Solsikke

Solsikke or Solsikke Vale is a farming village. A population of over 190 people when Losiento first left home to join the Church of Baldur. In the last 20 years it has boomed to over 275 people, the village expanding. Mostly farm land, the main buildings surround a large town hall and a modest church. There is a school house with one school marm who took on the normal education of the local children, although volunteer teachers from the church visit now and again to teach extra subjects (mainly about religion or the arcane, depending). The road to the larger city with its Cathedral about a 4 day walk on foot.

Their village symbol has always been the sunflower since their first settling centuries ago. The story goes the first pilgrims had been travelling so long in harsh conditions after a fire consumed their former home. It was the end of winter when they first left and they traveled for months, their numbers dwindling until they reached the vale that had fields of sunflowers which greeted them. Golden and welcoming, the warmth of this stretch of untouched land warmed their souls and they settled here. The first village leader made the sunflower their symbol and it has stuck with them all since then, used as a sort of talisman to ward off evil, either in the shape of a carved charm, dried flowers or fresh ones grown outside a house's door. It isn't odd to visit Solsikke Vale and seeing sunflowers everywhere.

They have a yearly festival which is at summer's end called Sommarenslutt, which honors the god Baldur and asks for his blessing and protection in the colder months to come.

Losiento comes from this village, originally.

Originally a closed off community, in the last 60 years the village had seen an increase in their numbers due to the inclusion of the Church of Baldur as well as a Miner's Guild being set up, drawing people in to settle on the land. Due to this, expansion was needed, which drew the attention of orc raiders. Solsikke Vale has suffered two raids thus far, though both times pushed back by the dwarven miners that joined the population, though there was much structural damaged suffered throughout few homesteads before they were driven out. There was a seven year gap in between the two raids in which they were able to rebuild, though the second raid left them in uncomfortable circumstances until things equalized to a degree. The village is somewhat overpopulated and thus, they have to continue expansion.

The majority of the population of Solsikke are human, though there are other races present, the other majority being dwarves. While the dwarves are beholden to their own culture, the humans of Solsikke are very superstitious, especially the elders, and are worried as to what will happen to their home when the last wild sunflower is finally cut down.

In the last 30 years, a small brewery has been made, if merely to bolster the morale of the dwarves and militia they have scrambled up together to protect the vale, rather than to export. This resulted in a tavern proper within the village square, with outdoor seating set up during the warmer months, which takes up some of the square. Some of the more talented youths have taken up music and acting and from time to time perform outdoors in the square or as part of the tavern.