Ishtavault (ish-tuh-vault)
A town in the southeastern part of the Moldur Region located just north of the Dwarven Vastness.
Demographics
Racial
20% - Halflings
30% - Humans
45% - Dwarves
05% - Other
Government
Ishtavault is ran through a town council that is elected by the inhabitants and approved by High Moldur as it is considered a vital interest due to its proximity to the Dwarven Vastness and the minor routes that run through it.
Defences
Unlike Kesserquay, Ishtavault was always intended to be a more succinct and quieter town of importance to the Moldur Kingdom. Thus it relied on secrecy rather than heavy defenses and only ever fashioned a small but sturdy wall with a military base hidden in the mountains to house the supplies instead until they were ready to go.
Industry & Trade
While before the War of Endless Aggression the town focused on mining and fishing, since then the town has expanded their industry into a more generalized field such as mining, sales of general goods, and acting as a gateway town into the rest of the Moldur Region.
Due to the narrow pass that leads through the Dwarven Vastness and into Ishtavault, the Moldur Kingdom regulates the number of people that go through it which leaves only the wealthy able to afford it. This in turn caused Ishtavault's residents to use their convenient mining industry to also fan out into a budding jewelry industry during the Colonization Era.
Infrastructure
The infrastructure of Ishtavault is sturdy for such an old town, with multiple modernization efforts throughout the ages have kept it clean and welcoming to the wealthier individuals that pass through. This includes several stone bridges as the old wooden ones rotted away, new inns and taverns built out of the strong lumber from Silvergrove, and a multitude of state-of-the-art smelters for their mining industry.
History
Originally a mining and fishing town, it was notable for not only extracting the ore from the mountains but also smelting it there instead of shipping it off as ore to be smelted. This led them to becoming vital during the
War of Endless Aggression
War of Endless Aggression
[/history]
and expanded their town into a hub for the Moldur Kingdom with a small but vital route being cut through the mountains to supply the Moldur forces outside the Moldur Region. During this time the legend of the Ishtavault Lake Monster began which caused much of the town to drop its fishing indsutry to focus on mining and trade.
Since the wars ending the village has grown much smaller but still retains plenty of work and income through its mining industry and for being one of the first villages seen after passing through the Dwarven Vastness. This has caused several different inns and taverns to open up along with some general stores and other minor niceties.
Points of interest
The Ishtavault Lake is the tourist hotspot alongside the Smelting District in Ishtavault. The lake is notable for its year-round icy cold waters that are fed by the glaciers from the Dwarven Vastness. It is also assumed to be one of the deepest lakes on
The Continent
and has a large variety of fish including the elusive Freshwater Sturgeons.
For more than its natural makeup though, the lake is particularly famous for the Ishtavault Lake Monster legend.
Tourism
During the colonization era the town found itself the gateway for many of the wealthy individuals that didn't want to deal with the bustling route through Kesserquay into the Moldur Kingdom. This has led the town to start investing in showing off its wonders such as the advanced smelters and mines and the Ishtavault Lake and its elusive monster.
Geography
The town is situated at the base of the Dwarven Vastness. This puts the town in a mountainous forested area with many different tributaries coming down from the mountains in the surrounding area that all feed into the Ishtavault Lake.
Natural Resources
The mountains the town is situated in are quite bountiful in ores such as iron, gold, copper, and silver. The nearby lake is also filled with plenty of large freshwater fish including rarer types only found in the Moldur Region such as the mighty Moldur Sturgeon .
Type
Village
Population
400-500
Location under
Included Locations
Owning Organization
Comments