Zennfield

The largest share of Zennfield's population is human, with about 35%. Halflings make up around 25% of the population. Gnomes are about 20%, with a number of dwarves, elves, tieflings, huundari, and other races represented as well. Most people in town are low-wage workers and make relatively little money though more than some of the farmers on the outskirts. A few trading houses and merchant families make a comfortable living, and the handful of noble houses are truly opulent in their tastes.

The town is ruled by a single mayor who is appointed by the monarch from within the town's noble families. The other noble families provide representatives that serve as a sort of council for the mayor. The mayor serves for life, unless some scandal or failure of leadership forces the monarch to replace them. The position is not hereditary, however, and it is not guaranteed that the previous mayor's child will be granted the position. The council is unofficial and does not have any set term limits or job descriptions. They lobby and persuade the mayor and the monarch to pursue policies that would help their businesses.

Because Zennfield is the furthest town in the north of the Dumein Dominion, it has a perimeter wall of stone. This wall is not particularly thick or strong, perhaps recognizing that the northern neighbor of Tallstag has never tried to attack any part of the Dominion. The wall is more or less an artifact at this point, in place for so long it has ceased to have actual use but valuable for no other reason than its age and that it has been part of the town longer than any individual can remember.   Where the trade road enters and exits Zennfield, there are gatehouses that inspect all incoming cargo and collect the small local taxes from all merchants and travelers. These gatehouses are the main barracks and headquarters for the town's Watch, though there are other small garrisons spread throughout the main part of the town. Most threats the Watch faces are criminals in the town and occasional beasts or raiders (namely gnolls) from the hills.

Most of the town's money and wealth come from various agricultural products. From wheat, barley, corn, and other grains that are produced in vast fields around the town, to prized unique whiskeys from the highlands, to cattle and sheep that graze in lush valleys, the town has a great variety of products that are grown and made here. In addition to the growing or production of these goods, the town also benefits from processing plants such as mills for the grains, as well as trade and mercantile industries that help the goods reach demanding consumers in other parts of the continent.

The main trade road through the center of Zennfield is the only paved road in town. Most others are at least graveled and withstand varying weather conditions well enough. There are plenty of well-trodden roads in the area around the town proper, connecting various farmsteads and farming areas to the town where people come to trade and sell goods.   With no river or lake nearby, the citizens of the town and surrounding area rely on wells for their clean water. Typically, farms are spread out enough that there are no communal wells, though there are a few exceptions to this where several farms exist in close proximity. Windmills tend to be the machinery of choice for grain processing and other production. Especially in the hills, the wind is a constant feature of the region.

In the early years of the Second Age, wandering refugees set up several small towns on the plains of eastern Ayndrinor. These had little access to water and tended to be temporary towns, while the wanderers looked for better spots to found cities or join existing settlements. Several of these small villages existed in the hills and just to the east on the plains, with few people living there and most of the industry focused on agriculture.   Toward the end of the first century, the nations of the continent had already established themselves and were beginning to interact with one another. Trade relationships were begun, and regular trade routes became a valuable asset for all involved. The nations in the central coast and southern areas sent goods and services to the northern areas of Kort and Tallstag, and those nations sent other goods back south. Eventually, these trade routes became very routine and established, and bandits and raiders began to target the caravans as easy prey. To combat this, merchants would set up outposts, with primitive palisades to defend what few buildings were in the area and any travelers who had stopped for the night. Some of these outposts grew into actual villages, and others faded away into oblivion because they were off the main trade roads or were too close to other, larger outposts.   About a century after the founding of an outpost at the foot of the Dumein Hills, a village had sprung up and traders had begun to form a community on the plains. Sensing the opportunity to control a pivotal trade post, the Dumein Dominion sent a small detachment of soldiers and a younger brother of the queen to take control of the village in the name of the Dominion. Since 187, Zennfield has been solidly under the control of the Dominion without having been attacked by another nation, much less conquered.   Over the centuries, this plains town continued to grow and prosper, as people from around Ayndrinor heard of the abundant land up for grabs and wanted to relocate here to start new lives. Many were able to set up their own homesteads and farms outside the town but close enough to get their goods to the markets of Zennfield quickly. These frequent immigrants brought their own cultures and habits to Zennfield, and the local culture began to be influenced by these new traditions. While this took some time in the town proper, traveling from one homestead to the next could seem like traveling to a different world with the difference in foods, music, art, and even accent or dialect.   The history of Zennfield is mostly quiet, with the only events of note being the occasional attacks by dangerous beasts. The great green dragon attack of 712 2A, is still etched in the town's collective memory, with a statue in one of the town's squares commemorating the heroes who bravely fought off the beast and slew it on the outskirts of the town. Most other incursions or threats were from gnolls or more manageable beasts like direwolves, but the town's Watch has dealt with all threats professionally and completely.   The only other events of note happened when the Dominion would start amassing troops and seeking to expand the nation's territory. Armies marching to the north would camp outside Zennfield while they awaited all units, and the officers would frequent the taverns and brothels within the town. This proved a rich opportunity for enemy spies, as well, and the town still keeps a gallows outside its town hall where many spies from opposing nations were hanged over the centuries (this gallows is derelict and barely recognizable as such nowadays, but it still stands).   In the recent conflict that has become known as the Everyn War, Zennfield saw many units passing back and forth, deployed to the northern front or moving to reinforce armies in various parts of the continent. There is no doubt that enemy spies kept tabs on troop movements through the town, but none were caught during the war, and the Federation government have signaled their intent to provide leniency to any who confess to spying and swear loyalty to the new nation.   The war saw mixed opinions in Zennfield, where many locals and other Dumeiners proudly supported their nation's might and showcase of glory. Meanwhile, various homesteads and families from different parts of the world viewed the war with apprehension or outright contempt. Many of these farms and homesteads around Zennfield joined the resistance and took advantage of Zennfield's vast wilderness surroundings to launch guerilla attacks on units camping near the town or passing nearby on their way to other theaters. The Dominion crackdown on these rebels was fierce, and it is estimated that more than two dozen homesteads were destroyed for links to the rebels, with more than 200 suspected rebels killed in these raids.   Zennfield has always been sort of a melting pot of cultures, ideas, and attitudes, and the aftermath of the Everyn War has not changed that about the town. Some see no issue with the war and are happy to put it behind them, while others lost friends and family to the Dominion's war of expansion and are seething for vengeance when the opportunity arises. But much of this anti-Federation sentiment is on the outskirts of town, in the individual homesteads and farms. The town itself seems fairly unified in its support of the new government. But this divide between the Dumeiner town and the cosmopolitan/diverse countryside has characterized the Zennfield area almost since its founding and will continue to be a defining trait of the area probably until the end of time.

The architecture of Zennfield is somewhat varied, reflecting the different cultures that are fused in this town and the people who moved here from other places. Most are somewhat sturdy frontier or plains houses, built mainly of stone from quarries in the hills. Most have thatch roofs, but some feature wooden or slate shingles. Some houses are brightly painted and showcase the owners' eccentricity to the town, while many others are relatively plain and serve function more than form. The large government buildings and temples tend to be Norman in style: large stone and/or brick buildings with little adornment or decoration.