Sammen (S-ah-men)

Known for:

• Population of refugees and other "lost"

• Silk export

• Cartography

The city of Sammen ("together" in Giantish) sits tucked behind the Shadowspire mountains, where the hardy scrublands of the Softscale and the equally hearty fishing culture of Saint Hira's Sea allow a refuge for displaced peoples to call home. Their city maintains a staunch observance of a set of tenets dedicated to the people of the city flourishing.

Culture

Sammen is a city built by and for disenfranchised people with nowhere else to go, and as such, is a town that prioritizes empowering the underprivileged and giving them the tools they need to flourish, whether that means staying in the town that aided them or moving on to establish their new lives.
It also is by nature an inclusive city given the fact that no group of people is immune to being displaced, be it by political strife or natural disasters, and Sammen has at its core a pledge to let all in who need to be let in. Thus, bigotry and bias between groups of people is antithetical to the city itself and while the organizers and people of the city recognize they cannot prevent all forms of personal bias from happening, they can make strides to prevent it from impacting the lives of others' (including business dealings, housing availability, and interpersonal communication).

City Tenets

The founders of Sammen, once enough groups had coalesced into what people realized was a "town," sat down and captured what would be a sort of constitution, a litmus test for all ruling decisions in the city's future, that was deemed immutable and mandatory in all things for the good of all. (The words are meant to be interpreted by spirit, not literal words, thus "voice" does not exclude those who do not speak verbally, for instance.)

1. All are welcome, provided they mean no harm
2. All are entitled to safety, health, and the ability to grow
3. All have a voice, provided they mean no harm with their words
4. All cultures have value and are not shed at the gates
5. Sammen exists to aid those in need, and all decisions must be to this goal

Sister Cities, in All But Name

The city of Sammen has adopted many of the same belief systems and indeed even ruling representation that the extricated city state of Expatria follows, and many who understand the two cities consider them to be sister cities, even if Expatria considers it to be separate from Ostelliach proper.
As such, there are many who end up in one city then the other, and envoys between the two are common. Even stubborn Expatria recognizes the similarity and thinks of Sammen fondly, despite not having an official ambassadorship between the two. In fact, for some in Ostelliach, it's something of an entertaining joke that Expatria was founded over a hundred years after Sammen had already planted the seeds of such a culture. The difference (and reason that people may stick their noses up at Expatria) is one of need: people to Sammen out of necessity, which can be true for Expatria, but people often travel to Expatria out of choice, choices that mainland Ostelliachs often view as petulant.

Demographics

All types of peoples, especially those fleeing destruction or persecution elsewhere or those with no clan/family/home to visit. This means all species, all walks of life.
Sammen tends to be a lower income city, given its propensity to take in strays with little to their name. As such, most living here empathize with this struggle and champion mutual aid for newcomers especially; those who have become more established may become more wealthy in their own trade, but taking advantage of those less established is the highest offense. Nearly all residents of Sammen came here with nothing, so venture capitalists or those coming to the city with resources prior are scrutinized carefully to ensure they are not making money off of others' hardship.
The distribution of new to older residents fluctuates, with newcomers always welcome but many people often opting to stay, at least for a while, whether out of comfort, a fear of starting anew elsewhere, or a self-imposed duty to pay Sammen's kindness back before they go. Some do decide to stay their entire life upon settling and become pillars of their district or trade.

Government

The city of Sammen is ruled by a delicate push and pull of the whims of those located there.
The people of Sammen are sensitive to the different challenges they have to balance in governing the city including:

• The city is made of many different cultures, with different value systems, priorities, concerns, and political preferences

• Elevating specific people to power runs the risk of prioritizing some value systems over others, including concerns about a wealthy newcomer not understanding city concerns or a long-time resident being unattuned to any needs for change or what the outside world is currently like

• Voting systems being skewed by whatever populations are currently represented most strongly; Sammen is a city of diasporas, where the population may represent one type of person heavily for a time before an external humanitarian crisis resolves or a new one floods in a new type of refugee

Thus, the organization of Sammen is one that borrows from anarchist belief systems that reject structure and hierarchy, especially given that many may be in the city fleeing local governments that used hierarchy and state structure as a weapon.

City Tenets

The city tenets are the guiding stone of all city decisions, from law and order to district organization, allocation of funds, and ambassadorship with other areas. They are:

1. All are welcome, provided they mean no harm
2. All are entitled to safety, health, and the ability to grow
3. All have a voice, provided they mean no harm with their words
[li[All cultures have value and are not shed at the gates
4. Sammen exists to aid those in need, and all decisions must be to this goal

Functionally, this means certain rights are enshrined in Sammen, including:

• Healthcare
• Housing
• Food
• Cultural expression (dress, language, food etc.)
• Education and Training
• Representation in city affairs
• Protection from danger

None in Sammen can seek to restrict these, or profit from them beyond a "break even" model that keeps the resource (ex: a clinic or library) functioning. Those that do are dealt with by public trial and typically excommunicated from the city.

Open Admission

Given the fluid nature of Sammen's populations, there are virtually no barriers to living in and being represented (including voting) in the city's political structure. There is no true ownership of homes, with the creation of new buildings being for the good of Sammen, so housing is open with no barrier to rental. The new would-be resident simply visits the Housing Office and requests to move into a place and the office verifies it is available before handing over the paperwork.
This paperwork then is used as voting registration, with the citizen providing it as proof that each cognizant person in the home may vote. The age required for voting is generally whatever is considered "adult" in a species, but this rule is a general guideline (to prevent toddlers from "voting" for whatever their parents say) rather than a strict rule, given the fluidity of when an individual in a species reaches "maturity" as well as the fact that Sammen sees many refugees that are not technically "adults" in their species but have been keeping themselves alive without assistance just fine, and as such, deserve representation in their new home.

District Representation

Each district selects its own representatives to a council that decides hyperlocal issues, with the decision process for who is on each council left to the individual districts (and shaped by the cultures that make up each district, since similar species may value similar things). Each council must have at least 3 people, but no more than 9, in order to make things manageable.
From there, each district council participates in a wider discussion with the other districts' councils to determine matters of city importance. These make for Greater Council discussions to be very large, with at least 12 voices up to over 30 chiming in and debating. However, with the tenats of the city to reflect back upon, things generally come back around easily.

Law & Order

Much of the police force in Sammen comes from a volunteer group, but the Greater Council stays abreast of who volunteers for this to ensure one group is not represented more ferociously or that more pacifist groups are not being dominated.
Once a person is brought in for a crime/infraction ( matched to one or more of the city's tenets) they undergo a public trial including statement by the person(s) affected or the Greater Council if it is not an interpersonal matter (such as someone being corrupt in their business deal with the city itself). Typically, those who stay in Sammen want to be there, and want the city tenets to be true, desiring peace and security. Those who don't are typically excommunicated from the city and their names given to guards posted at the gates. The fate of being found unwelcome in the City of the Welcome is one whose irony is not lost on the people of Sammen and seen as the greatest shame, not just on them, but on the group they came in with, their District, their family, their species, or whatever ties they may still hold dear.

Vocations and Education

There is a sensitivity to the fact that many arriving in Sammen may be disabled or experiencing trauma that prevents typical "manual labor" and that they may need education to pick up a trade suitable for their new location, a new language etc. As such, people are encouraged to donate time, teaching, and resources to newcomers or those seeking apprenticeship and doing so is a solid way to become a cherished pillar of an area.

Defences

Much of Sammen's defences rely upon the loyalty and pride of its citizens, with a volunteer militia of those who were born in or found the city and fervently care for it defending its trade routes from invaders or wildlife.
The Softscale itself is not particularly dangerous other than occasional roaming packs of animals, but Saint Hira's Sea's deep placid water is known for aquatic predators that grow large and greedy in their comfort. Militias are trained specifically for these types of assaults, as well as keeping a sharp eye out for bandits seeking to prey on the isolated nature of the city.
The city itself is surrounded with two-storey-tall walls of the same stone and mud as the buildings, with cultivated spike bramble plants atop as a sort of barbed wire. These walls are interrupted by three tall doors: northeast, to the sea; northwest, to the Softscale; and southeast, to the place where most travelers exit or circumnavigate the eastern side of the Shadowspires. These gates are almost always open, given Sammen's reputation as one of welcoming accommodation, and all three have only been closed 2 times in the city's official records.
Sammen is an old city, existing out of need long before The Web was returned to Ostelliach's people, and as such, most of its defenses were created sans-arcana. That being said, in the time since Rebuilding the Temples, there have been many initiatives to reinforce the battlements and city structures with magic for longevity and strength.

Industry & Trade

The city is known, of course, for its generous social support network and receives many contributions from former Sammens or those who want to support its mission.
Sammen also is a popular exporter of several resources and goods, including:

• Fish, both raw and prepared; Sammen is known for its sushi-like combinations of aquatic food in new ways

• Silk; the Softscale produces the only known location for the worms that create fibers to spin into silk

Districts

Residential

The residential districts of the city have formed natural mini-cities of sorts based on the types of people who came to Sammen seeking asylum. The different districts are friendly and open to each other, with the natural separation a matter of shared living preferences rather than cliquishness. After all, if you live a semi-aquatic life, wouldn't it make sense to seek out others who did the same and build a home most comfortable to you?
The residential districts are named in the tradition of the city in Giantish, though this does not mean the districts are made up of Giants.
The districts include:

• Vand (B-ah-nd "water"), the aquatic district, in the northeast, where different buildings are varying levels of submerged, from hosting a pond or pool to being enclosed in arcane bubbles or sunk into a created moat for a homemade swamp feeling. The inhabitants of these areas are, predictably, those who like or need a specific humidity or to keep their gills wet.

• Under (OO-nah, "under"), a district for those who prefer the cool and quiet of mountains and underground; though most of the city does not embrace subterranean construction, newer builds in this area are starting to explore ways to safely introduce caverns and basements. Those built aboveground tend to forego open windows and create small aboveground tunnels connecting their dwellings to limit sunlight and keep things cool; the overall effect is something like a short-yet-sprawling anthill on the southern side of the city where Trolls, Kobold, Gnomes, Dwarves, and of course, Giants may be found, with building sizes varied to accomodate their occupants and frequently appearing shorter than they are as digging may have been done inside the structure.

