Evestead

Demographics

The village of Evestead consists almost exclusively of humans. Around 20% of the population can be classified as Shells, a low number compared to other vampiric settlements. It also has an unusually low proportion of vampire inhabitants. Both of these facts can be attributed to the leadership of Viktor, as he has been quoted as saying he 'prefers his meat with some spirit' and that he found others of his kind to be 'pretentious bloodbags'.

Government

Evestead is owned and governed by Viktor in name, however it is very rare to actually find him within its walls. The village is left to effectively govern itself under his guidelines, which functions fairly well due to the considerable number of Shells. The few vampires that do live there act as overseers of sorts, dealing out incredibly severe punishment (including bleeding, forced Shelldom and brutal public executions). Despite this constant fear, Evestead can be described as the least hostile of any of the human settlements, as Viktor's tenants are fairly lax and most villagers live simple, undisturbed lives.
Viktor's tenants are: 1) Do not leave the village. 2) Do not attack or disrespect any of the overseers. 3) If you are drafted for a bleeding, you must attend.
There are no formal policies on theft or crimes committed against other humans. The general consensus is usually the equivalent of a 'slap on the wrist' from one of the overseers if a human is caught with sufficient evidence. This usually consists of being put in the draft for a bleeding. It does vary from overseer to overseer, however, as most are quite unpredictable and their responses to such disputes can vary wildly. For this reason, most humans tend to settle matters among themselves without involving the overseers.

Infrastructure

Evestead is a relatively small village. The majority of buildings consist of taverns, brothels and other entertainment facilities that are favoured by Viktor and his overseers. These are mostly maintained by Shells due to their low maintenance. They are also not exclusive to vampires; Viktor likes to keep the population content, so all humans are welcome to spend their days drowning their sorrows. Many villagers live in humble trades not dissimilar to those found in the material plane (for example; cobblers, blacksmiths, tailors and seamstresses). The vast majority are farmers, though the process of farming is very different within the Shadowfell on account of the strange crops and limited resources. Any trade with other vampiric settlements happens directly through Viktor or the overseers.

History

Evestead was originally a very small, human run community. Of course, when the Silverbloods began their conquest over the Shadowfell, it fell under their dominion. With Morwenna and Dmitri having their own settlements already, Evestead was bestowed upon Viktor. Viktor took a very different approach to the takeover, having an odd fondness for the human inhabitants. He firstly instilled his tenants and a few of his most trusted allies as overseers. Their was some resistance at first, which was met with violence and the creation of several shells. Viktor's approach from then onward was to quell any forms of rebellion by keeping the villagers (somewhat) content. This started with the construction of bars, taverns and brothels open to all.
The major event that Viktor introduced was the Blood Moon Draft. Once every blood moon, an unusual form of market opens up, run entirely by vampires. All humans are drafted for a single pint of blood in the morning, and for the rest of the day they are free to use the rest of their blood to barter as a currency of sorts. Food, entertainment and the auctioning of luxury items is held, with each human paying in blood. At the end of the day, the charters are tallied up and the humans are led to the town hall where they attend bleedings that fill the vampires' reserves until the next blood moon. As morbid as it is, most villagers actively look forward to the Blood Moon as they all have to opportunity to obtain luxuries. While live feedings still occur, it also dramatically reduces their numbers as the vampires have a stock, hence the low number of Shells. This arrangement suits both humans and vampires as it is comparatively far less brutal than the feeding systems of the other settlements.

Architecture

Evestead was originally constructed by a small band of human settlers from the material plane, which is reflected in its architecture. The tight streets and humble abodes are not dissimilar to the ones found in villages such as Mirstone on the material plane, except made with the dark Shadowfellian wood and stone.

Geography

Evestead is located not far from the mountainous settlement of Evernight, and the deep gorge of the Deathstone valley. The land surrounding the village itself is fairly sparse, with only a few twisted trees and dark flora.

Type

Village

Location under

Shadowfell

Owner/Ruler

Viktor Silverblood

Owning Organization

The Silverbloods