Most of the lore in the upcoming series will be edited compilations of dozens of posts from the last two years. While there are some minor new details sprinkled throughout, I’ve attempted to post significant new information in a “Watch AU Fun Fact” post so you don’t have to read all of these HUGE posts to find them.
Other Posts in this Series:
Minor Settlements of House Brody: Druffdrom • Tobatyr • Fiansara • Slinad • Torthúlacht
Slinad (formerly Sliabh Lárionad) is a large market town in northern House Brody, Duilintinn, almost directly against the steep slopes of the Northern Mountains.
Name Origin
Slinad was originally named Sliabh Lárionad, which roughly translates to “mountain centre,” referencing its location near the Northern Mountains. Over time, the name was shortened to Slinad. Today, the name carries an additional meaning, referencing how the town is the central hub of House Brody’s northernmost agricultural region.
Economy
Slinad is one of the largest towns north of Aghaboy and the Pa'Gille River, far more urban than the scattered farming towns in the foothill regions of House Brody's agricultural zones. Instead of farming its own goods, Slinad's economy is primarily driven by other farms in the region, which often trade their goods in the larger town. The geographic region is heavily populated by both wild and domesticated mountain sheep and goats, which are also cultivated by those living on the outskirts of the town.
Layout
Central Market
Slinad is extremely old, dating back to the Feadhainn Era. During the Waldren Occupation, what remained of the original Feadhainn architecture was abandoned in favor of the boxy trade warehouses and grid system layout favored by settlers from Waldren.
However, some of the circular elements of Feadhainn architecture still remain in Slinad's layout. Notably, the central market square retains the recessed, amphitheater structure, which originated in Feadhainn culture and has recently made a cultural resurgence in modern Duilintinn.
However, the steps of the central market square are difficult for livestock, so a secondary market area has also grown up around the amphitheater.
Business District
Beyond this open marketplace center, buildings of established shops and traders radiate outwards in a large circle, forming the town's Business District. Stores that rely on the trade from other farming towns (i.e. food-based shops) are located closer to the central marketplace, while other trades sit on the edges of the district. As the most important area of the town, the Business District also holds significant buildings such as the town hall and the local place of worship.
Slinad Outskirts
Beyond the Business District, the citizens of Slinad go about their lives unrelated to the town's trade. Here, the streets become far less stylized, losing both the older circular layout and the grid-like building placements. Houses spread further apart and gradually become more scattered along the city's edge. Multiple schoolhouses can be found in this area, serving both the children of Slinad and those of nearby towns and farms too small to have a school of their own. This area also hosts a few taverns, a doctor, and a windmill, which is mostly used to grind rye into flour for baking.
Defenses
Slinad hires a moderate number of guards from the Guard Coalition each year, generally to protect the taverns, town hall, and the markets.
Within the last few decades, Slinad has hastily constructed an inner wall around the Business District and an outer wall around the entire town to protect against raids from The Enemy's forces. During the brief periods of peace since the initial rise of The Enemy, the town has shorn up and maintained these walls properly, leaving the citizens within feeling well protected.
Trivia
Slinad is the home of the Dunla Mason, whose family lives in a farm about an hour north of the city, the latter of which Ivy Paris stayed with during her time in House Brody
Slinad was created by tumblr user @theshapeshifter100
