Kel is a fortified town northwest of Maston past the Forest of Korresh. It is the closest human city to Lirynn, and serves as a port of trade between the humans and the elves.

Entry into Kel is by one of two ways: by boat or by road. The eastern side of Kel has a stout stone wall as well as a gatehouse. The north side of town is completely blocked by a steep cliffside atop which sits the Baron's Keep. The south and west borders of the town are defined by cliffs that lead down to the shore and sea. So the only open land border to Kel is to the east. Kel sits on a bluff overlooking the sea as well, so there's no beach to speak of, except further to the east along the south shore.

In happier times two guards who ignored whover passed the gates would be found by day, and by night annoyed guardsmen would often harrass travelers before opening the gates anyway. Nowadays every traveller is accosted by 4 to 5 town guards and castle soldiers and the gates are always closed. In the past there was a regular ferry service to and from Lirynn to the town. A Harbormaster allowed entry of fishing boats and a few larger vessels. Nowadays the port of Kel is closed.

Beyond the town the land is defined by the Forest of Korresh to the east and farmlands to the north which eventally taper off to the Flourshen grasslands. The northwestern region along the coast is defined by dense forest which hug the coast. Most citizens have taken to calling the northern forest as the Forest of Kel. Many small streams can be found inland in both the forest and the plains.

The Forest of Korresh nearest to Kel, known as The Riddle Wood is under the protection of the Farscouts of Kel. There are rumors that the Myrkenwoods, a patch of forest inside the Forest of Korresh closer to Maston and before Riddle wood is slowly growing. The northwestern forest has many tales concerning pirates, the Risc and witches. The farmlands of Kel are some of the safest areas in all Korresh. The Barons of Kel according to rumor are realted to a tribe of fierce horsemen known as the Kharin who reside in the Flourshen Grass. These horsemen fiercely patrol the northern borders of Kel. For some reason it is considered Taboo for them to travel south to Kel.

Currently a mist of unknown origin surrounds Kel from a distance of a dozen miles. In the mist fell creatures waylay travelers on land, while a serpentine, black whale known as the Leviathan blockades the sea.
 
 

The Lords of Kel:

Baron Severs of Kel
Daughters of the Baron (Cleo, Tannae, and Hope)
Strand, Sheriff and Magistrate of Kel (Half-brother to the Baron)

This group is the final authority in Kel. Baron Severs is the feared ruler of Kel, although the actual day to day ruling is done by the officials of the Town Hall and by his half-brother, Sheriff Strand. Strand also acts as the Magistrate of Kel when the Baron does not care to try court cases. His daughter Lady Cleo has recently gone missing and he has braved the mists to find her. Lady Tannae, also one of the Baron's daughter's is incapacitated leaving the actual ruling of Kel to the Baron's last daughter Lady Hope. The hold of the Barons of Kel on their domain is strong and they are the ones the common folk will immediately listen and obey.

Crafthall Spokesman Atriel
The Craft Masters of Craftsman's Corner
This group controls most of the craftsmen in Kel. They set the standards of goods and possess great leeway in pricing tempered only by common business sense and their fear of angering the Baron. To promote goodwill between the crafts. Those who have trained here are encouraged to share thier shops with another craftsmen of a different profession.

The Church of Telgard
The Church of Telgard is mainly concerned with education, at least on the outside. On the inside there are always solitary Questors watching for Wyrm influence anywhere. There is a sanitarium for the insane underneath the church which can quickly double as a very unpleasant place for interrogation.

Jedrel, Head Clerk of Town Hall
Strand, Sheriff  and Magistrate of Kel
The two above are the day to day rulers of Kel. One handles the Law. The other the paperwork. The amount of information collected by officials at Town Hall is surprising. Most folks treat the officials there with respect and with a wary eye. More than one clerk has gone postal due to stress. They unfortunately usually possess weapons when that happens, and there are whispers that they only seem to lose it when an enemy of the Baron is with in killing range.

The sheriff handles most of the day to day law enforcement duties in Kel. He has an assistant, a big hulking fellow by the name of Moot who obviously is too inept at his job. Rumors speak of a debt of honor, but the details are unkown. Promotions in the Sheriff's office are Captain and Investigator. Where-in a group of men are placed under the control of the Captain while the Investigator can expect excellent resource acquisition. Those who do well are then promoted to the Baron's personal guard.

