Patrala Nagara

Humble Town Without Temptation

"Today is an auspicious day", thought Umar Zamong as he opened up shop. He had been looking forward to this day for years, as it was the culmination of his cousin Buyo's dreams and vision: A train! Here! Patrala Nagara was the only town around for miles, so Umar naturally encountered many merchants as they passed through the area, and he had long since learned how to pick up on gossip. Over in Sagara Nagara, the only city in this part of Zamzara, there were whispers of a strange form of metal carriage designed for mass transportation, and Buyo had always been an opportunist at heart. Years ago, his cousin had signed a trade agreement with Sagara and swamp town of Nastor, eager to siphon as much from the city as he could.

And here it was, at last.

Over a hundred workers lost to monster attacks did nothing to prove a sufficient deterrent to economic progress. Nor should they, in his humble opinion. After all, Patrala would grow! He was more than ready for his first shipment of goods to arrive - he could sell these foreign items at a great markup! His brilliant cousin had done it again. Umar sighed as another customer left the store with a few paltry goods. Lost in thought, he began to wonder if he might be so lucky as to open a store in the city and finally earn some respect from people - too many fools here wouldn't recognize a truly sharp and intelligent man, even if he called himself Emperor.

Umar was shaken from his thoughts by the sounds of commotion coming from down the street, in the direction of the railyard. How had he lost track of the time? The first arrival was going to be here any minute! As he left and began to fumble with his keyring to lock the store, he noticed the commotion grew louder until he could hear what people were saying. His stomach fluttered. He thought he had heard wrong, but it wasn't until he drew closer to the obviously angry mob growing outside of the railyard that his fears were confirmed.

The train had been attacked with almost no survivors.

Demographics

The Zamzians of Patrala are relatively well-balanced for a town of Patrala's size - despite its low population, there is a mix of social classes, all of whom recognize themselves as native Patralans. While over half of the town is comprised of laborers ranging from farmers to miners, there are plenty of people armed with specialized skills that fill in the rest of the populace. The town is ruled by two noble houses, descended from ministers of the Zamzian Empire - the Choos and the Zamongs.

Government

Each noble house of Patrala nominates a member of their family to go onto a ballot to decide who will be the town's mayor for the next year, whereupon the family members with voting rights will anonymously drop "voting sticks" into the cauldron of the candidate they choose. A mayor may be voted out of office in extreme situations, but this has never happened in in Patrala's history. Once elected, the mayor has the power to appoint agents to assist them with the minutiae of running the town, ranging from controlling commerce to law enforcement. This usually translates into obvious nepotism.

Currently, the Zamong family has been in charge for the past decade and immediately set about displacing the Choo family, their rivals, from their old positions of power, as is the custom.

Defences

A 20-foot tall wall made of stone bricks surrounds the town in a giant square with parapets facing the interior. There are only two gates into Patrala - one on the northern and southern ends of the walls. The gatehouses double as archery towers, extending another 10 feet into the air. In the event of catastrophe, the townspeople can retreat to the southern section of town and destroy the ramp leading from the planes to the hills.

Industry & Trade

Patrala is rich in resources, being located in the temperate section of Zamzara. Ore is dug from the earth, trees are chopped to make lumber, and food is bountiful. With the addition of the new railyard, Patrala has exploded in trade, no longer being the largest settlement within travelling distance. The town eagerly sends its extra resources to Sagara Nagara in exchange for goods that can only be produced in more civilized areas of the fallen empire, such as Pokeballs and magical reagents.

Infrastructure

The largest and most recent addition to Patrala is the railway on the northern edge of town, replacing the old forums where the elders and residents would meet. As a result, the old, forgotten mines of the Empire have been reopened and delved into once more, now that there's a market to send ore to. Mills draw upon Patrala's bountiful forest to deliver lumber along the train to Sagara Nagara. A watermill sits at the top of the waterfall splitting the town in half, while a long, stony pair of roads flank the river. A crude, but effective sewer system runs underneath these roads, one based on old texts detailing the capital city's infrastructure. Farms dot the edge of the town, but in its heart are several guilds and a Temple of the Transcendent Emperor. Across from the temple is the Riverside Park - the most leisurely spot in town to relax. Visitors can sit by the statue of the town's founder, Gotama Choo, or simply enjoy the fountain there.

