimage and tourism is definitely the main economic driver of the village, though it also serves as a minor trade stopover for goods headed between the kingdoms of Chernin and Hyden. These traveling merchants support a thriving tavern culture, which at times finds itself at odds with the strict fundamentalist minority in the church. Small impromptu markets often pop up in the public spaces, for merchants to trade and acquire goods and artifacts, though these are largely barter markets and therefore do not contribute taxes to the village's coffers.

Demographics

The religious parts of town are made up many different races, though primarily human and elves. The rest of the village is majority human, with several notable halfling families.
Most of the village are lower class, considering the large percentage of religious trainees that settle here while studying to become priests. The various tavern owners make up a small noble class in the village, though their wealth is not even close to comparable to nobles in larger settlements. The tavern workers and menial laborers make up a small middle class, though this skews toward the lower end of the economic spectrum as well.

Government

The Baron runs the village, passing down the title via heredity or popular vote if no valid successor is available. This does not necessarily take the form of primogeniture, as many Barons have chosen their successor from their several children, selecting who they believe would be the best leader.
The Church higher-ups function as a semi-parallel government in the city, with church lands and buildings often reporting to the temple's Sun Priest rather than the village's Baron. The secular leaders have historically been OK to let the church police itself until or unless any problems spill over into the rest of the town, in which case the village's Watch has stepped in to settle the situations.

Defences

The village has little in the way of formal defenses, with no stone walls and not even a river to provide a soft border. At times of invasion and conflict in the past, the citizens have constructed simple wooden palisades, but many of these were dismantled shortly after. The main source of defense in times of conflict and trial has been the high clerics of the church, specifically the Sun Priest who can call on the divine aid of Pelor to defend the temple complex.

Industry & Trade

By far the most lucrative industry in the city is the hospitality industry, with the taverns and inns making up a huge part of the economic and cultural importance to the village. These taverns compete with each other to host the merchants traveling between the kingdoms, always trying to one-up the competition.

Infrastructure

Like many settlements in the world, this village has a sewer system that runs out of the city and in this case empties miles away in the Amakiir Sea. There is some running water in parts of the church complex and in noble houses, but most of the village runs on fountains and wells.
There are a few small public squares where merchants gather for impromptu barter markets while they stay in the village on their travels.
Much of the religious caste live in small simple huts or tenements, since they tend to not have paying jobs while they study theology at the temple. The rest of the village lives in modest buildings made of stone and/or wood, crafted well to withstand the winters that this northern settlement endures. The taverns are large, well-made establishments that compete with each other for pomp and flair, each with up to 20 guest rooms and well-guarded stables for carts and horses.

Tourism

Apart from traveling merchants who stopover in this town briefly on their travels, the main bulk of tourism is religious, with people traveling to visit the temple of Pelor or resettling to become acolytes at the temple.

Architecture

Provincial French Colonial architecture for most buildings in the town, with a mix of stone and wood houses. There is likewise a mix of wooden shingles and thatched roofs.
The taverns and central government buildings are built using a combination of stone and wood, with slate roofs, in a French Renaissance style.
The Sun Temple is a large Neoclassical building, with a large oculus in the central dome. Many of the surrounding buildings in the temple complex are typically Norman stone/brick buildings with wooden shingles.

Geography

This village sits in the middle of a large plain, with a few gentle hills. It is less than a day's travel to the coast, but due to the year-round ice floes in the Amakiir Sea, the village has declined to expand toward the water. Without a running river nearby, the village's main source of clean water is a vast underground aquifer into which they have dug many wells.

Founding Date

P.380

Type

Village

Population

1,700

Inhabitant Demonym

Cliffholters