Category:Throi

THROI

Throi’s Development

The people of Thriese first settled near the mouth of the Coldfell river, finding deep bays to establish small but protected villages. Over the years they developed more advanced ships and sailing techniques. The westernmost village of Thriese grew to be the most dominant village and due to its location became the trade gateway of the Coldfell. This gave way to the creation of the Earl of Throi title who grew into the ruling family of Thriese and ruled over the other small communities along the Coldfell.

The harsh mountainous lands of Thriese limits any agriculture and production of goods. Ship building and fishing became the two main staples of their lives. Thriese took advantage of their ship technology and sailing skills and adapted quick waterborne raids on their neighbors and foreign countries.

After the unification of Olaran, and Throi was brought into the fold, Thriese became the main foreign trading power, with their Brown freshwater merchant fleet bringing trade goods from the interior of the kingdom and their Blue saltwater fleet would then take those goods to foreign ports. It is said the merchant docks in Thriese never sleep, there is always a ship offloading, loading, coming to port or going underway. These lucrative trade arrangements have made Thriese one of the richest Provinces. After joining Olaran the standard of living for the people of Throi has  improved as well, with grains, fruit, wine and luxuries from the other provinces making their way to the people of Thriese, however due to the harsh environment they still have a tiny population compared to other Provinces.

Economy (70% Trade, 20% Privateering, 10% taxes/levies)

Thoi’s economy can be summed up in one word, TRADE. Thriese’s location makes it the gateway to the interior of Olaran by water. Tie that with their seamanship skills and ship technology, and they have a near monopoly on foreign overseas trade. They control approximately 90% of foreign overseas trade, the other 10% is the small merchant fleet the Thornwood’s of So’l control. As mentioned before the Brown and Blue merchant fleets are well oiled cogs of the import/export trade industry.

While trade has made the Province incredibly wealthy, anything that disrupts trade has a quick and direct impact on their economy, sending them into a deep recession or even a depression if things aren’t corrected quickly. Not only does this affect their revenue stream and business relationships, the standard of living the people of Throi currently enjoy would quickly disappear as well. Grain and livestock from Lannock would cease, fresh fruit, textiles, wine and mead would no longer be available from Thornwood, hardwood and exotic lumber no longer comes in from the Borderlands and goods coming in from foreign ports could dry up as well.

The warships manufactured by Throi not only defend Olaran interests on the sea’s but they also engage in privateering. While not as profitable as their trade, it brings in a nice flow of riches and trade goods. Many talented foreign sailors travel to Thriese to join the Sea Lord ranks for the chance to make their fortune.

The people of Throi enjoy low taxation, since trade and privateering bring in so much wealth. The low taxes are also meant to try and attract more people to move to Throi to increase its population, but due to the poor climate, and unattractive topography, the population has not grown significantly over the years.

Military might

With their tiny population and limited provincial resources, Throi is severely limited in their land army power. They can raise an army of 5,000 troops and with forced conscription they can raise that number to 7,000. While their location has a strategic location for trade and defense, it works against them in offense. The Grimmock mountains blocks travel in and out to the south, and the Coldfell river and Inner sea forces any mobilized army to require boats for transportation across or along the waterways. This will also affect their supply lines, increasing the difficulty to establish and maintain supply lines to their land forces. Depending on how trade was affected they could feed, supply and finance an army for only a short period of time or a long period of time.

Their Blue saltwater fleet is unmatched when it comes to naval power as Commodore Torvin has reorganized the Sea Lord fleet and invested gold to increase the production of warships. They attract talented sailors from other countries who are enticed with the possibility of riches and glory. Their Brown freshwater fleet is second only to the Borderlands river patrol fleet.

Sites and Attractions

Tavern Row- A row of colorfully painted taverns and bars along the waterfront in Thriese overlooking the merchant docks.

Postra Plaza- A square plaza painted purple where more nefarious activities can be found (gambling dens, black market contacts and red light district).

Grim Grandfather- An ancient Grimmock Spruce tree at the top of the cliff’s that make up the eastern perimeter of the bay. A Sea Lord challenge is to row out to the end of the cliffs, then swim and climb up the cliffs and recover a pinecone that grows on Grim Grandfather (Grimmock spruce tree pine cones are Sea Lord blue)

Throi Keep- a Tall, grand keep at the base of the bay’s west peninsula, home of the Earl of Throi.

Merchant docks and Shipyard- An impressive display of hardworking shipwrights,  wharf workers, sailors, and traders that make the bustling port town of Thriese one of the hardest working communities in Olaran.

Sea Lord Headquarters and Docks- Restricted access, but even from afar still an impressive display of productivity.