Assets

General Store

General Store:

• Bait - $300
• Collection Jar - $100
• Basic Rope - $100 per 25 feet
• Utility Rope - $200 per 25 feet
• Sturdy Rope - $400 per 25 feet
• Bedroll (+1 to Mind Rolls for 24 hours after sleeping) - $1000
• One-person Tent (+1 to Body Rolls for 24 hours after sleeping) - $900
• Two-person Tent (+1 to Body Rolls for 24 hours after sleeping) - $3600
• Nice Towel (+1 to Spirit Rolls for 24 hours after sleeping) - $100
• Repel - $200
• Super Repel - $300
• Potions - $200
• Bandages - $300
• Canteen w/4 Enriched Waters - $400
• Resources - $33

Butcher's Shop

Butcher’s Shop -

• Bait - $250
• Baby Food - $250
• HP UP - $4900
• Protein - $4900
• Iron - $4900
• Calcium - $4900
• Zinc - $4900
• Carbos - $4900
• Resources - $30

Healer's Hut

Healer’s Hut -

• First Aid Kit - $500
• Potion - $200
• Super Potion - $380
• Antidote - $200
• Paralyze Heal - $200
• Burn Heal - $200
• Ice Heal - $200
• Full Heal - $450
• Revive - $300
• Bandages - $300

Pokemon Guild

Pokemon Guild -

• Basic Ball - $300
• Great Ball - $500
• Ultra Ball - $1000
• Lure Ball - $900
• Repel - $200
• Super Repel - $300
• Poke Ball Tool Box - $750

Survivalist's Home

Survivalist’s Home -

• Big Root - $1000
• Energy Root - $500
• Revival Herb - $350
• Mental Herb - $300
• Power Herb - $300
• White Herb - $300
• Portable Grower - $2000

Blacksmith

Blacksmith -

• Simple Weapons - $3000
• Fine Weapons - $6000
• Shield (+1 EVASION) - $3000
• Light Armor (Phys) - $8000
• Heavy Armor - $12000
• Helmet - $2250
• Greaves (+3 vs being Tripped, 1 DR) - $2500
• Gauntlets (+3 vs being Disarmed, 1 DR) - $2500

Food & Drinks

Hanok Guesthouse -

• Basic Room (+1 to Body skills till next rest) - $200/person
• Double Room (+1 to Body skills till next rest) - $300/person
• Nice Room (+1 to all Skills till next rest) - $500/person

Gochu Grill -

• Spicy Beef (+1 Crit range till next rest) - $300
• Salty Pork (+5 Temp HP/scene till next rest) - $300
• Bittersoup (+1 to all Saves till next rest) - $300
• Gochu Platter (+2 Max AP till next rest) - $1000

Cafe Hoho -

• Dry Pastry (+1 Effect range till next rest) - $300
• Sour Tea (+1 Evasion till next rest) - $300
• Sweet Tea (+5 Initiative till next rest) - $300
• Hoho Bubble Tea (+10% Max HP until next rest) - $1000

The Last Chance Bar -

• Rice Wine (+1 to Charm Rank till next rest) - $300
• Springwater Beer (+1 to Intimidate Rank till next rest) - $300
• White Liquor (+1 to Command Rank till next rest) - $300
• "Snake Oil" (+3 DR till next rest) - $1000

Guilds and Factions

Being such a small town, Patrala has few organizations. In fact, there are only two of note:

The Cartographer's Guild is an ancient and respected group that can trace its history back to before the beginning of the Empire itself, in the primal days of mankind's shameful past. Even then, the ancestors of what would become the Zamzian Empire knew the value in being able to navigate such dangerous lands, and they understood that others valued this, too. What was once a necessity became a formality, and then entered the realms of ritualism and reverence.

The Pokemon Guild is a new addition to the town - it's merely a small hall where the few individuals who control monsters can contract with people or groups within the town to look for short-term jobs or duties. Guild members are considered to be professionals and are expected to act as such while on business. They offer basic training for people who are new to looking after monsters, but quickly expect to be repaid for their services. It was created within the past year by the ronin Yoshitaro as a way of giving back to the town while training powerful adventurers in case of emergency.

