Krasevae District
From Reydala
Contents |
Residents and Culture
While the Krasevae district is primarily human, it retains one of the highest elven concentrations of any district due to its capital being a favored city of the Elven Goddess Mulinel. Many of the elves that remain in Krasevae or high elves or descendants from high elves from Leyandra that at some point made a pilgrimage over the frozen road, the term referring to the long trek through the frozen wastes between Leyandra and Kaltia. Hardships faced on the frozen road caused many who made it all the way to Kaltia to decide to settle down in Krasevae rather than bear the trip again to return. Dwarves are rarer in the Krasevae district, since most of the Dwarven strongholds are located on the eastern mountain ranges. Gnomes are extremely rare, like most Kaltian districts.
Major Cities
- Krasevae(Capital): The largest city and capital of the Krasevae district, founded in 1761 as a military outpost. Krasevae remained largely a military facility until worship of Mulinel became widespread after Elven contact in 2101. Once it became an official favored city of Mulinel, pilgrims started to flock to and settle down in the city, despite the frigid climate. Pilgrims attracted merchants, merchants attracted crafters, and crafters attracted purveyors of raw materials. Soon the city was growing far beyond it's original humble walls. Today Krasevae is one of the largest cities in the Kaltian empire, and one of the most well defended. It has had to be, since it is also one of the most contested, with ice elves to the west, the nation of Ohnben to the southwest, frost giants lurking in the north, and frost worms living in nests honeycombing the arctic tundra. Since the climate surrounding Krasevae is not hospitable to growing most produce and livestock, it is reliant upon the southern Sanoan for most of it's food.
- Passel: The central stronghold of the Regal Knights. Passel is a compact city to the east of Krasevae that contains only the headquarters of the Regal Knights and enough extra housing for family and friends of knights. These families grow enough food to be self-sufficient. There are no merchants, no guilds, and very little of the amenities one would normally expect to find in a city of Passel's size. All the craftsmen within the city are under private hire by the Regal Knights, specially chosen for their excellence in their trade. Though this would usually indicate a mecca of available goods, usually these craftsmen are under strict contract not to work for outsiders unless granted permission from the knights. Despite all this, Passel remains one of the most valuable assets of the Kaltian Empire, a constantly vigilant force of incredibly powerful knights at hand to deal with any supernatural threat.
- Sanoan: A Smaller agriculture based city to the south of Krasevae, Sanoan grows most of the food for the entire district. Before Kaltia's expansion, Sanoan existed outside of Kaltia's rule as a gathering post between Ohnben and Kaltia. To this day, there remains a strong Ohnben presence inside the city. It is a popular resting point for caravans heading between Traskel and Krasevae. As such, there is a large concentration of service industries such as restraunts, taverns, and Inns that have sprung up along the main road. Quite possibly the most famous of these is known as "The Sleeping Sage", a tavern/inn whose quality is said to be unmatched, but often spends whole stretches of months closed due to the owner's unusual circumstances.
- Traskel: Far to the southeast of Traskel and on the eastern border of the Krasevae district is Traskel, a port city founded primarily for the purpose of serving as a landfall for goods heading inland to Krasevae by ship. Positioned at the very northern end of the Kaltian Gulf, the port often receives ships from the eastern districts and far off Elem. It also has a thriving fishing industry, sending many fruits of the sea toward Krasevae, Sanoan, and into the Estragraille District.
- Zakrit: A small mining town to the northeast of Krasevae, really just a mine and a collection of buildings to house the miners and their necessities. Most of the minerals mined here are coal and iron, though recently a vein of Adamantine has been discovered deep within the caves. Most of the minerals mined here are returned to Krasevae for various crafts and construction. The mine has had it's share of difficulties with frost worms trying to nest within the caverns, but these are usually chased off before it becomes too much of a problem.
History
The Krasevae district (Founded 1761) was the last of the current Kaltian districts to be joined under the banner of Kaltia. Kaltia, along with it's sister northern districts, had the unusual distinction of not being it's own nation prior to its entry in the empire. Most of the land of the Krasevae district was claimed from the Frost Giant empires as part of Kaltia's continuing expansion. The typical legend surrounding the founding came from the first discovery of the Muline river by a Kaltian military contingent. Finding a River who's surface did not show signs of freezing even in the dead of winter struck commander Narselle of Estragraille as the perfect metaphor for their resistance against the oppression of Ice Elves and Frost Giants. He decided to beseech the emperor to create a fortress on the banks of the Muline, stating it's excellent strategic position and idealogical importance. The Emperor agreed, and the west flank of the Kaltian empire was created in the form of the military stronghold Krasevae.
Later legend would be twisted to state that Narselle saw the Goddess Mulinel on the banks of the river and created Krasevae out of his own personal funds, choosing to retire and lead a city based on the message of peace given to him by Mulinel. There is little evidence of this, as worship of Mulinel did not become widespread there until first elven contact in 2101, furthermore, records state that Narselle continued to serve in the Kaltian military until his death in 1791, victim of a frost giant counter-attack. Still, most of the common-folk around Krasevae take this legend to heart and see it as the motivation behind their city. If Narselle really did have a revelation on that day however, it seems that he kept it to himself.
The Krasevae district today occupies a crucial defensive position as the only district to share a border with another country, that being the tribes Ohnben. It is the only route to invite Kaltia via land. This, combined with its religious importance and the effect Krasevae has on somewhat tenuous relations with Leyandra has made the Kaltian empire keenly interested in keeping the district under their control.
Major Personalities
Mayor Freve
The current mayor of Krasevae, struggling with the daunting task of making merchants, commoners, nobles, clerics, and soldiers happy in a town suffering from recurring attacks from multiple fronts. The good mayor often approaches conflicts from a minimalist perspective, knowing well that any attempt he makes to fix one group often causes problems with another group. He strives his hardest to make every group happy using as few resources as possible (and often is willing to make a group unhappy to save more city resources).
Lady Nellonia
An incredibly wealthy Elvan lady-in-waiting brought to Krasevae on a pilgrimage when she was just a child, has since moved to Sanoan where she lives in a magnificent manor that occupies at least an eighth of the cities land. Her wealth and her beauty attract suitors from all over the world, but she usually flatly refuses them. Rumored to hate men, but the truth is unknown. Her only companion in her huge mansion is her adopted human son, Aylo, a perpetually cheerful lad despite the early death of his parents.
The Regal Lords
Incredibly powerful knights who form the commanding officers of the Regal Knights, respected by good and feared by evil world-wide. The current 5 Regal lords are Lord Solomon, Lord Denlor, Lady Eisial, Lord Oren, and Lord Marcelo.
