Vestvall

**Vestvall** was a small inland town of Ekrustia, which was abandoned on Endnight of the year 3060.

## Overview

Vestvall was located east of Fel Sadanis, by about 35-50 leagues (which is around 170 and 250 km).

It is an agrarian town, not on any major rivers, but with several nearby streams and an aquifer, so that fresh water is no problem. The hilly terrain around town is covered with forests. It has been noted that the town and it's surroundings are lacking "natural beauty".

Vestvall had a Watch outpost with a few bronze-rank officers, and a tiny locally-run Bank presence, but not a Guild branch. The town had quite a few artisan shops, among them the tailor Dempton and the glassblower Carum.

The *Half-Pint Bakery* was a reknowned establishment of Vestvall, offering great pies. These bakers survived the Shift of 3060 and participated in the evacuation. There was also the *Brass Stallion* and the *Hole and Oats* owned by Timms.

Vestvall has its own fashion sense, preferring bright colorful wardrobes in one person's favorite colors. It's people are sharing a fierce sense of independence and don't appreciate charity.

## Government, nobility, and militia

Vestvall’s mayor, Graymond, was elected by its council - a collection of nobles and influential merchants — rather than by the populace at large.

Vestvall didn't have many Noble families. After the shift of 3060 (during which most of the councilmembers died), there were just three with awakened family members (called the *three families*):

* The Urs family, of which there were three Awakened, and at least four Unawakened. Their theme was shapeshifting.
* The Hakim family, of which there were four Awakened. Their theme was about fire magic.
* The Sale family, of which there was one Awakened. Lady Sale employed a guard of 20 men, lead by her Grandson. Their theme was about axefighting.

All of the houses employed a small-to-medium houseguard, and there was also a militia. Together, these forces amounted to between ca. 40 to 100 fighters and crossbowfolk, possibly more.

### List of inhabitants in 3060

As of late 3060, Vestvall had had about a thousand inhabitants.

This list includes deceased people, but excludes all who became members of Ascension (i.e. Mig and Del, Emerton, Lana, Bens, Stint, Dempton and Car?m, see for those, there).

## History

Vestvall started its existence as a mining town for iron ore, which was readily available in the surrounding hills. Those sources eventually depleted, and Vestvall managed to remain in its location, while shifting towards mostly subsistence farming.

Jamus hails from Vestvall, where he was an unawakened Bank clerk. He left after discovering his wife had cheated on him with Lord Urs, and all children of Jamus' were actually Lord Urs'. Not being a violent man, Jamus left the town and later became an Awakened adventurer of Fel Sadanis.

In the night of "The Shift", about 25% of the Vestvallian population fell prey to the spawning monsters, thus dropping the number of inhabitants dramatically from about a thousand to significantly less. (It remains unclear how many survived the following ordeals, but it appears their casualities after the Shift weren't that dramatic anymore. Mayor Greymond had things organized well enough. During the evacuation march, Rain later learned the exact number of survivors.)
The rank shift of 3060 led to the Watch Outpost abandoning Vestvall entirely, as they moved their Mindcaster to Fel Sadanis. What became of the Bank branch, is unknown, but it wasn't a large one to begin with, and probably had not a single awakened clerk.

At the time of the rank shift, the Crimson Swords were operating in Vestvall, and they discovered the source of the monsters that plagued Vestvall: a chasm leading to the underground had opened an hour's hike north of the city. They were intent on claiming the spot and exploiting its riches and essence monsters for themselves. Meanwhile, the city struggled with keeping itself alight, which became a dire necessity due to being now in a ranked zone, and the surrounding area was soon to be mostly deforested.

Some time after the rank shift, another Adventuring group arrived in Vestvall, calling themselves Ascension. Eventually, they clashed with the Crimson Swords, and killed them. They were more open to deal and trade with Vestvall, and patrolled the surrounding area for monsters, making the city a lot more secure, while also providing food. However, their incentives also drove half the Vestvallian economy into their soon permanent encampment, as they had lots of use for the cities artisans and could pay them well. This led to a lot of contention between the company and the Vestvall upper class and militia, a lot of whom did not welcome the appearance of Ascension.

After it was discovered that the Adamant Empire had conquered Citadel Sadanis, Vestvall finally but quickly evacuated the city, as most people agreed that the combined danger of the rank shift and the nearby Empire was too great, and as Ascension offered a safe way out. The evacuation was completed after two days of packing and set in place on the morning of the very first day of the year 3061; the inhabitants forgoing the traditional festival of Endnight completely, which included wearing disguises and masks.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 114
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chapter 130
3. ↑ Chapter 166
4. ↑ Chapter 167
5. ↑ Chapter 129
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Chapter 126
7. ↑ Chapter 165 mentions about 36 people in the streets, and the details make clear that at least half of them were noblemen and their guards; while the guards on the palisade are not included in the group.
8. ↑ Chapter 165
9. ↑ Chapter 170
10. ↑ Chapter 204