Aitberal
The only community of any real size in the Northlands is Aitberal, and even this
is quite small by the standards of the Southern Towns.
Aitberal has a standing population of about 500 adults, most of them from
the Clan Ranald, but its numbers are greatly boosted by the constant flow of
traders who come and go. This town
is used as a trading point for all the Northern Clans and it is the only place
where a non-aggression pact is in force. Members
of all four Clans will be in town at the same time and there is a minimal amount
of violence. Minimal by the
standards of the Northlands, that is.
The
non-permanent residents can bring the population of Aitberal up to about 2,000
in the busiest months of summer and there are always at least 1,000 Clansmen in
the town at any one time. By long
standing tradition the warriors of Clan Ranald are the only one who are allowed
to carry weapons and this has led to many arguments and complaints over the
years. The Laird of Clan Ranald has
his home in Aitberal and he has no intention of letting potential enemies wander
around armed to the teeth. Hunting knives are the largest weapons allowed within the
wooden boundaries of the town and the policy is strictly enforced with searches
at the gate and patrols of armed Ranald warriors walking the town streets.
Tribesmen
form other Clans take this law as an insult and this has led to the Ranalds
being incredibly unpopular outside Aitberal.
It is only their organisation and large numbers that keep the Ranalds
from suffering from too many revenge attacks.
The Lairds of the other Clans will often approach the Laird of Aitberal
in the hope that they can get him to change his mind about this ruling and allow
everyone to carry weapons, but he is adamant and will not be swayed.
The current
Laird of Clan Ranald and of Aitberal is Jamus Ranald, a strong and powerful man
who runs Aitberal with an iron hand. He
is extremely popular within Clan Ranald but is universally hated by every other
Northman. Jamus doesn’t appear to
be worried by this hatred, in fact he revels in it and believes he isn’t doing
his job properly if he hasn’t outraged someone.
Aitberal is
more like a small, wooden frontier fort than a town and the walls that surround
it are constantly patrolled and checked to make sure that they’re in good
condition. There have been numerous
attacks upon Aitberal both by bandits and by the raiders from across the
Northern Sea. Some of the Southern
Lords have also launched attacks upon Aitberal but this is less common.
The Ranalds of Aitberal are constantly on guard against anything that
could threaten their home and they are prepared to defend it with their lives.
There have even been a few attacks upon the town by enraged members of
other Clans after the Laird has done or said something even more insulting than
normal.
Trade is
the life-blood of Aitberal and without it the community would have dried up and
died long ago. Clansmen from all
across the Northlands come to sell the furs and meat that they have gathered.
Merchants from the Southlands come up to purchase these things and take
them back to the more densely populated lands and both merchants and trappers
profit. But the town of Aitberal
profits most because of the taxes that are imposed upon both buyer and seller
and because of the high prices of every good and service that is available in
the town. Goods will cost twice or
even three times what they would in Camber for instance, and since there is
nowhere else to purchase these things, the buyers do not have much choice but to
pay the inflated prices.
It is not
just furs and pelts that are sold at Aitberal.
Herbs of all descriptions, rare and endangered animals, captured Northern
Raiders will be sold as slaves, weapons of all kinds – although these are sold
outside the walls do the town, and even harvested wood from the Wilds can be
found in Aitberal. But one of the
largest products sold in Aitberal are warriors.
It is a
well-known fact that the Northmen are some of the fiercest fighters in Shardar,
if not in all Keltar and there are some Southern Lords who would be quite
willing to pay to have these men as soldiers within their own private armies.
To this end, some of the young men of the tribes will head to Aitberal to
act as sell-swords and mercenaries. The
Clans smile upon this practice and it is common to find dozens, if not hundreds
of young warriors trying to sell their skills in Aitberal at any one time.
No warrior will join up with another Tribe or Clan under any
circumstances; the hopeful mercenaries will only take employment with
Southerners so they are not forced to fight against their own people.
There is very,
very little crime of any kind, other than violence, within the bounds of
Aitberal. The punishment for crime
of any kind is harsh and fast, it goes along the lines of an eye for an eye
principle. If anyone is caught
stealing, all their worldly possessions are impounded and used for the good of
the town, if someone commits murder they are instantly executed, and so on.
There are no beggars in Aitberal, because the Clans believe in looking
after their own and it would be a sign of great shame for any Clan to allow any
of their members to fall into such a state where they are forced to beg for
their living.
Even by current
standards, Aitberal is a filthy, disease-ridden place.
Rubbish and refuse is dumped in the streets for dogs and cats to pick
through and plagues regularly hit the town.
When this happens, the town basically shuts down and as many people as
can leave it and only return when it is safe to do so.
The problem with this is that it causes any plagues that do exist to be
spread even further and this kind of event can seriously deplete the population
in the Northlands.
Anyone entering
Aitberal without good reason to do so, namely trade, is likely to be viewed with
great suspicion. Northlanders do
not think much of Southlanders as a whole and even in Aitberal, the most ‘civilised’
part of the Northlands, Southerners can be made to feel very uncomfortable.