Brayla (bray · lah)

Demographics

A Halfling majority town, with some Gnomes origination from Elhag . Most Braylans were fishermen, miners or traders, with Brayla being a great port town and its location being on the river "Bellhag". People in Brayla rarely faced problems, the city had great defenses and crime was low, fishermen were able to fish all year long and the only thing that affected them was the summer heat.

Government

Brayla is an absolute monarchy, the ruling monarch appoints ministers that take car of the daily jobs. However, in Brayla everything must be signed and finalized by the monarch, usually before noon or it is passed on to the next day. The current monarch has appointed his daughter "Krenola Alhiz" to be part of" The Council of Khanatba", with no indications of replacing her any time soon.

Defences

Brayla doesn't believe it is in need of a defense district, however, it does have some defenses in place to protect it self. Brayla is already defended in the south with the river and all the ships at sea. This also includes "The Zakharan Nautical Coalition" that has a base of operations at Elhag. The desert terrain also creates little need for other defenses, especially because of how stable the region is politically. The only main outlier are the raveging monsters in "The Lands of the Badiya", where occasionally monsters would get close to Brayla, but their defenses would push them back. 
Multiple watch towers also surround Brayla, where there is always at least one person keeping watch. Brayla also has many tunnels that can be used as safe houses in the unlikely case of an invasion.

Industry & Trade

Brayla relies heavily on its trade routes, and without them it wouldn't be afloat. The main Zakharan trade routes go to; Elhag, Sibas, Jable and Brayla. With these routes connecting to the rest of Zakhara. Elhag also has a unique trade route within the river "Bellhag", making travel between the two towns as short as a couple of days.
Brayla also has great sea routes to the southern parts of Olane, it has great connections with all the dwarven villages.

Infrastructure

Brayla had the best watering system of Zakhara, one that could even rival Abydos. It consisted of windmills that would transport water to an underground storage system, where it would then be used for drinking and irrigation, this water was also sold to other surrounding towns. Brayla also had a dam that would block the water from going into the ocean, it is used moderately and even in the summer months the river was always prosperous. The dam also included a lock mechanism powered by the "Braylan Desert Rose", the lock would allow the to pass the dam within a few hours.
Brayla isn't able to grow many types of crops, the most readily available crops were barley, onions, dates, pomegranates and honeydew. The fruits of Brayla were renowned for their incredible taste and they would sometimes be sold at auctions based on size. Brayla also had many large fish and cattle farms.
Brayla was centered around its town square, which was close to the river, this way traders and farmers would immediately come to the town square to sell their goods. The town square also consisted of multiple taverns and inns, which were known for how fair they priced their items. Braylans would rarely take advantage of tourists, they always loved to hear the stories of others and their culture promoted sharing happiness between each other.

Districts

Residential district: This is where most of the town's residents live. It includes houses, cottages, and other even large shared housing.

Agricultural district: This is where the town's farms and gardens are located. It includes the irrigation systems, water storage, fields, and other infrastructure needed for farming.

Commercial district: This is where the town's shops, markets, and other businesses are located. It also includes the public square, the taverns, inns and other stores.

Industrial district: This is where the town's main manufacturing and production takes place. It includes workshops, factories, and other places where goods are made like forges.

Harbor district: This is where the town's port and docks are located. It includes facilities for loading and unloading cargo, warehouses, and other buildings needed for trade and travel by boat, the area also includes ports where people could rent boats or ships long terms, like weeks or even months. The area also has ticket counters for boats going to specific destinations like "Elhag" and "Bugbore".

Entertainment district: This is where the town's places of worship, parks, and other leisure activities are located. It includes various Zakharan temples, but in recent times some Olani temples have also emerged. It also includes large halls for weddings and other ceremonies.

Administrative district: This is where the city's government and administrative buildings are located. It includes the city hall, courts, and other buildings where the town's leadership conducts business. It also includes the small schooling district and the arcana district, where minor magical abilities are taught. However, most advanced students would travel to other parts of Zakhara to continue their training.

Natural Resources

The Deserts around Brayla are scatters with "Braylan Desert Roses", there are also mines for these roses but anyone can easily stumble upon one if they know where and how to look. It is said that these roses have some psychic properties, such as curing psychic illnesses and revealing some secrets when used by a Psychic. However the crystals have been known to affect some people's minds in negative ways, it all depends on the persons internal peace, a person that is in control of their thoughts and emotions is barely able to harness their powers, while a person that has radical and out of control emotions can lose their true self within days of coming into contact with the crystal.
The crystals also have stored energy inside them, both from the sun and from the primal magical effects of Zakhara. Some have theorized that the people of Chamra used them as a power source to power up gigantic machines that roamed the Zakharan deserts.

Founding Date

153 AF

Alternative Name(s)

The Ethereal Canal

Type

City

Population

18,000 - 20,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Braylan

Location under

Zakhara

Owner/Ruler

Merhorn Alhiz