Villanelle

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The Lordship of Villanelle was founded by Renius Firavel. It is made up of Villanelle Castle, Almedha Castle and the city of Nevassa. Most of the holding's lands lay beyond Castle Villanelle. The Northern half of the holding is rich in wildlife such as cherry blossom trees, lynx, and dragonhawks while the southern half is relatively barren of life, instead possessing many mines filled with gold and silver. The mines give the Firavels substantial wealth while the wildlife allows numerous exports such as medicinal herbs, lumber and leather.

While the Lordship is completely lacking in horses, the dragonhawks raised in the area are larger and faster than most others. Due to this, Villanelle's dragonhawk riders are both respected and admired. In fact, to the citizens of the holding, being appointed as a dragonhawk rider is almost the equivalent of being knighted in human society.

While very open to trade, Villanelle does not allow any race aside from Sin'dorei to settle within it's borders. Merchants must go through a thorough process to attain a visitors pass for their stay and are actively tracked by the ruling body.

Villanelle Castle
Villanelle Castle was built upon the ruins of a troll civilization, nestled within a series of steep hills, where it serves to prevent any outsiders from entering the land it controls. After it was taken under elven control, two supporting spires were built to the north and south. Magi can use these spires to fire sun beams, but only in a western direction. The castle is not very defensible from the eastern side as the eastern walls are not built as high or with the same quality of material. Eastern defense is only further weakened by the supporting spires' inability to shoot in that direction. Due to the castle being built on troll ruins, many believe that any who live there are cursed. In fact, for years to come, an alarming amount of Firavels died within the walls of the castle, most of the deaths being due to freak accidents. This supposed 'curse' got so bad that at one point the Firavels went north to relocate their main residence, which became the Firavel Manor, in Falconwing Square.

Much to the confusion of some, the name "Villanelle" can be used to refer to either Villanelle Castle or the Lordship of Villanelle as a whole. Most citizens of the holding simply assume that someone is referring to the entire lordship unless "Villanelle Castle" is specifically mentioned.

Almedha Castle
Built upon the southern bank of the Goldoan River, named for the abundance of gold that Villanelle possesses, is Almedha Castle. Almedha Castle was built to give the Firavels more control over the civilians of their land, who may have gotten ideas of rebellion due to the weak defenses of Villanelle Castle's eastern walls. Typically the Lord of Villanelle appoints his heir as the Arbiter of Almedha Castle.

The Goldoan River
The Goldoan River begins at a lake near the center of Villanelle and flows eastward to drain into the Foribidding sea. It was named for Villanelle's abundance of gold and legends say that in the years right after the troll wars, the river itself glistened with gold. The Goldoan River comes to an end at a steep cliff waterfall located just south of Nevassa. Almost all of the farmland in Villanelle lays somewhere along this gently flowing river and polluting it is considered a capital offense.

Nevassa
On the far northeastern coast of the holding, high atop a grassy promontory overlooking the Forbidding Sea, sits the city of Nevassa. Most of Villanelle's population resides in the city to enjoy it's renowned beauty; on all four of it's sides Nevassa has breathtaking landscaping. To the north stand the tall, near impassable mountains that cut Villanelle off from most outside contact. To the south runs the Goldoan River, which ends in a steep waterfall that trickles into the Forbidding Sea. To the east lays a well known cliff that gives onlookers an amazing view of the sea, resulting in many shops being built there. To the west there are fertile, grassy rolling hills, riddled with cherry blossoms and all sorts of wildlife; it is considered a crime to chop down any of the trees that grace this area and is punishable by death. In the center of the city stands a tall manor, embellished with crimson and gold, this building serves as the meeting place for the local government of the city. The local governing body, tries to be as inclusive as possible when it comes to the running of Nevassa; this is accomplished in a two-step deliberation system. The first step is a town meeting, where anyone of adult age may come to the first floor of the manor and voice their suggestions, concerns, or complaints. To keep things organized, every attending person must take a numbered ticket. The mayor then calls these numbers and the person with the corresponding ticket may speak for two minutes. If anyone speaks out of turn not only are they asked to leave but they, and their entire family, are banned from attending any town meetings for the next five years.

The second step is an administrative meeting. The mayor, the master of laws, and the master of coin choose the five most coherent contributors to take upstairs in order to privately discuss the issues at hand. It is expected that all contributors come prepared with possible solutions to whatever problem they're addressing so as to speed up the process.

Populace
The population of Villanelle is comprised completely of Sin'dorei. As a result of this, the elves of Villanelle are typically very racist and completely foreign to other cultures. That being said, the governing body of Villanelle is extremely welcoming to trade and encourages it's people not to turn away foreign visitors.

The citizens of the holding are relatively happy. Unemployment is a near non issue, plaguing only 2% of it's population; the infrastructure is very well maintained; the roads have ample patrols; and the general landscape tends to be inspiring. Many liberal arts are practiced and supported in Villanelle such as: painting, dancing, singing, and plays. Due to the relatively excellent condition of the holding, the people are quite pleased with their current ruler, Lord Feloirus Firavel. In Nevassa some of the plays made often romanticize his character and make him out to be a great hero.