North Ballia (Noorth Baleeu)

70% halfling 5% stone giant 15% centaur 10% mixed human, elven, dwarven, winged folk

The city is entirely run by the halfling elders, elected by the existing council of elders when gaps occur. Normally the council consists of 9 members with a standard majority vote. In the event a member dies or retires, the remaining members nominate and elect a replacement. The city acts as an oligarchy, but is not autocratic. The council listens to the community and seeks harmony of the whole.   Day to day management of the city is granted to 3 older members of the community who are not quite elders and are selected by the council. Most of the choices of management can be done by a single individual with larger choices by a majority of the 3. Usually the 3 members oversee select areas of the city being military and security, the second overseees commerce and construction, and the third oversees religious and infrastructure of the city. Other items will go to a vote.

The city is wll defended by heavy centaur cavalry and archers, stone giants who can quickly come to the aid, and winged folk scouts. In addition, the ocean around the city is patrolled by five heavy frigates loaded with human and elven marines.

North Ballia is built around the construction of ships for the fleets of the Known World. Halflings are known for their exceptional shipbuilding. In North Ballia, they work with the local stone giants as laborers, who are happy to help for a sheep a day payment.   With the need for many sheep, much of the surrounding countryside is devoted to raising tens of thousands of sheep by centaur sheppards. In addition, there are many cows raised for milk by various people.   With the availability of so much wool, the city has also become a hub for wool fabric, blankets, cloaks, and modified sails which are much more durable than all cotton sails.

The city has working sewer and water, including a water treatment plant, which appears to be of old Eusaran design, and still functions. The town is layed out in a circle out pattern with very little forethought. The whole oceanfront area is dedicated to drydocks and ocean docks as well as ship construction facilities. A single large straight road comes into the city and hooks around across the shipbuilding area allowing for large timbers to be brought into town by the stone giant lumberjacks.

Many of the buildings are built primarily for halflings, with some for the taller races and a handful of really large buildings exist on the western outskirts for the stone giants.   To the north are the docks, shipyards, and timber processing. In the southern part of the city are weavers, textile producers, tailors, spinners, and coopers. Within the city, many of the inhabitants spend time doing all the jobs necessary to maintain a working city.   Outside of the town are field filled with either vegetable crops or sheep. Crops are rotated every two years and planted with clover and other plants for use the following year by sheep, who in turn fertalize the fields. This yields great crops 2 out of every 4-5 years. Normally there is a year where the fields are left to be after being used by the sheep so the manure can break down.   Lumber camps dot the hills to the west and throughout the area are watch towers and buildings for the guards and centaur.

North Ballia was built by a large group of halflings that left Grayton's Lot 250 years ago due to the slave like treatment they received as they were forced to work the docks. They rose up against the oppressors, and with the the help of their stone giant friends fled Grayton's Lot with most of their tools. They found their way after several months, to modern North Ballia, where a few Eusaran buildings still stood around an amazing natural harbor. A forest grows nearby to the west providing the necessary timber for ship building. North Ballia quickly became a commercial hub and source for the highest quality ships. Since then the town has grown and flourished.

Timber, sand, natural harbor, and iron all provide for the cities needs. The iron available is barely tapped versus what is available, but it meets the needs of the industry. Dwarves work the mines and build the tools and fasteners used by the shipbuilders, weavers, and tailors of the city.