Woodspan
You're as likely to enter Woodspan from the edges of The Faewoods or Silverbark, The as you are from the road. With the east and west of the town practically touching the forested areas nearby, it's possible to cross between them without seeing any roads. Once a powerful logging settlement, now it's overgrowing with wilderness, pressing the inhabitants to the centre of the town.
Demographics
Species
| Species | Number (%) | Male (%) | Female (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human | 83 (21%) | 49 (59%) | 34 (41%) |
| Elf | 104 (26%) | 53 (51%) | 51 (49%) |
| Eladrin | 59 (15%) | 21 (36%) | 38 (64%) |
| Halfling | 149 (38%) | 84 (56%) | 65 (44%) |
Jobs
| Career | Number (%) |
|---|---|
| Guard | 28 (7%) |
| Tavernkeeper | 17 (4%) |
| Hunter | 46 (12%) |
| Lumberer | 39 (10%) |
| Labourer | 52 (13%) |
| Furrier | 19 (5%) |
Government
With little order coming to the town from other settlements, the residents primarily guide their own ways. Living in several clustered areas of the town, they have gravitated towards a group-orientated leadership, with one person overseeing each cluster. These leaders will periodically gather to talk and discuss matters, but overall each cluster runs on its own.
Defences
The town is primarily defended by the resident guards, bolstered by any hunters who are not away searching for prey in the forests. Equipped with leather armour bolstered by thicker pads and armed with a variety of simple weapons, the buildings that they are established in are strengthened and reinforced to provide points at which the residents of the town can seek shelter.
In addition to the guards, the hunters who live in the town will provide their assistance when needed. Their bows and sharp eyes provide valuable support, while their knowledge of the surrounding lands lets them harass any enemy who comes for the town during the battle and in any retreat. When out of arrows, the razor-edged hunting knives prove just as deadly to their enemies.
Industry & Trade
The goods produced by Hide or Hair can be transported and traded to nearby settlements, especially with the travelling nature of the Halfling clan; many of them are usually away with the caravans, though they all live within the town normally. They also trade in preserved meats from the hunters and occasional excess alcohol production, available in any of the neighbouring settlements. Once every four weeks, the neighbouring settlements travel to Woodspan, which serves as a market hub at these times.
Infrastructure
While a number of lumbermills exist around the town, many have fallen into disrepair and neglect. Those which still function have often had to replace parts with inferior materials, or use manual labour to function; a chain which breaks might need to be replaced with a woven length of plant fibre, or a dulled blade cannot be replaced or sharpened completely, requiring additional workers to keep the blade cutting.
The tavern that remains is somewhat run down, but still serviceable for its uses. Though some of the attached buildings are abandoned or collapsed, the tavern is still standing strong against the weather. With a crudely assembled shelter outside for any riding or pack animals, the tavern also offers a place of security for such beasts of burden.
Assets
The local tavern is called the Poachers Pint and serves various homebrews to the clientele. With brews derived from local herbs, grains and nuts, the Poachers supply of alcohol varies throughout the year as different brewable materials come and go in availability. Though there are some materials used by them that could serve as food when cooked, Poachers rarely takes more than is needed for the shoddily patched brewing vats in the cellar.
Staffed and owned by the Halflings of the Silver Salmon family, the furrier is known as Hide or Hair. They produce various goods from the hides of hunted animals, working with the materials for clothing and other items such as packs and skins for water. Their products are also sought out for the restoration of materials, such as tanned hides to waterproof beneath the roof thatching that requires replacement or to create oilskins for weaponry like bows, quivers for arrows, and fishing rod cases.
History
Woodspan was founded to provide a large source of sustainable lumber, able to support a large region of Aesruk with its materials. While the Faewild was able to be logged, it proved riskier than the Silverwoods due to the leaking of Feywild influence into the forest. Unusual beasts and strange effects were observed, resulting in the Silverwoods being preferably logged. The Silverwoods, in fact, were so used that the forest ended up in its current state; almost a fifth of its previous size when logging ceased.
After the Cataclysm struck, the town was left with a heavy reliance upon an industry that no longer existed. Much of the population left for other places to seek a better life, while for those who remained the town became little more than a thinly inhabited sprawl of damaged buildings. They survive through hunting and minor logging still, with a reliance on bartering for goods from other towns.
Architecture
The core buildings of the town's industry are built from large blocks of stone, powered not by a river but by a pair of large sawblades moved through rotating wooden axles. With the rotation provided by workers who pull on long chains, the twinned blades can slice through the logs with ease.
Central buildings have been built upon to create a series of durable and defensible structures, enabling the population to shelter from any attacks. Such buildings can also serve as a location where the guards and hunters can fortify from, using the buildings to provide a rough line of defense.
Geography
Established in a small depression of the ground, Woodspan is rather well sheltered due to the raised ground and surrounding trees. While much of the depression has filled in with deep drifts of snow since the roads passing through are kept clear in all directions. No mining capabilities are established within a reasonable distance, rendering any changes to the buildings reliant upon the lumber production.
Natural Resources
With a bounty of lumber and related produce available, Woodspan can sustain itself with relative ease. Though foodstuff can be farmed within a minor range of the town and hunting provides a good supply of meat and hide, the resources are scarce enough that they are unable to develop a sizeable stockpile in the event of famine or change in supply.
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