• Åben (Oo-ben, "open"), the location preferred by those still adjusting to non-nomadic life or looking for an open feeling, is located to the far west, centrally in the Softscale plains. Nearly the direct opposite of Under in this, the dwellings of Aben utilize more grass and shrub weaving into their architecture and prefer lighterweight structures or even simply canopies to protect belongings during the rainy season. This is favored by the likes of Firbolg, some Elves, Wilden, and others who traditionally are found in greener pastures.

• Bjerg (Bee-yah-ow-g, "climb"), the southwest district for those who still yearn for the altitude they left behind. These are the newest of the additions to Sammen (relatively, beginning about 100 years ago), where inhabitants decided to build upward instead of outward, hearkening to the surrounding mountains. In order to maximize the space they took up and provide different options for different height requirements, these are essentially skyscrapers of 5-7 storeys tall, where each level is a dwelling all the way up to the top. There is no value assigned to who is higher or lower up, no "penthouse" structure, so much as each group choosing to go as high--or not so high--as they prefer. The residences in Bjerg are supported by magical warding to protect against architectural decay. In order to avoid cluttering the western half of the city with zigzagging staircases, new residents are given a choice of a mechanical or arcane entryway, created by the city planning group as a magical or physical lift to get them up. (Each resident must choose one or the other, even if they are an aerial creature that can fly or float to their destination, to make all buildings accessible by visitors or officials etc.) As one might imagine, Bjerg is popular with Air Genasi, Aarakocra, and others who find themselves craving altitude.

Commercial

The commercial buildings--shops, businesses, smiths etc.--of Sammen are located in the center of the city, with a main road connecting to each of the gates out as well as branching to the residential districts. They are not necessarily mandated in structure, but certain business types do tend to be created near their corresponding populations, such as fish markets and sailing goods near Vand and carpentry/smithing near Under.

History

Sammen has since its inception and before represented a place of safety and refuge, of catching one's breath and taking stock of what mattered, what was close and what was lost. Whether from skirting the Tyrant Cliffs to the north, the Shadowspires to the south, or the oceans and seas to the east, the relatively temperate weather, easy food, and soft grasslands made the location where Sammen now sits a desirable place to camp.
Eventually, over time, Giants from the Shadowspire range opted for foothill life and established a permanent encampment. Triton from Saint Hira's Sea established trade with the Giants, and that was all it took. Eventually trade routes were established with other areas, more travelers (at first Dwarves from the mountains and Yuan-ti drawn to the region) joined the permanent homestead model, and then there was a town, and then a relatively small but hearty city.

Tourism

Saint Hira's Sea is a popular tourist destination as many on the eastern sections of Ostelliach are not used to temperate weather or being able to enjoy a beach. Additionally, the repuation for Sammen as a place of mixed cultures, welcoming faces, and relaxing usually prompts travelers to make a detour to stay there rather than camping by themselves.

Architecture

The people of Sammen have always worked with little, specifically what they could carry on their backs or on their backs alongside what they could find in the local area. Even as an established trade route now, the community still bears these roots in most things, including their architecture.
Sammen buildings are typically short, two or three storeys max (aside from newer creations mentioned in Districts), with basements rare due to the softer soil of the area and the amount of pre-planning this type of building takes. There are not many trees and forests for harvesting in the Softscale region, and thus the buildings are usually made of stone from the surrounding rockier areas north or south. They use a mud found in the shallows of the Saint Hira Sea as a plaster to cover and adhere the stones (sealed with fire or magic to make the paste stay in place), creating earthy looking (and smelling) buildings perfumed with herbs from the region to remove any lingering "fishiness."
Relatively stable and temperate weather means there are rarely fireplaces or a need for diligent insulation; most of the houses have removable doors of woven scrub brush that residents remove if it gets too warm, as well as soft tufted grass curtains to hang in the windows if it gets too cold.

Geography

Sammen is located in a naturally formed valley between two mountain ranges: The Serpent's Coils and the Shadowspires. This yields a grass and scrubland known as the Softscale, with more brush and scrub north of the city and taller grasslands to the south.

Climate

The warmer winds from the protected Saint Hira's Sea helps warm the region between the two mountain ranges, creating a valley that is relatively temperate with only light winter coverage (rare for eastern Ostelliach) and pleasant rain showers throughout the spring and early summer.

Natural Resources

• Many herbs, hearty vegetables, and low scrubland fruit bushes in the Softscale valley

• Reliable small game year-round from the temperate climate and robust grasslands

• A robust fishing economy thanks to the strong populations in Saint Hira's Sea

• Ostelliach's primary source of silk, given the unique worms of the Softscale that produce it

Founding Date

138 AB

Type

City

Inhabitant Demonym

Sammens

Related Historical Events

• 138 AB
  City of Sammen Founded