Ocs Hall is a town of the Kingdom of Vlandia, ruled by Baron Belgir of House dey Fortes. Unlike most major towns of the Marches, Ocs Hall was founded after Vlandia seized the land from the old Empire. It stands in a broad valley shaped by ancient fire, centered around Llyn Modris, a deep lake formed within the caldera of a long-dead volcano. The land’s strange geography sets Ocs Hall apart from the open hills and river corridors that define much of Vlandia. Steep slopes ring the valley, and mist often clings to the lake’s surface in the early mornings.
Before Vlandian rule, this valley was an isolated holdout of Battanian clans. The lake of Llyn Modris was said to be the seat of a giant in their old stories, a place of omen and taboo rather than commerce. When the Vlandian warlord Oca conquered the valley, the Battanian tribes were driven inland, taking their legends with them. The town that rose in the aftermath took its name from the conqueror, a reminder that Ocs Hall exists not by inheritance, but by conquest. Among older Battanian families in nearby forests and highlands, the valley is still spoken of with bitterness, and the caldera lake remains a place of uneasy memory.
Ocs Hall grew quickly as a settlement because of its defensible terrain and rich access to craft materials. The volcanic soil produces hardy dye plants, tough fibers, and mineral pigments. The surrounding hills yield workable stone and metals. Over generations, Ocs Hall became an artisan-heavy town, supplying much of Vlandia with jewelry, fine garments, and decorative metalwork. Tailors, weavers, dyers, and jewelers cluster in dense craft wards along the inner slopes of the caldera. The town’s clothing workshops produce garments worn by nobles and commoners alike, and Ocs Hall fabrics are recognized across the Marches for durability as much as beauty.
The town is also renowned for its crossbow craft. Ocs Hall workshops produce crossbows that equip Vlandic infantry across the realm. The caldera’s timber and metal resources allow for consistent quality, and the town’s smiths have refined techniques for producing reliable spanning mechanisms and reinforced stocks. Crossbow makers work under charter, and their workshops are inspected regularly to maintain standards for military supply. This has made Ocs Hall strategically valuable. Disruption of its workshops would weaken Vlandic ranged forces across multiple fronts.
Life in Ocs Hall is industrious and inward-focused. The town’s economy revolves around workshops rather than trade hubs or toll courts. Streets echo with the sound of looms, hammers, and cutting tables. Apprenticeships begin early, and entire families are tied to specific crafts. Guild structures are strong here, and craft charters carry real weight in town politics. Merchant caravans arrive to collect finished goods, but few stay long. Ocs Hall is a place of production more than exchange.
Baron Belgir of House dey Fortes rules Ocs Hall with an emphasis on stability and output. His authority is grounded in the town’s economic importance to the crown. He enforces strict order within the craft wards, suppressing unrest that might disrupt production. While not cruel by reputation, Belgir is firm in matters of guild compliance and labor obligation. He views Ocs Hall’s workshops as strategic assets of the realm rather than merely sources of local wealth. This alignment with crown interests has earned him favor in Vlandia’s military councils, even as some artisans resent the heavy oversight.
The town’s defenses reflect its origin as a conquest settlement. Walls climb the inner slopes of the caldera, and watchtowers overlook the passes that lead into the valley. Patrols focus on the approaches through the surrounding hills, guarding against raids from forested highlands where displaced Battanian clans are believed to linger. The lake itself, Llyn Modris, is treated with a mixture of reverence and unease. Though the old legends have been officially dismissed, fishermen avoid certain coves, and children are warned not to wander near the deeper waters. Whether superstition or memory, the lake remains a quiet scar of conquest.
Across the Marches, Ocs Hall is known as the town that clothes Vlandia and arms its crossbowmen. Its garments appear in courts and camps alike. Its weapons are carried by levies and professionals across the realm. Yet beneath this reputation lies the unspoken truth of its founding: Ocs Hall is a reminder that Vlandic order was not always inherited, and that some towns stand on lands taken by force, their prosperity built atop older, displaced worlds.