Xiros
Xiros is a peaceful farming town and community, which has some of the finest crops in Alsona. It is also home to fishermen who work upon the lake from which the town takes its name. The city does sit upon a major road, but the road is rarely used except for those going to or from Xiros itself, as other routes are more commonly traveled. Therefore, Xiros is a quiet town favored by those seeking isolation or retirement from more active parts of the country. The waves of dwarven immigrants avoided Xiros for the most part, allowing the town to preserve its status quo without any disruption like other communities have suffered in recent years, right up until the war. During the war Xiros was attacked and looted multiple times, suffering heavily in the conflict as the fields and orchards were burned. Today, the town has barely begun to recover, but it is a shadow of what it once was.
Demographics
The town of Xiros is entirely made of Alsonan humans. There are a handful of nonhumans residing in the town, but no dwarves have been allowed, due to legislation passed by previous mayors. Most other nonhumans were chased out during the Wingo War, or forced to flee from the elven and dwarven raids that sacked the town repeatedly. The town remains suspicious of nonhumans and their presence in the community, refusing to allow any new ones to settle in the town limits.
Government
Local governance has been established under the reign of local noble houses for centuries, and feudal administration is the common manner of rule. Local nobles appoint magistrates to uphold the law and preserve order. While the nobles used to retain large levies, they now instead employ professional guardsmen, local to the house and the laws of the land. The nobles also act as judges when criminal matters occur, and most cases are presided over by the local count, simply due to the small size of the population and that of the surrounding region.
Defences
The walls of Xiros are crumbling and old, and while they were initially built of stone, repairs have been made instead of wood. The result is a fortification far less sturdy than it was during the Wingo War, and even less defended. A handful of guardsmen watch the gates, and the Royal Alsonan Army has declined to provide the town with any garrison. Only the noble residences retain any sort of protection, usually in the form of hired mercenaries to watch their persons and property. If the town did come under a serious attack, only ten full time town guards are employed, but they could be reinforced by around 300 trained militia.
Industry & Trade
Local trade is entirely dependent upon fishing from Lake Xiros. Only half goes to meet local demand, but some is still traded outward, primarily by exports to the larger cities of the west. The lake has proven flush with fish and preserving and selling them abroad, along with grains and wheats produced in the fields surrounding town, has given it a reputation of the breadbasket of the surrounding region.
Infrastructure
Xiros is a shadow of what it once was, devastated by the Wingo War. Some of the paved stones of the old roads remain, but nearly every building and structure has been built anew, out of wood from the surrounding forests. The roads remain unlit, as the funds for streetlamps do not exist, and most other infrastructure remains primitive. The granaries are the only structures which were preserved by the raiders when they attacked, as the silos themselves were looted to feed the enemy armies. These granaries are the lynchpin of the town's rebirth and are the only feature of any true age or note remaining in the area.
Districts
Xiros is not large enough to contain significant population districts, the area instead divided between the town inside of the walls, and the farmsteads outside. Those living in town are frequently either employed along the docks as ferrymen or fishermen, while some do commute to work in the surrounding fields during harvest season. The safety of the walls is desired, but most of the land within is now vacant and unused, with ruins of the old town scattered across the urban limits. Most trade and commerce takes place at the market near the docks, where local produce is sold to residents and merchants alike.
Founding Date
669 AF
Type
Town
Population
1,700
Related Ethnicities
Inhabitant Demonym
Xiran
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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