Pleasant
Pleasant is a town which on occasion, actually earns its name. A small seaside town in the Kingdom of Recfrere, it is known for the numerous fisheries and whaling docks that exist. The city makes its living from the sea, providing the majority of whale oil that makes its way for use in the rest of the kingdom. In the past it has faced multiple attacks and assaults from the Kingdom of Populres, including multiple occasions of nearly complete destruction. However, the climate here is noticeably warmer than other points on the coast, causing it to be highly attractive for farmers alongside the fishermen. Numerous wealthy individuals in Recfrere establish their winter homes here, along the Moultrie River.
Government
The government of Pleasant is a democracy, with all adults within the town voting for a new mayor every time the previous one passes away. Emergency elections can be called if vast corruption is exposed or another crisis occurs, but has taken place only rarely through the town's history. Each mayor appoints the bureaucrats and leaders needed to manage the administration of the town, but many issues are handled by the mayor directly, due to the small size of the community. Law and defense matters are handled by the Sheriff of Pleasant and his appointees for lower judges. The sheriff is elected upon death of the previous sheriff.
Defences
The town of Pleasant is encircled by a formidable stone wall which has been upgraded and repaired many times since the town was founded. The town was sacked by the Populresi army in 729, and much of the wall was destroyed in that conflict. A new wall was created, somewhat expanding the town limits, though portions of the old wall were repurposed into barracks for the town guard. Supplementing the wall are the guardsmen under the leadership of the town sheriff, Kheihnum Dhohi consisting of thirty full time guards. In a time of crisis, the town can muster a further militia of eight hundred people to serve under the guards.
Industry & Trade
Although the original settlers of the town came to establish fisheries for gathering of food, in time Pleasant emerged as the primary whaling town in all of Recfrere. The conquest of Bern in 513 led to the rapid growth of the whaling industry. Pleasant is the closest town outside of Populres to the whale grounds of the Endless Ocean. The whale oil is harvested here and distributed across the whole of Recfrere with other merchants from the south often arriving in the town to make bulk purchases for other nations.
Infrastructure
The majority of roads along the docks and within the central part of town have been paid and are well lit by lanterns fueled by the whale oil that flows through the town like water. The focus of infrastructure development has always been upon the fishing and whaling industries, providing with the shipyards and support required to encourage economic growth. Several public administration buildings have also been built to house a town jail and barracks for the militia to train and drill when needed.
Assets
The town's primary wealth comes from the sea trade, and while a market for general goods exist, most commerce takes place on the docks as people look to buy whale oil in bulk. There are twenty three small taverns and pubs and a single inn, the Pleasant Breeze Inn, that offers accommodations to travelers and merchants staying in the town. A small stockpile of ship supplies and nautical gear are available for sale at various dockside shops, but most captains that seek to refit or repair find themselves headed towards Moultrie upriver or Whitemarsh instead.
Guilds and Factions
In past decades, influence in the town of Pleasant was frequently fought over by the fishing and whaling companies that bring in the gold. A change has occurred with the election of Nasnohloh Jike, the sole scion of one of the fishing companies. She has divided the town into only two factions, those that support the mayor, and those that support the sheriff. Jike has loudly advocated within the Towns' Assembly in Viracocha that law and legal matters in the towns should be handled by the mayors, not by the sheriffs. Her agenda has led to Sheriff Dhohi becoming a clear rival and enemy for influence in the town. Cooperation between the bureaucracy of the mayor and the sheriff has diminished to almost nil. The mayor's office has even been alleged to resorting to using criminal organizations to enforce law rather than the sheriff to avoid losing influence.
Founding Date
459 AF
Type
Town
Population
6,200
Related Ethnicities
Inhabitant Demonym
Pleasantan
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
~6,000 Caroan Humans
~200 Various Other Races
Comments