Trunau

Written by Lokrow and adapted from pre-existing content.

Trunau is a human farming settlement situated south of The Hordeline, the third border to be built between Lastwall and The Hold of Belkzen. Due to its proximity to the Hold, the village is highly frequented by Lastwall paladins on the way to and from the Blockade.
Trunau is built on top of a spring, the presence of which makes Trunau and the land surrounding it fertile amidst the otherwise arid environment that marks much of the Hold and the border area with Lastwall. Combined with the overall flat relief of the land has enabled Trunauans to establish many large farms surrounding their town, providing ample food even during harsh summer and winter months.

History

Trunau wasn't always a border town. When Lastwall was founded, in 3828 AR, it established the Sunwall. The Sunwall was a line of fortresses 15 miles apart from each other which formed the only southern border between the Hold and a neighbouring country at the time.
However, partly due to its distance from Lastwall's capital of Vigil, the far western stretches of the Sunwall became vulnerable and eventually multiple successful orc raids upon the fortresses themselves and the settlements they guarded forced Lastwall's forces and citizens to fall back onto a second border line.
This line was built in secret by General Harchist who predicted the fall of the Sunwall and was called Harchist's Blockade. But eventually, the Blockade fell too. After decades of skirmishes with orcs, Lastwall established the Hordeline out earthen ramparts and wooden palisades to attempt to once again constrain the orcs to the arid climate of the Hold.
Trunau, formerly 100 miles away from the nearest orc camps found itself only ten or so miles away from the new official border. The recent history of conflict with orcs as well as the general antagonism towards said orcs held by the citizens of Lastwall lead Trunauans to build extensive defences around their town.

Show spoiler

^{I am no cartographer, made this using my phone. Please be kind. ^^}

Government

Trunau is governed by the Ivory Council. A council of six members which are elected from the people every two years. Of those 6 members, one will be designated Chief of Ivory by the five others every year to have the final say in all matter concerning the town. The same person might be elected multiple times, even consecutively. However one person cannot be designated chief on consecutive years.
They govern from the Ivory Hall, which is not built out of ivory but rather from wood. The logs came from the nearby woodlands and were processed in order to yield a smooth texture and discoloured such that they evoke ivory.

Defences

Due to its proximity with the Hordeline, the town is heavily defended. Trunauans are trained from young to be able to defend the town should the Blockade fall.
The most notable defense is Trunau's palisade, ten foot high with sharpened tops and encased into a robust stone wall. The palisade is an instantly recognisable sight to visitors. Below the palisade are shallow trenches, which despite being shallow are almost permanently slick with mud making them hard to climb out of. Behind the palisade are wooden watchtowers with raise high in order to provide line of sight between archers and potential attackers caught in the trenches.

Natural resources

Trunau is situated on fertile land and surrounded by small woodlands. The inhabitants of the town have taken advantage of this by farming a variety of grain and other crops as well as a steady supply of logs to build much of its infrastructure.

Industry & Trade

Outside of the palisade, Trunau's farms extend far on the fertile ground around the town. Trunau's agriculture is its main industry and while it is far from established trade routes, its proximity to the border ensures regular passage by Lastwall's paladins. The town's merchants therefore compensate for the lack of connection with larger trading networks by inflating their prices.

Architecture

Most of Trunau's architecture is based on the logs Trunauans extract from the surrounding woodlands. They tend to be 1 or 2 stories high buildings, the Ivory Hall being an exception at 4 stories high.
Cheaper lodgings are built only out of wood, whilst more ornate and expensive ones incorporate various other materials and especially further processed or compound materials to work as insulation or provide greater structural integrity.

Type

Town

Population

Approx. 800

Inhabitant Demonym

Trunauans