Parietz

Located on the eastern shores of Yak Lake, this village has an unfair reputation as a backwater. While its single inn certainly needs a new roof, its fire is warm and the half dozen or so rectangular tables in its common room are regularly full with herders and local craftsmen taking their evening meal of soup and bread. The lake itself has some trout, but not enough for regular fishing, so most soups come from the root vegetables that grow plentifully in the surrounding farms. Arranged around the commons are a half dozen shops all built from stones in the surrounding hillsides. Though their masonry may be crumbling, the shop keeps - especially the smith - keep they neat and tidy.

Outside of town, past the small farms lay huge ranches where minor nobles keep their fortunes mobile in the form of cattle and horse herds. The cattle, most of which driven north along the Wyntyne River to Zennon every fall, provide the town with ample dairy from which they produce salty hard cheeses, perfect for long journeys. The horses, mostly fleet Zennonaize steeds bred for battle, are sold and traded amongst nobles to outfit their various units of Cavalry. More than a handful are driven south, bound for Trai'dietch Pass and markets on the Sea of Storms where they fetch a handsome price as some of the finest mounts on Tarien.

Its really the yaks themselves that give the town its reputation. The villagers have reached a sort of detent with the huge shaggy creatures that spend their summers on the western shores. Several enterprising young men have sought to establish homesteads along this shore, for though hilly, the soil is rich and would make great fields of barley. They yaks, however, refuse to move on. They have eaten seeds as soon as they have sprouted, snorted at potential farmers and even battered down the framing for more than one home. Their huge size and massive horns make them difficult to frighten or even hunt and when one yak is threatened the whole herd lines up to fiercely protect it. And, as of the last census, the yaks outnumber the villagers three to one. So, after several failed hunts, two of which left villages unable to walk again, the people of Parietz have given up. The yaks stay their side of the lake and villages the other.

Founding Date

1445 BC

Type

Village

Population

1,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Parietzians

Location under

Malpighien Steppes

Owning Organization

Zennonaize Confederacy

Characters in Location

• Randric Tariif