Ustenstead

Holding the site of two royal families, Ustenstead is a town with a rather startling reputation. Much like Bethians, the people of Ustenstead have a life of duality. Yet, this isn't by underground or aboveground, but rather day and night. By day, the folk are in good spirits, lively, and social. They may jest about government decisions or a noble just around the street. By night, everything shifts, and Ustenstead becomes a place of uncertainty.

The adults and elderly shut their windows and draw the curtains to avoid prying eyes, and barely anyone walks the streets. The people you speak to are surly, and though you may recognize a few of them, they will not associate with you. Others disappear as you turn the corner, some drawing further into the shadows if they were reclusive during the day. Most frightening of all, just out of the corner of your eye, is a figure in a bird-like mask. The silver gleam in the moonlight reveals a blade, coated with an unknown substance. You turn to run, but a magic stops you in your tracks. The last thing you hear is laughter.

Demographics

Majority of Ustenstead consists of a variety of species with both common and uncommon half-breeds, creating a startling amount of diversity among races. Chances are, if you can't find a half-breed of a certain kind, they exist in Ustenstead. Though they are typically regarded as second-class citizens, they are still quite valued for the amount of flexibility they have in the working force.

Perhaps one of the most valued (and strange) half-breeds out there are the Felnogs, gnome-goblins. Diminutive, fleet-footed and mischievous, they often serve as messengers, bankers, inventors, or jewelers. They typically have bright red or blue noses that intensify in color depending on their mood. Most that work alongside them consider them amazingly annoying to be around, and upon the first sign of danger, they're usually the first ones out of combat.

Though it's unknown how they came about, a species known as the Tanarukk used to linger around the outside of Ustenstead. They're typically hired as bouncers in taverns and are almost never seen in broad daylight. Though they guard their superiors fiercely, they're known to be unpredictable. They tend to bend an ear when a high enough price is made. Their infamy for taking bribes has made most hesitant to hire them at all, but nobody does their job better than they do.

Government

A royal family, known by the title of The Pure Gaze, rules over Ustenstead. It's thought that they have a complete iron grip on every inch of the city, including those allowed inside, the taxes issued on goods, and the homes people can move into. Though this amount of control has made Ustans quite uneasy, most cannot deny that playing by the rules of The Pure Gaze has given them an easy life. Those that are against them, however...

Far above all other nations, magic is regarded with intense fear by Ustenstead's government. To coax mages out of the city, whenever one is found, said mage is publicly lynched in front of the entire city. There is to be a specific date at a specific time where everybody must attend. The Pure Gaze has made this a mandatory gathering. While these events have caused the use of magic in Ustenstead to dwindle greatly, it has also served the purpose of casting a blemish on The Pure Gaze's reputation. The elves are by far the most critical of this, looking upon these lynchings with profound disgust.

Defences

Ustenstead is heavily guarded from its choice of soldiers (the tanarukks) to the weapons they use. Towering walls protect the city, and surrounding the outside is a moat. These defenses continue outwards into even the meadow laying before Ustenstead, as towers are littered across the land. Those paid to be sentries this far out of Ustenstead are paid the most out of all soldiers.

Industry & Trade

Ustenstead would be self-sufficient were it not for the fact that the soil in Ustenstead is hard to grow anything in. As a result, they rely on Bergeron for both food and machinery. Ironically, their biggest trade competitor is Bergeron, but the other settlement doesn't care much for Ustenstead in the way of trade.

Infrastructure

The most impressive structure in Ustenstead is perhaps the bell tower, known as Ei Vaniya, located at the center of the city. Consisting of fifteen floors, it's designed as a library of the history of Prostesa. At approximately noon every day, three massive bells at the top of the tower are rung, creating a symphony that can be heard from Bergeron. Much like Eliva, Ustenstead also boasts a shipyard, though not as big as Eliva's.

Sitting at the very back of the city is a building where The Pure Gaze lies. Upon stepping inside, you're greeted to a massive main hall with a white throne lying at the end of a dark fuchsia rug. This main hall branches off into several other rooms including a banquet hall, a personal library, a ballroom, and bedrooms that lie upstairs. You are advised to wipe your feet before stepping inside the building. The building itself is made of a marble not unlike the kind seen in Arc'Zen, though it's unknown how The Pure Gaze obtained this much of it.

