Northgate
The town of Northgate gained its name for obvious reasons: it was built around the north gate of the Fruitlands Wall. The town is well known as a final port of entry into the Fruitlands, and the most commonly used one. The majority of overland traffic into the Fruitlands comes into Northgate, on its way to the markets of the Imperial City or for shipping out through the Imperial Bay. The population has swelled particularly in the past century, becoming a useful meeting place and trade center for those who wish to avoid the xenophobia and watchful eyes within the Imperial City or Fruitlands.
Government
As Northgate has become an extension of the Fruitlands Wall, it is under the direction administration of the Imperial Army. A general of the Army is the head of the town, commanding both the defenses and the overall political system of the town. Administrative tasks are handed out to members of the Army, who typically hire private individuals to actually undertake the tasks needed. Essentially all bureaucratic and administrative needs are therefore taken care of by privately owned businesses and organizations. Individuals contracted to undertake this work are regularly audited by the Imperial Army to make sure that the services are actually taken care of. Unfortunately, due to the disdain the soldiers have for administrative tasks, corruption is high among the government services in the town, and nearly anything can be done if you pay off the right people.
Defences
The western side of Northgate is protected by nothing less than the Fruitlands Wall itself. This massive structure is nearly one hundred and fifty feet in height and patrolled by some of the finest of the Imperial Army. In comparison, the town wall of only thirty feet may as well be a wooden palisade. The town wall extends out from the Fruitlands Wall in a half-circle around the North Gate, and is also manned and patrolled by the Imperial Army. These defenses were not initially planned as part of the Wall, but they have added after the North Gate was breached during the North Jakonian Rebellion of 944-947. The Imperial Army provides ample protection for Northgate, but should the need be required, the town could muster a militia of nearly seven hundred people to support the defense.
Industry & Trade
The town's main services offered are warehouses and hotels. The trade into and out of the Fruitlands is the primary cornerstone of the town's economic growth. The warehouses provide storage for traders who wish to bring in their goods a little bit at a time or to simply sell them in large quantities. The hotels offer a place to say for both them and pilgrims of the Church of the One Sun. As immigration to the Fruitlands has become more restrictive, a considerable amount of people work in bureaucratic services that survey and assess those who wish to enter through the Wall. These positions are well paid and important, as customs and immigration are tightly regulated by the Jakonian government.
Infrastructure
The majority of the town does consist of paved roads allowing for smooth travel and commerce through the town. The primary feat of infrastructure in Northgate, however, are the massive warehouse complexes inside of the town limits. Consisting of nearly a quarter of the acreage inside of the town walls, the warehouses hold large stockpiles of goods ultimately destined for the markets of the Imperial City or ships in the Imperial Bay. Stockpiling nonperishable goods inside of Northgate has proven to be significantly cheaper than finding space within the Imperial City itself, offering a solid choice for those who wish to keep a constant trade into the Fruitlands.
Assets
Northgate has a large surplus of goods for sale, may of which are luxury items intended for the markets of Oldmar or the Imperial City. The Store Market is an unofficial marketplace where these items are available for sale, but at a substantial markup. As many nonhumans are unable to access the Fruitlands or the markets inside, the Store Market sells the items to these desperate folks much more expensively than they would to the humans inside of the Fruitlands Wall. This gouging is common practice, and for the most part nearly every item for sale in Northgate is overpriced compared to expenses elsewhere. Aside from that, Northgate hosts seven dedicated hotels around the North Gate itself, places for visitors to the Fruitlands to stay prior to entry or immediately after exit.
Guilds and Factions
The ruling faction in Northgate is the Imperial Army. They have the backing of most local Jakonians, who work either directly for the Army or otherwise serve in the Imperial bureaucracy. The Imperial Army regrets that the town of Northgate exists at all, feeling that the extensions to the wall that were created make for an enormous vulnerability in the Fruitlands' defense. They would like to see the town reduced in size and further residents forbidden or blocked. The Church of the One Sun backs this, feeling that the nonhumans in the town are a bit too close to the Fruitlands for comfort.
Opposing the Imperial Army is a local coalition of halflings and dwarves, they have put substantial pressure on the general to continue to open up the town and allow for the continuity of trade. They have the backing of the Banking Coalition in the Imperial City, which finds the presence of the goods stocked in Northgate to be enormous helpful for commerce. They are also opposed to the racist entrance policies and wish for a more free flow of nonhumans in and out of the Fruitlands through Northgate.
History
The history of Northgate is fairly recent. During the Northern Rebellion, the gate became the site of a major refugee camp spurred by Columban and Orrlander victories on the battlefield. As the enemy armies drew closer to the Fruitlands, the number of people in Northgate grew exponentially. As the invaders began to besiege the Fruitlands Wall themselves, the Northgate refugee camp became an ideal location for infiltration of the wall. Using this vulnerability, the Wall was breached ten miles to the northwest. This success led to the end of the war and a treaty losing Jakonia nearly half of their empire at the time.
Following the war, quite a few people remained in the camps around Northgate. They eventually built more permanent homes, and as more restrictive laws were passed regulating travel into the Fruitlands, the usefulness of the town became more and more apparent. The town grew very quickly from this point out, and in 1002, it became clear that the existence of a town outside of the North Gate was already accomplished, that it would have to be integrated into the Wall's defenses to prevent another disaster like that in 947. A wall was built surrounding the North Gate on its eastern side, and the town was officially dedicated underneath the Army's supervision.
Geography
The town of Northgate is built on the flat open plain east of the Fruitlands Wall. Trees had been cut back for nearly three miles away from the Wall already, opening it up easily for the growth and expansion of a new town. Local farmers further cleared the land, opening up new space for cattle ranches and a handful of smaller farms too. The town itself is shaped like a half circle around the North Gate of the Wall, with a very haphazard layout of roads and buildings, with only the main highway acting as a straight thoroughfare from the town gate to the North Gate.
Type
Large town
Population
7,700
Related Ethnicities
Inhabitant Demonym
Northgater
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
~2,800 Jakonian Humans
~1,900 Halflings
~1,100 Hill Dwarves
~1,000 Halfbreeds
~900 Various Other Races
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