Donnalaich
| settlement name | duchy | district/province | type | population | founding year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donnalaich | Toreen | — | town | 38,304 | 4434 |
Donnalaich lies in a fertile valley south of the Baya Swamp, on the banks of the River Donnabek. It is known for beng the birthplace of the Niuewe Coerier Incorporation, publisher of the best books and guides to Tem, and also the publisher of the ground-breaking Donnalaich Niuewe Coerier (available for private purchase and for sale at discerning Guild Halls).
Donnalaich is the home of Erik Lain, the inveterate journalist, critic, and explorer, most well-known for his expose of the Veiled Initiates and their takeover of Smallpox Hill.
Two members of the peerage live in Donnalaich. The most notable is Lord John Barret, the Duke of Toreen’s younger son. Lord and Lady Barret live in Natheldar Castle, 20 km north of Donnalaich at the neck of the valley. Their sprawling complex include guest accommodation for visiting aristocrats. Lord Barret is an accomplished marine engineer, so he is seldom in residence. Lady Kaelia Barret is a scholar, specializing in warfare and combat tactics, as well as marine creatures. She is also sometimes away from home, often researching in Staven or lecturing in Coth-Rom.
The city lord of Donnalaich is Lord Baron Gerrart Rogerius. His duties include the administration of the city and surrounding regions. However, he, too, is often absent, as he owns a large shipwright in Torbeck. Much of the administration of the city is left to Lord Mayor Santaegus Herd and his first assistant the Supreme Wizard Aisaac Swymmer. The town treasury and administrative quarters is housed in an old fort located at a road crossing with the river.
Almost the entire valley surrounding Donnalaich is turned over to farming, with fields of wheat (brine and parse wheat), harfy and urvine the major crops. Smaller fields of beetroot, milkworte, and camwort are cultivated. Against the western slopes are trellised plantations of urvine. The town is one of the “basket loop” settlements, providing food for consumption and industrial use elsewhere.
Probably the most striking architectural feature of Donnalaich is the outer row of adjacent houses that partially encompasses the settlement.
A basic riverside dock, mainly for homing barges, facilitates travel down the Donnabeck to Greenbarrow.
In the centre of the town is a huge open space, known as Market Theatre. During the day, this is the location of the major town market. At night, it is an open-air theatre. As such, it is a popular destination for ceremonies, pageantry, and, of course, plays and other performing arts. Public debates, lectures, and academic presentations are also held here. Furthermore, the town’s annual planting season festival kicks off here every year.
The town’s original market, now South Market, is mostly for traders dealing in exotic and expensive goods. Rare botanicals, spirits, and even ice, can be bought here.
The south-eastern quarter of the city houses the industrial buildings and cheaper residences.
Some of the best facilities and shops anywhere, are found in Donnalaich. These include a weaver of raw fabric and baskets specializing in brilliant turquoise robes, an avant garde cobbler, and a luxury goods producer. Fine services include a hall of leisure, several taphouses, and a large dance hall.
Several watchtowers are dotted around the town as well as in the outlying farmlands. These are manned by local guards as well as royal troops stationed in the town garrison. An attachment of Oohmian paladins is bivouacked in the Oohmian fane on Grey Street.
An impressive High Temple of Arawn dominates the city’s spiritual terroir. Holiness Tago Storm, Arch Priest of Arawn, looks after the worshippers. He is a skilled linguist and knowledgeable on Kalderani naval history. A temple of Qidra stands at the northern edge of town. It is set into what appears to be a gigantic tree stump overgrown with camwort, from where steps lead down to the underground complex. An Oohmian temple is located outside the western entrance, within a large garden tended by townsfolk. Fanes to Oohm, Sahir, Razim and Salaah are also in the town. Recently, the adventurer Kimbera Frey, a powerful Enchanter, has settled in Donnalaich and is often seen worshipping at the Saar fane.
The Law Vault on Cal Boulevard is the judicial centre of the town. It has an elegant chantry attached. The Small Hall of the Guild of Wood Workers is based in Donnalaich. The Hall Warden, Valia Bricks, is pioneering the use of falsifal, a woody plant that grows in the Baya Swamp and suited for ship construction.
Many other guilds have their administrative centres along Old Market Street. The Castle of Artisans, a communal guild building, stands in Market Street. It is shared by six guilds: Jewelers, Merchants, Bakers, Chandliers, Furriers, and Skinners & Tanners.
Also in Market Street stands the beautiful building of the Niuewe Coerier Incorporation, Kalderesh’s leading publishing house. The Incorporation publishes this Visitor’s Guide and a wide range of others (see p ii). These indispensable manuals are continuously updated and improved by a large team of independent scholars and researchers. The senior team consists of two extraordinary sages, six bards, and over two dozen reporters-at-large. The Honorary Advisor is Erik Lain, the celebrated wordsmith and explorer. The Incorporation also works closely with relevant Guilds and authorities across the kingdom to compile the most accurate information possible. Guides are usually re-issued every 10 years; this is the 9th edition of the Visitor’s Guide to Kalderesh.
The Incorporation also publishes the ground-breaking Donnalaich Niuewe Coerier, an innovative editorialized bulletin carrying dispatches of interest from across the Kingdom, depositions from the actual newsmakers themselves, and all other matters worthy of wide dissemination. The Coerier is published quarterly and is available as a private subscription or for purchase at discerning Guild Halls. The editorial board consists of five bards of exceptional skill: Senior Reporter Valia Parks, and Reporters Brinna Hightower, Duberos Rothschilde, Zoe Streets, and Raen Walls.
The champion of the city, Shield Lord Alysea Sheerer, is unusually sophisticated for a professional martial artist. She is adept at poetry, is an acclaimed playwright, and founding member of the Servants of the Scarlet Word.