Name: Bitterbourne
Population Size: 1388
Settlement Type: Town
General Visual Description: Bitterbourne has no uniform layout and consists of buildings and and houses crammed close together in no precise order. Whereas in a normal town there would be roads and streets in between then haphazardly placed buildings Bitterbourne is different as waterways and small channels make up the spaces between buildings, due to the fact that it is built within a marsh. The fact the buildings are built in marsh means that they must be elevated, richer people construct polders, circular dirt dams and fill them with rock and soil to form a sturdy base but poorer people tend to use wooden stilts and pillars, with the slightly more well off people using stone pillars.
The city, though having no internally uniform layout looks remarkably like a circle form up high, with the industrial platforms forming a narrow band on the outskirts and the poorer districts making up a large, thick ring on the interior, the richer people in the most center and the well off people right before.
The houses of poorer individuals tend to be single level buildings, consisting of one room or multiple rooms flimsily cobbled on to a central room. They are made from a wood supplied from trees that grow on the outskirts of the marsh, dense and hardy but unbearably grey, made worse by the soot and smoke of the outer industrial district. They have slate shingle roofs and blackened tin-iron chimneys, as they can be made thinner then stone chimneys and weigh considerably less over all. They have flimsy wooden walkways between boroughs and cramped waterways where two boats could pass through side by side. Washing up generally hangs between buildings, greened dull as the rest of everything else.
The more well off individuals have, as stated above, buildings built on stone pillars, though the buildings are most defiantly not made of stone, as the weight would sink the pillars into the clay at the bottom of the water and bring the house down with it. Instead, the houses of well off people are built of wood though wood imported from a bit further away then the edge of the marsh, giving the 'well-off' district a more colorful look, with buildings made form planks and logs varying from reds to creams and often having stained glass windows. the houses of the well off are multi-level and multi-roomed, generally culminating in fresh copper roofs or aged, blue-green copper. Again chimneys made of metal. The water ways between houses tend to be wider as most commercial buildings are in the area and need space for loading and loading. The walkways are stone.
Finally, the houses of the richer, elitist members of society are built on polders (described above) and are made entirely of stones or clays, Imported form far abroad and ranging in colors from violet to red and all the colors in between, it is a colorful place with buildings soaring 9 or 10 stories high and boasting large open windows of stained glass, though generally protected by an iron lattice to protect it from rocks throne by angry poor passersby. The roofs also very, made form stone shingles or metal, they usually come in domes or four-sided pyramids. Most houses belonging to influential families fly family flags from the tops of their houses. No boardwalks in the richer districts, as over the years, the polders have merged together and formed a large soil platform.
The town on the horizon is breathtaking, buildings from the outside of the circle give way to taller buildings deep within and taller buildings still at the center, making it look like a beautiful, haphazard man made mountain, though instead of gradually sloping, it rises suddenly and sharply at the center.
Settlement Garrison and Defences: The city has an external stone ring, a castle wall in it's own right going all the way around with towers dotted every hundred yards. The space between the outer wall and the start of Bitterbourne is about 700 yards. The garrison of the city consists of professional Mercenaries hired by the Duke, they are extremely loyal and well trained and patrol the streets of the inner city, around the well off and rich districts; they number 100 hundred, they are recognizable by their colorful puffy leggings and arms of blue and orange, the colors of the Duke's house and wear brass chestplates and brass morions, they are equipped with steel short Halberds. The rest of the guard consist of 130 militia men, equipped with standardized gear (leather armor and bronze swords), they patrol the outer ring and the poor district.
Structures of Interest:
- The Keep: A large, tall stone tower at the heart of the city, it is the tallest building in the city and is rumored to have a bottomless foundation. It follows the castle like style of the outer wall, providing protection within it's thick, black granite walls but also has the comforts of the houses of rich people, like stain glass windows. The Keep is the residence of the royal family, the court and a grand hall. on weekends there is a market held around it and every year a massive trade fair takes place around it that attracts merchants far and wide. It is capped by a bright copper roof and fly's high and proud the flag of the Duke, a blue sea serpent on an orange background.
