Gael had never seen so many diverse types of people, nor had smelled so many smells, nor heard so many different, discordant noises in all his short life. But here he was, gaping in awe as he walked close beside Melody, looking at and taking in all the strange uniqueness of Crimsonvale as they walked along the main boulevard toward the market.

Melody had been to the town often over the years, experiencing the history of the place as it had grown and matured. Though she, like most elves, disliked the way humans, gnomes, and dwarves built sharp, acutely angled structures from nature's materials, often brutally cut, honed, and affixed together without regard for their natural beauty, the town had a familiarity to which she had grown accustomed. Having lived through many of the decades of strife and war she had related to her young student, she also felt a kinship to its inhabitants, a feeling brought on by the fact that her people and those within the town had fought side-by- side against the imposing hoards of evil from the mountains and the Rift, and had given up the life's blood of several generations to secure the difficult peace that now existed in the vale.

Gael almost bumped into two of the Bright Watch as they turned a corner, coming around a warehouse - the elf boy had been looking back behind him to watch acrobats performing in the street and had turned around to face forward only in the nick of time. The two, adorned in their bright crimson capes, sporting polished brass badges, and equipped with often used, clean armor and weapons, nodded courteously before stepping aside for the two elves to pass, then continued on their way with wry smiles. Melody's rebuke was less kind; Gael withered under her momentary frown, then paid attention to his direction of travel as Melody moved on.

Soon the two were seated at an outdoor, sidewalk cafe along the south side of the market, an open air square in the town where hundreds of people had set up tents, tables, and booths to hawk their wares and services. The cool northwestern breeze brought a mix of odors and smells, overrided by the distinctive scent of a throng of humanity. Gael was awed and repulsed by it at the same time, and Melody, sensing it, laid a quieting hand on his lithely muscled arm.

"I left you, if I recall, at the end of 3855," she told him, once she had his attention focused away from the disconcerting throng in the marketplace. "We had ample chance to view the final evolution of Crimsonvale first-hand for the last few hours, so let's take a few steps back and discuss how it got to be as it is."

"It certainly is different," Gael nodded, looking around again. The young elf student was fascinated with the mostly human habitation, having not been outside Silverwood before today, though he had visited several small human settlements along the fringe of his home forest.

"As you'll recall, at the end of 3855, the Lord High Mayor, appointed by the King of Tymoria after the resolution of the scandal that had been responsible for the strife between the region and the Kingdom, arrived to take over direct management of Crimsonvale, the farthest organized outpost of civilization in the Protectorate. He arrived and found things well in order, thanks to the Council of Elders formed by the late Baron Grimstone."

"But there was still much to be done. There was a constant flow of people coming westward to make their fortune, or at least a living by owning land and a home of their own, able to chart their own destiny. Evil humanoids were still a threat, and skirmishes were a daily occurrence along the borders of the region."

"First, the Lord High Mayor, Viscount Delm Graynight, issued a series of proclamations, making the Council of Elders into the current Town Council, a board of 16 people elected by the citizenry to serve terms of six years on this prestigious board. These people are responsible for fashioning laws and rules, based on input from their neighborhoods and the citizens they represent, which are then passed on to the Mayor for approval; should he veto the potential law, the Town Council may still place it upon the books with an affirmative vote of 75% of their number. While the Mayor directly controls the militia, the infamous Bright Watch, within the town, and the army garrisons stationed throughout the area under his control as the commander of the Fourth Military District of the Protectorate, the Council can, indirectly, check his seemingly overbearing power through the laws they enact."

"It sounds so complicated and ordered," Gael complained. "Why do they need so much bureaucracy? We haven't needed such, and our people have prospered for centuries without it."

"It is the way of humans," Melody shrugged. "They tend to order things to the highest degree, complicating uncomplicated things. Well, I should say that most humans do so, for such a generalization is not really fair."

"In any case," she continued after sipping some more of her fruity drink, "the Mayor was a powerful man with a well planned agenda, that much soon became apparent. By the way his son Kellon, the current Lord High Mayor and Viscount is much like his father was, though he is more light-hearted and jovial, in my opinion. The first Mayor quickly organized the government by establishing experienced people to manage agricultural records, applying and collection of taxes, the partitioning and sale of available land, and the engineering expertise to insure safe building construction within the town and set up a defensive barrier around the town."

"So much was done in those days; it's amazing that in just 25 years so much was done to make this town such a bustling community, self-sufficient and able to export grain, minerals, raw and finished gemstones, refined iron, zinc, lead, and copper, and plenty of timber harvested carefully so as not to infringe upon Silverwood - indeed, we of Silverwood have taught the lumberjacks how to harvest nature's bounty and grow seedlings to replace what has been taken."

"Twenty-five years is nothing," Gael's eyes squinted as he contemplated this duration, a short period of time to elves who seldom thought in terms of years like humans did. "They have been very industrious, though the buildings and the like are not aesthetic at all."

"As you have been taught, humans have no close, soulful affiliation with nature, forest, and the wild as we, for the most part, and thus feel no compunction about taking such 'raw materials' and assembling them as they see fit. But you must admit that they, as well as the gnomes and dwarves, are skilled at what they do, especially under the auspices of the Office of Engineering, who oversee all construction."

"If they are so skilled, why bother?" Gael asked.

