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Sheirlantar is a small, prosperous trading community to the south of Sheirtalar, worth note due its proximity to the Misty Vale and the strange relationship it has with the elves in the section of the forest nearest to it. Where the
tip of the Misty Vale spills down the great slopes of land towards the
River Talar from the rise created between the Cliffs of Talar and the
Dun Hills, the trees are old and thick, towering into the sky to
dizzying heights and blocking out much light from the dim forest
floor. Whether this is true or not, the village of Sheirlantar is made up of a great number of half-elves, some of the mixed blood generations old, and they trade with the people of the forest to the south for wood and elf-crafted items, doing steady business catering to the merchants that constantly pass through the village. Sheirlantar is the province of and governed by one of the oldest and most powerful noble families of Sheirtalar, alSharad. Though they maintain a modest home in Sheirtalar, their home here is much more impressive and more often lived in; they pay the local guard and may even call upon some of the emperor's own warriors, placed here by the emperor himself, to resolve problem situations. The village itself is large, on the verge of becoming a small city, and is built upon the southern banks of the River Talar. A great stonework bridge, many generations old, spans the river, allowing passage over for caravans and travelers from the south, the east and from Sheirtalar. Walls protect the old village on three sides, the fourth wall facing the river, though many homes and businesses have spilled over the walls and out around them into the surrounding country. Farms dot the countryside along the riverbank here and there, and herders wander with their flocks along the water's edge. The people of the village are notably Sheirtalarian, most with the exotic features that distinguish them as bearing some elven blood. |
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THE BRIDGE-OVER-TALAR Built generations ago by master stonesmiths of the Sheirtalarian empire, the bridge has withstood floods and foot-traffic without losing any of its dignity or strength. It is four carriages wide and high enough to allow ships to sail beneath. The carven reliefs and statues which decorate the length of the bridge, both outside and in, are maintained around the year by artisans specially trained and paid to do so. These works depict important persons, deities and moments in Sheirtalar's history, including the most famous of the emperors, the First Prophet and various High Priests of Lathander, Lathander himself, various battles, religious imagery and so forth. |
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