Vellar

Vellar is an ancient town, its formation can be traced back to before the Gafarrian Empire, rumours state that there are ancient catacombs underneath the town which possess ancient knowledge and power. Throughout the Gafarrian Empire Vellar would supply iron to Bocamar from its iron mine which is a major source of the town's income. Large iron deposits can be found in the local area which in turn has encouraged the growth of smithing industries. The town has a steadily growing population and it now resides at 10,000 people. Vellar has been ruled for its entire existence by House Vellar making them one of the oldest noble families in the region. House Vellar is highly militaristic and they possess a long standing militaristic culture and viewpoint. Originally Vellar had little concern for outside politics and were largely left untouched by the imperial powers, however this would change following the rise of Aldarr which in turn would cause Bocamar to act more aggressively. In order to protect their interests Vellar would join the ‘League of Free Cities’ in 97 AG alongside the likes of Lesaboca and Fluxpora. The collective might of the league enabled Vellar to retain its independence and support its own interests; however, this would change in 174 AG when Tiago II "Aravil o Ja Miran" of Aldarr launched his Campaign against the league. Lord Valaris Vellar VI would support Lesaboca by sending a dispatch of 600 troops to aid in the combat, but ultimately that was not enough, the League was defeated and its leader dead.   Following the Battle of the Bloody fields the League's leadership and morale was shattered and a peace conference was held at Paloampo. Lord Valaris would be responsible for negotiating this peace deal and he would debate with Tiago over a period of two days until an agreement was finally reached. The result would be known as the ‘Paloampo Agreement’ which saw the League enter Aldarrs vassalage in exchange for high levels of autonomy and control over internal affairs. Unlike other Lords Vellar was not happy about the vassalage although he negotiated it, throughout the talks he felt as if he had no choice or it would have been Aldarr against Vellar which was a guaranteed defeat. He became bitter with the lords of Fluxpora and Norpovo for conceding so early. Ultimately Valaris would remain a vassal to Tiago for the rest of his days whilst harbouring a deep bitterness against Tiago himself. Valaris’s son Lord Martim Vellar would come to power in 200 AG following his fathers death, he would remain loyal to Tiago II until his death in 203 AG, from this Martim would swiftly declare Vellar’s independence from Aldarr exploiting the succession crisis. Historically Vellar was highly militaristic; some claim that Vellar was a ‘military with a town rather than a town with a military’, Martim would enhance this tradition and further expand Vellars proportionally large army in order to ensure independence. Currently Martim is in negotiations with Lesaboca regarding the leagues renewal, however there is scepticism present due to Queen Belesa’s actions against her father King Max De Julio IV of Lesaboca. Martim knows that time is ticking before Aldarr recovers from its succession crisis therefore he is determined to overcome the obstacles in the way of the Leagues formation. Lord Martim Vellar is the current ruler of Vellar, he is a traditional man with a profound passion for the military. His primary objective is to ensure that Vellars military capacity is as potent as possible. He is included to enter the alliance with Lesaboca and Palomapo and restart the league, should he be able to achieve an agreement with Paloampo for food supplies his military capacity could grow to an even greater extent. The lords of Vellar are loyal to Martim due to his personal military prowess and his control over the armed forces. Martim is an arrogant man and known to disrespect those who do not have a high level of combat ability. He believes that true power comes from physical strength, therefore the nobles of Vellar are all skilled combatants.   Sir Tómas Campos is the marshal of Vellar and most trusted of Martim. Martim and Tómas grew up together and would spend most of their childhoods duelling. Tómas is also committed to an expansion of Vellar’s military and is a significant supporter of the centralisation of the League as he has a personal hatred towards both Bocamar and Aldarr.   Lord Bernado Da Luz is the most powerful figure within Vellar outside of Martim and Tómas, he owns the mines surrounding the town which provide the iron and copper used to fuel the military. For this reason he has accumulated vast sums of money from Martim to continue the development of the mines. Primarily Bernado is a man driven by wealth therefore he is supportive of a military build up as that requires more expansion of his mines. He is more hesitant however to join the league as he understands that would lead to a bigger market of goods which may challenge his monopoly of the town's iron supply. Vellar’s economy is largely based around industry and manufacturing. There are large iron and copper mines in the surrounding area which are then transported into Vellar, due to prior investment there are lots of smiths present in the town which constantly are crafting weapons. These weapons are then exported across Gafaar generating significant income for the town, this paired with any excess iron provides a major boost to the economy. The infantry of Vellar are largely considered some of the best in Gafaar which has resulted in the formation of highly prestigious mercenary companies including the ‘Iron Spears of Vellar’ which are sold to the highest bidder. These mercenaries are primarily loyal to Vellar but should Vellar be at peace they will fight in foreign wars. The key weakness of Vellar’s economy is the fact they do not have much farmland, and land which could have been used has been destroyed in order to support the expansion of the mines, therefore it is reliant upon food imports from Fluxpora. The weakness of the town's agriculture is a major reason behind the leadership wanting to join the league as a deal with Paloampo could solve the food crisis. The military is what Vellar prides itself upon therefore they have invested in a huge army in proportion to the size of the town. The standing professional army is 2,000 soldiers (however many of these men are in mercenary companies so the full 2,000 is rarely present in Vellar at once, with as many as 1,000 men being away as mercenaries when wars are rampant within Gafarr) whilst the town also has access to 3,000 peasant levies. This grants Vellar a massive military in proportion to its population and in an event of total mobilisation there are enough arms present in the city to equip a further 1,500 peasants on top of the standard levy. This means in an event of total mobilisation Vellar could field and equip 2,000 professional soldiers and 4,500 peasant levies. The Vellarian Arsenal- The main hub for the arms trade within Vellar, it is under constant guard and houses thousands of high quality weapons which are due to be sent across Gafaar. It’s located within the central town.   Military College of Vellar- School for nobles and men in Vellar who will pursue army careers and lead men. Designed to give them the greatest training available and fully equip them to lead men into battle.   The Iron Inn- A large tavern within Vellar providing a range of services to all classes. Owned by a man called David Cruz   The Black Chapel- A church dedicated to the worship of the Seven Aspects headed by High Priest Javier Vaz. Rumours state the entrance to the catacombs are within this ancient building.