"Again, human organization is behind it, I suspect. Basically, from what I understand, there was at one point several ramshackle residences and buildings which collapsed during thunderstorms one spring, killing some of the occupants and passers-by. Then too in such close quarters there are health concerns with wastes and fresh water, and with past experiences in the Kingdom the Mayor took proper steps to make building and construction somewhat uniform."

"Before the defensive wall's completion, the town was already polarizing into districts where men and women of similar standing, business type, and interests were grouping together, often by choice but sometimes without any other options. The wall, by restricting movement around the perimeter of the town, which had been freely possible before, caused further polarization, so that neighborhoods and districts within the town developed into loosely defined structures. Though not marked on any official map, all native Crimsonvalers and those familiar with its history know the location of these unofficial districts."

"I take it that there are many, for such a big place," Gael asked.

"There are only a handful of major ones," Melody replied, and began giving her young protege a brief list and description of them.

Districts

The Holy Quarter:

Within this area are represented many faiths and religions from the Kingdom, as well as those which have developed over the last century as a result of changing beliefs and patronages from worshippers in this unique, remote area of the Protectorate. While the area is not the only place one can find temples dedicated to gods, it is the major location for the most popular and strongest churches. Also found along the northwestern sections of this quarter are the homes of many middle-class and minor nobility.

The Heights:

This region of the town has most of the newest construction, being that area where most of the newest arrivals, free men, minor nobility, and merchants, have settled because most of the other areas in Crimsonvale have already been fully developed, or are areas that were either were too affluent or too seedy for people of their status. Many types of crafts and services can be found on the streets of this section, offered by people desperate to earn money and offering lower costs to compete with the established guilds and shops in the Craftsmen's District, though the quality of work is often inferior as a result.

Golden Ridge:

This slightly hilly section of the town is the area of choice for the more wealthy of the citizens of the town. The Mayor's palace, the town's administrative offices, and the higher standing nobility of the region live in this area.

The Market:

This large open expanse is always filled with semi- permanent shops and tents of visiting tradespeople, merchants, and craftsmen seeking to sell just about anything or any service, many of which or of whom have come across the thousands of miles of land separating the Crimsonvale region from the Kingdom in hopes of making their mark and a living for themselves and their families.

The Merchant's Quarter:

This section of the town holds the warehouses, shops, and residences of the successful merchants and land-owners in the region. Most of the raw materials from mines, woodlands, and farms around the town eventually work their way to this district for packaging and shipping to points east.

The Lower Merchant's Quarter:

Also know as "The Lower Quarter," this section of town has attracted those people who are aspiring to become merchants, professionals, or craftsmen of standing yet have not had the great successes as the handful who flaunt their wealth in the neighborhood across the wide stream which separates the two regions. Many middle-class homes dating from the times of the battle for Grimstone's Pass can be found here.

The Craftsmen's District:

Along the streets of this section can be found the shops and businesses of families whose members have been serving the needs of the town's citizenry for almost nine decades, and thus in this area the best of what is to be had is often found, though one will certainly pay for the quality purchased.

The Arcane Plaza:

When the Crystalstrearn sisters and the Sages of the Crest decided, without prior knowledge of the other group's intentions, to build their businesses, the location between two groves of trees beside a still, shallow pond northwest of the Market seemed ideal. Previously it had been owned by the rich, eccentric merchant Lord Malfich, but upon his death the executor of his property placed it up for sale through the Office of Registry. Both the Crystalstream sisters and the Sages sought sole rights to the area, but the Office, being equitable, allowed them to purchase only portions of the area, and saved the rest for future development -- the administrator, I suspect, had family in the Kingdom who were members of established magic-using guilds and also wanted portions of this quiet area for their own guild's future establishments. By 3875 it had became the main center for research services, alchemistry, sorcery, and wizardry in the town, though many other lesser sages and wizards are known to live in the Heights or Lower Merchant's Quarter.

The Free Quarter:

The poorest and most mundane of the citizenry are often found within this district, grouping here because their income and status is unable to provide them with anything better. The people of this zone are generally of good disposition, and even the poorest, for many of the wealthier citizens of the town, remembering the cruel and difficult days when their families first came to the region, donate food and aid to local temples and churches for distribution to these less fortunate. Furthermore, many of the region's occupants serve in the households of these people, earning a fair living -- poor doesn't necessarily mean that they are criminals, though such an element does indeed exist in this section more than any other, and thus this area gets plenty of attention from the Bright Watch. It is rumored that a thieves' guild has been formed, but no evidence of organized brigandry has yet been noted.

"So, what do you think of Crimsonvale?" Melody asked as the two elves left from the western gate as the mid-afternoon sun began its long slide down toward the horizon.

"It's strangely compelling and repulsive at the same time," Gael answered. "An ambivalence I find hard to describe. But the trip and its history are certainly fascinating. I'd like to visit again and look at more of the wares and the crafts., There was not all that much time today."

"Next time you'll be less in awe and be able to walk faster, rather than trudge along with an open mouth," Melody chided lovingly. 'There will be other days to visit, that is assured. Crimsonvale and its people certainly had to endure some of the harshest and cruelest times to achieve what they have, but that toil was well worth it for them, for this town shall surely stand for many decades to come. Indeed, we of Silverwood should hope it does, for upon it do we now strongly rely for military aid against the numerous evil among the Shads."

This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com