Maud Traversee
Maud Trraversee is a Losanan farming and trade village that came into existence due to its location on the intersection of two of the few safe passages through the Dread Bayou. Considered a curiosity by many due to its unique construction and valuable location, it has managed to exist in an incredibly hostile region. The wealth of trade constantly passes through, although the reopening of the southern Sypi River by the efforts of the Free City of Riveraineville and the Kingdom of Losana have begun to cause a waning of this trade in the last decade. The resumption of trade along the river has led to the end of the overland route that once prospered, as people begin directly depositing trade goods at Cairveil and Baton. The town continues to exist, primarily from the agricultural industry that has emerged over the years.
Demographics
The population of Maud Traversee consists nearly entirely of Losanan humans who have settled here over the centuries. Some of the families have lived in the region for over four hundred years or longer. These humans are divided upon religious lines, however, as the worshipers of the Losana Pantheon are numerous and the majority compared to the ruling and wealthy class that predominantly follows the Church of the One Sun. The practice of the old ways has to be kept mostly a secret, but tensions are constantly brewing as the swamps surrounding the town are home to numerous pockets of the resistance against the Church, and a constant source of rebel activity.
Government
The phrase "he who governs least, governs best" is an apt phrase for the management of Maud Traversee. The reigning noble house rarely involves itself in the affairs of the day to day of the town. Whenever the stilts begin to give or work needs to be done a new levee, the house will go around for tax collection. Occasionally a noble will collect more than they bargained for, sending what excess funds they achieve to the royal family. This is rare, however, as the local leadership turns a blind eye to most affairs, providing they do not offer direct competition to the town. Due to this benign negligence, handling of commerce typically falls into the hands of the local Caravaneer Guild, who collect taxes from passing caravans. Crimes are instead the purview of the Church of the One Sun officially, but unofficially many of the poorer citizens take their grievances to the voodoun priests who divine guilt and mete out punishment as required.
Defences
The greatest defense of Maud Traversee has always been its location. The Dread Bayou is woefully unsuited for the passage of armored soldiers and heavy weapons, with the heavy quickly sinking into the marshes and quicksand that is plentiful throughout the region. Over the years, the town has avoided capture on most occasions, and when an army does appear with the capability of defeating the locals in the marshes, the community will surrender rather than see their homes destroyed. There is no standing army garrison or levies commanded by the lord. The ruling house and aristocracy, for what there is, maintains their personal guards, but they are a small minority. The town itself when needed will muster a militia of up to two to three hundred trained fighters, lightly equipped. Various outposts are maintained along the trade roads, to make sure that there is always at least a day or two of warning before an enemy can attack.
Industry & Trade
Trade was once the lifeblood of Maud Traversee, as barges would cross the river from Styx and land at Port Cotebrule. From there, trade caravans would pass through the town on their way to destinations further inland within the Kingdom of Losana. The reopening of the Sypi River shipping route from the Circle Sea has greatly diminished the profitability and efficiency of this route, and trade has quickly dried up. Thankfully, the fertile soil of the surrounding bayou has led to booming fields of rice, and the town produces ample exports for the rest of the kingdom. These foodstuffs make their way throughout the nation, but hardly make up for the same amount of income as the lost trade.
Infrastructure
The town is a marvel of engineering, built primarily upon stilts that elevate the wooden buildings above the surrounding bayou. Stone buildings that have been attempted in the town have quickly sunk, and the relics of old nations lay deep beneath the mud and rice fields. Therefore nearly every structure is wooden and small in size, offering the least chance of collapse or issue in flooding. They are made to bend but not break in the seasonal hurricanes, and the elevated streets protect the people from storm surges. The roads have begun to fail in recent years, however, as the wealth of the town has begun to dry up, and less and less financing is available to keep the roads elevated. There are also numerous docks for the ships that ply the myriad passages through the Dread Bayou, but all of them are small and not accommodating to anything larger than a rowboat.
Assets
As a hub of trade and supply for southern Losana, Maud Traversee once boasted a vibrant marketplace with ample luxury goods available for sale. The reopening of the passage through the City of Webs has allowed trade to resume upon the Sypi River between Riveraineville and Cairveil directly, and trade has begun to dry up. The marketplace is still active, but mostly by those who have come to the town seeking purchase of large amounts of rice from the fields within the bayou, and various skins from the trappers. There are numerous inns that offer accommodations to adventurers, most of which are desperate for the business. These warriors of fortune would be hard pressed to find any weapons or armor, however, as the local blacksmiths are strictly small operations due to the weight of a forge preventing the construction of a proper smithy.
Points of interest
Visitors to Maud Traversee would likely find the most interest in the elaborate systems of locks, levees, and stilts that help the city remain literally afloat. Although the town is built predominantly upon the stilts over the bayou, flood waters are often both a boon and a threat, and the various levees in the surrounding region help make the waterways navigable and can be opened carefully in the case of rising tides. Beyond these constructions, the Wood Square is a marvel to behold, a trading marketplace full of shops and centered with a wood gazebo, often used for weddings and other official ceremonies.
Founding Date
393 AF
Type
Town
Population
2,000
Related Ethnicities
Inhabitant Demonym
Maudite
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Comments