Lashta

It was tourist season and Lashta was full of sightseers.  The streets were crowded with the carts and wagons of those traveling and the street criers and merchants trying to sell their wares.  A glimmer of sun touched the walls of the houses, reflecting their red brick onto the dirt roads.  The town lay in the shadow of the Alps, and this is from where I looked down upon it.

Demographics

Lashta was a popular tourist town, and had all the trappings of such. It was fairly cosmopolitan, with people coming from all over to live and work there, not to mention the high turnover of tourists. Most professions revolved around the tourist industry, but the town also housed the Alpine Rider troop when they were not on active duty from the year 150, meaning that there was a sizeable industry in supplying the Riders with services including stabling, replacement and manufacture of their equipment, and so on. The town also contained several spellwriter shops, notable particularly for their role in the fledgling career of the young Notorious Kales.

Government

Lashta was a part of the Alpine Conglomerate, a loose group of towns and settlements that were situated near the Alps that was founded in the late Pre-Century.  It was since consumed by the Mountain Empire in the mid-20s, a transition that occurred relatively peacefully.  It has been under direct control of both governing bodies.

Industry & Trade

Lashta's early industry was heavily focussed around tourism, as well as around exploiting the Alps for mineral resources.  Around 150 this diversified into providing accommodation and services for Riders, as well as a sudden boost in spellwriting services.

Infrastructure

Lashta contained little specialised infrastructure, although its more notable pieces of infrastructure were its roads that were engineered to stand up to large amounts of foot traffic, and made very wide to accommodate the rush of tourists that came to the town when it was that season.

History

Lashta was formed in the early pre-century and enjoyed prosperity under the Alpine Conglomerate.  When consumed by the Mountain Empire, many point to a downturn in life standards, linking this to the Mountain Empire's crackdown on extracting natural resources from the Alps due to the discovery of The Alpine Rift.
The town remained moderately prosperous for the rest of its existence, but during The War of the Alpsrift a mass exodus of people occurred due to Lashta's proximity to the mountains.  The town was deserted and never fully recovered - a lack of citizens as well as a downturn in tourism in the years after the war ruined its economy and way of life for good.  The city now lies uninhabited, and increasingly is home to bandits and the wildlife of the Alps.

Architecture

Nearly all of the buildings of Lashta were made of red brick, with shingle roofs.  They were all relatively low-lying dwellings, with few buildings rising above two storeys, and arched windows were very popular.

Geography

Lashta is located on a plain near the Alps and this affords it spectacular views from late winter to early summer.  It is also well-placed to take advantage of the many tributaries that run down from the foothills of the Alps.

Natural Resources

From the Alps - minerals such as iron, gold, and coal.  Lumber and game. From the plains - grain and other harvestable crops, water from tributaries.

RUINED SETTLEMENT
31/5/433

Founding Date

Late Pre-century

Type

Large town

Population

4,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Lashtan