Galcara

Arigio diverted from the passing people as he walked to the other side of the street, and leaned on the stone balustrade; there, he had a good view of the city. [...] he looked to the pointy bluish rooftops before the outer walls, and remembered the days when, at every moment, at least one of those rooftops was on fire.

—A Masterpiece of Evil

Galcara is a large town of the Kingdom of Collioris, being the main city of Duchy Astorno. It once had an important role in the economy of the Kingdom, specially in the production of wine and olive oil; however, war and geographical barriers brought its decadence and transformed it in an almost irrelevant settlement for Collioris.

Government

The city follows the laws of fiefdom in Colliori, and is ruled by Duke Nelo Astorno, prestigious member of the Cerulean Inquisiton.

Defences

As any big city in Colliori, Galcara has an outer wall that surrounds most of its houses and buildings. There is also an inner wall around the citadel, that protects the Duke and his family. These walls are thick, but should be no problem to a well organized attack with the proper equipment.
Although the walls may not be difficult to deal with, it's not easy to get there: Galcara is in the most mountainous and isolated region of Colliori, and the peaks end up being a better defense than the walls themselves.

Industry & Trade

Agriculture

The mountains do not allow large plantations in the region of Galcara, but there are some valuable goods which production is favored by the climate. Wheat, olives and grapes are the most important crops of the region, although the large-scale farms make possible to vary the production.

Industry

Corn is used specially for flour, which is very used by the Collioriani in general, specially for baking and making pasta. Olive is important for the extraction of olive oil, a very relevant exportation product. And maybe the most important product—possibly the reason why the city is not yet abandoned—the Galcarian wine is one of the best in Colliori, thus being one of the best in the Central Empires.

Trade

For its isolated position, Galcara doesn't have many trade routes. The wheat and the flour usually go to Vassena, that is not the nearest city—there are others just at the other side of the mountains—but the easiest to reach. A part of the oil and the wine also go to Vassena, but it mostly goes to the reign of Giriali, in the north, generating a decent but not exorbitant profit.

Guilds and Factions

The most influential organization in Galcara is certainly the Cerulean Inquisition. Since most of the nobleman in Galcara—as in Colliori, in general—have no magic blood, including the ducal family, the movement was well-received by the most powerful ones. Today, the Inquisition rules the city, although with a pride that may end opening breaches—breaches that can be very well used.
The Silver Eye, as always, does a good job in the city, with members among guards, common folk, merchants and even some noblemen.

History

The first inhabitants of Galcara were simple farmers and shepherds, having settled in the region around 450 or 500 B.F.
Only around 190 B.F., some decades after the first reign of Colliori was founded, the city really started to grow. The great potential for grapes in the mountains attracted the attention of King Celio, who thought it would be good to have a fortified city in the region; the investments came, and the city was built.
The plan, however, had a twist no one would expect at those days: the First Kingdom of Colliori split apart in 109 B.F., and, although the new capital remained at the same place, Colliori's territory was much reduced. And at the edge of the Kingdom, almost completely isolated by the mountains, was Galcara, now much harder to access and to trade with.
For that reason, it was considered more than once to leave Galcara on its own, ceasing the capital's investiments. However, althought favoring onlyt the already rich, the wine and the olive oil were still generating some revenue, and that's why the city has not been abandonet yet.

The action of the Cerulean Inquisition

After the events of the Kas Tradilian war, the Cerulean Inquisition rose as a movement against any kind of Magic. It's presence was very strong in the whole kingdom of Collioris, and Galcara was no exception. The Inquisition killed, tortured and deported mages, their families and every person that they could identify as having magic blood; the process took weeks and the city was thrown into chaos in those days, from which it never fully recovered.
Strong consequences followed these days, specially in economy: many mages' families were successful merchants and ran businesses in the areas of olive oil extraction and wine production. The family Zamboni, for example, was the second biggest producer of wine in the whole North Collioris, but gave everything to the Inquisition in exchange for their safety.
The exceeding companies, lands, infrastructure and other goods were shared with the Inquisition supporters, that in many cases didn't have the knowledge or the experience to run their new businesses. That lead to a decline in economy, rise in unemployment rates and poverty.

Geography

Galcara was built in a mountainous region, on the top of a mount near the Bartran River. At its south is the chain of Solamuno, that practically isolates Galcara from the rest of Collioris.
The land relief does not favor great plantations, but the soil is one of the best in the world for grapes and olives, which trees are abundant in the region. The mountains have their bottoms covered with decidual and pine trees, but their peaks are usually rocky with almost no vegetation.

Natural Resources

The region of Galcara is full of trees that can be used for many purposes, specially the black pines that grow in the mountains. The mountains have also iron and copper, that, although not in an amount enough for trade, supply much of the town's needs.

Related stories

A Masterpiece of Evil

Arigio is a homeless boy that lives in the streets of Galcara. With the city occupied by the Cerulean Inquisition, an order which hates and persecute any kind of magic, he does his best to hide a secret: he is a mage.
But, one day, an inquisitor finds him, not even suspecting of the terrible consequences that would come from that.

Alternative Name(s)

End of Collioris, Celio's Bad Bargain

Type

Large town

Population

55,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Galcariani

Location under

Solamuno Mountains

Owner/Ruler

Duke Nelo Astorno

Owning Organization

Kingdom of Colliori