Community:Hen Felin

This village is a thriving crossroads of commerce...modest but thriving. Both the sides of Order and Chaos understand the words,
 * "What two ideas are more inseparable than beer and Britannia?" (Sydney Smith)

It is that understanding which the crossroads village Hen Felin was founded upon.

History:
Hen Felin wasn’t always called that, in fact, for the longest time, it didn’t really have a name. It began as a collection of farms that took advantage of the fertile soil in the region. The farmers were simple folk, who, focused on the land, and their families. As the number of farms began to grow, trades began to pop up to supply the village with what it needed. One entrepreneur, the second son of a farmer who had many good seasons, built a mill for the town so they might grind their wheat locally. That move proved well for the region, and in recognition of the village’s only real landmark, they named the area Felin, or Mill, using the original families old language. Soon after the completion of the mill, the irregular farmer’s moot, the irregular meeting of local families to deal with conflicts and area projects, developed into a primitive village council.

The village continued to grow, and the farmers, began cultivating a wild hop that produced a uniquely strong flavored beer. Soon the private brewing industry became public and the area became known for it’s beer more than it’s farming. The town’s folk even experimented in developing beers flavored with reagents, which have a small following in the magic users community. The Powers-That-Be began to take note and the village elders knew that they would have to find a way to protect the town from being taxed by a foreign lord. Luckily, one prominent family of the town, the Gottskraft family, who’s only claim to nobility was having been descended from a bastard son of a minor noble long ago, proved to be what they needed to protect the village. The Gottskraft family had a history of being resourceful and acting as reliable Ombudsmen, and they were able to negotiate and pin their claim on the region.

The town continued to grow, and the tradition of having a Village Council continued. The Council made most decisions for the town, one of the most prominent was the building of the town square. Additionally, they repaired, what then became known as the Old Mill. The Village then adopted that as their name, using the language of the original farmers. Throughout the years, the town has continued to grow, and brewing, among other trade, has made it a thriving crossroads village.

From time to time, there have been reckless bands of brigands, unscrupulous guilds, and the occasional wandering evil mage with delusions of grandeur that have attempted to take over the town, and using it’s brewing industry to fuel their petty schemes. If you head down to the Grinding Wheel, the local tavern, and talk to Silas McCabe, he may tell you a story or two…after you buy him a round or two of ale.

As of Release 11, Hen Felin was still in concept development. We plan on developing more interest within the community in many ways.

Our goal for Release 12 is to develop a small community of in existing towns. Location will be determined on how the Great Land Grab of Release 12 goes.

In further Releases we plan on continuing to develop the town, and build up a citizenry so that by Release of Chapter 1 of the game, we will have an established group of dedicated citizens that will form the core of the town.

Government:
Hen Felin is a simple village with limited government. Its traditional government in the form of a farmer’s moot was adapted as the town grew and the brewing and crafting industries boomed. The Gottskraft family still maintains leadership over the town, however much of the day to day issues are handled by appointed and elected citizens. The Village Council is the main representative body of the citizens and addresses much of the citizen’s concerns as well as advises the Mayor and Governor on town courses of action. As the town develops, additional rolls will be developed. {| class="sotawikitable sortable" align="center" valign=”middle”

Governor’s Staff

 * Position||Duty Description||Current Office Holder
 * Governor|| Titular Authority and Leader of the Village. Serves the community as caretaker, spokesman, and final authority on town matters.|| Spero Gottskraft
 * Mayor|| Leads the town and organizes and oversees all areas. Appointed by the Governor. Represents Governor at all Village Council Meetings when not in attendance.||*
 * Deputy Mayor|| Assists Mayor in the accomplishment of all duties and responsibilities. Appointed by the Governor.||*
 * Scribe & Herald, Webmaster || Manages web-based media. Appointed by the Governor, and able to appoint additional personnel to assist.||Hugo Rybar
 * Ambassador|| Foster and maintain relations with specific towns and non-citizen guilds. Appointed by the Village Council, ratified by the Governor.||*
 * Village Chaplain|| Religious advisor to the town leadership. Works with other faith’s representatives throughout New Britannia to foster good will and understanding. Appointed by the Governor.||*
 * }
 * Scribe & Herald, Webmaster || Manages web-based media. Appointed by the Governor, and able to appoint additional personnel to assist.||Hugo Rybar
 * Ambassador|| Foster and maintain relations with specific towns and non-citizen guilds. Appointed by the Village Council, ratified by the Governor.||*
 * Village Chaplain|| Religious advisor to the town leadership. Works with other faith’s representatives throughout New Britannia to foster good will and understanding. Appointed by the Governor.||*
 * }
 * Village Chaplain|| Religious advisor to the town leadership. Works with other faith’s representatives throughout New Britannia to foster good will and understanding. Appointed by the Governor.||*
 * }
 * }
 * }

