Post by Brandwyn on Sept 4, 2020 11:52:12 GMT -5
Desperation Gold Rush Town
Desperation is located in the foothills along a small, fast-moving river called Pyrite Creek about five miles upstream from the Salmon river that runs from Gorlan Castle down to the sea in the west. The Salmon river feeds into the Tarbin river south of Redmont Castle. The mountain chain that houses Desperation is in the southern central part of Araluen and runs down to the Southern Cliffs between the Uthal Plains and the Solitary Plains. Desperation is located on the northwest side of the mountain chain.
Desperation is a new town, built on the ruins of an old mining camp. The town has sprung up almost overnight to house and supply the families of gold prospectors, provide needed supplies, and offer a refuge from wild predators such as large mountain cats, bears and the Kalkara. There are those in the town that claim worse things than even the Kalkara live in these mountains.
outer
The small town of Desperation was hastily built of lumber and rocks. There is an outer stone wall around the entire town that is only 3 to 4 feet high in most places. The rocks are surmounted by 8 to 10 feet logs with spikes carved on top to protect its inhabitants from predators from the surrounding mountains. The logs are lashed together vertically with ropes and have cross-logs nailed along the top and bottom on the inside of the wall to help support it and hold it together. Also, along the inside is a platform made of logs about five feet from the top of the logs. The platform does not go all the way around the town, but there is a section of it on each side to allow men to look over the wall and defend it from predators. The logs on the walls have been moved out and expanded as the town has grown, leaving the short rock walls to divide sections of the town.
There is only one gateway into the town through the wall located on the western and downhill end of the town near Pyrite Creek. A rough road follows the creek on its northern shore down to a bridge over the Salmon River where it becomes a nice dirt road leading directly to Castle Redmont, many miles away.
The town gate is a large double door that swings outward and is bolted from the inside by three huge planks that rest in large wrought iron brackets at the top, center, and bottom of the door. During daylight hours, it is usually open. It is closed and bolted one hour after sunset each night.
When you walk through the town gate on the town's western side, you see a long road that slopes rather steeply uphill to the large Inn at the opposite end of town, to the east. The road is wide enough for two wagons to pass side-by-side. This main street has four big streets running off it, two to the north and two to the south. The main street is lined with several businesses, but there is room to build several more. The buildings are made of logs, for the most part or stones on the first floors and logs on the second. Some have a mud plaster siding to help ward off the icy winds blowing down the mountain. There are other, smaller streets and alleys winding between the buildings. These streets have been created haphazardly as the town has expanded and they curve around large rocks and trees. Tradesmen and craftsmen have their lodgings and some have shops on these side streets. There are also private houses and larger apartment buildings for the wealthier residents of Desperation.
The first establishments you pass upon entering the town is the Blacksmith’s forge on the right and the Livery Stables on the left with surrounding stockyards housing oxen and mules and a few horses. Next to the Blacksmith is the Wainwright with several wagons for sale locked in a side-yard area.
Next to the Livery is a rock wall about seven feet tall that goes up the hill for about 420 feet. In the center of the wall is a large pedestrian gate with a sign above it; Free-Faire Market (Free Enterprise, Fair prices). The gate is sturdy wrought iron and the only place along the wall where people may peer into the market to see what is going on. The gates are open when the market is open for business and are shut when the market is closed. There is another wooden sign on the right side of the gate, that is rather small with a picture of a tipped scales with a circle around it and an X over the scales. The circle and X are red.
Between the Livery and the rock wall is a wagon trail that goes north all along the wall of the five-acre market. There is fenced pasture for the livery along the east side of the wagon trail. Patrons of the Free-Faire Market use this trail to get to the backside of the market where the larger gate is located. They can bring their wagons in and out through the back gate. Only foot traffic can go through the front gate on the main street. Opposite the market is a large open space for tents and wagons next to the Wainwright and a block of private homes before you get to the next shops, a General Store on your right, and Bonnie's Tavern and Meals on the left.
There is a large, stone well with a fountain in the center of the road in line with the General Store and Bonnie's Tavern and Meals. The fountain has stone seats surrounding it and on each side, there are stone tables with a bucket and a dipper so people can get a drink from the freshwater of the fountain. Horses can drink from the pool surrounding the fountain between the stone benches. Plank walkways start at the corners of these two businesses and run up each side of the main road, with steps up to the next level as they go up the mountain slope. Next to the tavern is a bakery breakfast shop with two large stone ovens on the back, and on its other side is an empty building. Across from the bakery, next to the general store is the Claims Office where prospectors can register their claims.
