Source: I generated this picture using AI
Wetzlar
Size: A small village
Region: Valen Wilds
Population: About forty full-time residents, plus transient workers
General Points of Interest: At the center of the village lies the town hall, which is a two-story, multi-functional structure that serves as a place for social events, a courthouse, and general meeting hall.
Wetzlar doesn't have much to offer travelers in way of services, but Collin, the custodian of a defunct hunting lodge, rents out rooms and baths to the few who come through town.
Primary Occupants: Mainly human (~80%), though a few dwarves, elves and orcs also come in for work from time to time.
Government: Technically Wetzlar falls under the rule of Duchess Augusta of Heathhome, but as long as the village continues to provide its timber exports, she allows the settlement to run independently. On a local level, Wetzlar is governed by a village council of seven officials. Of note are Marina (the eldest) and Sten.
Defenses: Too small of a settlement to require defensive structures
Primary Exports: lumber, wood furniture, medicinal and culinary herbs
Primary Imports: wheat, tools
Region: Valen Wilds
Population: About forty full-time residents, plus transient workers
General Points of Interest: At the center of the village lies the town hall, which is a two-story, multi-functional structure that serves as a place for social events, a courthouse, and general meeting hall.
Wetzlar doesn't have much to offer travelers in way of services, but Collin, the custodian of a defunct hunting lodge, rents out rooms and baths to the few who come through town.
Primary Occupants: Mainly human (~80%), though a few dwarves, elves and orcs also come in for work from time to time.
Government: Technically Wetzlar falls under the rule of Duchess Augusta of Heathhome, but as long as the village continues to provide its timber exports, she allows the settlement to run independently. On a local level, Wetzlar is governed by a village council of seven officials. Of note are Marina (the eldest) and Sten.
Defenses: Too small of a settlement to require defensive structures
Primary Exports: lumber, wood furniture, medicinal and culinary herbs
Primary Imports: wheat, tools
Overview
Nestled in the central region of the Valen Wilds, Wetzlar is a compact village, built similar to the style of many settlements within the Valenwood - with as little impact on the surrounding ecology as possible. Houses of stone and wood are were built upwards and close together with small paths linking them to common areas. Most of the homes are surrounded with trees and shrubs kept tidy by industrious hands. It gives the illusion to visitors that the buildings simply meld into the greenery.
Demographic
Many of the people of Wetzlar migrated from other areas to take advantage of the area's lumber supply, and so there are a mix of folks from different walks of life. Most are rugged people, used to hard work and living with little in the way of luxuries. The few families who call Wetzlar a permanent home have created a tight-knit community that lives with a necessary respect and attitude of care for the forest they harvest from.
Most of the residents follow their own notion of a Green faith and have spiritual practices that would strike many strangers as strange and superstitious. Planting trees over their dead, leaving offerings for spirits and animals, and blessing sections of forest before harvesting for fear of the wilds' reprisal are all common practices.
Most of the residents follow their own notion of a Green faith and have spiritual practices that would strike many strangers as strange and superstitious. Planting trees over their dead, leaving offerings for spirits and animals, and blessing sections of forest before harvesting for fear of the wilds' reprisal are all common practices.
Architecture
Germanic/Scandinavian
History
Wetzlar has always been a timber town, though in years past it also attracted nobles from larger settlements who hunted the large and plentiful game for sport. Although this brought a lot of income into the struggling coffers of the settlement, it also caused problems for the people and was eventually outlawed. To this day hunting for food proves to be more challenging than in the early days of the village's establishment.
