City of Cyell
The City of Cyell is a large walled city located near the headwaters of the Wessloth River. It is built on high bluestone bluffs that stretch along the north bank of the Wessloth for nearly 11 miles. It is the seat of the Barony of Cyell and has a population of more than 18,400 souls, most of which are Human.
Cyell is a hub of overland and river traffic, with caravans of wagons and mules moving from the west and barges and hulks of goods and people coming from the east along the Wessloth, the Manisar, the Caldar and even as far as the Eastern Sea. Cyell is an ancient city with much history and culture that stretches back to before the founding of the Kingdoms. It is currently ruled by the Baron of Cyell, Fulton am Bondari.
Demographics
Government
Cyell is ruled by the Baron Fulton am Bondari with the aid of a Lord Mayor, a Lord Commander of Guards, and a council of city elite and the wealthiest of tradesmen and merchants.
Defences
The City is defended and protected by four Company of Lancers led by the Lord Commander of the Guard. Each Company has a Guard Captain and four Guard Sergeants or Corporals to lead the individual elements.
Industry & Trade
Cyell has many businesses operating within and outside its walls. It has a busy tannery district, several large cooperges, a very busy riverfront district, breweries, mills, two large foundries and several very busy lumber mills along the river. There are quarries for fine bluestone slabs that are much in demand around the country.
Infrastructure
The City has a walled defense that averages a height of 20' with towers that can reach 35' and five large fortified gatehouses that are manned and defended at all times. Roads are rather narrow but well cobbled and dry in the heaviest of rains due to excellent gutters and sewers that carry water to ponds and bogs along the river.
Districts
Riverside, Mudton, Old Town, the Lists, the Parade Grounds, City Gate, Market Gate, River Gate
History
Cyell is an old city. Even before the founding of the kingdom, Cyell was a power center for several local strongmen. It is advantageously located deep in the western interior of the nation on the banks of navigable river that takes trade, commerce and people east to the Caldar.
After Josso Thunderfist is crowned King of Imesse, he grants all lands around Cyell to the Mykalli family to help heal the country's wounds after years of civil war. Upon Josso's death in 144 AF, his son Lothar seizes all lands granted to the the Mykalli and grants them to his father-in-law Willum Bondari, who is then made the first Baron of Cyell. The Bondari family has ruled the Barony ever since.
Points of interest
Ale House Inn is one of the largest in the whole town. Rooms, meals, baths and supplies are available, as well as a blacksmith, a seamstress, a healer and a large stable. It is operated by Dora Madden, known throughout the town as “Dame Dora”. She holds the reigns of an especially efficient network of “gossip and news” that provides her with all the latest goings on within Cyell.
Red Dragon Inn is a large and successful inn near the center of town that is named for a legendary red dragon that once terrorized the region. It offers rooms, meals, supplies, stables, baths and other services to visitors and residents alike. It is owned and operated by Tom Cotton, a popular man who built the business up after a fire destroyed the previous building on the site. Over the last 15 years, he has hammered out a loyal following of local trade, as well as frequent repeat out-of-town business. The common room of The Dragon is often full of people from all walks of life and from regions near and far.
Tourism
Fulton is obsessed with martial games. He hosts a tournament twice a month (sometimes more often), and at the end of the summer offers a huge purse of 200 guilders as the grand prize at a Grand Tourney. This event draws more than a hundred knights from across the land to Cyell, and the event lasts for more than a week. There are multiple events, including jousts and tilts, great melees, archery contests, spear throwing, feats of strength, horse racing and obstacle courses, stalks and parades. Participants will fill the city inns to bursting, and large camps are set up outside the walls for those that can’t get rooms. The Parade Grounds are utilized for some events because they can hold more spectators.
A particularly troublesome effect of this is the occurrence of unofficial events that crop up. Unsanctioned contests do pop up, and people do get hurt (even killed). A good example is a knight (or group of knights) that form a gauntlet. This is a challenge offered to anyone trying to pass a point of traffic (gate, bridge, doorway, intersection) but is refused unless they can defeat the defenders in combat. Refuse to fight, and your honor is stained. Fight and lose, and you risk the loss of valuable equipment (taken to be ransomed later) and possible injury. Fight and win and you still risk injury and the crime of breaking the King’s peace within the city walls.
Geography
The city is located all along the steep, stony bluffs of the north bank of the Wessloth River. The buildings at the top of the bluff are more than 125' above the course of the river and there are two windlass-powered rail cars that can raise or lower specially built carts along a track to make the moving of heavy cargo to and from the riverfront easier and faster.
Climate
Cyell enjoys moderately warm summers and relatively mild winters with the surest constant being steady winds that constantly blow across the bluffs. Higher elevations are particularly suited to the growing of fruits and nuts while lower pastures and aluvial valleys provide excellent cereal and grass crops.
Natural Resources
Cyell is blessed with a seeming abundance of a special mineral called coal that burns hotter and longer than wood. It is an excellent fuel for iron and steel furnaces and is the primary reason for the profitability of the local foundries and forges.
Type
City
Population
18,500
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Related Traditions
