Silkkeep
Built halfway into a large cavern system, Silkkeep is a major trade centre for silk and ores, as well as any other trade good that can be harvested within the Saramona desert.
Defences
The outer part of the town is surrounded by a 10ft stone wall with a series of watchtowers that forms a semi-circle around the Merchant Quarter and starts and end against the cliff face of the mountainside. Over the years, the leadership of Silkkeep has also built a series of wooden palisades to offer a modicum of protection to the traveling merchants and caravans forever camping outside the town.
The citadel's outer wall was built to be set back from the face of the surrounding cliffs by about 10 feet in an attempt to prevent attackers from simply climbing down the cliff and entering the inner city this way.
However, Silkkeep's true defence remains its ability to mobilise the entirety of its adult population for combat on very short notice to supplement the 591 full-time guards that patrol the city.
Industry & Trade
Silkkeep has a prosperous economy, which is mainly supported by silk making, mining, and trade. But their biggest strengths are the masters in spider farming, mining and engineering and sword fighting who can be hired to teach the next generations for the right price. The emphasis on sword fighting, though strange at first, is a by-product of the strong traditions maintained by the Navyan people to this day.
Due to the town's location, Silkkeep has limited access to farmable lands and as such, most of the food products is imported from other parts of the Empire. Its levels of ore exports are more than enough to balance out the expense of forever importing food. But what makes Silkkeep a truly rich town is its ability to produce and export high-quality silks at a fairly reasonable wholesale price.
Infrastructure
Silkkeep is built at the entrance of a cave system boasting three huge chambers and a series of smaller ones interconnected by tunnels, both natural and man-made. Outside of the cave system stands the Outer Town as it is called by the locals. Most visitors are restricted to this part of the town to protect the trade secrets of Silkkeep. Outside the inner wall, a large area has been deforested and made accessible to whomever may wish to pitch a tent. Within the inner wall is the traders quarter, where visitors, travellers and those seeking to learn from the Silkker masters can come to gather, strike deals and argues their cases. The entrance of the cave system - and to the rest of the town - is dominated by the keep itself: a large citadel that doubles up as a hall of justice, the administration centre of the town and the second line defence for the rest of town.
Guilds and Factions
House Riboreti has led Silkkeep for over 2000 years and is a long-time ally to House Kelarens. Riboreti have managed to walk the perfect balance between implementing imperial laws and preserving the Navyan way of life.
The Silkker's Guild and the Iron League are two factions who have been pushing for the development of inner Silkkeep - as in within the cave systems. They have argues for the last decade that the
Founding Date
2965
Type
Large town
Population
5,319
Related Ethnicities
Inhabitant Demonym
Silkker
Owning Organization
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