Three Peak Dale

Three Peak Deal is a small town in the Atlassian Foothills of the Atarlie Empire, situated on the shore near the boundary between its province and the Southern Province. While only a small town, it is considered a crucial holding for the road which joins Tripolis and Corran after running through it, and for its own inroads to the Atlas Mountains, along with trade and treaty with the Clans of Magnus often flows.

Geography

Three Peak Dale is so called as it is built up amongst the firs on either side of a dry valley formed by three peaks known as Eldest, Stoutest, and Dearest, themselves foothills to the Atlas mountains. This road runs a short distance to the east where it joins the so-called mountain road between Corran and Tripolis, and so short is that distance that Three Peak is considered a natural stopping-off point to take on supply and a day or two's rest (if the cargo can endure it) along the way in either direction. This road, such as it is, also runs up the foothills to the west and ultimately joins a pass through the Atlas Mountains, where the elves occasionally go to treat with Dwarves, or, on very rare occasions, pass straight over the mountains (by the rarely-given leave of the dwarves) into what are now the Frontier Counties of Bastonia. Where it crosses the Mountain Road, there is also a much-disused road to Heroka which has fallen into disuse now that the so called Heroka Road links that city to Corran directly.

Economy

Three Peak punches above its weight economically. While a small town by occupation, its position along the Mountain Road enriches it by the custom of the travellers along that road, who are many given the importance of this road for the trade in grains and other foodstuffs from the fertile Southern Province, as well as the returning caravans of wealth from the northern provinces. What's more, the town's proximity to dwarven holdings makes it the likely jumping-off point for most merchantile efforts directed at the Dwarves, whose skill with metals is admired even by the otherwise haughty elves, not to mention the many members of other races that make up the imperial citizenry.

These factors combine to give the merchantile class here the purchasing power of merchants in a small city rather than a small town.

Politics

Three Peak Dale is, like many elven communities, under a council rule, governed over by the heads of the houses with the longest histories in the town. This council is under the authority of the Prefect of the Atlassian Foothills and therefore owe their tributes and taxes to Tripolis.