A Town Reforged

Soln was formerly a busy hub for trading and imports. It was a large fishing town that boasted a variety of artisan goods, and it became a melting pot of cultures and people over the years. 

During the civil war, Soln declared itself a neutrality. Ran by Mayor Yosef Gruilein, it provided relief efforts to those escaping conflict-torn towns but referred to export materials to known war fronts. Its size and private militia made it a formidable foe, therefore nearby war fronts did not attack it, but the pressure to choose a side was there. 

People tried to live relatively normal lives, not thinking much of the war until a new group of refugees came in. But they were not without their own issues. Resources became strained over time because of the influx of people and the cutoff of trade routes by groups of warring towns. Soln dwindled slowly, strained in every corner.

Then, disaster struck when the Heart of War was born on a bloody battlefield, spreading to every inch of the Empire. Soln was cut off entirely, corruption seeping into a forest on its outer borders. With the Heart of War spilling into the seas, fishing was almost entirely useless.  Those who tried to make their way through would never return, and so Soln continued to die. 

It wasn't until a year of struggling later, that a breakthrough was finally made. The Red Cardinals, the closest relief to Soln, had appeared leaving behind the forest and forging a path in front of them. Contact was made, and what was left of Soln rejoiced.  The town was in shambles, attacks from creatures spawned from the Heart of War had left buildings in ruin and people injured and scared. The alliance drove the corruption away and began funneling supplies and people into the town for relief efforts.

The city was still large, and the alliance agreed to once again establish it as a refuge for people escaping the war and devastation. 

2 Years Later...

Healing was not so simple for the ruined city. But the Red Cardinal's efforts proved very effective in establishing Soln as a safe haven for those still fleeing the war. It being the closest city to the Capital made the journey rather perilous, but the Red Cardinals had set up checkpoints and caravans going in and out of the forests to help refugees travel.

With more people coming into the city, things slowly began to stabilize to a....strange sense of normalcy. Those who weren't fighters or spellcasters spent their days tending to resources, rebuilding homes, and caring for their families. A few farms had been recovered towards the outskirts of town and people have been diligently tending to them in order to help provide food. Same with the waters along the coast, as Soln is the city closest to the Merfolk kingdoms. The Sunlight Reefs have begun to now offer imports of fish and food as part of relief efforts, headed by an Ambassador.

The leader of the Red Cardinals, a wisened cleric named Miriam Tamar, oversees the town and its repairs as well as the safe introduction of new refugees. In terms of political power in Soln, at the moment she and her Cardinals hold most of it with the additional aid of the Mcgully Merchant Guild.