City of Wessold
Wessold is an old city located in the far northwest of the High Kingdom of Imesse. It has a population of 7,600 souls, all Human. It is directly held by the High King himself, and is administered through the Lord High Constable of Imesse, Sandor am Toricki. Local rule and administration is handled by the Lord Harris Isenbar from his family estate at Isenhall just outside the city walls.
Wessold is a frontier settlement, bordering the wild Junn Steppe directly and very close to the Duncannen Clan territory of Colo. Both the Junn Harr people and the Colian clans have a very poor opinion of the leadership of Wessold and its neighboring regions, as both have suffered raids and attacks over the last twenty years at the hands of Harris Isenbar and his allies.
Demographics
Entirely Human
Government
Land and city are ruled directly by the High King through the authority of the Lord High Constable of Imesse, Sandor am Toricki. Administered locally through the Lord Harris Isenbar from his home at Isenhall. The lands surrounding the city are administered and governed by the Briary of Wessold.
Defences
The City is surrounded by walls of varying age and design, but most lengths are roughly 18' tall and 10' thick. There are seven gates in the city walls, four of which are single tower gates of limited defensive capabilties. The three largest gates are double gates housed between two large square towers. All have iron-banded portcullises and the main city gate (called Southgate) has a 30' long drawbridge over a deep, stone-lined trench. The City Watch is manned by 80 ill-trained and ill-tempered men-at-arms paid primarily to collect taxes and fees rather than keep the King's Peace.
Industry & Trade
Wessold has a very busy and very profitable leather and glue industry. No fewer than 11 tanneries are in full operation all year long both inside and outside the city walls, and there are four large glue shops that use both animal parts and rendered pitch to create a durable and very useful adhesive much in demand in the shipbuilding and weapon-making industries. The downside of this economic boon is the unpleasant odor associated with both industries. It is this particular odor that has given Wessold its nickname of Stink Town.
Infrastructure
Roads around Wessold are notoriously bad, especially during wet spring seasons that tend to turn them into impassable mires. The most effective and reliable means in and out of the city is the Holdwater River, which connects Wessold with the broader Morloth River and the more populus interior of western Imesse. Roads and streets inside the city walls of Wessold are little better, but most have some cobble paving. There are two bridges over the Holdwater, both surfaced with rough wooden planks that are ridiculously slippery in the winter and the cause of many a drowned wagon in bad weather.
History
The settlement of Wessold is very old, far older than the High Kingdom of Imesse itself. Before the reign of Benn Ohn as King of Imesse, Wessold was an independent city ruled by a series of petty kings of the family Woodmar. In 6 BF, the last ruler of the Woodmar kings bowed to the inevitable victory of Benn Ohn over his territory in order to keep his lands and wealth.
The Woodmar family remained the ruling family of the area until the winter of 146-147 AF when the Second Great Orc invasion wiped out 40% of the population and 90% of the Woodmar family. The rule of the city and the surrounding region was then granted to the Isenbar family.
Alternative Name(s)
Stink Town
Type
City
Population
7,600
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Additional Rulers/Owners
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