On the next level up the hill, there is an apothecary on your right displaying several glass bottles behind a large, clear glass window. Across from it are a bathhouse and barbershop. There is room to build a couple of businesses on this level of the walkway before moving up to the next level where there is a stone building on the left with wrought iron bars on the windows. This was originally the blacksmith building for the old mining camp, but it has been converted into a jail. The log constable’s office is connected to the jail. The log building across from the jail is empty, but there is a “Sold!” sign on the door.
A small boarding house, also made of stone on the first floor and logs on the second floor, stands next to the sold building on your right. The sign on its front door states, “no vacancies”. It sits back a bit from the walkway and a wooden front porch has been constructed recently to connect it to the walkway.
On your left is a large log building with a guard posted at the front door. The sign hanging out front has no words, but only a picture of tipped scales with a pile of coins on the lower scale tray. There are more empty storefronts on this level and some small shops.
The road ends in a courtyard in front of a large Inn that was built around the framework of the original mining Main Hall. The original building is made of stone and is one big open area large enough to hold a hundred people, with a kitchen area and stone oven behind the wall on the east side. The new construction of a second floor and wings on each side is obvious as you approach. The second level has raised wooden walkways with stairs to the ground level. There is also a small third level of the Inn over the central, original structure. To your right, at the end of the walkway is a tall watchtower with a square spiral stairway to the top. The observation deck is the highest point in the town and from there, one can not only see the whole town, but also down to the Salmon River in the distance and partway up Pyrite creek.
The side streets on the northern side run back to the Row Houses. These are small, one-room cabins made from stone foundations with wooden rafters and tin roofs and a wooden front porch. They are all connected and share walls, and the rows are staggered in height down the mountain. There are 10 cabins in each row and four rows, one on each side of each road. There is space in front of each cabin to park a wagon and hitch up a team of mules.
The side streets to the southern side run down towards the river and have a few hastily built cabins and some wooden platforms with canvas tent walls and roofs. Some people have pitched tents or are living out of wagons parked along the streets. Individual cookfires and campsites have popped up all along these streets. There is a wall between the river and these camping spaces.
Desperation is located in the foothills along a small, fast-moving river called Pyrite Creek about five miles upstream from the Salmon river that runs from Gorlan Castle down to the sea in the west. The Salmon river feeds into the Tarbin river south of Redmont Castle. The mountain chain that houses Desperation is in the southern central part of Araluen and runs down to the Southern Cliffs between the Uthal Plains and the Solitary Plains. Desperation is located on the northwest side of the mountain chain.
Desperation is a new town, built on the ruins of an old mining camp. The town has sprung up almost overnight to house and supply the families of gold prospectors, provide needed supplies, and offer a refuge from wild predators such as large mountain cats, bears and the Kalkara. There are those in the town that claim worse things than even the Kalkara live in these mountains.
outer
The small town of Desperation was hastily built of lumber and rocks. There is an outer stone wall around the entire town that is only 3 to 4 feet high in most places. The rocks are surmounted by 8 to 10 feet logs with spikes carved on top to protect its inhabitants from predators from the surrounding mountains. The logs are lashed together vertically with ropes and have cross-logs nailed along the top and bottom on the inside of the wall to help support it and hold it together. Also, along the inside is a platform made of logs about five feet from the top of the logs. The platform does not go all the way around the town, but there is a section of it on each side to allow men to look over the wall and defend it from predators. The logs on the walls have been moved out and expanded as the town has grown, leaving the short rock walls to divide sections of the town.
There is only one gateway into the town through the wall located on the western and downhill end of the town near Pyrite Creek. A rough road follows the creek on its northern shore down to a bridge over the Salmon River where it becomes a nice dirt road leading directly to Castle Redmont, many miles away.
The town gate is a large double door that swings outward and is bolted from the inside by three huge planks that rest in large wrought iron brackets at the top, center, and bottom of the door. During daylight hours, it is usually open. It is closed and bolted one hour after sunset each night.
