Greetings, traveller! Contained within this work are brief descriptions of notable cities of Oerth. As more information becomes available, it will be added to this book. If you seek information on any of the following cities, you are at the right place:
For a thorough discussion of this city-state, refer to the Atlas of Oerth's entry.
A medium-sized town on the River Llwelyn, about two days' ride south of Londoun, Armagh is fairly quiet most of the time. The economy is evenly divided between the agriculture needed to support the city and service industries devoted to the large volume of trade along the Llwelyn, both overland along a Via Avillonia and waterborne on the river.
The city stretches along the western bank of the Llwelyn, although a fairly sizable settlement on the eastern bank has grown in recent years, to the point that almost a third of the agriculture in the region takes place beyond the eastern bank. Armagh actually supplies a substantial portion of the beef and leather used in Londoun. Armagh and East Armagh are connected only by ferry, the river being far too wide for a bridge.
The local lord lives in a splendid mansion compound on a low hill about a mile from the western edge of the town.
The most notable event on the social calendar of Armagh is the town's Beltane Fire Festival, which normally runs from 29th Huathe to 2nd Duir. This celebration rivals even the largest celebrations in Londoun.
Brallian is a sprawling coastal city on the Brythomar. It is also the capitol of Eiresud. Trade is the lifeblood of the city, for it is a central point on the Brythomar connecting al-Rhayidh, Hellenas, Itala, and Iberia with Arabel Cinlu and the Elven Forest. Trade ships from points even farther away, such as Karasimi, are not unknown in the enormous sprawl of docks that fill every available place in the River Tagellin's mouth.
Architecture in Brallian is distinctive, with often steeply-sloped roofs that are covered in bright clay or slate shingles. The exteriors of buildings often sport bright colors as well, not infrequently colors that clash with the roof coloring.
Caelioradh is the largest city in Caledonia, as well as the capitol of that nation. The city of 200,000 people surrounds a wide, deep natural harbor on the Vasmar coast. The city extends part of the way up a valley where most of the agriculture that supports the city is grown.
Auld Castle, the king's residence, is on a prominent hill in the center of the valley, several hundred paces from the coast. Several smaller keeps flank the city along both valley walls. A sizeable contingent of Church Knights are based in Caelioradh, and over a thousand of the king's own footmen garrison the city.
The gentle hills around Caelioradh are particularly rich, and many agricultural products are produced in sufficient quantities for export. Notable is the brandy that is distilled in the region. Smaller quantities of single-malt whiskies are created near the city, but the more famous whiskies are from a region well west of the capitol.
Hillsdale is the smallest true dale settlement in the Dales. It occupies a small part of the southeastern most Great Dale. This dale has poor quality soil, and the farmers of Hillsdale must struggle to produce successful crop yields. The ranchers of the area herd rugged sheep, with a few cattle.
Most of the industry in Hillsdale revolves around the Hillsdale Mine, approximately seven and a half miles from the town proper. The Mine is in the rough foothills of the Middle Range. The mine yields some of the highest-grade iron ore of any mine in the Five Crowns region. Due to the difficulty of extracting the ore, most of the processed ore is hauled to Hillsdale for manufacturing. Some ore is exported to other Dales.
Counting the scattered farms and ranches in the Hillsdale region, fewer than five hundred people can rightfully claim to live in the Hillsdale area.
Kells is the home of the Church of Kells. It is the home of the largest Kelltic church in the world. The city is large, and very well-kept and clean for its size. The Church promotes public works in the city, employing those who are jobless and/or homeless to help keep the city up in exchange for food, shelter, and a living stipend.
The church complex within the city is its single largest feature. The enormous cathedral, with its hundred-pace-tall golden spire with its golden sphere on top, is visible for miles. It sits on the south side of a riverside park, along with numerous other buildings holding the Church's offices, residences, library, and other administrative functions. The north side of the riverside park is bounded by the Knights of Kells' main castle, which contains the administrative offices for the entire Military Order. The west side of the park is bordered by the Via Avillonia that passes through towns, and the finest inns and restaurants are on the opposite side of the road, giving impressive views of the large park.
Architecture in Kells is more of a subdued variant of the Eiresudian norm, with many colors used in painting the exterior of buildings. The brightest buildings of Kells are still not as garish as some buildings in Brallian, for instance.
