Kalott
With its earthen buildings, sewage strewn streets and the stench of glue making, whale oil refining and slaughter houses hanging permanently in the air, one could easily miss the fact that Kalott is the provincial capital of Greltor Province and the seat of its Satrap and provincial government.
Demographics
Around 95% of Kalott’s populace are deemed to be in the lowest income bracket by the Imperial Bureau, with most of them finding relatively low paid jobs in the city’s textile, slaughter and whaling industries. Of the 5% remaining, most are classed as being in the middle income bracket by the Imperial Bureau, with less than 1% being classed in the higher bracket.
Kalott is a mixed-species settlement, though most of its residents are of the Turelite ethnicity.
Government
The city is governed on behalf of the Satrap of Greltor Province by the city Alderman, who, along with their staff, is responsible for the operation of the city and its harbour.
Defences
The lack of locally available building materials, along with the large expenses associated with importing wood or stone in large volumes for construction purposes means that constructing a curtain wall for the city out of wood or stone would have been exorbitantly expensive, far more than the provincial government would be able to afford. However, not wanting to leave the capital of his province without a physical defence network, the first Satrap of Greltor Province ordered the construction of an enormous earthwork that encompasses the entire city. This earthwork is comprised of an earthen and shingle ridge that forms a wall around the city’s northern, eastern and western sides, with a large ditch, from which most of the construction material for the ridge was extracted, on its external side. Several wooden watch towers have been built on top of the ridge, but otherwise the ridge-top is open and uncovered.
In terms of its garrison, Kalott has a force of Greltor Provincial troops, as well as a force of Imperial Drakes placed in the city by the Emperor of Turelion and Kelbonnar. In addition, the presence of the headquarters of the Bloody Wolves in the city means that Kalott is a popular destination for mercenaries to visit, looking for their next job through the Wolves, with these mercenaries, even though they are not contracted to defend the city, acting as a further deterrent to attack.
Industry & Trade
As the majority of Greltor's economy is driven by pastoral farming and whaling, Kalott is one of the major centres for the processing of agricultural produce in the province. In particular, the city has a large wool processing, dying and weaving industry, producing textiles and finished garments for export across the Empire of Turelion. In addition, Kalott acts as the focal point in the province for the slaughter of herd animals reared for meat and the rendering down of their bones for glue, alongside the refining of whale blubber into oil. All of Kalott’s industries add to its reputation of being a dirty, smelly, unpleasant city, but they do also make it an integral part of the Empire's supply chain.
Infrastructure
Of all the provincial capitals in the Empire of Turelion, Kalott has the dubious reputation of being the worst off when it comes to quality of life. The lack of stone for building and the cost of importing it means that it has not been possible to create a sewage system for the city, with residents instead having to use communal cesspits, or more commonly, throw their waste into the streets. The streets themselves, save for a stone paved square in the heart of the city, are simple dirt tracks, so soiled with filth that it is impossible to tell if one is walking on earth or effluent.
From the perspective of transportation, however, Kalott is relatively well connected. It has its own Firewing Port, a busy harbour and it is the origin point for all of the major roads that run through Greltor Province, making it the most connected settlement in Greltor, not that this is a particularly illustrious honour.
Guilds and Factions
The largest faction in Kalott is without doubt the Bloody Wolves. Indeed, they have so much influence in the settlement, and at times have more armed men and women in the city that the detachments of Provincial Troops and Imperial Drakes combined that the mercenary group is often said to be the unofficial rulers of the city. Though in reality the Bloody Wolves little desire to actually run Kalott, as it would require them eating into their profits, they are keen to ensure that they always have a voice at the table whenever matters of importance to the city, or indeed the Province as a whole are debated.
In addition, the White Fangs have a significant presence in Kalott, where they not only run the local fighting arena, but where they also have a lucrative business model of extracting protection payments and loan shark repayments and interest from the city’s majority poor population.
Tourism
There are few reasons for anyone to visit Kalott and most of those who do, do so not for recreational purposes. Many members of the Bloody Wolves, and mercenaries who want to join that company visit the city, but most move on quickly after receiving their next contract.
Architecture
It’s position at the most westerly point of The Shingle Crescent means that Kalott is surrounded on three sides be wide shingle beaches and the waves of the Malcont Ocean beyond, and hundreds of miles by grassland, with little wood or stone suitable for building with on the fourth. As a result, relatively few of the buildings in the city are built of stone or wood, the Satrap's residence and offices, the residence and offices of the city Alderman and the headquarters of the Bloody Wolves among them.
Whilst the more affluent residents of the city can afford to import building materials for their construction purposes, most of Kalott’s citizens have to make do with the materials they have at hand. This means that most buildings are constructed out of mud-bricks made by combining soil with seawater and then dried in the sun, with many choosing to have sloping roofs and walls to add extra integrity and laying turf on top to provide additional insulation from the bitter winds that blow over the city from the sea to the south. Almost all of the buildings constructed in this way have only one story above ground, but many have basement levels excavated beneath them to provide additional space.
The characteristic architecture of the city has led to it being given the nickname the City of Barrows, as to many outsiders it looks at first glance like an enormous collection of burial mounds.
Geography
Sitting at the western tip of the, Shingle Crescent Kalott is surrounded on its western, northern and southern side by large shingle beaches and the waves of the Malcont Ocean as the eye can see, with its eastern side being endless miles of scrubland. The city is remarkably flat, with little more than a few feet of height difference between its port to the west and its eastern most point. This means that Kalott is prone to flooding, something that causes havoc for its earthen buildings, but the people of the city are hardy and grudgingly muck out and rebuild after every deluge.
Founding Date
274DP
Alternative Name(s)
The City of Barrows
Type
City
Population
c.45,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Allerite
Location under
Owning Organization
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