Hraman

Once a small town that acted as the administrative centre for Norgantho Province in the region of the Worfal Tundra, Hraman is now the capital of the Rebel Nation, Nova Norgantho.

Demographics

Nova Norgantho's more egalitarian system and demographic make-up means that Hraman, as its capital, very much reflects this. There is little to overtly separate the 10% or so of the population that lives in Hraman that would have once have been deemed upper or middle class from the majority of the town’s other citizens. Those that belong to this 10%, represent all that is left of the individuals and families that would have once worked within Norgantho Province's administration of the area, but who chose to stay. They tend to have more material and monetary wealth than the other inhabitants of the town, but they almost always conceal this fact, out of fear of recriminations.

Government

As the capital of Nova Norgantho, Hraman is governed by a committee of three individuals drawn by lot from the Council of 300 that are appointed to office every year. These appointed individuals are referred to as the Triumvirate and are responsible for making all major decisions related to the town for the year they hold office and have a staff of administrators beneath them, who all hold permanent positions within the organisation and provided continuity year to year. The Triumvirate report directly into the Council of 300 on their activities.

Defences

As Hraman floods quite regularly it was deemed to be impractical to build a defensive wall around the town and instead, defensive towers were constructed around and within the town to provide for its defence. These towers were built to act as miniature castles which would provide a clear field of fire around their settings and hopefully make life so difficult for any attacking enemy who was moving through the town’s porous boundary, that they would eventually retreat.
The division of troops given over by Nova Norgantho to protect the town are billeted in these towers, which were all constructed with the housing of troops in mind and are complete with sleeping and living quarters of garrisoned troops.

Infrastructure

Hraman’s original purpose as the centre of the Imperial bureaucracy in Norgantho Province, means that it is situated on the only major roadway to traverse the length of the Worfal Tundra, the Norgantho Way.
Though the Norgantho Way has always been poorly maintained, it does provide a connection to the city of Vorcastle in the north and the off shoot of the Great Imperial Road that traverses the south of the Tundra, eventually connecting up with the Great North Way in the The Kaldara.
Since the establishment of Hraman as the capital of Nova Norgantho, more effort has gone into expanding the road network to reach the other communities of the Rebel Nation more effectively. However, this work has proved slow and work intensive, with only the communities lucky enough to be located near to the Norgantho Way already having seen the benefit of this work.

History

Hraman was established in 300DP when it became clear that Norgantho Province  had a need for an administrative presence closer to Turelion Province and the industrial communities in the south of the province. However, form very much took precedent over function, as the town was established in a natural bowl in the landscape, which has made the settlement highly prone to flooding and for centuries it was relegated to being, quite literally, a back water.
However, Hraman’s more recent history has been marred by violence, as it was the centre of the conflict that led to Nova Norgantho's independence from the Empire of Turelion. As the main representation of Imperial authority in the region, when the revolt in the Worfal Tundra took place in 488DW, Hraman quickly found itself as the campaign headquarters of the provincial troops who were tasked to bring the region back into line.
Despite the increased presence of Provincial troops in the area, a series of poor decisions and defeats by the rebels meant that by 490DW, Hraman was under siege. As a town without walls, Hraman is relatively easy to gain access to, but the presence of the many defensive towers throughout the town, erected to guard it, meant that the fighting became a bitter struggle over every street and building. Many buildings were destroyed by both sides as they attempted to flush each other out of the town’s different areas, but eventually, after months of fighting, the Provincial forces surrendered and the rebels took control.
Even with the town in their control, the rebels did not stop their rampage of destruction. They put to the torch every building that was used as part of the Provincial administration in the Worfal Tundra along with all of the Provincial records they found. Whilst most of the town has now been rebuilt and has become a much more thriving community than it was under Imperial rule, the sites of these Provincial buildings remain ruins, deliberately left as a reminder of the tyranny of the Empire of Turelion's rule.

Architecture

Hraman is notorious for being a very wet place. As it is located at a lower elevation than the surrounding countryside it regularly floods, with the regularity of these occurrences resulting in the ground never fully drying.  As a result, the architecture of the town has changed over the years as the town’s inhabitants have attempted to protect their homes from the regular deluges.
All of the newer buildings in Hraman are constructed on stone plinths which completely raise the structures above the level of most floods, whilst older buildings have been modified so that their ground floors are no longer used for their original purpose, and have either been filled in with rubble, to provide a more stable base for extension above, or have been converted into basements. The elevation of the buildings in the town means that most tend to have no more than two floors, as the boggy ground cannot support a lot of large structures.
Whilst there are roads at ground level, almost all of the buildings in the town are linked up to a system of elevated wooden walkways, which are used in lieu of the roads when the town floods, though they are also frequently used even when the ground is dry.

Geography

The town is set within a hollow in the Worfal Tundra, which means that it is surrounded by rolling, low elevation hills.
Ostensibly, the decision to locate Hraman in this hollow was taken to protect the town from the bitter and strong winds that regularly blow across the Worfal Tundra, but its setting has caused a variety of other issues. The relatively lower elevation of the town, means that the settlement is liable to flooding during bouts of bad weather and the ground is almost always waterlogged, hence why most of the inhabitants have taken precautions to raise their homes above ground level, or reinforce their ground floors against flooding and damp.

Founding Date

300DP

Alternative Name(s)

The Swamp

Type

Town

Population

c.6,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Hrami

Location under

Worfal Tundra

Owning Organization

Nova Norgantho

Related Historical Events

• 507 DW
  Attempted Assassination of the People’s Council
• 490 DW
  Surrender of Hraman and the Execution of the Worfal Tundra Provincial Administrator
• 490 DW
  The Siege of Hraman