- The Sunken Cathedral: Only the top of the spire rises up above the waterline, and is enterable though large arches that once let out the ring of long salvaged bells, though to get to these arches, a long climb up the facade is necessary. Once within the upper gallery of the spire, a spiral staircase goes all the way to the floor of the cathedral but is lost to the murky water about 10 yards down. Before the region flooded the Cathedral use to be a place of pilgrimage but after the coming of the mysterious tide, people stopped going. Unable to access the rest of the structure below.
- The Cider Hall: A large, wooden building built on the cusp of the well off and poor districts. It is a favorite place for adventurers and merchants to bed down while they pass through the town or a place for the enroll population to have fun. It is a wide arc of a building and two stories, the top of the slate shingled roof peppered with tin chimney's. The Cider Hall doesn't only cater to the needs of it's customers with alcohol, it provides experiences like music by seasoned bards, a large gambling hall and good quality prostitutes.
- Belmont Forges Ltd.: An enterprise run by a man with ambition, the manufactory produces generic metal goods, ranging from nails to potbelly stoves. It has proved to be a major source of income for Bitterbourne and attracts a lot of business. Along with it's more civilian productions, it produces weapons and armor, though not of the best quality, they can turn out lots of gear and make good money from kitting foreign armies. It is located on the outer industrial ring of the city and is recognizable by it's massive warehouses and docks, equipped with innovative wooden cranes for easy unloading of heavy cargo.
- Whitewater: Though not a structure, it is still a place of interest within Bitterbourne. Whitewater is borough on the eastern side of the city and is home to people of a disreputable nature. Packed with murderers, drug dealers and disease riddled whores, Whitewater is a place where no one wants to go without a weapon. Though it's hellish appearance and occupants seem to yield no value to anyone. One can find about anything there if they look hard enough. Though once you enter Whitewater, don't expect to come out with your reputation unblemished, its a taboo to even be seen there but if you seek something there, everyone nows you did something horrid to get it.
People of Interest:
- Sir. Karl Josef von Bachmann: The captain of the elite mercenary guard hired by the Duke, known to be firm and just he is liked by the general people and hated by the scoundrels. He is recognized easily by his large white beard and bald head and is famous for his use of a broadsword.
- Lord Francis of House Rosegold (Francis Belmont): The owner of Belmont Forges Ltd., he is an influential individual within the city, having far reaching contacts that aren't limited to the surrounding areas. He is known for his charisma and charm but there is something unsettling about him. He is recognized by his pioneering fashion style, wearing a '
Suit and Tie' as he calls it. He is the grand Nephew of the Duke.
- Lady Sharon of House Bitterbourne (Sharon De LeMarais): The grandaughter of the duke and his chosen successor, well, his only successor. The Duke's wife was cursed to bare unlucky children by an envious sorceresses who had her heart set on marrying the king. However his first daughter, Maxim was born prior to the curse and thus lived happily and had a daughter, Sharon. His luck my have been good but his constant interaction with his younger siblings got his killed, crushed by a pile of barrels meant for his younger brother. Lady Sharon is recognizable by her startling young
appearance.
- The Queen of Whores: A mysterious figure that who lives in the slums of Whitewater and rules over her daughters. Little is known about her past, not even her original name is common knowledge, she is currently the 18th Queen. The Queens are chosen by the whore's of Whitewater out of the prettiest of the whores. Though her name implies that she only looks after the whores, she is an important person in Whitewater and basically runs it, when people need something or have a plea to make, they go to her because she holds the most influence. She is known to be a
colorful individual.
Settlement's Leader:
Duke Oscar of House Bitterbourne (Oscar De LeMarais): Duke Oscar is an old man, currently in his late sixties. He has a head of short white hair and a well trimmed goatee, always dressed in the colors of the house, orange and blue. Oscar ascended to the throne after a bitter power struggle between his siblings left him as the soul surviving heir to the throne. He was 16 when he took the mantle and has since grown to be the best leader the city has had, reforming the corrupt bureaucracy and improving the lives of it's inhabitants, clearing out and rebuilding slums like Whitewater. He is liked by practically everyone in the city but not the inhabitants of Whitewater, who refuse to move and let the area be rebuilt, no matter how much money he offers. Rumor has it that the Duke is sick and it seems that it won't be long before Sharon takes the throne.
Location: The marsh starts at a western ocean and has mountains to the south. The north and east are surrounded by forests. ((I was thinking somewhere in the east west of the world, north of the Iron Mountains.))
