by Lord Anthony Marsaela
To Cities and Provinces Treatises
If you picture long, curving hills, cut here and there by small, rock-filled streams and dotted with copses of open forest, you’ll have an idea of the lands near Liramelle.
The province of the Old World is composed of vast stretches of forest and mountain, but in the northern central portion of the isle, explorers found endless prairies of tall grain. This thick-seeded plant, named Sur by the Northerners, was the foundation staple for the small city of Liramelle, built in an area where the settlers hoped to take advantage of the clear waters, the ample foodstuffs, and the wild apple trees common on the sides of prairie hills.
It was about 350 years ago that the first village was born. The ground, though rocky and difficult to plow, was made of rich, dark soil, and peasants were soon attracted to the place, tearing up the earth with plows hauled by solid, sturdy horses.
Liramelle stood nearly in the center of the prairies, but a day’s ride in any direction brought hunters to the edges of bountiful forests. These transition areas provided for abundant game. And to the south, the three great lakes, Windstone, Laura, and Arrowmark, provided huge, silver fish, one of which was enough to feed a whole family for three or four days.
The city grew peacefully for many years, threatened only by occasional Sereg raids or large predators.
Then the Dragon Hunts began. Ordered by King Verasay Goddard (the fifth in the line), hunters scoured the Old World, killing Sereg, nymphs, trolls, dragons, mages, and anything ‘dangerous’ they could find. And Liramelle became the unwilling shelter-point for the hunters.
Their peaceful way of life suddenly shattered by the presence of an armed military, Liramelle inhabitants did their best to oppose the hunts through political means. But they were told, quite firmly, that the hunters were providing for the ‘protection of all decent citizens of the Old World’, and that they were legally bound to offer shelter and care to those doing the hunting.
The people of Liramelle watched in despair as dryad trees were chopped down, pixies were burned in wooden cages, and frightened-eyed nymphs were executed with bows. Not even the citizens were safe, for accusations of magic use would quickly have innocent people shipped down to Selarum in chains to stand trial.
But with the coming of the Mage Rebellion, the hunters left, and Liramelle began to clean up the mess and recover as best they could.
Since that time Liramelle has grown, though not nearly as fast as the port cities. The city also continues to hold its peaceful reputation, and chose not to get involved in the War of Aranor. By now she is large, the home to perhaps four or five thousand people, with dwellings made of wood from the forests or stone from the ground. The streets are still of hard-packed dirt. Stone fences are common, especially in outlying fields where sheep are oft seen, as well as pigs, goats, and a few cows. And much of the area is now plowed fields, bright with corn, wheat, sur, oats, and other staples during the summer moons. Liramelle herself is well kept, with a wide-open feel and architecture dominated by porches and balconies.
The current rulers, Lord and Lady Howland, official regents of Queen Lillian, have kept things as they have always been – stable, quiet, and peaceful. But the renaissance is bringing challenges as well. Liramelle sits strategically at the crux of the land routes connecting Neraha to Selarum and Jalpa, and also lies on the main route to Bardé. The rebirth of adventuring as a way of life has thus seen new traffic through Liramelle’s streets, and not always of an unobtrusive variety.
The legend of Ajaeta, a nymph living in the forests to the north and possessing unimaginable beauty, has added to this traffic. Something, to be sure, dwells in those ancient woods, for enough of the adventurers disappear to keep the legend alive. Ajaeta, it is said, captures men to serve her in her woodland abode, and never sets them free. Many travel there, armed with scopes and hoping for a glimpse of the creature.
Beyond that, Liramelle continues to exist as one of the most respectable cities in any land, where a lack of too much gold and too much ostentation makes for a friendly, livable locale.
To Cities and Provinces Treatises