Editing Landsoftheblacksea:Main Page/realms/athervon/settlements/asala

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[[File:Asala 004.jpg|thumb|right|sub|Asala]]

Asala is a medium sized town that sits just below the foothills of the Iron Mountains to its west.  It is nestled in a gently rolling landscape dotted with picturesque farms, orchards, vineyards, and pastures roamed by sheep, goats, and cattle.  It lies at the crossroads of several important roads, which yield more traffic that a town of its size might normally see.  To the south, the Mirecrawl winds its way along a narrow outcrop between the mountains on the west and the yawning cliffs of The Fall and the Dire Fens below them on the East.  To the east runs the Southern Reach Road, which similarly skirts along The Fall’s northern border and the southern edge of Athervon, hitting several towns along the way until it reaches its terminus in Avis Armois at the Bay of Oerni.  And finally, the road north heads towards the important mining and trading town of Aven Névé and Seld Arnile, seat of Seur Ambadus Bruno Asselin, Comte du Camgny Province and one of the richest nobles in the Domaine Sud.

But much of the wealth of Camgny is sent via river to points east; and only the mad, desperate, or foolish seek to walk the Mirecrawl to points south.  And what traffic that comes to Asala via the Southern Reach Road tends to be goods for local consumption, traded for the local farm goods that are to be had in the town.  Thus, Asala retains its pastoral heritage despite the appearances a map would lead one to believe.

Asala’s real claim to fame is the Abeïe d'Ortou, which sits on one of the two hills that overlook the town.  The Abeïe d'Ortou was founded over six generations ago, before the reconquest and expulsion of the Jhonians, but one of the first evangelists of St. Gerome, who found many people here in Asala in need of help.  In particular those who had survived the journey north along the Mirecrawl, who sometimes were sorely wounded, or had been robbed blind, or simply babbled with madness – sometimes all three.  The monks began to build their Abeïe atop the hill on the ruins of an older structure – the local legends were that it was a fortress or temple that had existed from the days of the First Line of Kings, but had been destroyed long before the arrival of the Jhonians by some prior conflict.

The monks blend in completely with the pastoral setting of Asala; they raise bees, grow grapes and barley and vegetables; they make mead, wine, and beer; they have a hospital for those too ill to be treated in their homes, and a small school where they give the gift of education to a small number of children in the town who show promise in letters or numbers or other mental aptitude.

The monks have their own Chapel on the grounds of the Monastery and attend to services every day of the week.  The town proper has built a fairly large Church of the Holy Faith where they gather on the Holy days to worship.  

-- Statistics --

Buildings: 300 + Monastery

Population: 973 + 40 Monks

Allegiance: Kingdom of Athervon, Duc de la Domaine Sud, Comte du Cascade Province (Comte Ladislas Chagnon du Cascade)

Government: Town Council; Sherif de la Cascade Province collects taxes and presides over trials twice per year

Ruler: Chief Alderman of Asala; The Abbot d'Ortou

(Para) Military: Town Watch (10 volunteers); led by a permanent captain who is (or was) a professional soldier.