The Trenches
While not technically a district, the Trenches is the lowest level of Copperwall. It was once a resting place for the dead, complete with its own funeral home and mortuary services in the same building. The building has been abandoned for a few decades due to the population boom in the higher districts. Currently, the Trenches serve as a dumping ground for cremated and decayed human remains. The majority of Copperwall citizens across all districts choose to steer clear of the Trenches.
As of the start of the story, Hawthorne Cavalier is the only person willingly living in the Trenches. He secretly lives in the old Whitton House building. Prior to meeting Clyde Martin and Claudine Martin, no one (to his knowledge) knew he was living there. While Hawthorne doesn't technically own or have legal rights to the Trenches, he considers himself the sole proprietor of the district.
History
When Copperwall was first built, the Trenches were a large underground cemetery. The city had not achieved a population boom, and there was plenty of room and access for funerals and cremation services. At the time, citizens needed access to two separate elevators to get to the Trenches; the main elevator and the special Trenches elevator. There was also a winding staircase to use in case of emergencies or elevator malfunctions.
Once the population of Copperwall began to rapidly grow, the Copperwall City Authority made the decision to stop using the Trenches for burials and instead invest in individual district funeral homes. The council at the time elected to demolish the Whitton House and Nightshade, recycling the debris to support construction for the new funeral homes. While the majority of citizens agreed with the decision, a select group of mages were devastated. They saw the Trenches as a sacred place, and in an effort to protect the spirits and graves, they placed a curse on the elevator and winding stairs to keep the City Authority from destroying the Whitton House and Nightshade. The curse would cause the elevator to fall, which would kill any riders. It also caused the staircase steps to mysteriously disappear, also causing deaths, disappearances, and fatal injuries.
As of the start of the story, Hawthorne Cavalier is currently the only living person to successfully disarm the cursed elevator. He learned from his now deceased mother, who also figured out how to disarm it.
Points of interest
The Whitton House is the funeral home located in the center of the district, not too far from the elevator landing. It is a large, two-story structure that once held several gathering rooms for funerals and over a dozen offices. Part of the building also held mortuary services, such as body embalming and cremation.
Nightshade is the catacombs reserved for deceased public figures. There are several tombs dedicated to celebrities, government officials, and other notable figures that contributed to the original development of Copperwall.
Climate
The Trenches are significantly cooler than the rest of Copperwall. There are less than ten overhead lights outside of the Whitton House, and despite all of the lights in Nightshade, they remain off to conserve power. The only source of power comes from the Whitton House, and Hawthorne chooses to conserve power by only using electricity in areas he frequents.
Natural Resources
Varieties of stone and metal are abundant in the Trenches.
Alternative Name(s)
The Wastes
Type
District
Population
1
Owner/Ruler
Additional Rulers/Owners
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Comments