Notes:
1.) All records concerning  any guilds not approved by the Baron, and any enclave which supposedly uses magic has not been released for the general good of the public.

Artists & Craftman

Painting is considered a noble calling. Painters generally attach themselves to an upper-class/noble family, since they will be sure to get at least one portrait commission per year (more if there are young children in the family). This way they have something to live on while they paint what they like to. Although Tegn is
really the city of the arts, and it has many schools for artists, Kel is a place for those who do not like the big city, and simply want to relax and do what they like.

Metalworking is practiced, but is not really recognized as an art form in Kel. Although it's nice (and more expensive) to have decorations along the blade of your sword, or to put engravings on your silverware, it's not the sort of thing that people gather around or collect. It's just taken for granted.

Leatherworking is seen in much the same way. It may be beautiful, but if it's not useful, then... what's the point? Leatherworkers and metalworkers must focus first on functionality, then on design.

Weaving is considered an art. Not everyone can do it, and even those who can are not always able to produce something attractive. Colorful cloths, tapestries, and garments can be seen at any gathering at the market (although tapestries are usually for display only, and one must inquire with the Weaver about commission prices). Lace must be handmade, as must hairnets, and trim, and buttonholes. Good
seamstresses are in high demand.

Blown glass is highly valued, both appreciated for the difficulty of its creation and the beauty of it. Blown glass cups and tumblers are fancy tableware, and say more about a person's wealth than if the person had laid out china on the table. Since there is only one master glassblower in Kel (although she may have
apprentices), any blown glass items one might have would certainly show off social status.

Stoneworking mainly consists of cutting rocks to the right size, and then possibly etching text into them. The Master Stonemason in Kel has an eye and sense for straight edges, not beautiful pictures. Gem cutting is not much of an art, although those who practice it would beg to differ. Gems must be cut in an attractive manner, to hide any flaws it might have, and to complement the color. They must also be cut to correctly fit anything they will be set in.

Clothing
You will see the Kel people in colorful but functional clothes. To draw attention, but not so much that the clothing hampers movement or ability to do stuff. Travelling bards are common in Kel and a citizen of the village typically dresses flamboyantly only if they have some vocal talent to speak off.

The clothing of the Noble family as well as the wealthy tends towards the severe and the imposing. One color outfits with every adornment of the same color is the style here. The effect desired is one of harsh grandeur.

Festivals
Kel has several festivals per year; one at Midsummer's, when it's light all day, one the day after Midwinter, the day after complete darkness (a festival celebrating the return of the sun), and one to usher in spring and then another to usher in fall. The Church does not approve of these festivals, thinking them pagan and sinful, and so usually it is only the lower class people who organize them.

Upper-class people are allowed by the Church to attend, though, and can show their support covertly by buying lots and lots of things on sale. Midsummer's Festival begins in the respective evening and lasts all night, since it never gets dark. There's dancing, singing, and attractions (traveling caravans usually make it a point to stop at Kel during Midsummer's).

Midwinter's Festival lasts only a few hours on the day after the shortest day of the year (very short here, with no light on that day). The festival celebrates the return of the sun, and one can find sun-shaped (usually just round and painted with egg) breads and cakes for sale, as well as dancing in the few hours when it's not too dark to see. The spring and fall festivals are not very elaborate. They are just days to
take off work and lounge around (laziness, one of the most unforgivable sins, according to the Church). A day to catch up with friends when you've been too busy working to do so before.

Kel's most prominent festival is the Day of Dargotten which is celebrated with a lot of fanfare and is marked as an official holiday in Kel.  The day of the Dargotten falls on the 9th day of the 6th month of the calendar. Preparations of the festival starts from the previous day. The quastors and brantars of the church visit different localities and remind the people of the importance of Dargotten in their lives. These
visits serve as a collection drive as well. Citizens of Kel being  religious, donate freely. The traphars of Kel have never had to petition the head-quarters in Maston for monetary favours.

The actual day begins much before sunrise. Dargotten's day brings a surprise to the villagers of Kel, as on this day, the barons severs play a subservient role vis-a-vis the traphar of Kel. Early in the morning, the Baron comes to the church and requests the traphar humbly to lead the procession through his dominions.

