I know we already said something like Victorian so. . . . .
The Place
We start in the city of Tepili, a small city near the border. Merchants from several of the surrounding countries come to this city, which makes it the unofficial Market Capitol. The surrounding lands are of tall wheat fields, cut into little sections by the many roads leading into the city. The roads convert from gravel to cobblestone at the edge of the city, and become smoother due to wear the further you go towards the center of town. All the houses, mansions and living quarters are situated along the outside edges of the town, which is almost a perfect circle in shape.
The Next layer in are all the standard shops open year round with common goods like meat and clothing. It's where the local farmers and craftsmen sell their wares and ply their trades. A few of the shops have small apartments above them, but most merchants either live in the outer ring, or on farms outside the city.
The inner most ring of buildings are seasonal shops that merchants from outside the city rent the year before they plan to bring their wares in to sell. These shops carry seasonal items, like summer fruits and winter clothes of foreign fashion. If a merchant backs out, there is a flurry of requests to the head of the local Merchants Guild to fill the spot by those waiting for an opening. Many have to wait years to get a foothold and have ton content themselves with the open market stalls.
The center of town is known as the Open Market. It is a large cobbled area that is filled from dawn til dusk with hundreds of small and large stalls full to the brim with wares. From fresh baked bread to the finest steel from across the sea, anything can be fond here if you know how to look. Even illicit items such as opiates and slaves. There is a large fountain in the dead center of town that is almost always glistening with gold, silver, and bronze coins. No one throws a fit is a passing beggar pulls out a coin or two, but it is a standing rule that taking more than a few every few days, by anyone, will get you rousted and your entire coin purse emptied into the fountain. Once a year, all the coins are collected by the Lord of the city, and he uses the proceeds to throw a festival, pocketing only a little for himself.
Outside town there are a few farm houses for the wheat farmers, and tall silos for the grain. The mill is located on a river less than a mile from town, a short cart ride from all the farms. To the east is a large forest, and the border. Carts come through daily, but always in groups. Many bandits roam the forest on the other side of the border, however they know never to cross over to the other side. The city's ranger guards are not to be trifled with.
The forest wraps around to the north and runs along the foot of a small mountain range. There is one road through the mountains that leads to another large city and along it is a large collection of mines. The mountains are very mineral rich, but the workers are careful and never take more than the mountain can give safely.
Several miles to the west, through tall rolling hills and long flats dotted with ponds is the countries largest animal farming village. The village itself is rather small, nothing more than a road bordered by a small collection of houses and shops. However in the lands surrounding it, for several miles in every direction, the hills and flats are used to raise all manner of beast. From feathered to hoofed, they have it all, even some exotic species not native to the continent.
To the south are more hills, surrounding a great lake that turns into a mighty river that cuts through most of the country on it's way to the sea with it's smaller branches. From above it would look like a large tree with a thick mat of branches, and a top that blossoms into the ocean. A lot of merchants use this river to deliver large orders of goods all around the country, and the northern part of the lake has several docks and a large warehouse. Small towns and villages can be found all along the river's paths.
The People
Lord Izmeyer(49) – The lord/mayor, and the second richest man in the city. He has a good city and knows it, and will do nothing to jeopardize his position. He's not greedy, but enjoys living well. He keeps the taxes fair, and is swift to dole out punishment when he catches law breaking. He is constantly on the hunt for those selling illicit wares in his city, but half of his guard have been bought off so there is little chance of his success. He has two daughters and a son. His wife is ill at the moment and has been since his son's birth. While he doesn't blame the boy, his resemblance to his wife makes it hard for him to look at the child. He is currently training his eldest daughter to take over when he retires. For the festival each year he makes sure it's satisfactorily magnificent, and pockets only a small amount of the coinage gathered from the fountain. His children are Elsa(21), Maira(17), and Justen(7). Wife's name is Illicia. His mansion is the largest in town and can be seen above all the rest at the northern edge of town.
Guild Master Beyras Halchek(46) – Guild Master of the Merchants Guild, richest man and the real power in the city. Everything goes through him, and if he doesn’t approve it, it doesn't happen. He has no family, and very few people he trusts. A lot of people would love to see him dead. He's not an evil man, but he's not above having someone taken out should they threaten either his business or the stability of his town. He's the one who slipped the idea of ranger guards for the border to Lord Izmeyer, and then after receiving the funding, put a group of his most trusted men through training before stationing them in the woods to defend caravans of goods. He knows about the trade of illicit products in his town, but while he disapproves of slavery, he understands that getting rid of the trade would be more trouble than it's worth, and would cut profits considerably. During his off time he makes use of opiets, but only lightly, and has a taste for young men.
