Pau
Pau is a little village of 321 souls set on the slopes of Mt Arci, an extinct ancient volcano.
The prehistoric volcanic activities left behind layers of glass like Obsidian that covers the area. Between the black shards, a forest of helm trees grew and is now the home to a rich and diverse fauna and to a numerous comunity of Janas.
The presence of the obsidian attracted human populations since the Neolitic times and numerous ancient ruins dot the land of pertinence of the village, now often converted by the Cult of the Mother into temples and pilgrimage sites.
Being such a small village, it is run in a democratic way as most major decisions tend to be discussed in general meetings and implemented following the interest of the majority.
Virtually all the active population is employed in a way or the other in the extraction, manufacture and distribution of obsidian and related professions.
The village assembly is the owner of the quarry and the inhabitants have the exclusive for the extraction of the gem. The Obsidian is extracted from the quarry along Sa Scaba Crobina, by the obsidian mining cooperative. This is then worked in one of the four laboratories and by the obsidian artisan school that enrols a cohort of 5 students per year.
Since obsidian manifacture is so focal for the economy of the village, it only comes natural that the jewellers and miners have the most prominent political relevance. The other faction active in the area is the Istrias Coven of Mt. Arci that comprises both humans and Janas and it's mainly dedicated to the study of protective magic.
As such, the two factions are rarely in conflict and so far have managed to pacifically share the spaces and resources between them.
Most tourists that visit the centre come to Pau to explore the magnificent woods and visit the Obsidian Museum. And of course to shop for gorgeous jewelry.
There is also a thin but continuous procession of people that bring their affliction to the Coven in hope for a benign interference or a protection charm and some branches of the Mother cult consider the Mt Arci a pilgrimage site sacred to the goddess.
Type
Village
Population
321
Inhabitant Demonym
Pauesus
259 Humans (235 S'ards, 24 North African), 13 Janas, 49 Fadados
Aw, I love the sound of this village. I like that it's so important for its obsidian. <3 What are Fadados?
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Ah, I knew I forgot to tooltip something :) They are half-human half-Janas people. They are briefly described in the Janas article, but I'll need to give them their own article soon :) Thanks for pointing it out.