Sterromere

Sterromere is is a large town in the northern quarters of Estmarch, a duchy of Bastonia. It is named for the nearby lake which it overlooks, which drains by a minor river which is tributary to the River Coldwater, and the Sterromere Road is tributary to the roads that join the Pass of the Tall Folk in the Atlas Mountains. The town does a rich trade in various metal goods, disproportionate to its size and remoteness, and is a County Seat (for the County Duskhill).

The town's main claim to historical fame is being the birthplace and home of Brahm of Sterromere, and accordingly it has a reputation for fine metallurgy and trade in metal goods. Brahm himself is famous for the discovery of the means of working Himmelmetall; the town's associated mine was once the leading producer of the ores of the metal - while it has since been extinguished, it remains a viable entrance to The Deeps.

Geography

The castle-town itself occupies a small hill which overlooks the Sterromere (the lake itself). The banks of the lake downhill of the walled town are heavily populated and border on being urbanized by the standards of their time; houses packed in between forges and trade halls, and so on. The lake itself has a small dockyard which services ruttebutte and other riverboats, serving as an interchange point for the road and river trade. The lake is well known for a rich fishery in Steelhead Trout which is a particular component of the local diet.

Eastward from the town, and stopping by its lone gate, is the Sterromere Road. This road progresses southerly and eventually joins the Road of Estmarch, which is itself a reasonably major trade thoroughfair.

The town, its lake, and many miles around are part of a stout forest, largely evergreens, across foothills, which collectively make up County Duskhill. Accordingly, the keep of the castle town is the home and holding of the Count of Duskhill. Within the walled portion of the city is also a minor cathedral of The Almighty. Major points of interest in the lower town are the town market, a somewhat popular inn (at the sign of the Star and Anvil), the hall of the Worshipful Fellowship of Heavenly Smiths (a metallurgical guild), and two separate religious cloisters - a farm-monastery of San Hera and a cloister of monastic followers of San Lukas; the latter are particularly of note as servants of the Crown and frequently serve as hosts for Knights Errant or military officials. Of course, there are also several foundries dotting the lake, and smithies, several of which are destinations in their own right.

Economy

Sterrromere is fairly self-reliant. In spite of proximity to the Atlas Mountains it is raided less often by the Carcolie than other locations in its area, though goblin theft and raiding through the Sterrofall is sometimes a problem. This is in part because Sterromere does well in trade, importing raw or processed ores for himmelmettal or steel production, as well as staple foodstuffs (when needed). Their chief exports are finished metal goods, often masterpieces in their own right - for this reason, this is sometimes known as the Other Royal Arsenal, unofficially.

The town relies heavily on fishing and hunting to supplement its limited food production when trade is mean or when raids have occurred, and the Count of Duskhill frequently hosts lotteries to turn out hunting licenses on county lands for game which is protected - largely deer and boar. The economy is, financially, quite good however; both for the high price of himmelmetall and the fact that even dwarven smiths occasionally seek out the Worshipful Fellowship for mastery-level training in the production of himmelmetall goods.

Politics

The town is the seat of County Dukshill, sometimes thought to be the only valuable holding in the entire county; while rich in natural materials, the county is sparsely populated (made worse by Carcolie and Goblins raiding for resources in the area). The position is, however, considered politically important. Control over Sterromere is sometimes a side-conflict in the Bastonian wars of succession, and the town has switched several times from being a holding of Estmarch or the North. Accordingly, especially when the Bastonian Monarch is aging or ill, the county is usually held as a courtesy title of one of the issue of the Duke of Estmarch (or, when appropriate, the Duke of the North.)

By the time of the crisis of the Great Rift, and especially the southern expansion into the Frontier Counties, Sterromere had long been in the hands of the Duke of Estmarch, who bestowed the county on his vassals, House Mondale, who, fittingly, count Brahm of Sterromere as a distaff cousin.