Blackwood

It ain't called Steam city for nothing.

Demographics

The population of Blackwood is split mainly between the Pyntoss and the natives.
The Pyntoss are the original founders of Blackwood, who came from overseas in massive colonial ships during the 17th century. They are tall, black haired and have a pale complexion.
The natives, who call themselves the Vish’coh, meaning ‘Moon children’, mastered life within Vish’na long before the Pyntoss ever set sail. The Vish'coh are a tall people, possessing heavy cheeks, typically larger noses, and a reddish skin tone.
The Pyntoss and Vish’coh share a long history, and not all of it very pretty. However, The Vish’coh respect how the Pyntoss have managed to maintain the environment around Blackwood. Partly because of this, the Pyntoss of Blackwood currently enjoy a (mostly) peaceful relationship with the Vish’coh.

Industry & Trade

Blackwood's economy is essentially run by three industries: The lumber business, the mining business, and agriculture. Thus, there most important exports are lumber, sandstone and grain.
Most citizens work within these three industries, either cutting trees with terrifying machinery, digging up sandstone, loading steaming trains, or working the fields in powerful machines.
Blackwood also exports fur, meat and machinery on the side. Although, thanks to brilliant inventors such as Aaton Daahl, Blackwood is gaining a foothold within the machine industry.
Blackwood imports a large amount of steel and other metals from across the world, as well as sand. Sand is a widely imported item, as blown glass figures and goblets are a hot commodity among the upper classes of Blackwood.

Infrastructure

Train tracks spider-web their way across the entirety of Blackwood, bearing the heavily burdened trains as they make their way from Blackwood to the far away Crystal port, to unload their cargo bound for distant shores. Steam-boilers keep switches from freezing during the winter, allowing trains to chug along even in the most frigid of winters.
Blackwood is also criss-crossed with various large roads, allowing all manner of steam cars and carriages to traverse the city.

Assets

Blackwood is home to various machines of every kind, from Aaton Daahl's spindly Lumber Cutters to the massive trains that rumble through the city, spewing steam into the night air. Blackwood boasts large stores of sandstone, lumber, fur and food.

History

Shortly after the foundation of Blackwood in the 17th century, Blackwood experienced an unprecedented surge of support for environmentally friendly practices.
These advocates, strangely enough, came from all sectors of society, from the poorest of the poor to the richest of the rich. From business owners to lumberjacks, a substantial part of society pushed for green practices, very akin to the Native's own philosophy regarding the environment, which boils down to 'leave the land better than it was before.'
As a result, Blackwood maintains the thick forests as they were at its very inception, even to this day. Less than a minute's walk from the city's edge will take you into dense forest.
Strangely enough, the Pyntoss had never experienced such zealous support for environmental practices in their entire history.
It is worth noting Blackwood had a substantially large influx of new citizens at the same time.

Architecture

The predominant style for Blackwood homes is the Bay-and-gable. This style is characterized by tall, narrow homes with one or two large windows, all topped off by a peaked roof. Blackwood homes are constructed mostly from sandstone and/or pine.
Blackwood citizens decorate their homes with lamps shaped to look like animals, intricate bronze patterns hung from their roofs, and carvings/sculptures standing guard at the door. Some of these sculptures also feature bronze patterns worked into their surface.
Other buildings fall into the Gregorian style architechture, squat blocky buildings with little to no ornamentation.

Geography

Blackwood is located within the massive boreal forest of Vish'na, near a mountain-born river known as the Blackfeather river, named for the geese that were present when the river was first found. The expeditioner who named it had a great love of geese, apparently.
Blackwood is best seen at night at the tower, where it’s nickname ‘Steam city’ truly comes to life. Here, you can see the yellowish light of the city flicker in the night, a candle stranded in the sprawling dark. Huge columns of steam rise from the city, from trains huffing and puffing to and from stations, to steam cars chugging along crowded roads. These great plumes of steam swirl and dance in the night sky, highlighted by the city below and the moon-lit sky above.

Natural Resources

Blackwood's natural resources are plenty, thanks to the surrounding geography coming together just right to provide an abundance of natural resources. These resources are wood from the dense forests of Vish'na, sandstone deposits, fur and meat from a variety of northern fauna, and mountain river water which fuels both agriculture and the steaming hearts of Blackwood's machines.

Alternative Name(s)

Steam city

Type

City

Population

Blackwoods population stands at around a staggering 987,350 citizens, set to break the million mark soon.

Inhabitant Demonym

Blackwoods, Steamies

Location under

Vish'na