Carran

Large Town: Population 3,890 (52% letheni, 37% human, 6% lynoxi, 5% other)

History

Carran was founded by a small group of mostly Humans from southern Arak looking for a quiet countryside away from larger settlements. The town was founded shortly after the dissolution of the Kingdom of Derunadel and the formation of the Synodical Republic, making it one of the newest towns in all of Arak. These Humans were simple folk who wanted to avoid the rampant use of magic seen in other areas of the world, so they chose an isolated area west of Eldham, situated on the Carr ith Leraseth, a large lake known for its restorative properties. The settlement eventually attracted a number of Letheni, most notable Votrinian, as they shared the Humans sentiments on abuse of magic and wanted a simpler life more attuned to nature.

Though Humans still make up a large portion of the town's population, the Letheni now make up the majority ever since the Grave Rot Plague decimated the Human population. They have recovered like many settlements in the centuries since, but without magical assistance, Carran suffered significantly as a result of the outbreak. There are few there who have significant fighting experience, so when the undead rose from the corpses of the Humans who fell to the plague, they were quickly overrun. Fortunately, the Dawnstar's intervention saved the town from being wiped off the map. Many in the town did not believe that the plague had been spread from other Humans, and thought it was a curse placed upon them by Sethudis, a witch that is believed to dwell within the Bast Wilds to the north.

Sethudis is a name known to every resident of Carran, with her name being attributed to every disappearance in the town, and every negative event that occurs. She is a sort of bogeyman to the town, and to those that spend some time investigating, one whose existence is not simply fabricated. Despite the pervasive rumors, none in recent memory have encountered this witch. Travelers often assume it is simply a local legend used to scare disobedient children or a superstition due to local ignorance of magic. But legends such as these are never so simple, and there are a number of odd events that suggest the meddling of a malevolent figure within the town -- lifelike statues found in the Bast Wilds, symbols written in blood in conspicuous locations on homes, and a scent of fruity alcohol; all signs associated with an obscure creature known as the Hagi.

Government

Carran falls under the jurisdiction of the magistrate of Eldham, though the locals don't put much thought to that. The town's residents consider their Restamir, or "elder", to be their authority. Though the town is part of the Synodical Republic and subject to its common laws, Eldham leaves Carran alone for the most part so long as they enforce these common laws. The current town Restamir is a middle-aged Human woman named Mal Savaci, who has a background as an Enforcer in Carran.

In Carran, the practice of magic is illegal. However, unlike the Rathmore Empire in Myr, the penalty is not nearly as severe. Those found to be using magic are driven out of town by angry mobs, and barred from ever re-entering. The locals are fearful of magic, given their history and the odd occurrences around town. These angry mobs rarely turn violent, but there have been two cases of magic users being killed by these mobs; though this was due to hostile action on their part, and the townsfolk defending themselves.

Economy

The town is fairly self-sufficient, producing most of the materials they need to survive. They have plenty of wood available from the Bast Wilds and other small forest pockets which are planted and regrown by the local Letheni. There is also a lot of wild game in the wilds which the town uses for food and leather, which they use to produce fine leather goods that are exported. Their most unique export would be the waters of the nearby lake, which have healing properties that are valuable worldwide. The lake's waters aren't the only thing produced that are valuable to outsiders, however, as there is a unique crop that grows in the lake in the form of long grass shoots that jut above the water all along its shores, called Pazoneris. This crop is a specialty grain that quadruples in size when cooked and has a taste like lemon.

Notable Locations

• Serazumell - This lake situated at the town's southeastern borders provides a large amount of Pazoneris, a staple crop of Carran's cuisine, as well as waters which are known across the Tandavys'ian Tuathluwen for their restorative properties. The lake's waters have been proven to stave off degenerative mental afflictions, such as those that affect older folk, mental illnesses, and even elevating the mood of those that drink it. It is used as an additive to some specialty dishes to help elevate the mood of the one eating them, and sold in bottles for a fair price to traveling merchants. The locals believe it to be a Wellspring anomaly, but the Sorcerer's Cabal has studied the waters before and concluded that this is not the case. In The locals believe there to be a monster dwelling deep within the lake, reporting strange distorted sounds when diving deep into the water. In truth, there is a slumbering Titan named Odakaz deep within the lake whose body alters the properties of the water, providing its regenerative effects; a fact which has yet to be discovered.
• Madathe Oldan - This small outpost along the Serazumell is found about ten miles outside of Carran, and serves as a meeting spot for merchants to congregate and sell goods considered contraband by the town. There are plenty who agree with the town's purpose in part, but want modern medicine and things to make their lives easier. As many of the merchants' goods consist of alchemical medicine, books with sometimes prohibited content, and minor magical trinkets; locals who are caught here, regardless of whether they purchase something or not, must face tribunal at the hands of the Restamir, which can lead to a variety of punishments; up to and including exile.