When you walk through the town gate on the town's western side, you see a long road that slopes rather steeply uphill to the large Inn at the opposite end of town, to the east. The road is wide enough for two wagons to pass side-by-side. This main street has four big streets running off it, two to the north and two to the south. The main street is lined with several businesses, but there is room to build several more. The buildings are made of logs, for the most part or stones on the first floors and logs on the second. Some have a mud plaster siding to help ward off the icy winds blowing down the mountain. There are other, smaller streets and alleys winding between the buildings. These streets have been created haphazardly as the town has expanded and they curve around large rocks and trees. Tradesmen and craftsmen have their lodgings and some have shops on these side streets. There are also private houses and larger apartment buildings for the wealthier residents of Desperation.
The first establishments you pass upon entering the town is the Blacksmith’s forge on the right and the Livery Stables on the left with surrounding stockyards housing oxen and mules and a few horses. Next to the Blacksmith is the Wainwright with several wagons for sale locked in a side-yard area.
Next to the Livery is a rock wall about seven feet tall that goes up the hill for about 420 feet. In the center of the wall is a large pedestrian gate with a sign above it; Free-Faire Market (Free Enterprise, Fair prices). The gate is sturdy wrought iron and the only place along the wall where people may peer into the market to see what is going on. The gates are open when the market is open for business and are shut when the market is closed. There is another wooden sign on the right side of the gate, that is rather small with a picture of a tipped scales with a circle around it and an X over the scales. The circle and X are red.
Between the Livery and the rock wall is a wagon trail that goes north all along the wall of the five-acre market. There is fenced pasture for the livery along the east side of the wagon trail. Patrons of the Free-Faire Market use this trail to get to the backside of the market where the larger gate is located. They can bring their wagons in and out through the back gate. Only foot traffic can go through the front gate on the main street. Opposite the market is a large open space for tents and wagons next to the Wainwright and a block of private homes before you get to the next shops, a General Store on your right, and Bonnie's Tavern and Meals on the left.
There is a large, stone well with a fountain in the center of the road in line with the General Store and Bonnie's Tavern and Meals. The fountain has stone seats surrounding it and on each side, there are stone tables with a bucket and a dipper so people can get a drink from the freshwater of the fountain. Horses can drink from the pool surrounding the fountain between the stone benches. Plank walkways start at the corners of these two businesses and run up each side of the main road, with steps up to the next level as they go up the mountain slope. Next to the tavern is a bakery breakfast shop with two large stone ovens on the back, and on its other side is an empty building. Across from the bakery, next to the general store is the Claims Office where prospectors can register their claims.
On the next level up the hill, there is an apothecary on your right displaying several glass bottles behind a large, clear glass window. Across from it are a bathhouse and barbershop. There is room to build a couple of businesses on this level of the walkway before moving up to the next level where there is a stone building on the left with wrought iron bars on the windows. This was originally the blacksmith building for the old mining camp, but it has been converted into a jail. The log constable’s office is connected to the jail. The log building across from the jail is empty, but there is a “Sold!” sign on the door.
A small boarding house, also made of stone on the first floor and logs on the second floor, stands next to the sold building on your right. The sign on its front door states, “no vacancies”. It sits back a bit from the walkway and a wooden front porch has been constructed recently to connect it to the walkway.
On your left is a large log building with a guard posted at the front door. The sign hanging out front has no words, but only a picture of tipped scales with a pile of coins on the lower scale tray. There are more empty storefronts on this level and some small shops.
The road ends in a courtyard in front of a large Inn that was built around the framework of the original mining Main Hall. The original building is made of stone and is one big open area large enough to hold a hundred people, with a kitchen area and stone oven behind the wall on the east side. The new construction of a second floor and wings on each side is obvious as you approach. The second level has raised wooden walkways with stairs to the ground level. There is also a small third level of the Inn over the central, original structure. To your right, at the end of the walkway is a tall watchtower with a square spiral stairway to the top. The observation deck is the highest point in the town and from there, one can not only see the whole town, but also down to the Salmon River in the distance and partway up Pyrite creek.
The side streets on the northern side run back to the Row Houses. These are small, one-room cabins made from stone foundations with wooden rafters and tin roofs and a wooden front porch. They are all connected and share walls, and the rows are staggered in height down the mountain. There are 10 cabins in each row and four rows, one on each side of each road. There is space in front of each cabin to park a wagon and hitch up a team of mules.
The side streets to the southern side run down towards the river and have a few hastily built cabins and some wooden platforms with canvas tent walls and roofs. Some people have pitched tents or are living out of wagons parked along the streets. Individual cookfires and campsites have popped up all along these streets. There is a wall between the river and these camping spaces.