Jericho

Jericho

Racial Breakdown: majority Human, High Elves, Einher, Wild Elves, others
Population: 242 (estimated)
Major Industries: Farming
Military: Small professional standing force, mixed warband supported by magic, and religious military order
Government: Monarchy and council
Current Ruler: Jatar Sumendar
Capital City: Suvant

Jericho (population 242) is a small farming village on the edge of the Grey Elven Forest, just outside the borders of Tiefanue. It is located on the former site of the Crossroads, at the junction of east-west road from Leighton to Mea Visa and the north-south road from Antioch to the former site of Sindar.

Jericho was founded in 2249 by the Church of Light of Tiefanue, and was originally a settlement of that kingdom. After a brief period of independence during Styphon's invasion of Tiefanue, Jericho was annexed by Suvant in mid-2251.

Geography

Jericho is located on the former site of the Crossroads, northeast of the northern end of Suvant Bay, near the northeastern "panhandle" of the kingdom of Tiefanue. The closest settlements are the town of Leighton in Tiefanue, the trading village of Mea Visa in Berphaunt, the Suvantian outpost of Silverbreach, the village of the Grem, the Split Axe Clan of Orcs, and a nearby village of kobolds. A trading post, Fort White, has recently been established by merchants from Duvain.

Jericho has a humid continental climate, with warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. The terrain is a mixture of open farmland and deciduous forest. No streams or rivers run through the town itself, but annual precipitation is sufficient for the growing of crops without irrigation, and the water table is high enough to allow wells to be easily dug.

Jericho consists of four major areas: a belt of farmland surrounding the town, the town proper, an Einher encampment known as Fenheim, and a Wild Elf Camp. Few standing structures have been completed in the wake of the events of mid-2251, but much construction is currently in progress.

History

Main article: History of Jericho

Jericho was originally settled in 2249 by a group of settlers organized by the Church of Light. The settlers included farmers from northeastern Tiefanue and adventurers from many lands. The first wave of settlers gathered in Leighton in late 2249, and broke ground for their new town near the ruins of the Crossroads, which had been destroyed in 2230. The stated purpose of the expedition was to "bring the Light" of the Church into the Gray Elven Forest.

Almost immediately, Jericho was attacked by the forces of Inviticus under the command of Ishmael. Troops from Jericho fought alongside Suvant's army to free the green dragon Suulazultsur in late 2250 when Suvant emerged from its 15-year disappearance, and were instrumental in Suvant's victory in the Battle of Tse Maigrindof, and the subsequent coronation of King Baraquiel Hopebringer. When Styphon the Black invaded Tiefanue, Jericho was cut off from the rest of Tiefanue, and declared itself an independent state. Jericho allied with Suvant and the Conclave to erect a magical Curtain to contain Inviticus' forces, and succeeded at doing this in April, 2251.

In June, 2251, the Jericho area underwent a profound magical change brought on by the actions of the Blood Wytch Volanna. All structures within the town were destroyed, and the geography of Jericho and the surrounding region was completely changed. Jericho was annexed by Suvant shortly thereafter.

Demographics

As of 2251, there were a total of 242 people living in Jericho. Of that total, 124 were engaged in farming or mundane trades or their dependents, and the remaining 118 were warriors, scholars, clergy, and itinerant independent tradespeople.

Jericho's population is heavily skewed toward the young adult and mature adult age groups; very few children, teenagers, and elderly inhabit Jericho. The racial makeup is over 50% human, with significant populations of High Elves, Einher, and an assortment of other races.

Religion

The largest religious group in Jericho is the Church of Light, which founded the town, and which operates the town's only church. It has a large following among the town's farmers and tradespeople. The worship of the Mistress of Life is also popular among the peasantry to a degree typical of rural Tiefanue, and many townspeople honour both traditions. The town's substantial Einher population mostly follow their culture's own religion, and there is a sizable community of druids as well.

Jericho's population enjoys a limited degree of religious freedom. Under Jericho's laws, the Church of Light is the official religion, but the local branch of the church has for its entire history taken an ecumenical position and encouraged other faith groups in their practices. The chief exception to religious tolerance in Jericho is the suppression of religions that venerate gods that the Church of Light deems "Dark." Adherents of these religions face severe punishment under the law unless they renounce their beliefs. The law has been brought to bear on multiple occasions against worshipers of the goddess Raze. The other incident of religious violence in Jericho was an attempted burning of the church committed by a follower of the dragon Suulazultsur against the town church.

Government

Main article: Government of Jericho

Jericho's head of state is King Baraquiel Hopebringer of Suvant. Jericho's government is administered by the Council of Suvant, in the person of Lord Councillor Jatar Sumendar. Assisting Lord Councilor Jatar are the Magistrate Arthonnen Cilmion, the Forest Warden Dawn Arrowmoon of the Moon Tribe, and Sheriff Kheired'Din.

Officially recognized ambassadors include the Ambassador to Styphon and Liothu'a, the Ambassador to Antioch.

Laws of Jericho

Main article: Laws of Jericho

Jericho's laws were originally based on the laws of Tiefanue. There are three classes of laws: petty crime, which can be judged by a magistrate, grave crime, which requires at least three members of the Council to be empaneled for trial, and crimes against the crown, which requires a noble judge. One law unique to Jericho is a requirement for arcane spellcasters to register with the local Mages' Guild, under penalty of law.

The laws are currently under review, with a revised legal code to be published by the end of August, 2251.

Economy

Shops and Businesses in Jericho

Malthus Armoury
- Run by Kheired'Din Malthus.
- Located in Fort Sojourn
- Provides: armour and weapons.

Fort White
- Run by Rin Falconswift
- Situated a 20-30 minute walk west of Town proper
- Provides: goods from Duvain, armour, weapons, alchemy, scrolls, etc.

Ole Zek's Tanning and Taxidermy
- Run by Ole Zek
-(On his door is the following note "I can only tan leather from animals. Take your freaky monster corpses away from my home. I can't help you, I don't know who can help you, and I have nothing else interesting to sell")

Dark Wood Hunter's Lodge
- Run by a retired human ranger named "Winston", employs 3 hunters and a few dogs.
- Provides: meat and animal skins.

Taneris and sons fine crafted log cabins
- Carpenters and cabin builders

Tûrin Nelantinu
- High Elven Apothecary

Rhassdhithor Celeethas
-Fine Elven Wines

Merchant Houses
- House Feist

Farmlands

- The Carly Farm : Dairy and Beef
- The Mc'Inery Farm : Wheat
- The Jacob Farm: Produce
- The Canopy Farm : Produce
- The Smitherson Farm : Sheep and Wool
- The Horton Farm: Beans
- The Tathdel Vineyard
- The Lithelon Apiary.
- The Aeratholdal Gardens: Exotic Plants
- The Haevathar Farm: Mushrooms

Mage's Guild

Jericho's Mage's Guild is a Conclave run institution and goes by the name The Crimson Sigil. In August, 2251, the guild house was completely destroyed by an army of angels in retaliation for offences committed by the Conclave against the angelic race. Many of the guild's most powerful members were slain in the attack.

Notable Residents of Jericho

Main article: People of Jericho

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License