Ever since the inception of the Pokemon Guild, the two organizations have worked closely with one another, each supplementing the skills of the other with their own - adventurers working for the Pokemon Guild often rely on the cartographer's maps when travelling on business, and the frail cartographers enlist guards when mapping the dangerous world of Zamzara. Together, they are responsible for much of the outside knowledge that comes to the town beyond outdated newspapers from Sagara Nagara.

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While not a strict organization, the town's Printing Press is held in high esteem by the residents of Patrala, as its primary usage is the printing of the weekly newspaper and assembly of the annual almanac. The press is co-owned and run by the Zamong and Choo families, which regularly dispute over the paper's contents. More infrequently, the press is used to preserve old texts of both religious and secular natures through reprints. In theory, any land-owning resident of Patrala can write for the newspaper, but this rarely happens in practice.

The Temple of the Transcendent Emperor is still technically an official part of the Cult of the Emperor and many residents regularly visit the bizarrely colorful structures to reflect on their lives and actions. The sadhus and sadhvis, while devout, reject the organizational structures that would result in them being called a "faction", and their lack of power within the old Empire (and by extension Patrala) has resulted in what can only be called a loose confederacy composed of people whom share the same beliefs and values. However, their cultural influence is undeniable, and the temple is always in pristine condition regardless of the town's economic status.

History

Before The Kalyugi ripped the spine of civilization from the Zamzian Empire, Patrala was nothing but a lush, overgrown section of the forests of Green Gullet - it wasn't until an ancestor of the Choo family, a minor court official born in Zamhita, used his wealth to create a refuge far away from petty politics and frustrating bureaucracy that anyone lived in the area. Coincidentally, an ancestor of the Zamongs financed a similar estate within a few years, to the Choo's chagrin.

These compounds served as summer abodes, a far cry from the blistering heat that plagued the capital, and their remote value went unnoticed until there was no capital to return to. Due to its geographic location at the source of the Hermit's Stream, some survivors of the The Kalyugi naturally found their ways to the area, pledging themselves to the Zamongs and Choos in exchange for protection. Within a decade, the fledgling town of Patrala was born, a village propped up by the weary tenacity of the remnants of the Zamzian Empire. It is only in recent times that the town has grown to rival the size and security of an average settlement under the Empire's rule.

Architecture

The railway dominates the northern side of Patrala, and most of the station was built on top of old forums where village elders would meet. Some of the pagodas are still used as rest and shelter areas for the train. Various archways signal paths to the local farms, and dull stones with pictures on them serve as signs. Small poles jut out of the ground with many paper tags affixed to them.

Much of the town's structures are made of wood and have colorful paper doorways and windows, and many homes are lit at night by vibrant paper lanterns. Mossy, drooping trees line the river and the only thing stopping people from going into it are piles of rocks along the bank. Occasionally a wooden bridge spans the gap over the river, with carvings of cats with strange fixtures attached to their heads. Flat, shiny stones with words and carvings on them serve as signs of sorts.

On the south side of town in the hills, many of the buildings here are made of stone and get wider as they get taller, and the roofs are flat and layered, plus each has its own staircase up some rocks or hills. Ornate bridges go over the river with old ivy crawling up the bridge towers. Every now and again is a sign pointing to various areas of the town.

Geography

Patrala is nestled in a forest on the edge of a great plain in Green Gullet, where a huge river flows from the mountain ridge to the plains below, the crashing waterfall splitting the town in half, upper and lower. The upper portion of town is built along a less-steep section of the ridge, while the rest of the town is nestled in gentle hills, surrounded on all sides by deep pine forests.

Natural Resources

Despite being a small, rural town, Patrala is located rather favorably. Less than two miles from town is an old mine built nearly 800 years ago - it was closed a few decades later for unknown reasons. Within the past five years, the mine has been reopened and workers occupy it once again, digging deeper and more dangerously than ever before in search of wealth. The river splitting the town in two has been used for transportation and transit ever since the survivors of The Kalyugi began to form a community here. Due to the comfortable temperature and pleasant climate, a variety of crops can be easily grown: the main staples are cabbage, soybeans, and wheat.

Alternative Name(s)

Pineleaf Falls Valley City

Type

Town

Population

3,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Patralans

Location under

Green Gullet

Each hexagon is 6 miles on each side, or 93 square miles. See Overworld Travel Rules for mechanical details.

Zamzara

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The full continent of Zamzara, as it appears in-game.