Paluden
Paluden is a trading town of some 3,000 inhabitants, located in a swampy region in southeastern Sennorr, at the mouth of the Cáin River. It was originally established in 752 YD by wealthy Agrinonian refugees, fleeing from the Encroaching Cold and the civil unrest of the Colossean Imperium. The most influential of these families, the Merkataritzas, has held power in Paluden and the surrounding marshlands since the town was founded.
Demographics
While Paluden was originally settled by a group of Agrinonians, new migrants to the town have resulted in a somewhat cosmopolitan, though still primarily human, population. Native Sennorrians, Varoselumites, and Bierg-Uferians make up close to two-thirds of the town's population, with the remaining third being descended from the original Agrinonian settlers. Slightly over three-quarters of the population is human, with the remaining quarter being a mixture of dwarves, gnomes, and elves. The population is almost entirely Teghneist, despite its Agrinonian heritage.
Government
Paluden's government is an oligarchic republic, that is dominated by a handful of noble and merchant families. Foremost among these, the Merkataritzas have maintained power for centuries, maintaining the veneer of democracy by making several of their family members candidates in each election. There have been calls for reform from the Order of Ash, though Varoselumite influence has contributed to the town's authoritarian governing style, and is likely to continue doing so.
Infrastructure
Navigation is difficult in the swampy terrain surrounding Paluden. This has resulted in the town's government, as well as the government in Havenfort, investing substantially in bridges and walkways to improve the ease of locomotion in the region. Gondolas and other small boats are also used to navigate both Paluden and the swamps surrounding it, while larger oceangoing ships account for the majority of goods and people entering and leaving the town.
History
During the devastation of Colossia caused by the Encroaching Cold in the mid 8th Century YD, several merchant families in Agrinon, led by the Merkataritzas, funded a refugee program to assist people in escaping to Dukhala. The supposed primary goal of helping commoners escape harm was mostly an excuse for the merchants and nobles themselves to flee, as less than a third of those aided by the program were lowborn. Most of those involved in the refugee program moved to Sennorr, which was beginning to warm at the time, in the hopes that it could become an important trading hub in the coming years. They proved to be correct in their prediction, and Paluden soon become a major stopping point in the trade route between New Finorr and Varofia.
Paluden remained independent for decades, even for some time following the Order of Ash's entrance to the Breathing Wastes. However, after threats of embargo by the Varoselumite monarchy, and promises of high autonomy, the Doge of Paluden swore fealty to the Order of Ash and the Crown of Varoselum in 837 YD. Following the Varofian Revolution, however, the town regained its independence in 852.
Founding Date
752 YD
Alternative Name(s)
Poopden
Type
Town
Population
3,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Paludenite
Location under
Owning Organization
Lol Poopden
What the *** did you just ***ing say about Paluden, you little bitch? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Paluden Honour Guard, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on the Crescent March, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I'm the top sniper in the entire Paluden armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you the *** out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on Ura, mark my ***ing words. You think you can get away with saying that shit to me over the Sending Stones? Think again, ***er. As we speak I am contacting my secret network of wizards across the Breathing Wastes and your true name is being traced right now so you better prepare for the storm, maggot. The storm that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your life. You're ***ing dead, kid. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can kill you in over seven hundred ways, and that's just with my bare hands. Not only am I extensively trained in unarmed combat, but I have access to the entire arsenal of the Paluden Army and I will use it to its full extent to wipe your miserable ass off the face of the continent, you little shit. If only you could have known what unholy retribution your little "clever" comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your ***ing tongue. But you couldn't, you didn't, and now you're paying the price, you goddamn idiot. I will shit fury all over you and you will drown in it. You're ***ing dead, kiddo.