Tael
An oasis town in the midst of the Azuvah Prairie, Tael is known for its variety of fruits. So much so, that it seems impossible that all of them are natural. Old legends speak of a goddess named Perrin, who is the source for this strange anomaly.
Demographics
Mostly Shelitan humans. Minorities include cervids, elves of Amber, and human outcasts from Meudan.
Government
Familial Oligarchy
Defences
Tael has a basic stone wall that surrounds the immediate town, but there are hardly ever more than a few guards posted because this is generally an altruistic community.
Industry & Trade
Most folk in Tael are orchardists that have their own special cultivars of the many different fruits. There are also spider farmers, bug catchers, sappers, and loggers. (Not affiliated with the Empiric Lumber Coalition)
Infrastructure
Costermonger Marketplace, the Tael Tower, the Arboretum, Drizzlestream Inn, Mosque of Her Majesty
Assets
Fruits are the biggest assets to Tael, but they also deal in lumber, spider-thread, and books
Guilds and Factions
The Garelocks: The family that claims they are related to the goddess of the town, Perrin. As of now, they act as absolute rulers of the town and all its operations. The villagers are in a state of unrest because of the high taxes on income and crop yields alike. The head of the family is Dabir Garelock, who is one of the most tyrannical leaders that Tael has faced.
The Estranged Community: The Community has an outpost in Tael so that they can study the effects of the fruits that grow here. They also act as the de facto leaders of the Arboretum along with Serafino Melamed. The Community here is run by Dignus Duran, who is a very genuine and understanding man who thirsts for knowledge.
The Indigo Hand: Ebenezar and his followers, this group has both a long term and short term goal. The faction has several men posted here in town. Some of them are just harassing the local Community Tower, but others are doing strange experiments with the fruits of town, in order to perfect a serum for Ebenezar.
The Rebels: Though they have no formal name, they have a singular purpose: to take down the Garelock family and change Tael for the better. The Garelock family is a small noble house with very little influence outside of Tael. So much so, that other nobles often question whether they're legitimately nobles at all. Their eyes are pretty hazel in comparison to other families, so some people think that they conned their way into their position. If Dabir Garelock and his family were to disappear, no one would notice as long as it was done covertly. If it caused a huge scene, however, the Empire would intervene and execute the rebels involved. After all, talks of insurgencies in the face of the war to the west has the Empire on edge. This rebellion is led by a youthful, idealistic leader named Samuel, with long, unkempt hair and a stern but charismatic air about him.
The Potion Masters: A huge guild that reaches far, the Potion Masters are a tightly knit group of potion makers and alchemists that have banded together to regulate potions all over Naer-til. Here in Tael, there is only one man to oversee the operations: Serafino Melamed. He lives at the Arboretum so that he can regulate the creation of the serums and elixirs that are created there.
History
As an inconsequential, small town in the middle of a desolate wasteland, Tael's history was not well recorded by its citizens. It was supposedly founded by Perrin Garelock long ago and she was the one who created the oasis that began to sprout all these colorful trees rife with ripe fruit. She died young, they say. The complete injustice of her death was what led to her ascension to a paragon. After the legends surrounding Perrin, the history of Tael become muddled to the point that nothing can be gathered for certain. The only thing that is well known, is that the Garelocks are the rightful rulers of the realm.
The Estranged Community took interest in the town when several of their minorem were traveling through the quaint little town. They were struck by the colorful fruits on the trees, which seemed to defy science and logic. So many different fruits were present, but more than that, there were often multiple types of fruits growing on the same tree! They knew that they had found something noteworthy, so they went back to the Community's headquarters and told the Digni of what they had found. Dignus Duran found this interesting and investigated himself. Eventually, he established his own Tower in the little town and continues to research there to present.
Architecture
Tael takes full advantage of the lumber that they have access to, but they also know that it's in limited supply, so they use it sparingly. All of the major buildings are created with a mixture of wood logs as a framework, and wood planks as the walls, ceilings, and floors. The roofs are normally flat and made of sealed wood because rain is rare here. The lesser homes use a red clay that's abundant in Azuvah, but similarly to the other homes, these have flat roofs and often open windows with spider-thread nets to keep mosquitoes out. The only exception to the reds and browns is the wall around the ceiling, which is made of gray stone that was imported from the south.
Geography
Tael is an oasis in the midst of a desolate prairie, and that makes it valuable as a stopping point for travelers and merchants. Unfortunately, the ground here is nearly impossible to work, which means that there is no hope of farming. The only thing that you can hope to cultivate is one of two things: fruits or mengals. Most people choose the first. Because of its status as an oasis, it's one of the only places in the area with trees. This would be excellent if it was in a slightly better location. The problem with its location is that it's only a day's travel from the end of the Azuvah Prairie and the start of the Meudan Forest. Because of this, it hardly makes a difference for those who travel along the edge of the Prairie for weeks. The spring at the center of the town has water that's fresh and uncontaminated, which is great because most of the water in Azuvah is contaminated with terrible substances that can cause serious illness.
Natural Resources
Fruits, Lumber, Spider-thread, and Mengals
Type
Town
Population
Approximately 1,500
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
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