Barkview

Crumbled buildings and half-destroyed shells of stone houses remain, with rotted and sagging piers draped across the sand and shallows. Barkview is very rarely occupied by the civilised races, nature steadily grinding the stone back into the sand once more.

Demographics

Much of the population here are constantly changing as they travel and pass by. Of those who reside here, only a dozen or so truly reside in Barkview, of which Humans tend to be most common.

Government

Led by an Elder, the hamlet turns to them for guidance and advise; when necessary, they can gather together a small militia from the inhabitants.

Defences

Several palisades have been erected around the outside of the town where the original walls have collapsed, sharpened stakes of wood jutting out and strapped into the gaps between the spikes. Ramshackle gates have been somewhat set into place via driftwood barricades that can be raised via ropes or lowered to seal the gaps.
For the militia, their armour is often composed of leathery scraps attached to rusting, beaten metal, flakes of orange peeling away as they move. Metal is too scarce to repair the armour or maintain weapons, and as metal is scavenged or repurposed, more of the arms and armour is replaced with knapped and sharpened bones scavenged from large ocean species.

Industry & Trade

The bone weapons and armour produced here are relatively popular, for those who can bring something worth trading. Lighter than worked metal, and just as sharp when worked, they're invaluable for those travelling lightly or hunting beasts. Arrows can be produced, but are notoriously unreliable; sometimes they strike true, while other times the arrowhead simply breaks off or shatters on impact, making them unrecoverable.

Infrastructure

The coast once had a number of piers extending into the ocean, but have since collapsed and silted up, creating wood-capped sandbanks. Several buildings for glass-blowing and stonemasonry exist, though the tools are either salt rusted or long salvaged for other uses. What roads remain are scoured stone panels, tilted and unsteady as the ground beneath shifted and collapsed.

Assets

Enough of the buildings have been maintained that a section of the town is permanently inhabited; the surrounding buildings are less well cared for, but nonetheless liveable. One of the inhabitants, Heuvon Saltspine, often works to provide or maintain the limited weapons and armour of the militia.

History

Barkview was once part of a trade triangle, providing a connection to Northchannel and @Spiretop. The three towns traded goods back and forth, and it was common opinion that the trio was on the verge of becoming boom towns, exploding into cities as new traders and settlers moved into their region.
The Cataclysm struck before the boom could occur, however, and Barkview was left damaged and tilted; the foundation of the town was stable initially, built upon soil and stone a few hours from the coast with a river for barges to travel. The river was lost, turned over and destroyed instantly, while much of the coastline slid away and suddenly left Barkview on unstable footing, the coast lapping at some of the buildings at high tide.

Tourism

Semi-regular trader visits occur here, as supplies are brought in. Often composed of necessary vital components that can't be manufactured here or raw resources to account for a loss due to bad weather or failure of tools, they're exchanged for bone goods and supplies again; salt is popular, as are sealed containers of saltwater for some reason.

Architecture

The buildings are primarily wooden, with the walls covered and sealed via mud. With the proximity to the coast now, much of the mud has long peeled away, leaving bare wood exposed. Warping is common to many timbers, salt crusting along the exposed sides. The walls are a mix, composed of stone and wood with collapsed spaces leaving gaps in the defences.
Common decorations consist of complicated chimes created from small bones that are hollowed and strung up, left to rattle in the wind. The sound is supposed to prevent spirits of those lost at sea from returning for vengeance and on stormy nights, are rattled enough to keep the town awake and break some of the charms against each other.

Geography

Shifting sands surround Barkview, though deep enough soil and stone form a foundation; occasional outcroppings of stone jut from the sands, granting sparse shade, while to the south-west the ocean takes precident, the sound of waves and birds filling the air.

Natural Resources

Fish, stone and salt are primary resources gathered in Barkview. Bones, when large enough and intact, are collected for shaping and working to create arms and armour which are rarely traded.

RUINED SETTLEMENT
2037 T.E.

Founding Date

1902 C.E.

Type

Town

Population

83

Inhabitant Demonym

Aesmarian

Location under

Aesmaril

Owning Organization

Frostcourt