Before we start, I want to thank @Silur and @89James89 for staying tuned to this project! I'll make sure it's updated regularly. Typical update schedule will be 2-3 entries per week, or if I'm busy, no more than 2 weeks between entries. Since this is a long weekend for me, I expect to have an additional entry by Monday.

With that out of the way, let's go to today's content!

 

 

֍ TOWN OF BRANDT ֎
 

Queen Ilene: Welcome again! After visiting the town of Alba, we now move to the town of Brandt, which is uphill along a nice, winding mountain road. Brandt is the settlement corresponding to the westernmost reach of Rota. Despite its size and monumentality, it has not been formally re-classified as a city, even with its 33,000 denizens. Documents from the peace negotiations indicate that Brandt was stripped of its former city status as a retaliation for the invasion by the Green Army.

 

You will also notice that the town is surrounded by a city wall, which itself has endured surprisingly well throughout the centuries. Even then, the war did damage it, as there are wall portions that have collapsed, and the two city gates facing east have been torn down.

 

We first pass along the former Skarmory city gate, where the entire wall section was demolished:

 

And then along the Ho-oh City Gate, where at least the damage is less severe:

 

Perhaps the most lamentable outcome Brandt's architecture faced due to the war  was the complete demolition of the citadel. Even the rubble left was removed and used for all sorts of other construction projects in the area, and over the centuries, grass engulfed the citadel's grounds. Nobles and other rich folk inhabit the Courtesan Quarter, and tend to extravagant gardens that don't quite match our region's climate.

 

Meanwhile, right in the middle of Brandt, a combined effort of volunteers, rich benefactors and the city government have taken the task of completely rebuilding the plazas surrounding the Temple of Dusk.

 

This facility is expected to include markets, gardens , promenades and gazebos, further exalting the most magnificent piece of architecture of the town!

 

As we venture through the streets and contact the townsfolk, we got their input on needs and grievances. The most common wants include a restoration of the historical buildings and monuments, the establishment of higher education facilities and the re-designation of Brandt as a city.

 

Some other citizens instead want to have parks built in vacant tracts of land in the outskirts of the city, as the renovations around the temple will take a lot longer to complete.

 

One old lady also wondered about the possibility of adding additional access points to Brandt, given that the only two entrances suffer significant congestion from commuters who venture beyond the town's walls for their livelihoods.

 

 

Jenny Salisbury: I'm not sure the Kingdom's coffers have enough funds for all of these requests. Brandtians are very proud folk, and seem very intent on rivaling the grandeur of Cameran, the capital.
 

Queen Ilene: that may be true, but I believe the entire Kingdom needs major interventions for economic development. Depending on how the economic growth and diversification happen, we may witness an expansion of our tax base, and thus be able to afford numerous additional improvements, like those requested in Brandt.

Jenny Salisbury: Don't overextend the budget, we need to ensure our government remains viable for many years to come!

 

Queen Ilene: Now that we conclude our tour through Brandt, we continue along the mountain road towards the village of Balfour. It was next to it that the last battle of the double invasion happened, with so many Pokémon soldiers trampling the ground that it turned too hard and impervious to allow agriculture to happen. We are evaluating different strategies to restore the area, but the Royal Ministry of Natural Resources and Conservation has not come yet with a feasible plan. The portion of the village closest to Cameran still remains active with crops covering the better soils located along the river banks. Villagers here also suffer from a lack of public services, as there are no schools nor medical facilities to be found.

 

 

 

After visiting Balfour, we then cross to the easternmost parts of the Kingdom, where we visit the villages around Wellesley. Our first stop is the village of Elaver, which neighbors Brixen. This tiny community also lives off the land, surrounded by a variety of farms and crops.

 

As we continue further into Wellesley we then reach Perceval, which despite its designation as a village, is more of a ribbon development squeezed between a hill and the farm fields. Here they embrace a more simple way of life, taking pride in producing the most plentiful crops of the Kingdom. The village elders approached us and were wondering about the possibility of upgrading their dirt street to a road, such that they could export their produce more efficiently to Wellesley and elsewhere in the Kingdom.

 

We continue along the winding dirt paths and reach the village of Scheel. This place has a beautiful temple in the circular grounds that act as the public space for Scheelites. Unlike Perceval, they do have a market and a more robust road connection towards Wellesley and Cameran, their worries instead have to do more with the availability of public services, especially telecommunications.  Now that the village elders here mention it, Rota is very backwards with most telecommunication services, possessing a limited telephone coverage and a handful of radio stations!

 

After exiting Scheel, we move on towards Primrose, the largest of the villages around Wellesley. Thanks to their proximity to the main city, they have some availability of public services, and instead feel left out on city beautification. A small girl approached us in sadness, as Primrose had no parks or gardens for the kids, pokémon and parents to enjoy.

 

Jenny Salisbury: Your Majesty, it's getting late and I don't think we'll be able to complete our tour today. The roads leading to Ingena, Baden, Nida and Rockford are very twisty and steep. I believe we should return to the Palace before dusk ends.

Queen Ilene: We'll have to, I just remembered that a lot of our letters come from those places, and they had extensive lists of grievances and unmet needs. I also noticed Mew has been awfully quiet during our tour.

Jenny Salisbury: Relax, he's probably feeling tired from our long trip around the Kingdom and wants to rest. We should rest, too.

Queen Ilene: Alright, this'll conclude our update today.