The heavy trade traffic through Kells to and from Arabel Cinlu, coupled with the comparatively modest traffic from pilgrimages to Kells, ensures that the city boasts a strong, healthy inn and restaurant industry.
Numerous satellite villages surround Kells on both sides of the River Tagellin.
Kieta is the largest trading colony on the Nomad Steppes. It is the southernmost permanent settlement on the Vasmar coast of the Steppes. Several thousand people spend the warmer months in Kieta, trading with the human and centaur nomad tribes who populate the Steppes.
The open-market trading grounds of Kieta have numerous wares from the "southern" nations of Avillonia, as well as rugged goods from the Javik lands and the distant dwarven kingdom of Clemendeev. In addition, there are almost always nomads in town, trading pelts and dried meats of the bison and the legendary tonkari.
Nomads of both human and centaur variety will visit Kieta to trade their pelts and other wares for metal goods and other advanced wares of the settled nations. They will also often partake in raucous drinking binges in Kieta's several public houses and taverns.
Londoun, the capitol of the Kingdom of the Five Crowns, is a thriving metropolis on the northernmost tip of the Kingdom Peninsula. It sits at the mouth of the River Llwelyn, where this large river empties into the Vasmar fresh water sea.
Londoun is the heart of the Kingdom of the Five Crowns. Castle Londoun looms over the northern reaches of the city, holding a commanding view of both the city and the sea to the north. King Luel II rules the Kingdom from this stalwart site.
International trade is a major focus of the city, thanks in large part to its position on the Vasmar and the River Llwelyn. Trading houses and marketplaces line many of the major thoroughfares of Londoun, and the warehouse districts along the river shores as well as along the sea shore impress many a first-time visitor.
Londoun is also notable because it is the only city to host major strongholds for both of the major Orders of Knights in the Kelltic lands. The Knights of the Sun maintain a strong presence in the Castle Griogair southeast of the central city. The Knights of Kells have a large compound in the heart of the city adjacent to the Cathedral Treasa. Including the two outlying castles controlled by the King, the city of Londoun boasts a large muster of soldiery.
Portsdale is the second largest town in the Dales. With a population of more than 40,000 people, it nearly rivals the Dalesian capitol, Eastdale. Historically, one of Portsdale's leading noble families would sit on the Outer Circle of the Dales. Infighting between the various noble houses, as well as the political machinations of other noble families, have prevented a lord of Portsdale from taking his rightful place in the Outer Circle for twenty years. The union of the del Quintin and del Cartach noble families, and their alliance with the powerful Baron del Bartholo, promises to change this shortage soon.
Over the years, Portsdale has increased in importance. The forest around the city has steadily been cut away, providing lumber for the prominent ship-building industry along the city's coast. Several local orchards are notable for their fine apples, and the requisite hard and soft ciders.
The nobles, and many of the commoners, for that matter, are distant descendants of Italic lineage. The nobles have kept the Italic affectation of prefixing their family names with "del".
The town of Saltcliffs lies on the Vasmar coast of the Kingdom of the Five Crowns, about 25 miles from the Great Forest and the Dales. It earns its name from the chalky cliffs of this section of the coast.
During the Golden Era, Saltcliffs was on a major land-based trading route that connected Camelough with the western extents of the Alliance. The city was nearly razed during the final battle with the Dark One's armies, but a few ancient stone buildings still stand. The most prominent remnants of the Golden Era are the Via Avillonia that connect this city with Eastdale, and the ruins of Camelough. This latter Via ends in the town of Armagh, where the ancient bridge that spanned the River Llwelyn was destroyed during the battle with the Dark One. The Via meet in Saltcliffs at a spacious square near the cliffs in the middle of the town.
Modern Saltcliffs is a small community of agrarian nature, although there are three spacious inns and a caravanserai to support the overland trade. The cliffs around Saltcliffs are comparatively low, and a dock extends from the cliff top, some five feet above high tide, to give local fishing boats and the extremely rare trader a place to tie up near the city.
Unusually harsh winters in the area have had a strong effect on the town, as more farmers and ranchers move further inland to escape the effects. A number of fishermen have moved to towns past the edge of the cliffs to find easier ports. Except for a few stalwart ranchers who refuse to leave, the economy is weak, with little to support the town other than the businesses dedicated to servicing the infrequent merchant caravans and travelers.
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This page was last updated 8 July 2002
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