Just near the center of the city is River Square, a place where many people gather in order to share casual discussion and exchange goods. It doubles as a market at noon.

Assets

As Ustenstead gets its supplies from Bergeron, most of the innovation of the Bergans can be seen here. Recently, the dili of Bergeron have developed firearms, drawing inspiration from a long-dead kenku of Unis and improving on the design. It's thought that a Prostesan kenku dilus heard of this other kenku's accomplishments and wished to honor them by starting this new line of weaponry.

Just on the edge of River Square is a tavern known as The Slippery Seawitch. It can be found after a long, declining ramp of cobblestone. Though it lies directly under someone's house, nobody knows who the house belongs to, as it appears to never be inhabited during the day.

Guilds and Factions

Those who work directly under The Pure Gaze are known as The Porcelain Mask. It's unknown what exactly their influence is on Ustenstead is, though there have been rumors of members working in the criminal underbelly of Ustenstead. This is likely a result of The Pure Gaze's reputation slowly worsening with each lynching that takes place.

There are people that wander the night streets, people that watch from afar, and people that note the name and face of everyone that come across. These people are known as The Virulent. This name is drawn from the poisons they create and the syringes they store the blood of their victims in. Each one is said to wear a mask resembling a bird's face. Though the masks are not identical to one another, they all serve the same purpose of both hiding the assailer's face and giving them a way to identify themselves. The Virulent are the ones blamed for people disappearing off the streets one night. They are said to have stitched their mouths shut entirely, allowing not a single word to be spoken. It's unknown how they converse.

History

A long time ago, shortly after the time of Ustenstead's creation, two kingdoms ruled peacefully. This was the Kingdom of Lithia and the Kingdom of Vera. King Baldrek Leonhardt I and King Julian Eastoft III considered each other spirit brothers. They'd meet at the Lithian Isles once a year to exchange advice, tell stories, and celebrate their friendship. Their relatives were always invited, and their cheer could be felt for miles. However, not all was well between these two, as Julian's wife, Maybelle, despised Baldrek. She saw him as oafish, obnoxious, and a terrible leader. This perception of this dwarf spawned from greed, as Maybelle wanted the kingdom of Illwurn for herself.

One night, while her husband was asleep, she snuck out of Ustenstead and fled to Bethalon. There, she met the horrid Makarans, and struck a deal with them. King Leonhardt would be taken off the throne, but forcefully. The Makarans knew the terrors they would unleash upon the world, but they chose to do so anyway. On the dawn before the Kings' next meetings, the ground rumbled, shook, and gave way under the weight of a hideous beast. It struck fear into the hearts of all that gazed upon it, a gaze of pure, absolute, ravenous hunger.

This horrific abomination was known as the tarrasque.

Baldrek was indeed taken off the throne, but at the cost of thousands of Ustenstead's most prized soldiers, for majority of them were killed by the monster Queen Eastoft released. They were buried in the meadow just in front of Ustenstead, a meadow known as The Meadow of Sorrow. This devestation severed the alliance between Ustenstead and Illwurn, and the two nations have disliked each other since.

Without their closest ally to support them, Ustenstead had to lean towards Bergeron for assistance, and Ustenstead's current rulers have already begun to rub the Bergans the wrong way.

Architecture

The materials used to build the homes in Ustenstead are usually very refined, as Ustans pride themselves on looking proper. The slums on the outer parts of the city, however, are much different. There's no care for the people in poverty, ironic as they are some of the most critical of the government. Yet, their homes suffer from wear and tear. Their wood rots, their floors creak, and occasionally, their doors don't even work right. The poor that don't even have homes to live in sleep under the overhanging roofs of stores or other homes.

Geography

The walls of outer Ustenstead sit just beyond the edge of a massive cliff. There's a massive strip of land in front of two enormous gates that declines into The Meadow of Sorrow. For those who don't understand the history behind those flowers, the place can be seen as purely beautiful in all senses of the word. For those who understand the tragedy and terror that the deceased had to endure, it's bittersweet in its peacefulness. It's said that the tarrasque that ravaged the land created a hole so deep that it became its own lake, known as Lake Josephine. It's rumored further that the remains of said tarrasque lie at the bottom of it, though nobody has been able to confirm this.

Alternative Name(s)

Midnight Vale

Type

Large city

Population

48,000 citizens

Inhabitant Demonym

Ustans; Midnight Folks