Vilren

Overview

Vilren is a growing town located about 70 miles from Rosgar, the capitol of Sochen. Vilren is most well-known as the birthplace and resting place of the popular gladiator Tevin Ericson, also known as Tevin the Panther.
 

Geography

The area around Vilren is mostly flat farmland. The Brilliant River flows through the eastern side of the town towards Rosgar to the southwest. The Crown Road goes through what used to be the center of town, west of the river. It mainly runs parallel to the river toward the capitol. In recent years, the town has spread to the east side of the river to a neighborhood that is now being called Eastbank.
 

Politics

Vilren and the surrounding lands are directly administered, in the name of the King, by the newly installed Gerold Tritten, Count of Vilren.
 

Former Town Council

Until the King decided that the town was large enough to require more formal administration, Vilren was led by a town council. This council consisted mainly of the wealthiest merchants in the area.
 

Points of Interest

Chapel of the Gardener

The Chapel of the Gardener in Vilren is a chapel dedicated to Dhumir the Gardener. It includes a small limestone chapel covered in soil and plants including several tall trees, and an outdoor limestone colonnade.
 

Vilren Cemetery

Most notable as the resting place of Tevin Ericson. The cemetery has become a destination for Tevin's fans making a pilgrimage to visit his mausoleum.
 

Ericson Home for Displaced Children

The Ericson Home is mainly an orphanage, though its charges aren't always technically orphans. The Home is run by a small branch of the Joyful Circle of the Gracious Witness, an organization known primarily for operating orphanages across the continent.
 

Culture

Despite its recent growth, Vilren still feels like a farming community. There's a Market Day every week where farmers bring their produce and sell or trade it next to stalls from local craftsmen. Most people still know each other well enough to wave as they pass on the street. And outsiders are still generally mistrusted.
  One thing that has changed much in recent years has been the increase in resentment toward the local government. Nothing specific has happened to spur dislike of the new Count, so many people chalk the murmurings up to a general dislike of change rather than a specific dislike of the new government.
 

History

Thirty years ago, Vilren was a large town on the verge of becoming a city. It's position as a river stop that allowed access to small towns and communities further inland had led to the town becoming the permanent home for a number of tradesmen who relied on the merchants for raw resources as well as personal supplies.
  That changed when Tevin Ericson became a gladiator. He talked openly about being a foundling raised by the sisters at the Ericson Home. He spoke well of the town, of its people, and specifically of the orphanage. People loved him for his humble upbringing almost as much as for his showmanship in the arena. As his popularity grew, people began to want to visit the place he had grown up. Sometimes those people decided to stay. Tevin personally invested much of his personal wealth into the growing city. He paid for repairs and new furniture for the Ericson Home. He invested in paves streets. He helped to upgrade the docks and the Market. And in so doing, the people of the city loved him and took pride in sharing his heritage.
  After his death, Tevin was interred in the city cemetery. With no heirs, he left a sizeable endowment meant to help the needy in Vilren. His mausoleum has become a destination for fans of him and of The Games in general.
  Following Tevin Ericson's large investment in the city, and its subsequent growth, the King installed the new Count of Vilren to govern the city and represent the King's interests.