Taler

== History ==
Taler developped in the Taler Valley, sometime after the Lizardfolk were pushed out of the region. While the shores of the Taler-See were conquered slowly and steadily, the lake itself proofed more difficult. 
The lizardfolk fled to the lake on massive rafts or aquatic dragons, housing entire tribes. These lizardfolk started to raid the coastal settlements for years, the Imperials who abandoned their naval traditions were not able to effectivly combat them. 
Eventually, many of the larger cities built small shipyards to construct small light vessels to scout for danger and warn the cities before a raid arrived. This proofed a remarkable success, and soon more and more ships of ever-growing sizes were produced until the imperials had big enough fleets to fight the floating lizardfolk tribes. This redevelopped naval tradition formed the core of what would become the Taler culture.
As the Confederation of Haystan pushed north- and eastwards, the Taler Valley became a natural funnel for trade moving from east to west, and the large fleets of the local cities could transport vast quantities of products very rapidly. This formed caused the Taler culture to take on a uniquely mercantilistic tradition. While the merchant class could not totally supplant the nobility, merchant companies and their fleets became the true power brokers of the region. The nobility living in the cities often had to negotiate with a cartel of traders to implement their policies or raise taxes.
== Culture ==
Westfallen is in many ways very similar to Hylthian and still maintains many of its core concepts.