The traphar, baron, quastor and the brantars go to the village gates, as it is the starting place of the procession as well as the well-being of the village. With chanting of Dargotten's name, the procession starts it's journey towards the residential areas, where it is welcomed by eminent citizens of the village.
From here, the villagers join in the processions. The important villagers, lead the procession through the residential area including the neverland coves, where the Traphar stops and offers a prayer to Dargotten to look after his children.

From the slums, the procession makes its way to the docks. Here, the baron and traphar offer the prayers jointly, thanking Dargotten for the richness of the seas and the trade it brings. The ships which are waiting for departure are sent of by the villagers. It is believed that the journeys began on this day are safest. Sailor make it a point to launch their ships on this day. Any new ship in Kel is usually is launched in the seas on this day.

From the docks the baron leads the procession within the keep grounds and inside the castle forecourts, The traphar and the baron then make way inside the keep and sanctify the whole of the castle. This is one day in the whole year, when the Kel Keep is kept open for the villagers. Of course, the guards keep a sharp eye on all, but so long as the traphar and the baron are inside the keep, any body from Kel can
come inside the castle unhindered.

The villagers then march towards the village square. Near the gibbet where criminals are hanged, the Traphar leads the villagers in singing hymns to the Dargotten, for all the souls lost on the gibbet.

Around afternoon, the march winds up in the church. Through out the march, the servants of the church carry big jars of holy water with them and sprinkle it all around them to purify the area. In the church the Traphar delivers a sermon and recounts the deeds of last year. New resolutions are made for coming year.

Once the religious ceremonies are over, a big get-together is arranged. All the villagers regardless of their race, origin or standing are invited, and while coming they are supposed to bring a small gift with them. These gifts then, are placed in a pile and distributed back to the villagers randomly.

In the evening, the baron hosts the some eminent villagers and the craftsmen to a dinner paid for by him, and the baron asks the citizens and the craftsmen to co-operate with him for the betterment of the village.

Significance of visiting different locations.

Gates - For Wealth
Slums - For Health
Docks - For Trade
Keep - For Safety
Square - For Peace

Laws 

Aside from the common laws understood and expected in civilized lands, Kel also has it's own unique code  which it's citizens implicitly follow, and which the unwary necomer can fall afoul off. The highest law her is respect and obedience to the Barons of Kel and those of their blood. Disobedience without good cause is punishable by imprisonment. Disrespect in any form is punishable by torture and death.

Due to their contact with elves it is forbidden to slay any animal or plant in Kel in the presence of an elf. The punishment is a stiff fine of 100 gold pieces and jail or community service. Another interesting law unique to Kel concerns the clerks of the Town Hall. Refusing to answer the questions of a clerk of Town Hall is punishable by a 100 gold piece fine or a day in the public stocks at the Village Square.

Customs

Kel also has it's own peculiar customs, nothing strange though, and easily understood by everyone. Some examples are the cutting of nails or cleaning of rooms is not done at night. Otherwise you will impart bad luck on your neighbors. Another tradition is to never visit the barber on the 7th day of the week. Otherwise you will lose your hair early. And lastly courting cannot be started until the female gives her permission, and when marriage is proposed it has to be by the father of the would be bride. Not following this tradition supposedly leads to tragedy

Exports
* Kel's Craftsmans Corner produces superior quality goods in the areas of carpentry, glassblowing, stonemasonry, carpentry, blacksmithing, leatherworking, fletching and invention which are much sought after in other lands.

* Kel is also known for it's horses. Yearly trading is done by the Barony with Kharin horsemen for these prizes.  The steeds are also breed in selected ranches around Kel as well as the town's main stablehouse.

*Kel is Korresh's gateway to Lirynn. Consequently elven goods are brought in and then exported to other parts of Korresh. Kel's own elven enclave, Little Lirynn also indulges in this practices and act as go betweens between their brethern and the humans

*Kel has a solid fishing and farming industry. Sometimes there is a surplus and that is exported to other lands.

Imports 
* All manner of elven goods are imported to Kel for reshipment to other parts of Korresh.
* Kel has no mines of it's own so all metals are imported from either Garr or Korresh.