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Chinook, the Mountain City.
Not only was its name obscure, but even its location was scarcely known. Even those who had visited found it difficult to retrace their steps as the village was nestled deep in a mountain basin.
One of the unique points of this place was the fact that it had no lord. The treacherous terrain already made travel difficult, and the land produced little in the way of specialty goods. As a result, not a single noble found it worth the effort to travel all the way here to assert their authority.
At first, this unusual situation worked to the citizens’ advantage. With no lord, it was easy to deceive tax collectors. And while the mountains were rough, they weren’t so inhospitable as to prevent slash-and-burn farmers from settling.
The city also became a resting spot for merchants crossing the mountain range. Life here wasn’t prosperous, but it wasn’t impoverished either.
However, some eyes began to covet that very isolation. Naturally, it was the wicked.
To them, Chinook was the perfect place to establish a base of operations. The most significant appeal? No lord. Even a lowly baron, so long as he held noble status, was dangerous to offend. Disturbing the dignity of any noble gave knights—the kingdom’s symbol of might—ample reason to act.
This small city without a single resident noble might as well have had a sign saying, “Criminals welcome.”
“Hehehe, what a pretty little thing!”
In less than ten years, Chinook had devolved into a pit of corruption. Bandits, fugitives, and black-market dealers from across the kingdom made it their refuge....
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