Sparrow Pass

**Sparrow Pass** is a small town in western Valouria, located on the Valourian-Parleran border.

## History

The area that is Sparrow Pass has long been used by loggers and trappers working in the Great Forest, but the town itself was settled in 1044, during the Ironwood War. The virtually non-existent border in the forest between Valouria and Parlera was porous and allowed soldiers from both sides to easily pass through. In order to shore Parlera’s defenses, General Griffonclaw ordered construction of a garrison to dissuade Parleran forces from crossing into Valouria. A natural clearing, the site was called Sparrow Pass due to the large assemblage of sparrow roosting aggregations in the area.

When the fortress was completed, it almost single-handedly changed the course of the war. Heavily protected and reinforced by irregular militiamen from surrounding settlements, the fortress at Sparrow Pass virtually stopped the reinforcement of Parleran troops to a halt, giving Valourian forces the ability to eliminate those still in the country without having to worry about additional combatants. During the war, Parleran forces twice attempted to storm and destroy the fortress, but both times it held fast.

Following the end of the Ironwood War, the majority of the garrison at Sparrow Pass was moved elsewhere. A cursory garrison remained as a deterrent, and to collect taxes, as the settlement effectively was the border between Valouria, Parlera, and the newly formed Garrison States, but for the most part, the fort was seen as a bad assignment. Despite being in the middle of the forest, a small town sprung up around the fortress catering to the needs of the men and women stationed there and the needs of the trickle of merchants passing through.

## Life and Society

Life is simultaneously tranquil and hectic in Sparrow Pass. The town itself has very few permanent residents that are not members of the Valourian army, garrisoned at the fortress. Those that do live there are generally laborers of sorts- smiths, tanners, brickmakers, and a handful of loggers. The notable exception are the handful of courtesans and ladies of the night who serve the local population. Merchants and traders are constantly passing back and forth through Sparrow Pass, as the settlement is also the border between Valouria and the Garrison States and Valouria and Parlera. As such, soldiers from the garrison collect taxes on goods coming into and leaving the country. As the settlement is one of the few land borders where taxes are collected, individuals are constantly attempting new ways to hide their goods and/or the value of them, leaving the soldiers garrisoned there constantly having to outsmart them in order to extract revenue for the crown.

## Major Geographic Features

Located deep in the Great Forest, Sparrow Pass sits on the amorphous border between Valouria and the Garrison States and Valouria and Parlera. Passing through Sparrow Pass represents the safest and most secure roads, though use of those roads comes with a tax extraction and toll.

## Important Sites

The Fortress at Sparrow Pass

The Fortress at Sparrow Pass, as it is officially known, is the structure that was built in 1044. Made of thick granite blocks from Land’s End, the fort was considered impenetrable during the Ironwood War and many consider its construction to be the turning point in the conflict. The fort was built to house a much larger amount of people but currently houses a single Valourian garrison. Because it is technically a military base, Sparrow Pass does not have a set lord or lady or local noble house, but rather, a lord commander.

The Green Cask Inn

The Green Cask Inn is the lone inn and tavern in Sparrow Pass. While the inn sees its fair share of legitimate travelers, by and large its primary clientele are soldiers from the local fortress, as the establishment is more of a brothel than an inn. The Green Cask Inn is run by Jillian Green, the daughter of a prostitute who used to work in the tavern who subsequently grew up and was given reigns of the business by its prior owner. Jillian is far from just a simple brothel madame and is actually an astute, shrewd businesswomen- which is partially why she inherited the business over other potential inheritors.

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