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Village Council

 * Position||Duty Description||Current Office Holder
 * Council Chairman || Leads the Village Council Meetings, as an elected representative of the citizens. Selected from among the Village Council Members. Voting Member of the Council. (1)|| *
 * Council Member || Elected Representative of the citizens. Elections will occur by neighborhood/borough. Voting Member of the Council. (2)||*
 * Economic Advisor || Represents the Trade Organizations within the village. Develop and nurture trade alliances and markets village industries throughout New Britannia, and coordinates the planning, developing and marketing of trade events. Advises the Village Council on all aspects of village commerce. Elected by the Trade & Guild Masters. Voting Member of the Village Council (1)||*
 * }
 * Council Member || Elected Representative of the citizens. Elections will occur by neighborhood/borough. Voting Member of the Council. (2)||*
 * Economic Advisor || Represents the Trade Organizations within the village. Develop and nurture trade alliances and markets village industries throughout New Britannia, and coordinates the planning, developing and marketing of trade events. Advises the Village Council on all aspects of village commerce. Elected by the Trade & Guild Masters. Voting Member of the Village Council (1)||*
 * }
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Economic Leadership

 * Position||Duty Description||<b>Current Office Holder</B>
 * Trade Masters || Trade Masters are defined as the representative of a specific trade within the town. Are elected by the members of that specific crafting/trade community. Has one vote to elect the Economic Advisor.|| *
 * Guild Masters || Guild Masters are defined as crafting guilds as they develop w/in the town. Has one vote to elect the Economic Advisor. Trade Guilds are regulated by the Village Council.||*
 * }
 * Guild Masters || Guild Masters are defined as crafting guilds as they develop w/in the town. Has one vote to elect the Economic Advisor. Trade Guilds are regulated by the Village Council.||*
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Judicial Leadership

 * <b>Position</B>||<b>Duty Description</B>||<b>Current Office Holder</B>
 * Chief Ombudsman|| Judges civil disputes and render’s verdicts for cross neighborhood/borough disputes. Elected by Village Council from existing Ombudsmen. Replacement elections will be required (1)|| *
 * Ombudsmen || Judges civil disputes and render verdicts w/in their borough. Elected by neighborhood/borough (3)||*
 * }
 * Ombudsmen || Judges civil disputes and render verdicts w/in their borough. Elected by neighborhood/borough (3)||*
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 * }

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Village Militia

 * <b>Position</B>||<b>Duty Description</B>||<b>Current Office Holder</B>
 * Commander of Militia || The Commander of Militia is appointed by the Governor and approved by the Village Council. The Commander is responsible for ensuring the town is protected at all times, and is responsible for organizing, training and equipping the town militia. Reports to Village Council in times of peace on status of militia, and makes requests for funding and supplies. During times of war, the Commander takes charge of the defense of the town, superseded only by the Governor.|| *
 * Borough Lieutenants || Borough Lieutenants are appointed by the Commander and approved by the Village Council. They are responsible for ensuring all Citizen-at-Arms are organized, trained, and equipped to protect the town. (3) ||*
 * }
 * Borough Lieutenants || Borough Lieutenants are appointed by the Commander and approved by the Village Council. They are responsible for ensuring all Citizen-at-Arms are organized, trained, and equipped to protect the town. (3) ||*
 * }
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Geography:
Hen Felin is located in a fertile region and started as a farming community. As the village grew in size, neighborhoods or boroughs were designated. What was once the original town is now called the Farmland. The newer portion of the farming community is the neighborhood/borough of Brou Velde. Finally, with the development of an actual town square, they named it the Stadtplatz. These areas have a distinct feel from each other, from traditional farming homes with additional trade shops, to larger homes with hop fields and finally the bustling village square surrounded by row houses.

The village is fairly traditional in makeup, however the Village Council has looked at developing new standards for housing in the village.

Like all villages in pre-release, Hen Felin’s layout will be restricted. The hope is to develop a community during the releases in the existing towns available in Vale. Look to the SoTA Forums for additional information.

People:
The people are the essential element to Hen Felin. Citizenship of the town gives the individual the power to vote in general elections of the Village Council and Ombudsman. Qualifications for citizenship is initially all land owning people within the town. As the Village Council meets, they may decide to expand suffrage to all those who have a permanent home in the town. Additionally, townsmen who ply a trade will have the ability to vote for Trade Masters.

The goal is to eventually have a community that participates in the town government as it expands so that the town can do much better. Relationships with other towns and governments will be established and fostered to promote peace, trade, and a good time. As such, ambassadors will be designated to build and maintain these relationships in other towns.

As the town develops, additional community organizations will develop and be fostered.

Town Development:
The concept and layout of the town will continue to be developed and refined throughout Alpha & Beta Testing of SoTA. Hen Felin is a Crossroads Village with a farming/crafting feel. Lots are not allocated yet, but pre-release citizens will have priority. Town development is in progress and focused on:


 * Building a base of support and interest through Pre-Release, by utilizing in-game towns to build a community and foster relationships.
 * Developing relationships with other Player Owned Towns for additional ideas and building inter-town alliances.
 * Defining/Refining the Government, town facilities, and cultural opportunities.
 * Working on a community feel, balancing the desires of the people, while maintaining the heart of the village.
 * Experiment on different events for the town, and possible storyline development for such events. (Cultural Celebrations, “Trade Shows”, Fairs of different types, attacks by brigands, etc.)
 * Develop a functional website for town information as well as publicity.