Blackridge

Blackridge was once a graveyard for a small, forgotten town on the edge of The Burned Frontier. It now serves as a fortified village for almost four-hundred people. Its rusted, iron fence is reinforced with layers of scrap metal. Many graves were cleared away to make room for garden plots and living spaces. The former church houses the village's leader and their advisors, as well as their immediate family. Recreational vehicles were salvaged from abandoned campgrounds and repurposed into homes. The majority of housing in Blackridge is, unfortunately, ramshackle and prone to damage during the storms that the Burned Frontier spits out. Those who are unluckier are forced to live out of tents.

Defences

Blackridge is surrounded by its original, wrought iron fence. The fence itself has been heavily reinforced with scrap metal and wood. Four makeshift guard towers overlook the village itself and the land immediately surrounding it. Experienced combatants and their canine companions patrol the perimeter of the village in shifts. A single gate leads in and out of the graveyard, and entry into Blackridge is limited. In the church's basement is a tunnel leading to an old fallout shelter. The leader and their family utilize this space during intense weather and raids on the settlement. One beat-up spotlight exists at the gate and those put on guard duty are armed with homemade weapons.

Industry & Trade

The majority of the village's wealth comes from the sale of scavenged materials, mainly scrap metal and small power sources. Scavenging parties are assembled monthly and sent further into the Burned Frontier to procure resources and anything of value. The merchants of Blackridge travel between nearby settlements to peddle their wares, and a third of their income goes directly back into the village. Outside merchants are not permitted to sell anything within Blackridge's walls. Those who try are fined heavily and barred from returning. A handful of skilled mechanics live in the village, though only one of them has a proper workshop. Commoners in Blackridge are relegated to farming and tending to what little livestock the village has. It's rumored that the settlement regularly does business with The Visionaries, but no one has been able to verify whether this is true or not.

History

Blackridge was founded in the year 2079 by Tricia Gibson, a former politician who fled California with her family due to horrific floods. They took up residence in an abandoned graveyard and tried to turn it into a climate safe haven for not only them, but other refugees from the Burned Frontier. Tricia appointed her old friends, Kerri Jordan and Stanley Dow, as her advisors. Despite the leadership experience between them all, the trio was vastly unprepared for how quickly Blackridge grew. A years-long drought crawled through the Burned Frontier, eventually reaching the village by 2085. Crops and livestock died, as did many of the villagers due to starvation. Violence within Blackridge heightened as the remaining resources became more and more scarce. During a riot, Stanley Dow was killed before he could take shelter with his family.
In response, Tricia and Kerri locked down the village. No one was let in without paying a heavy price and those who left Blackridge found themselves unable to return. In 2089, Blackridge saw another significant drop in its population. Survivors of the drought abandoned the village and later resettled in the Midwest. Tricia's husband fell ill and died under mysterious circumstances shortly after the survivors' exodus. In the following years, the village became off-limits to the majority of outsiders. Tricia's granddaughter steps into the role that Stanley left behind and is intended to become Blackridge's leader upon Tricia's retirement. This angers Kerri, and tensions have risen between the Jordan and Gibson families.

Climate

Blackridge is settled on the edge of the Burned Frontier and as such, it frequently experiences many forms of extreme weather. Severe thunderstorms roll through often, causing flash flooding throughout the nearby area as well as Blackridge itself. The destitute of the village receive the worst of it, gaining serious injuries or dying from the elements. In 2085, an intense drought crawled through the region and destroyed Blackridge's crops. That period of time led to mass starvation and infighting over resources. By the year 2089, there was an exodus of the downtrodden survivors who went on and resettled in the Midwest.

Founding Date

2079

Alternative Name(s)

The Old Church
Junkyard
Scrapyard

Type

Village

Population

385

Location under

The Burned Frontier