Innesburg

Town (now under military governorship) where the North Road crosses the Baratary River.

A former, poor, republican city-state, on windswept moors -- the invasion of which, by Aquilan and Bowcourt troops, was a minor causus belli of the Middle Duchies War in the mid 790's.

Pop: 9,000.

Lang.: Folksprach, Common.

VIP: Colonel Radetsky, the military governor.

Resources

• ironworks & mines;
• wool;
• cheap accommodation for travellers bound elsewhere.

History

• Summer 822 - Under military rule the city had become a den of corruption, the leaders and city watch rule with an iron fist and taxed or outright stole from locals and travellers. The governor and his 2iC was assassinated, allegedly by Drow after a deal went bad. The city is now rule by an unwilling alliance of the powerful factions in the city, none are able to get enough power to rule alone. As a result the city has become far less corrupt, as every faction is watched by the others.

Background

Note: This background information from Michael Parkinson pre-dates map realignment so north-south / east-west direction need adjustment.

Once a upon a time, medium-long [about 15 centuries] ago in a land moderately-far [600 mi] away there was a human city called Bara on the North and West sides of "mount" Bara, on the South side of the deep river which came to be known as the River Baratary and is also called the Baratarie by the Barans 'oo 'ave un accen' like zees.

On the north side of the River Baratary were fey woods called The Forest of Tara. On the river, opposite to "Mount Bara" was the site of the University of Tara which taught magic to the elves, gifted Barans and the very odd hobbit.

The University of Tara & the City of Bara were linked by a beautiful bridge, which was one of the seven wonders of the Plane. The Double-city was called Bara-Tara and the Kingdom it ruled was Barataria.

For some 8 centuries it was the Custom that the realm was ruled by a child of the preceding monarchs & his/her spouse who was selected from the most gifted young students of the university. Thus those descended from royal blood were thought to have the "gift" - albeit ever so slightly manifested.

Hence the modern remnants of the Barans, which represent a large portion of the lower classes or "proles" of Innesburg, are often ironically called the "race of kings", but this is mere romantic whimsy.

The broad shallow valley which starts just upriver of the site of Bara-Tara is called the Cote de Baratarie which is famous [on the south side of the Baratary] for its cabbages and potatoes: on the Southern valley slopes themselves are grown the white grapes that make a distinctive sparkling white wine that is very pleasant and supposedly innocuous - but the wine is only a shadow of the Grand Vin that was originally invented by a Taran whose secret died with Bara-Tara 5 centuries ago.

On the Northern side of the River Baratary, the forest has been either burnt or chopped down and the land converted into a large open—cast iron mine. Innesburg is [InJfamous for its pig-iron & ferric agricultural implements.

Ten miles up river, just above the shallow gorge that marks the Eastern limit of the Cote de Baratarie, the ancient Northern Highway crosses the Baratary and runs north between what is the Rising Forest of County Gracht on the East & what was the Forest of Tara on the West.

At these cross-roads sprung up many hostels that lodged the travellers who had business or pleasure in Bara-Tara.

This town very soon was called "Inns-burg", thus the modern name. Innesburg was the Eastern edge of Barataria and it was governed by its Guild of Hoteliers and Inn-Keepers and was later the site of other crafts that were of use (particularly to travellers) but not especially established in the valley below. Hence while the University tolerated (and even supported) crafts such as husbandry, weaving, scholarship, coracle-making. etc ; Innesburg became the centre of industrial skills such as weapon-smithing, blacksmithing, wheel-wrightry, etc.

About 5 centuries ago the Council of Innesburg liberated the suppressed masses from the aristos and bourgeoisie of the decadent West and somehow overnight sent floodwaters down the valley and drowned most of Barataria: the few surviving aristos were quickly executed, as were the more potent [i.e. magic-using] of their sympathisers — the others died in the ensuing famine, Plague & "police-actions" of the legitimate government of the newly declared People's Republic of Innesburg.

In the following 500 or so years, Innesburg has gained an unsavory reputation for witch-burning and even the most proud aristocrats avoid any obvious trappings of ancient lineage or noble arrogance. The hotel service is still excellent and very cheap, provided you avoid political talk or activities, especially criticism of the ruling Oligarchy.

Innesburg occasionally fights wars with its neigbours to the West & East, but only too avoid their interference in her internal politics: too much war is bad for business, discouraging the Highway traffic.

Innesburg at one stage was chopping down The Rising Forest both for fuel and because it was a known refuge of vagabonds & brigands (i.e. magic-users), but such unneighbourly activity was stopped, after the "gentle protests" of Black Stefan who is the elder (half-brother) of Count Grendl of Gracht & the Waldgraff of Rising Forest. This forest has been allowed to regrow.

Because of the deforestations (and some say the cursed spirits of the slaughtered fey—folk), the steppe-land in which the City-state of Innesburg is situated is especially prone to cold westerly winds, Thus the highway, which is never winterbound (although some unprepared travellers die every year on it) is sometime subject to freak storms except (usually) in June & July.

Strangely enough, the plateau of Gracht 100 miles further to the west, uphill, is renowned for its temperate nature & fertile conditions all year round (they say that when it does snow on the plateau itself, the snow is warm enough to raise dough in — but this an example of the proverbial exaggeration of the inhabitants of Gracht, especially the hobbits.