Seavale

Last gate to the north

5 April, 289 6c.

Now, I'm not one to question my captain's navigation, but I'm near certain we ended up at the wrong port. He told us not a week ago that we was heading to one of the most important trading towns up north outside the Kingdom, so me and the boys were expecting something a bit more....civilized. This "Seavale" seems to me little more than a harbor and a few houses, I think I might have spotted a blacksmith somewhere in there. If it weren't for that lighthouse up on the cliffs, I doubt we would have even spotted the opening to the harbor anyhow- and even then, with all the rocks and wind it took us a solid hour just to dock. This town had better be more than the farm village it looks like, or else some of the boys might just start up and planning a mutiny.

Excerpt from the journal of an unnamed Fharyne sailor.

Demographics

Being a port town, Seavale has more varied residents than the rest of the Stell Islands. However, not many people from other places choose to reside there, unless they have a good reason to- the most common of which is trying to escape the law of some other country/empire. Seavale offers the refuge of an independent land (one of few left) as well as many promising career paths, so long as you want to be a sailor or a shepherd. That being so, its population is primarily people born and raised in the area, many of whom never leave.

Government

Seavale falls under the government of the Stell Islands, which isn't much. Each town elects a Mayor and an Overseer on an annual basis- the Mayor deals with matters outside of the town, such as communicating with other towns and the national government, while the Overseer handles matters within the town, namely law enforcement and judicial matters. The islands are unified under the Writ of Common Law, which is a document drafted two Cycles ago that outlines the laws of the land. The Writ is kept and enforced by the Writmaster, a position which is voted on every ten years by the Mayors and Overseers of Stell.

In the year 298 of the 6th Cycle, the Mayor of Seavale is a young woman named Casey Prim, and the Overseer is an elderly man known as Old Jeb. Rumors constantly circulate over whether either or both of them receive bribes from the nefarious pirates and other groups of ne'er-do-wells that frequent the comparatively bustling harbor of Seavale.

Architecture

The architecture of Seavale is slightly more exciting than its surrounding countryside- but not by much. The most popular building supplies are the grey stone that makes up much of the islands, as well as weathered grey timber from the few forests adorning the islands. Due to being a port town, however, Seavale has access to more coveted goods that rarely make their way to the rest of Stell. As such, the well-off in the area often construct their homes out of rich brown wood imported from other lands, and make use of colorful paints to make clear how distinguished they are compared to the rest of the working class population.

The vast majority of Seavale, however, doesn't deviate much from the standard architecture of Stell. The most popular form of residence is the "shorthome", an abbreviation of short-order home, as its simple stone, clay, and thatch construction allows for relatively quick and lasting assembly. These buildings are typically one or two storeys with a small cellar for storing food, and often house a full family in addition to a few guests or distant relations. Even the simple shorthome in Seavale has some characteristics that differ from the rest of Stell, however. Due to its location at the mouth of the harbor, the practice of Anchorage has greatly influenced many aspects of the town's culture- including the tradition of building houses with doors facing the sea, so as to make it easier for sailors to find their way back home. Lighting candles in the windows and beside the door at night and during storms also stems from this following.

Type

Town

Population

5,000

Location under

Stell Islands