Hall Hill

Hall Hill is a large town in the Hearthlands, which serves as its capital, situated in the west of the region. It's the largest single settlement in the Hearthlands, and its median forms the line which divides the Atarlie Frontier from the Southern Province. The primary importance of Hall Hill is as a cultural and political center for the lives of the Gnomes and Halflings who live in the Hearthlands, and as a hub of roads. All roads through the Hearthlands ultimately join one of the four roads that comprise the Freeways, which leave the city in the cardinal directions.

Geography

Hall Hill is actually settled atop three seperate hills in its own immediate region, and the valley that runs between them plays host to the joining of the Freeways, of which there are four:

• The North Way, which ultimately leaves the borders of the Hearthlands and reaches the elven city of Corran, where an Imperial Legate represents the interests of the elves to their protectorate.
• The East Way, which ultimately leaves the southeast of the Hearthlands and passes through Ichor Hall on the way to South Point.
• The South Way, which is quite winding, but ultimately leaves the Hearthlands and runs to Navarre's Crossing, and;
• The West Way, which leads into the Atlas Mountains. It is rarely used apart by traders who treat with the Clans of Magnus but theoretically reaches a pass that leads into the Lordless Lands (though this is more geographical than economical).

The city is best known for its Parliament and the Town Hall, where elected officials govern over the whole of the Hearthlands and over the City Itself. Many halflings and gnomes visit Hall Hill at some point in their lives and every community in the Hearthlands sends representatives to sit in this Parliament, which governs their affairs (to the extent of the autonomy afforded to them by the Atarlie). There is also a sizable public market in the city which is famous particularly during the growing seasons for the quality of its produce.

Economy

Bayside is a rich city, and its trade with the Shimmering Shore has enriched it to the point that it has the economic pull of a large city, disproportionate to its actual population. This trade consists heavily of important arcane and alchemical reagents along with luxury goods in the form of exotic incenses, spices, and enchanted objects. Much of that trade travels further north to the ports at Sunport. There is also a sizable trade in food arriving from the Southern Provinces for shipment, and traders from South Point to Bayside bring elven goods to the Hearthlands and vice-versa.

Politics

Like the Hearthlands, Hall Hill is democratically governed, with a seperate town government over and above that of the parliament itself, and clear systems of laws that seperate the rights of each assembly.