Gillan's Well
In the peat bogs of northwestern Greymantle, the town of Gillan's Well is growing in size and power despite its questionable reputation and associations. The town and those who support its growth and success like to refer to it as "Little Lockhinge," while those who have serious doubts about what will happen if it becomes a seat of influence in the region look at is as "New Blindwater."
Government
Gillan's Well has always used the title of "Mayor" to denote the single governing individual of the settlement, but how this title has been claimed has varied somewhat over the years, with voting rarely coming into play. Most recently, the title was claimed with violence, when the previous Mayor was murdered by the current one, Blue-Eyes Shadeslinger, though the town claims that it was a "vote" of sorts, as no one in town argued the change in leadership.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is of vital importance to Gillan's Well, as scant as it may be, with the town being founded around and named for the very first piece of infrastructure it claimed. With little dry, solid ground to be found in the area, infrastructure is really all that is holding the settlement together, and the people of Gillan's Well have gotten very skilled in the art of pulling together a relatively efficient floating town.
With its enterprising spirit ever-growing, Gillan's Well has been focused on setting itself up as a hub of trade and travel in the region by reinforcing its routes of travel. While still difficult to navigate compared to roads in other parts of the kingdom, the land routes in and out of Gillan's Well have become some of the best in Greymantle Marsh. The town has also spent considerable resources on engineering itself a direct canal route to the nearest river, finally connecting itself to the main artery running through the rest of the marshlands and beyond.
Assets
The primary export of Gillan's Well is peat, but that does little to set itself apart from the other settlements in the area all likewise specializing in peat. It's very first asset (and still a unique and vital one) was gaining and keeping control of the only large supply of readily-drinkable water in the area. The famous wellspring running under the rise of land that the town is anchored to is what first allowed a significant population to gain a foothold and finally begin to tame such an inhospitable area.
Once this foothold had been established, Gillan's Well immediately set out to make itself valuable to the larger settlements of Greymantle, shipping out peat at a higher rate than the smaller communities, and advertising itself as the "last outpost" in the west. It very intentionally made itself an appealing stopping point along several different routes of travel by making the detour seem more appealing than traveling in a more direct line from one place to another without rest.
Because of these caravans coming through (both legal and illicit) and its bold attempts to draw in more, Gillan's Well became known as something of a rowdy town with a generous amount of vice. Where Blindwater's reputation was something of lawlessness and lack of moral character, Gillan's Well instead took the initiative and intentionally began to broadcast an invitation to come party.
The brothels and taverns of Gillan's Well are now said to be second only to those in Lockhinge city, and even more creative in some cases. The dark side to these claims are the murmurings that Gillan's Well is also a hot spot of illegal humanoid trafficking in Greymantle.
Alternative Name(s)
Little Lockhinge, New Blindwater
Type
Town
Inhabitant Demonym
Gillan's Weller
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization