Paloampo

The Foundations

Following the collapse of the Gaffarian Empire there was a vast displacement of peasants from around the once mighty empire which sought out a new home. The majority of these peasants would head back to the province of Gaffar to restart their lives.   Palo was one of these peasants which originally fled the collapse from ……….. He had a keen eye for agriculture due to his long experience working as a farmer with his family. Palo would travel with 30 other people (mostly family) and come across the area which is now known as Paloamparr. Immediately recognizing the area as highly fertile, Palo would establish a settlement earning the small village the name Paloampo or Palos Field. Throughout Palos life the size of the village would grow to 500 people as more refugees and keen-eyed merchants realised the agricultural potential of the area. Now, approximately 200 years after the town's establishment the village has grown into a town of 12,000 people and provides the highest grain yield (per person) in the whole region of Gaffar making it highly profitable.

Political Allignment

Under the early years of the village it was relatively disregarded and Palo himself would lead the village folk, however as the fertility of the area became more widespread whilst the population sored the attention of regional powers came upon the village. Bocamar was the first to make official contact with the village as their large population required a more stable grain supply whilst Paloamparrs close proximity to Aldaar allowed Bocamar to establish a more forward outpost. After the village surpassed 2,000 people and agriculture production truly began to soar, Bocamar would construct an outpost in order to conduct operations further upstream.   Initially under Palo the town was run somewhat like ‘peasants republic’ which a peasant council would preside over. However after Bocamars arrival the peasants republic collapsed and the merchant class would take control of the growing town therefore maximising their profits from the grain trade. Although the peasants republic was a system of the past, it lingers within the hearts of the people and the dream of its return is kept alive. Through this time the merchants were the ruling class of Paloamparr and would cooperate with Bocamr officials for passage throughout the river, protection, and lower tariffs on their products.   The Doge of the town is elected by a congress which consists of local merchants and landowners (in particular the landowners of the farms). This has created two main factions which power fluctuates betweens the landed aristocracy and the merchant class. Elections are held every 3 years.

Current Politics and Figures

Currently the merchant classes have control over the town as they have received notable support from Lesaboca which has enabled them to establish relative independence from Bocamar both economically and politically. The growing partnership between Paloampo and Lesaboca has facilitated growing autonomy and a significant boost in income for both nations (in large part due to the instability of the other big city place).   The current Doge is a man called Leonor Oliveria, Leonor is relatively young for a Doge at the age of 36 (average age is normally in the 50s) he grew up in a merchant family in Lesaboca and has great affiliation for the city and its new queen, this has greatly facilitated the growth of the relationship between the states. Leonor gained his role through monopolising on the weakness of Bocamar and winning the support of many of the aristocrats as he promised that Paloamparr would gain a higher degree of autonomy and would no longer be exploited by Bocamar. This has lead Paloamparr to have a greater sense of unity (something it has not possessed for a long time) as both the merchants and aristocrats have united under the general desire for independence from Bocamar.   From this the current political order is stable; however this is not to say there aren't those who oppose such actions, Lord Gabriel Mento and his house own 30% of the fields of the town which has made them vast sums of wealth. Furthermore, the Mento family had long-term relations with Bocamar and were awarded many honorary positions and privileges over the years. In addition to this the Mento family fears retaliation from Bocamar for the actions of Leonor (once Bocamar regains its strength). Gabriel is an intelligent man and realises that Bocamar will eventually regain its strength therefore he has opposed Leonor causing notable hindrance to his plan. Gabriel is not necessarily a man driven by power and does care for the town of Paloamparr his loyalty to Bocamar is to to just further his own position but also to protect the interests of the people from Bocamar vengeance.   House Porro is another aristocratic house with notable influence within Paloampo, currently the house is headed by Vidal Porro who owns the land which the new docks were constructed on. Although he is not a merchant he does support Leonor in large part due to the investment into his lands whilst he also believes his own wealth and standing will be increased should the town have more autonomy.   The merchants guild of Paloampar is headed by Leonor himself, however there are two other significant figures, Felix Evora who manages the finances of the town and Lev Crato who oversees industry and daily life.

The Economy of Paloampo

The economy of the town is driven by agricultural production as it remains the proportionally highest producer of maise and grain which is then exported across all of garffar. The vast majority of the people are employed to work the fields whilst approximately 20% works in services and industry. There is a stable supply of goods into the town and the economy is in good shape meaning that jobs are available and their is growth and investment into new industries including ship building (Palos harbour recently opened which facilitates greater quantities of trade and the construction of fishing boats and merchant vessels). A further investment is the college of agricultural science which has been constructed with the intention of using magic and engineering to research better ways to cultivate and harvest crops.   Although the economy is growing it does have its vulnerabilities, a blockade of the town would result in the economy utterly failing (however would be able to feed itself with ease). Furthermore, should a disease or a event destroy a harvest not only will exports diminish widespread famine throughout the region could be possible.

Millitary Capacity

There has been increased investment into the towns military abilities established under Daniel as he recognizes the need for it to protect the towns autonomy. He has established a full time towns guard consisting of 300 well trained soldiers, furthermore, he has introduced miliary service for some peasants where they go through basic training in case they are needed. Around 700 peasants so far have experienced basic training (with the supplies available to arm them if needed) meaning Paloampo could field a force of 1,000 men.   The naval capacity of Paloampo is greatly limited and it almost completely relies on Lesaboca to protect the trade ships. The navy currently consists of 250 full time sailors 3 War Galleys and 1 newly commissioned modern warship.   The Mento family possess 30 well trained guards.   House Porro (owns the land the docks are on, supports daniel)- 20 guards   The merchants guild of Paloampo (supports daniel)- 2 war galleys, 40 guards.   Paloamparrs total military capacity if all resources used- 390 soldiers, 700 trained peasnt levies, 5 war galleys and 1 war ship.

Places

The Golden Cradle- Owned by Lord Porro, noble establishment, finest tavern in the town, innkeeper is called Remy Danca   Palos Inn- Located in the middle of the town, a decent establishment mainly caters towards the industrial workers and slightly better off people. Owned by Roberto Carlos   The Grey Keep- Owned by Gabriel Mento, tailors towards the agricultural workers serve the cheapest ales etc. Largest tavern in the town and located closest to the fields, receives the most guests as it is mainly for the poorer peasants. Inkeeps are Samuel and Rosa Ferdinand.   The New Quay Inn- Located by the docks serves both the middle and lower classes, owned by the local guild, tavern keep is called Joe Barros   College of agricultural science- is located in the centre of the town and is in close proximity to the peoples congress, the college possesses large gardens and exostic plants from across the world. Students from across Gaffar attend this college as it is very unique. Headmaster Fernando Diniz runs the college and there are a total of 30 students.   The peoples congress- the official administrative centre of the town also the place where local elections and speeches are held. Its name the peoples congress is what the first gatherings of the town used to carry out however today it is dominated by the merchants and Aristocrats   New Palo Docks- Recent construction used to facilitate the mass exports of grain and new shipwrights have been commissioned generating a shipbuilding industry