Villages of Allagi

These villages are located on the continent of Allagi, except for Alasi, which is on the coast of Sirith. They are Vagabond aligned, and provide a (mostly) safe haven for weary travelers while hosting their own, sometimes peculiar communities.
== Alasi ==
A small port village on the coast of Sirith. It acts as one of the main arteries between Asylon, and the island settlements of Oreios, Amosa and Dikos. It was built by residents of Asylon, with Digend’s assistance, during the spring of 1702.
=== The Village ===
Unlike the Allagi settlements, Alasi was actually mostly built by equines - which is reflected in the rather simple, ramshackle look of both its construction and layout. Simple wooden houses and huts sit around a natural, almost lagoon-like harbor, allowing small sailing vessels to sail directly to ground. The main port, suitable for larger vessels, is to the north of town, and equipped with stone and earth warehouses provided by Earth Manipulation. 
The town sustains itself with small farms that surround it, producing mostly wheat and rice. There is also an orchard of plums, pears and apples, provided by Digend’s creation.
=== Culture ===
Culturally, Alasi is a direct continuation of the culture of Asylon - a freeform mixing pot of various influences, with a decidedly anarchistic vibe. The locals are peaceful and come mostly from long-time Vagabond backgrounds, with some individuals with rogue roots mixed in. As a sailing town, they are proud of their ability to construct and maintain boats and ships, as well as provide a safe harbor for trade and travel alike.
As Alasi is a major trading hub for its size, most locals have a background in using shards, and are shrewd individuals not easily tricked or cheated. Despite this, Alasi is somewhat infamous for the local’s love for games of chance, and various bets and games are a common occurrence when the villagers have free time. Perhaps not surprisingly, this sometimes ends with visitors being swindled, or fights between locals.
Compared to some of the other settlements, residents of Alasi are often transients, and many stay in the village only temporarily before traveling on. This leads to some unrest, especially with the lack of an organized police force or leadership.
== Choro ==
One of the smaller Allagi settlements, Choro is a small coastal village near the border of Sirith, on the very western edge of Allagi Major. The main roadway passes through Choro, making it a frequent stop for travelers on their way to Dikos.
=== The Village ===
Choro is nestled in the highlands of the Echo Mountains, overlooking the coast from cliffs. The main village is located high on the hillside, surrounded by a seamless defensive wall made from what appears to be bone, but is as hard as rock. There are only two entrances into the little village - from along the Trail of Moths, one can enter through a gate on the north side, while the second entrance is from the sea. Winding stairs scale the cliffs down to the small harbor, where ships made from white wood are moored. 
The buildings of Choro are much grander than its small size would suggest - militant looking towers, defensive structures and solid, white stone buildings make up the homes and living spaces of the locals. The main village is very compact, consisting of only twenty or so buildings knit tightly together, with passageways going up and down stairs and on the roofs as well as on the ground below. Many of the buildings have small garden plots on their roofs, providing space for small orchards. Most residents live on the upper levels, while only a select few choose to live down the stairs, where the ships are kept - here, the  homes are simpler caves carved into the hills themselves.
Choro has no major farmland around it, and sustains itself mostly by its small gardens, gathering from the local area, and trade from travelers. 
=== Culture ===
For whatever reason, Choro happens to be home to an unusually high amount of ancient kirins - ones who chose to not join any established herd, and instead became Vagabonds. Over half of the residents are kirins, making Choro perhaps the largest kirin majority settlement in Hireath, besides those held by Heralds of the Ash. The non-kirins living here seem to be mostly those who had been living and traveling with the kirins, making the settlement culturally very Old Aodhian.
In practice, this means a somewhat condescending, but not hostile, attitude towards strangers. The society that has formed here is communist, completely devoid of prejudice towards any sex or gender, and highly appreciative of arts and sciences. Work is divided based on skill, meaning many of the non-kirins handle manual labor, while kirins produce art and conduct experiments.
Although Choro is generally friendly towards travelers, it is said that the residents conduct occasional raids on travelers that veer too close to their territory, and even make the occasional trip to Sirith. Choro is completely self-governed, and although technically aligned with Asylon, does not answer to any higher authority besides Digend himself - meaning they have no qualms about robbing visitors if they don’t happen to also follow the Ungod.
== Ygris ==
Ygris is off of the beaten path, a couple hundred miles down the coast of Allagi Major from the Trail of Moths. This unique village is not located on the coast so much as on the water, and is connected to the mainland by a bridge.
=== The Village ===
Compared to many of the other settlements on Allagi, Ygris isn’t terribly remarkable architecturally. The buildings appear to be wood, although shaped and molded in a way that wouldn’t be possible by natural means. Indeed, the log house-look shatters as soon as one takes a close enough look to see that the wood bends, splits and shifts, rather than being assembled. Still, the overall appearance is quite homey, rather than in-your-face strange or extravagant.
The layout of the village, however, is another matter. Ygris is a floating village, built on tiny islets and god-made platforms, with individual houses being connected to each other by narrow bridges and walkways. Some platforms house small gardens, but most are simply for residential buildings. As a result, there are no streets, with the only pathways being the various crossings over the water. Ygris is connected to land by one bridge, but seems firmly anchored in place by some unknown force.
There is a small dock in town, as well as a single tavern for travelers, and quite a few warehouses for goods. Some farmland stretches out before the town, with ramshackle guard towers providing vision over the flat surroundings. 
