Pavorel

Overview

Pavorel is a farming settlement in the heartlands of The Couvalon Kingdom. Though still relatively modest in size, and dwarfed by towns founded later than it, Pavorel's history is one of endurance, having been rebuilt several times in the face of adversity.

Geography

The settlement lies within the fertile basin of the Couvalani Kingdom's plains, fed by the tributaries from the western foothills that lead to the great rivers to the east. Pavorel's climate supports a wide range of crops, from maize to squash to tropical fruits, and it supplies food to both Ellaluna and beyond. The region is also known for its rotational grove farming, where portions of land are left to regrow wild as a sign of respect to the Zurkali traditions.

History

Pavorel was among the first inland settlements established during the early expansion of the kingdom. However, it was also at the frontline of the conflict with the Zurkali, the native tree-like people whose central grove resided not far from Pavorel. Naturally, the Zurkali resisted the fledgling Kingdom's encroachment on their sacred grove. The resulting conflict led to repeated destruction of Pavorel in the kingdom's first few centuries.

The tensions were ultimately resolved in what was known as The Grove Accord, an agreement that enshrined the sovereignty of Zurkali groves. This accord recognised them as independent soil, respected under an amendment to The Prism Mandate and allowed Pavorel to finally grow without further territorial disputes. However, as the food-growing centre of the kingdom, Pavorel would always be a key to controlling the region. It would usually be one of the first locations sought in uprisings and coups over the millennia.

During The Cataclysm War, this knowledge was used against The Couvalon Kingdom following the defection of Leonides Vega as the general enacted what became known simply as The Burning of Pavorel in order to destabilise the region. The town would only be resettled following the conclusion of the war, and rebuilt upon its own ashes.

Culture

The people of Pavorel are known for their pragmatism and communal values. Stories of strife and rebirth have passed down through the surviving generations of the town. Families will often take their young children to observe the Founding Stone, the stone housed at the centre of the communal square that the most recent incarnation of the town was built around. It is a stone that is said to have stood through every rebuilding of Pavorel.

During Bloomtime, the festival day that marks the start of spring, Pavorel is the centre of the riutals that respect the co-existence with the Zurkali people. Relations between the two peoples have been amicable since the accord, and this sacred day is seen as the opportune moment to celebrate that. This observation is held at the Twin Palms Grove, a neutral border grove maintained jointly by the Pavorel citizen and a Zurkali caretaker. Whilst crop rotation, as a concept, was developed by the Aldenian populace before their expansion into Suriima, the rotational grove farming used by Pavorel (and other settlements) is of Zurkali origin.