Poroson

Poroson (ポロソン, Poroson? ) is a Church town and the second major settlement that Holo and Lawrence visited on their journey.

Location
The town lies in rocky highlands southeast of Ruvinheigen, a distance of about two or three days’ travel by fast horse depending on the route. Pazzio is to the south by about five days’ journey on horse-drawn wagon.

Economy
Poroson is a prosperous regional trade center for textiles, leather, grain, iron, and salt. A significant portion of its revenue also comes from religious tithes and land taxes. Agriculture is less of a contributor due to the rocky terrain. As a holding of Ruvinheigen, the town is managed by that city and directs most of its wealth to it. Armor and weapons also pass through Poroson to supply the Church’s military needs in Ruvinheigen and beyond.

History
Poroson’s name reflects its origins as a holy land of a pagan religion. With the expansion of the Church into the region, the town was founded by Church forces as a psychological and strategic watershed in the area’s subjugation. Poroson as a settlement was thus subordinate to Ruvinheigen for perhaps its entire existence. The town developed in a fortified staging point for missionaries and armed forces venturing into remaining pagan territory to its north and east, earning it a moniker as a “gateway to another world.” This movement of people fostered trade, allowing Poroson to prosper into the present time.

Culture
Due to Church influence, the people of Poroson are known for their devoutness, modesty, and frugality. Work pauses throughout the town for daily prayers, open-air preaching enjoys the attention of considerable crowds, and bars close relatively early at night. Nevertheless, attitudes toward pagan visitors are relatively relaxed as many are foreign merchants bringing valuable business.

Notable Companies
Latparron Trading Company

Trivia
In the light novel, Holo and Lawrence visit Poroson for only a few hours in the morning, but in the anime they stay for two nights and experience the town’s night scene, or lack thereof, and thereby hear rumors of a “magician” summoning wolves along the route to Ruvinheigen.