A visualization of Peltarra, with the Rya river visible at the edge. Image is (c) museumoflondon.org
The port city of Peltarra (Pehl-Tar-Ah) and its surrounding hills, valleys, and forests on Eastisle are the ancestral holdings of House Ryalor, with ancient cuneiform tablets predating even ancient Fyadorian indicating that the region was first settled nearly twenty-five hundred years ago. It is known colloquially as "The Cupcake City" for its world-renowned cupcakes and for the the tufa stone and tile houses which resemble them, and is protected by the fortress of Storm's Peak. The last official Imperial census in 1710 indicated that the population of the city and its hinterlands and hamlets had swelled to nearly three hundred thousand, but it is thought that this has declined by a third in the chaos of the Fyadorian Civil war, with this trend finally stopping in 1727 with the arrival of Falun Ryalor and the restoration of Ryalorian rule.
Layout and Information[]
Peltarra is a medium-sized coastal city, situated in a rare, broad natural harbor between seacliffs which continue for dozens of miles in either direction. Two broad rivers, the Rya and the Lor, drain here, providing the city an invaluable supply of freshwater and making extensive trade in lumber and minerals drawn from the largely unexploited Auldarian Mountains possible. Most of the city is constructed of tufa stone and marble, both of which can be found in great quantities in the hills and valleys surrounding the city proper, with hamlets and minor villages growing up around these sites, giving it a distinct white and pinkish look from a distance .
The area around the city is heavily cultivated and irrigated, with large quantities of edible crops such as wheat, maize, rice, strawberries, vegetables, and rice being cultivated along with a few select cash crops, providing the city with the food surplus needed to maintain its large size. Further inland, extensive orchards provide the city with a wide selection of fruit. A large fishing industry has sprung up, supplying Peltarrans with all types of seafood from shrimp to shellfish, often combining their culinary skills to make delicious breaded variants.
The city is governed by a limited form of republican democracy, with the inhabitants of the city putting forth various candidates, out of which the city council is chosen by the Lord-Protector every four years. It has been customary for him or her to respect the will of the populace, although he or she retains the right to dismiss any particular member of the council and call for new elections, something which has not been unprecedented. These councilbeasts have similar, if more restrained, powers to the Mayor of Bully Harbor, mostly dealing with local economic and legal issues, with no real military or political authority aside from this.
Current Status[]
The city proper and large swathes of the surrounding area is held under the firm, if benevolent, rule of the Ryalors, although there are occasional raids and attacks on its outer regions by their hated rival Nylan. The populace is very friendly and welcoming toward citizens of the Vulpine Imperium, remembering them principally as liberators for assisting with their fight to free their city from the vicious paws of the Nylanian rebels. It is one of the few cities on Eastisle and extremely rare in mainland Fyador to have an entirely open-door policy towards foreigners, even, as of imperial decree in 1727, allowing them to stay and own property so long as they agree to abide by the rule of Ryalorian law.
The city has made a rather remarkable transformation during the past five years due to trade with the Imperium, with its population stabilizing, economy recovering, and military forces growing powerful enough to hold off attacks-and even go on the offensive-against their foes. Starvation and malnutrition, once common, are now a rare sight in the city. Epidemic diseases, gone rampant with the lack of doctors and infrastructure, have now been reduced from pandemic levels to ones far more managable. Warehouses which were once filled with dust are now brimming with goods, and few Peltarrans idle listlessly waiting for employment on street corners and in alleys. It is now, in most respects, a bustling and prosperous port city.
The principal government-directed effort during the past three years has been the construction of long, fortified walls around the city to prevent attacks against the city proper by land as well as to provide a safe, direct connection with Storm's Peak. Fortified towers for harbor chains with attached barracks have been erected so as to deny entry to the harbor and force those attempting to land to either attempt a near-suicidal attack on Storm's Peak, a direct attack on the towers via rowboats with little to no cover against trained Ryalorian troops, or land dozens of miles away.
The city proper and its walls are garrisoned by the fourth and fifth Ryalorian battalions, with assistance from the first, second, and third stationed at Storm's Peak. Some thirty-odd militia battalions, mostly comprised of the young todds and vixens of the city, train and drill every other fortnight to be drawn upon in the event of an emergency. Though far less skilled than the professional battalions, in conjunction with the extensive defensive fortifications around in the city and their numbers, they can prove quite deadly to even the most determined of invaders.