Thalburn (Thowl-bun)

There is a total of 1863 denizens of Thalburn. The main races that make up the population are humans (with 45% of the population), elves (with 16% of the population) and halflings (with 16% of the population). This is due to Thalburn's farming nature, many halflings have taken to the city for their natural farming ability.   With the city attempting to apply for Free City status, many citizens all throughout the Commonwealth have attempted to move to the city to make a name for themselves.

Like most settlements within the Merchant Commonwealth, the village is lead by an Graf, which is the elected leader by the city. Thalburn also has a Polymath's Council, which is a council led by some of the richest families within the village bounds. These two are often not at odds with one another, as they all wish to have Thalburn ascended into a Free City.   The Graf then employs local Meister who are masters of their craft. They act as the bridge between the merchant nobility and the commoners. Most notable is the Polymath of Champions Else Mayer (F Elf), who is known for always having a glint behind her eyes and connections with people unfavorable by the public.   The Boreal's Gaze, the local guards of the city maintain close vigilance, quite frequently collaborating with The Legion of the Coin, the Army of the Dulkan Merchant Commonwealth has a Star Fortress located in the southern side of the city due to the close border to the Quazill Horsemen. There is a bit of conflict between the two factions because the Legion of the Coin receives more funding from the government compared to the Boreal's Gaze.

The village of Thalburn is at a disadvantage when it comes to defense due to their flat terrain. However, the forests to the north often repel bandits and brigands that take command of those forests and desolate wastes. To the south lies the steppe that the Quazill Horsemen dominate. For hundreds of years, the Horsemen have raided North as the steppe was being colonized by the Northeners. Awakening the equine beast, these expansionist settlements have been raided and burned to the ground more times than the settlers can count, with each raid getting more deadlier and more dangerous.   To counteract this, twenty years ago, the Commonwealth created the Golden Coin Star Fortress made entirely of a stained brick to embody gold. As much as it started as a symbol of the Commonwealth's might, it quickly became a priority to maintain the upkeep of the fortress. Regarded as one of the best engineering feats of Syken's time, the fortress is one of many known as Midas' Purse that is created across the Dulkani border with the savage horsemen.

Thalburn is split into three fields each of which control an aspect of the city. Each field is notable in the fact that they are almost considered three different political identities within the city. Each has it's own way of living that makes it distinct and unique.

The Downfield

The Downfield is located on the southern side of the city. Located in the Downfield is where the Boreal's Gaze and the Legion of the Coin can be found. The most notable building is the Golden Coin Star Fortress, the fortress of the Legion of the Coin. This section of the village has the most money put into it's upkeep, which is a point of contention with the other fields which desperately need it. South of the road lies the border with the Quazil Horsemen.  

The Coinfield

The Coinfield is the merchant stalls of Thalburn, located in the coin field is the Kontor, or the Economic Guild Hall where farmers and artisans come to sell their craft. The most notable building is the Flowing Wheat Kontor, as mentioned before, is the area where goods are sold to commoners. While acting more like a bazaar now, if the village wishes to gain Free City status, the Kontor will need to undergo massive changes and income to revitalize it's infrastructure.  

The Lifefield

The Lifefield is the field where the living and the living reside. It is called the Lifefield due to the amount of farms that were created as well as the fact that the Lifestream converges on this land, makes the creation of crops ever abundant here. When this area was first discovered, farmers made this area a lucrative business. Unbeknownst to them, they were damaging the Lifestream due to over-farming of the soil...

The most valuable asset within the village limits is it's connection to the Lifestream. Although severed due to the actions of the past, arcanists and scientists from the Dulkan Merchant Commonwealth have come to the city in droves to attempt to repair the connection. This is much to the ire of the people within the Lifefield, as a general distaste for the richer cities up towards the northern coast has grown over the years.   Within the city, wheat based products and livestock are traded all across the Dulkani country as Thalburn goods and known to be some of the best. However, most metal based items have to be imported from elsewhere, as the village is bare in regards to natural resources like stone and precious metals.

Governmental Factional Power:

The following list shows factional power in the settlement with the following scale: Domineering, Waxing, Neutral, Waning, Non-Existent

1. Legion of the Coin (Nobility): Domineering
2. Boreal's Gaze (Nobility/Commoner): Waning
3. The Divine Synod (Clergy): Waxing
4. The Polymath's Assembly (Merchants): Waxing

Thalburn was created more than one hundred years ago, as a caravan of farmers had to hunker down due to a conflict between the Quazil and the Legion of the Coin. The Legion has a meager fortress in the area that was being besieged by the Quazil. In exchange for helping them repel the Horsemen and feeding the troops, the General at the time gave the settlers 10,000 gold and the deed to the surrounding land to create a settlement.   After the discovery of the Lifestream shortly after the village's formation, the Altermanner at the time gave out free land deeds to any settlers in an attempt to raise the village's settler population. It massively succeeded. Now in the current day, thanks to the success of their past, the city is vying for Free City status within the Commonwealth. With this status comes autonomy and political power that the Southern county desperately needs. This is much to the disapproval of the Northern counties who have always had domination over the southern counties.