White Glen
Where Dusk Meets Twilight
White Glen is a small town tucked away in a small clearing within the Shattergleam Forest. It is known for its high crime rate, dangerous shadow monsters, and its many grain mills. Only the toughest and most vigilant Bastillians can survive here. Dangers lurk in the dark of the perpetual twilight that envelopes the district and constant vigilance is often all that stands between White Glen and utter disaster.
Demographics
All races can be found within the borders of White Glen and there are no taboos regarding races mixing with one another. The only thing that the people of White Glen have in common is that they are social outcasts. Duskmen. This singular factor has bound men and women together in unlikely friendships. Even if two Glen inhabitants hate each other, they can find common ground in that they hate outsiders more.
Government
White Glen is an Autocracy by necessity. With little support from Light Watch and constant attacks from the shadow creatures of the forest, it is essential that a leader be elected to work toward the common good of White Glen. Commonly referred to as The Big Bloke, the leader of White Glen busies himself with keeping his ear to the ground and tasking personnel with solving the everyday problems of the community.
Defences
In contradiction of the edicts put in place by The Radiant Seat, every man, woman, and child is raised with a weapon in their hand. It is by necessity. The Illuminated Ones know full well that the people of White Glen are armed and also know that there is nothing that they can do about it.
The primary defense of White Glen is provided by the Twilight Rangers, a group of fifty well armed and well trained soldiers that often find themselves scuffling with the Illuminated Ones as much as they fight the various creatures of the forest.
Industry & Trade
Grind Your Meal To Make Our Bread
Every month caravans bearing wheat make their way across the light bridges to the Shattergleam Forest and then on to White Glen. These traders, part of The Affirmed are considered a distasteful necessity for the residents of White Glen. In exchange for necessities such as clothing, tools, and illegal weapons needed to fight the ever present shadow creatures, the people of the Glen use their mills to grind the wheat into flour. Of course, they take their cut of the produce as is only fair in their eyes.Unsanctioned Traders and Entrepreneurs
The Radiant Seat does not officially sanction trade with White Glen or with any village located within the Shattergleam Forest district. However, the Seat is not foolish enough to prevent trade from occurring. White Glen with its mills is single handedly grinding the flour for every other district within Bastille allowing population to grow far beyond its normal bounds. If trade were to be cut off from White Glen, 40% of Bastille would starve within a month. This fact does not diminish the fact that trading with Duskmen has a significant social stigma that can ruin a reputable businessman's credibility. If you plan to trade with White Glen or anyone in the Shattergleam, it is better to have at least two middlemen between you and the dirty Duskmen of the forest. Because of the natural aversion most decent folk have towards White Glen, an environment perfectly tailored to back door dealers has been created. White Glen has a reputation for being a place where any deal can be struck regardless of the edicts passed down by The Radiant Seat. Of course, the deals require the utmost secrecy. Just being suspected of making a deal outside of the law is enough cause to have ones status as part of The Affirmed revoked.Infrastructure
Due to the size of the district and the amount of water flow provided by Istishia's Dance, the people of White Glen have managed to construct water mills that are powered by aqua-ducts set into the ground around their homes. The constant flow of water through the Black Gorge has provided an endless source of energy to power the many mills run by the people of White Glen.
Assets
While there is little in the way of natural resources to be found within White Glen, it is universally agreed that they produce the finest warriors within the Bastille. Daily attacks by shadow creatures, drunken bar fights, and general distaste for anyone who does not call themselves Duskmen have honed the men and women of White Glen into seasoned fighters.
Guilds and Factions
The Twilight Rangers
Over the years, White Glen has procured a platoons worth of military grade weapons and armor. These highly prized, and highly illegal, pieces of equipment are reserved for members of the Twilight Rangers. Membership is gained through trials and only the most able applicants are accepted. The title of Ranger is life long and the only time a new Ranger is appointed is when an old one dies. Initiation into the rangers usually entails retrieving the armor of the fallen ranger the applicant is replacing. Rangers are widely respected within White Glen as protectors of the community and the first line of defense if the Illuminated Ones get any bright ideas of annexing White Glen. As such, the Twilight Rangers wield considerable political clout and often sway the opinion of the Big Bloke in favor of their policies.Architecture
A Village Below The Mud
White Glen consists of wood buildings that have been burrowed into the earth. It is customary that each house have one room built above ground level to act as a common area to greet guests. The private chambers are submerged by varying degrees into the earth. This tradition dates back to the founding of White Glen when harvesting wood was tedious and at times impossible. The scarcity of metal inhibited the creation of tools needed to harvest wood and fashion proper homes. Thus the early settlers dug into the ground making spacious subterranean houses for themselves. Only later, when the hard to find resources of Bastille were finally ferreted out was it feasible to create wooden houses, but by that time, the tradition of digging into the mud had been established.A Warren Of Neighbors
Duskmen are fiercely loyal to one another. So much so that many consider each other family. When this happens, it is not uncommon for the home of both parties to become connected by a series of tunnels. This practice leads to the a warren of interconnected houses that begin to resemble an ant colony. If a stranger were to enter into a house, he would find that he could walk dozens of miles through hundreds of homes before emerging once more into the twilight.Friends Of The Forest
White Glen residents are forest people by heart. They often become attached to certain trees and may, from time to time, claim one as a family heirloom. It is considered an insult of the highest order to deface a tree claimed in this way. As such, many trees can be seen poking up within the Glen. Sometimes, home are built directly under the root system of a family claimed tree. A recent tradition of building watchtowers within the canopy of these trees has been gaining traction, and some families have even taken to interring their dead within luxurious caskets that are fastened within the canopy.Geography
Scars Hidden By Trees
Similar to the rest of the Shattergleam district, White Glen is characterized by rolling hills covered with redwood pine trees. Heavy stone and granite can be found protruding from the ground. Deep gouges cut by torrential rain cycles mar the surface of the district. Travel is made difficult by mudslides and the ever changing courses of rivers.Natural Resources
The main resources available to White Glen are water, redwood, heavy stone, granite, and clay.
Type
Village
Population
800
Inhabitant Demonym
200
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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