=== Culture ===
Although a fairly large settlement by Allagi standards, Ygris seems to mostly attract the kind of characters who find it beneficial to be far away from prying eyes. The village doesn’t exactly have a tight community - co-operation is done because it's beneficial for everyone, nothing more. Their culture is highly individualistic, and prone to discord and anarchism, with any attempts to wrestle control of the settlement met with disdain and even violence.
Ygris is known as a den of thieves, and it is indeed true that many shadier types live here - making Ygris a good place to hire an assassin or a thief, or a mercenary who isn’t too morally pure for dirty work. While most locals are permanent residents, it's not unusual for them to be out looking for work for most of the year, only to return for the colder months to enjoy the mild climate of the plains.
Sailing is an important part of Ygris’ identity, and their ships are easily recognized by their unnaturally striped color, with dark wood and white, almost opalescent stripes. The residents sail as far as the Isles of the Dead and Onea to trade, but it's said they don’t shy away from the occasional raid either, should there be a good opportunity for such activity.
== Amosa ==
The only permanent settlement on Allagi Minor, and one of the larger villages on Allagi. Amosa enjoys a pleasant climate and fertile farmlands.
=== The Village ===
Located near the coast, Amosa is cut through by a wide but shallow river. In the flat terrain, the little town is visible from miles away as it towers darkly over its surroundings. Amosa is molded entirely from dark, volcanic rock, dotted by the occasional colorful mineral or a vein of metal. This alone would give it a striking, distinct appearance, but what truly sets the village out is its construction: the entirety of Amosa is essentially on stilts, several feet above the ground. 
Supported by thick, dark pylons on rock driven deep into the earth, the houses and common plazas alike are lifted on platforms, connected to each other by arching dark bridges - although additional wooden bridges have been constructed by the locals to create more routes as needed. Being above the ground not only protects Amosa from the floods, but also makes it formidable to look at. The village can only be entered through a single gate, from which a wide set of dark stairs rise to meet the first platform.
Despite its relatively small size, Amosa is a bit of a labyrinth to navigate due to its unique form. The common buildings - a tavern, a plaza, a small shrine to Digend and a tiny bathhouse with a magical, constant supply of hot water - are all located in the central part of the village, while the surrounding wall of houses are private residences. Residential buildings here have multiple floors, and often house several families.
=== Culture ===
Amosa is a wild village, and has neither law nor government. The culture is extremely individualistic, with people only looking out for themselves, and perhaps close friends and family. Strangers are treated with hospitable friendliness, but not all residents are genuinely nice - sometimes such hospitality is a ruse to swindle a traveler out of their valuables. 
Due to the general lack of community spirit, Amosa is not a very efficient producing town, despite the amazing conditions. Farms and orchards do certainly exist, and many do bear good harvest, but lack of organization means that most of these efforts are very group-centered, and don’t benefit the community as a whole. Capitalism is king, and if you want help, you better be able to afford it - and even then, you might get cheated instead.
Overall, Amosa is a fun place to be if one does not mind adventure, and knows how to keep their wits about them, even when around seemingly friendly faces. Many locals are the adventurous sort, and you don’t hear a better tale of travels anywhere in Allagi - or perhaps even whole Hireath. Still, it isn’t really the kind of place where many would like to settle down, feeling more like an unruly wild front than an established settlement.
== Oreios ==
Oreios is a small coastal village located in a cove with high hills protecting it from the north, and ocean to the south. Most of its residents make their livelihoods off of the ocean, or by using the unique lumber of the Bonewood for crafting.
=== The Village ===
A charming little village, Oreios is rather hard to spot when approached from land, as it is built entirely within a protected cove in the coastline, and overlooked by craggy rocks. The Bonewood rises tall and impressive atop the hills surrounding the town, and a single pathway paved with black stone leads down many sets of spiraling stairs to the village proper. There is a particularly lovely spot on the hills above the village, where a lone white cherry tree stands on a cliffside, overlooking the ocean. It is a particular favorite place of young lovers.
The village itself is carved by wild magic, buildings poking out of the walls of the cove as if they were a part of it. The architecture is surprisingly elegant, with sculpted details that make the buildings look like they were made of wood, rather than stone. The stone of the buildings is naturally striped and brown, enhancing the illusion.
As all the buildings, except a few decidedly less impressive storage and fishing sheds, are located against the walls of the hill, there is a large grassy plaza in the middle of the village for gatherings and parties alike. The community here is tight knit, and sustains itself off of gathering, fishing and trade.
Small fishing ships are constantly docked here, as are a number of larger vessels used to transport goods and people to the other settlements of Allagi. All the boats and ships in Oreios are pure white, and styled after skeletons in their decor.
=== Culture ===
Oreios is a Vagabond town, but most of the inhabitants are originally from northern regions, like Onea or northern Sirith, with a few who were familiar with northern Eithne. The local flavor can be described as a mixture of these, with the general Vagabond anarchism and lack of interest in traditional government structures added on top. The village is completely self-governed, and lives in a sort of self-organized socialism, where resources are shared by mutual choice, but the property that others do not wish to share is also respected. 
The village solves problems among residents by open court, where everyone has a chance to voice their opinion should they want to, and decisions are reached by the vote of majority. The culture is extremely communal and tight-knit, leading to a somewhat stifling attitude towards new arrivals who have different ideas on how things should be done. 
Life in Oreios can be tough, especially during winter, and while the locals take care of each other, they are not exactly known for their hospitality.
Category:Location
Category:Vagabonds