Side note: There are no thieves in Tepili. One guess as to why.
The Leaf Shadows – Trained by some of the best rangers and blade masters in the land, the Leaf Shadows patrol the border running through the middle of the large forest a little ways out of town. They were hired by Guild Master Beyras, and are completely loyal to him and his cause. They do their job, and do it well. They are trained to kill, and show no mercy on bandits that cross the borders to prey on caravans going to and from Tepili. They are a very tight knit group and guard the border in staggered shifts so that there are always at least 4 of the 13 men at the border at all times. No one's shift matches up exactly, and it's changed one a month so that every man gets to work with every other man at some point. This is to ensure that no one would ever be able to impersonate one of them. They all use short blades, and most are skilled with the bow, however some favor darts and throwing knives.
Mic. – The dock is run by a mix of Beyras's and the Lord's men. All barges and the like have to go through inspection before being shipped out, but the drug and slave runners know which dock to tie up at to be able to get their goods through after greasing some palms. A few people from the city work in the mines to the north or in the refinery at the base of the mountains.
The History
Tepili has managed to stay out of every war that has happened since it's founding and has always been recognized as a neutral ground for trade and negotiation. Because of the constant flow of foreigners it is almost a country unto itself, and long ago was given everything short of sovereignty. It was founded several generations ago by Lord Izmeyer's ancestors and a group of merchants they were friends with. Back in that time the spot was selected for it's more mystical properties, but over time that reason has been forgotten by all but Lord Izmeyer, his eldest daughter Elsa, and one other. While no one really believes in stuff like that much anymore, the family still holds up the tradition of telling the tale of the city's founding.
One of the merchants was a seller of mystical amulets, scrolls, potions and the like, and the others always trusted his instincts. So, after several years of traveling together, Izmeyer's ancestor put forward the idea of setting up a merchant camp. The others were wary at first, thinking that no one would want to have to travel to pick up their wares and that sales would drop dramatically. However, the mystic backed Izmeyer's ancestor, and said if they could just find the right place, things would turn out just fine.
It took them years to find the right place, but eventually they ended up at the site where the city now lay, and the young mystic declared that all the energies were perfect. And just like that, they began building. They cut down trees, sawed logs, and sold their wares to people passing through so that they could get a good reputation even before the camp was finished. A few of the people stopped to help for some small coin, or because they wanted in on the camp idea to sell their own products. Eventually the camp was finished, three years after construction began. By then there were already some well worn paths to nearby farms and some distant villages that would make deliveries or pick up goods.
Each merchant got their own little hut, and a small outdoor stall to set-up in every morning. At first things seemed to hold steady, but after a year there was a slight decline. Izmeyer's ancestor wasn't worried, but after a few too many discouraging days, the mystic vanished into his hut and asked no to be disturbed. A few days later things picked up again and it was smiles all around. However, not wanting for their friend to miss out on the profit, a few of the new merchants went to the mystic's hut so he could get his stall set-up.
As soon as they opened the door, the mystic screamed for them to shut it, but it was too late. Izmeyer's ancestor followed the screams and came upon the scene moments later and found the newbies, and his friend, dead. Not wanting to scare off customers, he gathered together his original companions, and together they disposed of the mangled bodies by fire. Putting them all in the hut, they burned it to ash, making sure the huts around it were kept safe during the blaze. They told the others that the mystic must have had an accident with one of his potions or scrolls or something while showing off to the new blood, and that they should focus on their selling.
After that, the camp grew. Year after year, generation after generation, until it became the city it is now. The only other person who knows what happened that day is a descendant of a young merchant who had just joined the camp that day, and actually saw what killed the merchants: Guild Master Beyras Halchek.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Okay, I know I went waaaay overboard, but occasionally, my fingers just won't stop moving. I hope you find it entertaining, and I'm open to tweaking it here and there! I know this is an RP between us and we both have say on the world, but there will be a few things I my fight you on. Just a warning :P
