Farrall Hold
The lovely terraced gardens and homes of Farrall Hold are a sight to behold for any traveler. As welcoming as the small city appears from a distance, with its colorful buildings and statues arranged carefully on a tall hill overlooking the Star Sea, most of the city is off limits to visitors. Farrall Hold is largely a retirement community for elite servants and advisors to the overking. The “retirement” is in many ways as much prison as reward, despite the lavish surroundings. By relocating former key advisors and servants with knowledge of the kingdom’s secrets to Farrall Hold, the overking ensures that those secrets are kept safe. The retirees are not allowed out of the city without a guard detail and are permitted visitors only from approved lists.
Arranged along roads circling up a tall hill rising from the shoreline with the Star Sea, the highest and most elegant homes and gardens stand behind a tall, heavily guarded wall with a single gate that allows access to the restricted portion of the city. Residents here refer to the homes of the elite as “above the wall” and to the rest of the city as “below the wall.” Unwelcome visitors who are not on a proper list or who do not have papers allowing them access to areas beyond the wall are turned away. Anyone discovered above the wall without proper authority is arrested, investigated briefly, and, if not allowed access, executed.
Most of the retired elite are served by live-in servants and cooks, with a large number of additional services provided by those living below the wall, most of whom have special passes and are recognized by the guards. The docks here are small, suitable for fishing boats and the smaller boats that bring deliveries from Sion and Pentahs.
Lady Aral Gemlight runs the city for the overking and pays special attention to keeping the chosen former servants and advisors in luxurious living conditions while also restricting and monitoring their movements and interactions. While some goods are grown locally, most of the more expensive luxury items are brought in at the expense of the crown.
Settlement
Farrall Hold, Town of
Type
Town
Owning Organization
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