Wash'kal
Situated on the northern coast of the Merdenkal Peninsula, about halfway down its length, the town of Wash'kal boasts beautifully crafted homes in the typical Elynthi fashion - lacquered wood roofs rising in two, three, and even four rever narrowing stories. Using the ash and elm native to the forests around its home, many have stood for centuries. Built to a plan, with a large, forested central square and eight wide, cobbled boulevards that radiate from it, the town has changed little since its construction nearly two millennia ago. As the Elynthi rarely experience population pressures, there has been no need to tighten up the housing and each building remains where it was first designed to be - several hundred yards from the next. The spaces between the buildings are filled with trees and meadows that, in the summer, explode in riot of wildflowers.
The town itself sits on a small, natural harbor that although not deep, provides shelter to dozens of fishing boats that make up one of the town's most lucrative industries. Pulling from the vast schools of cod and sardines that migrate into the Merden Sea in the warmer months, many townsfolk make a living fishing while others work to smoke the catch, preserving it for winter stores and export to the southern towns and cities on the Peninsula.
Outside of the town, irrigation channels bring water from the short, Wash'kali River, flooding the plains around the coast with water to support countless rice paddies. The poor Elynthi and slaves that work these fields produce some of the finest rice on the Peninsula, much of which is export to villages and towns less capable of agriculture.
The combination of fresh fish and rice makes the cuisine of the town less colorful and varied than that of many other Elythi towns. While some greens, such as scallions and cabbage seem to grow, local chefs have a limited selection with which to work. Still creative chefs in the region, particularly those under the employ of the powerful House Vorka that carefully manages the Blacksteel mine in the hills south of the city have managed to create a few unique presentations, including the popular breakfast item - the mackerel roll. Tied with kelp and decorated with fish roe, these long, thin logs of rice and smoked mackerel are served with tea almost every morning at every kitchen across the town.
Type
Town
Population
9,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Shal'Wash'kali
Location under
Owning Organization