Temeschwar
Overview
Temeschwar was once part of wild Varushka, but it joined the Empire alongside Sarvos and Tassato, when the League was formed. Citizens of Temeschwar commonly make an effort to be as flamboyant as their southern fellows, but their dress is inevitably more practical, to accommodate the harsh northern weather. They are tradtionally more brutally pragmatic than those who live on the bay. It is a foothold of trade to Varushka, Wintermark and nearby Dawn. Trading in raw materials and crafted goods, especially weapons and armour, it is seen by many as the merchant capital of the northern lands.
Despite its good relations with Varushka, Temeschwar has always suffered somewhat from being distant from Sarvos and Tassato whose close proximity made them the natural heart of the League. Temeschwar may well be the richest of all the cities of the League, but it can never quite shake the fear that it is not as good as the others. This anxiety is just part of what drives the Temeschwari to be so competitive and so ruthless. Temeschwari strive to work that bit longer and that bit harder than anyone else in the League. If a Sarvossian closes their shop at sunset, their Temeschwari neighbour will light a pair of lanterns and keep trading for another hour.
Not all relations with Varushka are good, however. There is still some bad blood between those of old Varushkan stock in Temeschwar and the citizens of Karov#Delev Delev in Karov. When Temeschwar joined the Empire it attempted to prove that it had legitimate ownership of the Karov#The Eternal Shafts of Time Eternal Shafts of Time, a rich mithril mine on the border between the two territories. There are still plays and theatrical adaptations that revolve around the underhand, ruthless way the boyar of Delev "stole" the mine from under the noses of the Temeschwari, and relations between the traders of Delev and the citizens of Temeschwar are chilly to this day.
The Temeschwari are not just the most competitive people in the League, they also have a well deserved reputation as the most ruthless. In the years before the creation of the Empire, the city was plagued by gangs of thieves and assassins who operated with open impunity despite the best efforts of the boyar, Ratibor. Thousands of inhabitants were linked with the different gangs who used tattoos to mark membership and enforce loyalty.
In the end Ratibor hired a force of Varushkan mercenaries and brought them in secret into the city during the depths of winter. In the notorious night of a thousand torches (named for the torches the soldiers carried to light their way) every inhabitant of the city was turned out of their beds, stripped and searched for marks. Anyone with a tattoo on their body was given a few minutes to collect their belongings before being forced from the city into the frozen snows beyond the walls. A few managed to bribe their way past the search but most were given over to the winter and were never seen again. The act was one of monstrous brutality, but it established the power of Ratibor as boyar and broke the power of the criminal gangs forever.
The Temeschwari wear their reputation for cold, hard dealing with pride. They view themselves as the strongest people in the League, combining the ambition and drive of the south with the strength and determination of the north. Physical as well as mental strength is prized here - Temeschwari bravos are as likely to favour the axe as the rapier - and her free companies have a reputation for toughness, as soldiers and as people. Most Temeschwari free companies are careful not to break the rules for they know the magistrates watch them carefully - but they will do almost anything required to win short of this. You can find many things in Temeschwar, it is said, but you will not find a scruple though you search the city from sunrise to sunset.
Recent History
Major Features
Descent
Descent is a mining village built around a large open sinkhole at the foot of Mellfort Peak. Many years ago a stairs and ramp were built spiralling down into the depths of the Descent, and green iron is mined from the cavern complex beneath.
The Custodian of the Assayer's Guild often spends a lot of time in Descent, when they are not at their offices in Temeschwar proper. The Custodian is an Imperial title; the appointment is auctioned during the Spring Equinox each year to the highest bidding League citizen.
Mellfort
On a peak to the West of Temeschwar stands an ancient hillfort, a ruined set of concentric rings of black stone. It hasn't seen use as a fortress for many years, but following the fall of Skarsind there was discussion of rebuilding it as a watchpost and beacon. In early 377YE the fortress was partially refitted to serve as a base of operation for groups of bravos hunting bandits and brigands preying on Temeschwari trade. Overseen by Bridget Eastville (senator for Mitwold) as part of a larger plan to provide protection to towns throughout the Empire, the defences are not sufficient to qualify Mellfort as a fortification, they have already helped reduce outlawry throughout the territory. They have also lead to further discussion about completing the work and restoring Mellfort to it's former glory as a strategically placed fortification.
The Fortress of Salt
The Fortress of Salt is a Bourse position which produces mithril.
Regions
Hanuri
Locul
Metri
Vargat
Vardstein Vale
OOC Notes
- All the regions of Temeschwar are in the hands of the League (and by extension the Empire) making it a staunchly Imperial territory.
- The city itself is a second rank fortification.