Raldt
Town of Crossed Stars, or Herald Town
Raldt, called the Town of Crossed Stars, or Herald Town, has a population of 8,000. It was founded in 744 and was awarded its commune in 1077. Its crest is an acorn slipped and leaved, proper, per gyrony of two, or and sable. Raldt is part of the Royal Duchy of Urgholt, the Kingdom of Gwyfned, in the High Kingdom of Myddum. It is connected by secondary roads to Tharston, to the near northwest, and by Grensham to the south-by-southeast.
Two events define Raldt. First, there is the Miracle of the Holy Solar Chariot as witnessed by cowherd Clarence DeBedfort in 743. Second, Raldt is the 9th century scene of a doomed love story, that of Barnabas Westchamp and Emilia Cooper. It’s a tragic tale of forbidden love and family grudges, and it later was written by Derik Fendrium in 1068 as the Forbidden Love: Barnabas and Emilia. This story has taken on a life of its own, and now commemorative bronze statues of the unlucky lovers are erected in the town square. Women rub Emilia’s bronze breast, believing it will cause them to find their true love.
Raldt is the site of mysterious sky trumpets, a phenomenon which lends Raldt its name as Herald Town. No one knows the trumpet’s source, and whenever they randomly occur it strikes holy awe (or terror) into the populace. Raldt’s landscape is romantic, with its multitude of little lakes or ponds, as well as the brilliant flowers that return every spring.
This settlement is situated among the Aendril Mt.’s foothills on the site of the Miracle of the Holy Solar Chariot, as mentioned above. The town began in the valley as a shrine to the Holy Chariot, and then that became a rich church. The settlement proper developed in an unplanned fashion around it the church. Raldt Castle came next, and it was finished in its current circulade form in 1050. The town wall that enclosed both the church, and the castle followed. Now the walls are concentric and the outer structure is moated.
The town market is a square-shaped area between the castle and the church, and it also serves as an occasional racetrack, tilting yard, and horse market. This market square is cobbled, and many of the counting houses and trading pavilions have been roofed over as permanent, open-air canopies. Its other streets are not cobbled so far.
St. Timmeaus Cathedral is the town’s source point, and it is richly decorated to celebrate its famous local miracle. The church’s chantry doors are a marvel, bronze reliefs depicting all the Aorlisian saints, the angels, and Ahiom’s divine throne. Within, the entire church is floored with a fortune in Odby Magna ceramic tiles, and Ferdinand Bascom’s lifelike murals strike wonder into visitors. A beautiful, classical cloister is attached to the church for the Morlite canons, and ancient trees grow within its central garth. There are at least four friaries in town, multiple outdoor shrines, and a beautifully appointed Shirim temple. Timmeaus Sweet Song is Raldt’s patron saint.
The people of Raldt are easygoing but stubborn, and there is only so far you can push them before they fight back. Raldt men love wrestling, and they hold regular (even impromptu) strength and grappling contests. Local industry revolves around weapon fit and finish and maille weaving.
Cybaline Montnell in 1222 attempted the Lorinae Gate Working. No one knows if it was successful, but people have spied elioud like beings from the corners of their eyes ever since. Full moons have triggered intense moonbeams as well, and Cybaline claims to have travelled to and from Lorinae by this silvery path.
Raldt’s most famous literary hero is Derik Fendrium, who in 1068 authored the Forbidden Love: The Tragedy of Barnabas and Emilia, a national success. Fr. Amicus Hughes, a Morline canon, should not be overlooked, for he is author of The Physic’s Humble Kitchen. Raldt’s artistic star is Ferdinand Bascum, a painter who invented naturalism in the 12th century, painting things as they appear, not by convention or formula. The Bascum Studio still functions, run by his grandson Esra Bascom, and the so-called Bascom movement it has been extremely influential on Aorlisian art.
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