Faction: Aqueous
Classification: Village
Population: 70 Est.
Production: Trade
Notable Areas: The School
Description:
Bakersville can hardly be considered anything other than a gathering of people with a common purpose. But for formality, and technicalities, it is classified as a village. Even though all of the outlying buildings are ruins of the old world and are in a desolate state of decay. The only building worthy of mention, flagpole and all, is the school. Repaired with whatever scraps were on hand, a team of scavengers used this as a base of repleshentment. Now however it has become sort of a pilgrimage for some scavengers, some making their way there to trade whatever the find along their journey, before considering themselves actual scavengers. The building has been repurposed from a facility of teaching to a sort of large inn. Travelers may stay as needed, and trade with the merchants, usually older persons unfit for travel anymore. A few legacy families still live there, to maintain and operate the school for future generations, and as a monument in scavenger culture.
The outlying area around Bakersville is mixed desert. Though it is considered the rocky fields of cactus, there do exist some of the other common features of a common mixed desert; thorny trees, shrubbery, and the occasional desert flower. There are large amounts of wildlife that roam around the hills around Bakersville. The flattest part in the whole area is that of the ruined town, and the school. Despite being a pilgrimage site for scavengers, many still claim the outlying area still holds secrets within its hills.
The area within Bakersville was obviously once a town, turn to rubble after The Fall. The buildings are crumbling relics of a distant age, with only a few still resembling actual places of residence. Many are just fragments of wall surrounded by rubble. The old asphalt roads still exist here, though they are heavily pockmarked, cracked, and nearly buried beneath dirt. The school itself is a bit ramshackle, though organized. The classrooms repurposed into inn like suites for travels, with the larger areas locked for storage. Most of the trading happens within the old gymnasium, where one can claim an unused stall to show their wares. Most of the windows have been boarded up, but in such a fashion as to allow moderate security, and still allow the inner parts of the old school to be lit up. It is still recommended to bring a lamp.
You'll never find a better haggler than the merchants of Bakerville, those of the legacy family who live there full time. They are wise, tactful, and operate with a certain degree of cunning; to which a man may find himself a new set of laces in which he had to trade his shoes for. When not business dealing, they are friendly and quite accepting of all people, with any story. They are one of the very few who openly do not fear Immortals, and are even rumored to harbor fugitives, for a price.
Despite the plethora of wildlife around Bakersville, the school never finds itself having a problem larger than a small rodent, or the occasional spider. Outside is quite another story, as the area is host to a number of species, many of which are not herbivores. For some, the risk is not worth it to travel to Bakersville, one could find themselves dead a thousand different times by just crossing the road. It's even been rumored that a man was dragged from an open doorway off into the deserts. (It is also rumored that scavengers later looted the body.)
