Olzesa

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Region Details
Continent
Region Type
Geographic Area
Population
Economy
Politics
Realm

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Geography

Olzesa is a medium-sized area of land, which slopes gently towards the east and Lake Itza. Few hills dot the expanse, and those that are present are low, flat mounds. Well watered from frequent rains blowing in off of the neighbouring ocean, it is a fertile land and well suited for growing beans, cauliflower, cabbage and other cold-tolerant vegetables. It is well supplied with wood from the large evergreen forest that makes up its eastern half. Like many seaside regions in the north, during winter it tends to receive huge quantities of snow and sleet.

Of interest is the cliffs of Olzesa. While not nearly as towering as neighbouring Zin's, they are nevertheless tall and imposing, making anchorage of ships a difficult prospect at best. Thus many boats berth in Olzesa's sole harbour, a oval expanse of fairly shallow water useful for small boats but rarely used by ships of deeper draft.

Economy

Much of the taxes raised in this region come from land taxes on the many farms and on the toll taxes on the produce and seafood sent to neighbouring Azzal. Poll taxes certainly raise a fair amount of silver for the local lord, due to Olzesa having over six thousand residents on average, however they usually are less then the monies raised on the taxation of boats and fishing sloops. Indeed, due to its large harbour and proximity to Azzal's large market, much of the northwestern coast's fishing is done out of Olzesa.

Olzesa does have a small lumber industry due to its eastern forest, the locally famed White Wall. However since the forest is primarily silver birch, logging is generally limited to supply the local artisans in Azzal with the fine-grained wood they require for quality work.

Military, Politics and Religion

The people of Olzesa are farming folk, by and large, and so are generally calm, sober folk, more given to deliberation and forward-planning. Even the sailors of the fishing fleet tend to be less rowdy on leave then one would expect. Conservative in their outlook, Olzesans tend to be a simple folk to rule, rare to anger and revolt.

Darka has maintained a state religion almost from the initial founding. Because of Darka's laws on the matter, the sole religion practiced openly is this state religion. When their regional temperament is considered, it is hard to be surprised to discover that a large portion of population is of this persuasion.

This generally conservative, rural mien has given rise to a Darka-wide perception that Olzesans are a studious and trustworthy folk, if also dull and passionless. Because of this, while occasionally called to arms by its count, the folk of Olzesa are commonly left to tend the fields and crops, as other lords seem to prefer levies of more emotional (read: prone to excitable speeches) troops.

History

Originally part of the hereditary lands of the king of Azzal, when that realm merged with South Darka, Olzesa joined that nation in a calm, peaceful fashion. That peaceful reputation may have spared it much of the destruction that occurred when the Darkan War roared like a massive fire over the regions of the two realms involved. Indeed, as the war came to its conclusion, many of the dispossessed rural folk that fled south as refugees found Azzal to be too constrained and urban. With peaceful Olzesa being just past the neighbouring forest, many of these rural folk decamped west and settled new farms. It is perhaps of this general remembrance of the horrors of war that the peaceful demeanor of the populace has come about.

This region has a temple of Darkanism or has a significant portion of its population following Darkanism.