Eilhart, the flavour of the Wine Route
The fame of Eilhart, a small town of less the three thousand souls on the western boundaries of Reikland, reaches far and beyond anything such a small settlement could usually dream of. Its wineyeards are famous in all the Old World and beyond; its celebrated white wine has won the praise of both elves and dwarves, which constitute, on its own, an unprecedented feat.
it is said that the vines themselves predate the millenia of Human occupation, for they had been planted by elves on the gentle shores of the Reik river. What is certain is that the small town does enjoy the help of some Master Elven winemakers, who eagerly moved here from their homes in Marienburg when the major offered them the chance of occupying some of the old mansions which had been left vacant since the last war. Clearly, the beautiful shores of the Reik River suited the master elves more than the filthy alleys of Marienburg harbours; and the mere presence of a few of the elder kind did nothing but push the reputation of Eilhart’s white wines even higher, for the elder people taste of wine is second only to a dwarf’s thirst of beer.
Speaking of which, it is unheard that a dwarf would leave unmatched a drink’s challenge from an elf: even if the challenge itself pertains the production, rather than the consumption, of alcoholics. Hence, a few of Altdorf’ Hessian Dwarves settled in the town as well, starting a rival business of Eilhart’s beers; all the better for the Reikfolk, as Humans happily profit both from Elvish’s contribution to Eilhart’s white wine, and from Dwarvish’s mastery of beermaking. To their amazement, and – to some extent- surprise, initial troubles between the two immigrant populations slowly morphed into some kind of weird friendship, although both peoples would prompty deny any such collaboration with the age-hatred rivals.
Despite such recent growth, Eilhart remains a small settlement. Its single great dock, on the Reik River, has become something of a natural stop for the traders of the free world in route between Marienburg and Altdorf; and even though most are denied the right of offshoring, since the Burgmeister is afraid that any funny business could stir trouble to the delicate social equilibrium of the town, traders rarely miss the chance of filling their ships’ hull with any wine or beer they can contract for.
Eilhart lacks, for the moment, a proper wall ring. The only notable fortification is the large tower-( à-la-fois Keep, Prison, Bank, and Guildhouse of the Eilhart Wines-Beers Consortium), which dominates the market square. A few large households dot the townscape, for Imperial Gold flows abundant across the city, and nothing is better for a Reiklander than a broad-looking mansion by the wineyards.
Credit to the GCCM team for the ships assets!
More lore on Eilhart:
