Vartiger

(Legacy Content)

"My thoughts only go to the relatives of those that Vartiger has taken over. How can they cope with the loss of loved ones while said loved ones still walk this plane?"

— Anonymous, on the topic of Vartiger.

The term Vartiger refers to two things, a town on the eastern coastline of Gjalvalore, and the entity that has come to occupy both it and its people. The entity that has taken the name "Vartiger" appears to be some manner of extraterrestrial parasite, which landed in a meteor in the center of town. From there, it has gone on to infest every sapient being found within the town's walls, turning them into mindless drones enslaved to the will of its hive-mind. The Gjalvalorean government has since then established a full containment and quarantine around the town, which to this day remains. Over the decades, talks have been established between Alorean society and the entity, resulting in a form of "peace agreement" between the two, and establishing trade with the surprisingly industrious being.

Demographics

Due to the nature of Vartiger, data on the current state of the town's population is unavailable. However, in the months before Vartiger's arrival, the town was mainly about eighty-percent Aloreans, eighteen-percent Urbo-kin, one-percent Aquo-kin, and one-percent other.

Government

Vartiger does not operate by the standard means of government. As a hive-mind, its will is carried out without fail by what it refers to as its drones - the beings its parasite inhabits.

Defences

Vartiger is surrounded by a series of containment measures, including two separate walls, a naval blockade - courtesy of The Tyrralorean Defense Initiative - and a mystic barrier sustained by powerful Gjalvalorean magi.

Industry & Trade

Vartiger has managed to establish a limited trade agreement with the Gjalvalorean government, allowing it extremely limited interaction with the outside world. Since Vartiger does not use currency, it directly trades its raw materials - such as ores or minerals - for foodstuffs that it cannot acquire on its own from its fishing enterprises.

Infrastructure

The town before its infestation was built similarly to any other settlement, including a town hall, housing, and other structures for industries like fishing, woodcutting, mining, and so on. Since the appearance of Vartiger, the town has been gradually restructured to better suit its requirements, demolishing most of the housing, governmental buildings - essentially anything not required for industry. From there, it has repurposed or constructed new structures in a similar style to that which had previously existed. These new structures place an emphasis on the industry of the town - mostly mining and fishing - but a strange yet obvious (concerning the circumstance) addition to so-called "breeding houses," the presence of which resulting in the sporadic fluctuations of the town's population.

Assets

The town possesses numerous valuable stores of raw material that it acquires from its mines of from the seas, alongside a small fleet of outdated sail-based fishing vessels.

Geography

The town of Vartiger is primarily on the coastal edge of plains, which itself is on the edge of dense forests to the west, north, and south. To the east lies vast oceans, across which lay the Column Isle and Tyrralore.

Natural Resources

The main resources produced by Vartiger and coveted by Gjalvalore are its raw ores and minerals extracted from its deep and cavernous mines. Since the town has no associated farms itself it relies entirely on both its fishing vessels and its trade with the outside governments.

Alternative Name(s)

Soulless Haven

Type

Town

Population

600,000 (This number is constantly in question as the population growth cannot be adequately measured, and the population seems to be constantly rising)

Inhabitant Demonym

Husks, Drones (Previously Varties)

National Concerns

Due to the highly contentious nature of a hive-mind being allowed to exist on Alore, many have expressed concerns on such allowance. Many constituents of this argument include the relatives of those that Vartiger has possessed. Vartiger itself has expressed a desire to release those under its control in order to repair relations, though such desires are met with trepidations by both sides. The release of the town's original population will only be accomplished once Vartiger's replacement population has reached a similar level, thus requiring the extensive breeding houses. The relatives of the town's folk by contrast worry in what state the townsfolk will be released, if at all. Until that time occurs, the answer will not surface.