Culture

The inhabitants of Carran are extremely mistrustful of magic of any kind, and it has no place in their town. The locals do not discuss it, and many fear it due to their ignorance of how it works and what it is used for. Travelers who visit Carran are warned upon approach that magic is forbidden and its use will not be tolerated; they are told not to bring anything enchanted within the town limits. This has estranged many outsiders, who avoid visiting the town, seeing their beliefs as strange. This distrust of magic is largely based in the Sorcerer's Cabal's revelations following the Reckoning period that overuse of magic was the trigger for the many Wellspring eruptions that plagued that time. It should be no surprise that because of the locals' disdain for magic, the Forgeborn are barred from entering the town.

Without magic as part of their everyday life, the town can seem primitive to outsiders, as they have to rely on simpler technologies. Though the At Matica of The Commonwealth in Myr makes usage of magic in some ways, it is based on mechanical technology which the residents of Carran have chosen to adapt in place of magic. Carran makes use of mechanical devices such as water wheels, levers, pulleys, gears, and other components to make their lives easier. They have even created non-magical boilers to power unmanned mechanical devices to process food; though they are used scarcely, as they border on magic to the town's residents. The town has further developed these concepts and even invented some of their own contraptions that those outside Carran have found useful, such as a device that uses small precision gears to keep track of the time of day to the hour; though they have not yet attained the precision required to track minutes or seconds.

The locals are more religious than most throughout Arak, with most residents being followers of Lys or Lekaris, though all of the Seven are observed here. With the majority population being Letheni now, Lys is the predominant faith. Despite the Votrinian Letheni's conservative values, they respect the Humans' beliefs and practices, and even sometimes participate in their festivals; something which is uncommon throughout the world, as many Letheni find the festivals involving nudity distasteful.

Defenses

Carran is somewhat exposed to the outside world, and being so young, has no fortified walls to protect them; surrounded only by simple wooden palisades. Though Carran is isolated, it is not free from harassment and occasional raids by the many dangerous creatures of the wilderness -- including Goblins. The Emerald Company has a small presence in the town, though with the town's rejection of magic, they cannot use all the tools of their trade. There have been a number of raids on the town by wild Goblins that have only barely been repelled. The Emerald Company has petitioned the town to allow them to employ magical defenses and weaponry outside the walls of the town to protect them, but Restamir Mal has refused. The only benefit the town has is that the surrounding area is relatively flat and clear, making it easy to spot incoming hostile creatures. The town also has a network of tunnels dug underneath it to allow residents to evacuate or hide in the event of a raid, with exits leading to hard to spot locations outside the town.

The town's local Enforcers are called the Hetalamudid, and are mostly peaceful, good people; but whenever someone goes missing and the topic of Sethudis re-enters the public discourse, they have been known to perform 'witch hunts', forcibly searching residents' homes for contraband. Those who have been caught with items the Hetalamudid deems illegal have been upended from their homes and cast out into the wilderness without warning; a practice which has led to more than a few deaths.

Crime

The local disdain for magic is widespread, and those who seek to practice it are chased away by angry mobs. Occasionally, those chased away will try to return; but once exiled, you may never return. Those who attempt to do so are beaten severely and thrown out. A third offense will have you dragged to the Serazumell where you will be drowned. Some consider this extreme, but the locals maintain that all who live there know the law and the consequences for breaking it, and that they will not compromise. Despite their harsh punishment for repeat offenders, there is no enjoyment in these acts, and the locals find it extremely undesirable. In addition to the ban on practicing magic and magical goods entering the town, the Restamir has made it clear that Forgeborn are not welcome in the town.

But despite the known consequences for practicing magic, there are those who will ignore these laws and attempt to do so anyway. Residents who show an interest in magic are few, but they have to be careful if they want to avoid exile. There are a handful of merchants who keep a stock of texts from the Sorcerer's Cabal at the ready for those looking to learn, available at an affordable price; a fact which has raised eyebrows by those suggesting that the Sorcerer's Cabal has personally paid for these books to be distributed in the town to educate the locals and dispel fear of magic.

Though the locals mostly agree on the ban on magic, one area that gives room for hesitation is medicine. Alchemy is considered magical by the town's laws, and thus elixirs and the like are banned, leaving only simple herbal poultices and primitive medicines available. This has been an area of debate for the townsfolk for some time, with many suggesting that an exception should be made for alchemy so that simple sicknesses and injuries need not be lethal. And as expected, this has led some residents to purchase magical remedies from traveling merchants.