Westrock

Westrock is a Tatharian colony on the edge of civilization, founded fifteen years ago to support mining operations deep in the Badlands. Situated just north of the Emerald Sea’s rocky shore, it functions as the Empire’s primary hub for logistics, shipping, and travel in the region. Ore, gems, and rare minerals flow out; food, equipment, and rumor flow in.
Its population—mostly Human, with a sizable Halfling presence via the elite Peregrine courier service—is a blend of miners, traders, mercenaries, and opportunists. It’s the last stop for travelers hoping to return to the Empire, and the first choice for outlaws hoping to vanish into the dust.
Westrock is officially governed by a military-appointed official, but the soldiers only patrol his compound. Law elsewhere is enforced by mercenary guards and mining guild contracts. Private disputes are settled in taverns, alleyways, or not at all. Justice is whatever someone can afford to pay for—or avoid.
The town’s economy is driven by the needs of the remote mining settlements and the demands of those who dwell outside the law. Bounty hunters thrive here, operating from loosely regulated contracts. Smuggling is open secret, and the black market is as vibrant as the main bazaar. Beneath the dusty streets, rumor has it that tunnels connect safehouses, trade dens, and outlaw meeting points shielded from prying eyes.
Westrock walks the line between outpost and outcry—part sanctuary, part powder keg. For now, the trade flows, the town endures, and the desert waits to claim what slips through the cracks.

Demographics

Westrock is a rough-edged colony clinging to the western fringe of the Badlands, its people hardened by grit, dust, and opportunity. Though it is officially a Tatharian holding, the colony’s survival depends far more on the tenacity of its settlers than on any imperial support. The town’s population hovers near 1,200 permanent residents, with seasonal fluctuations driven by trade convoys, migrant miners, and travelers seeking passage east or west.

Humans of Tatharian Descent

The overwhelming majority of Westrock’s residents are humans from the Tatharian Empire—former citizens, second-born sons, disgraced officials, and daring entrepreneurs alike. Most come seeking fortune through mining or trade. The town was built around nearby mineral veins, and labor is always in demand. The Empire provides official recognition and shipping support, but little else; settlers are expected to defend and govern themselves. Over time, Westrock has developed its own customs and leadership structures, with town councils often made up of retired caravan guards and respected mine bosses.

Halflings and the Peregrine Service

A notable minority of halflings lives in Westrock, most of whom work for the Peregrines—the Empire’s premier long-distance postal and courier service. These halflings are highly organized, impeccably efficient, and quietly influential. Known for their unwavering schedules and unmatched route knowledge, the Peregrines ensure that Westrock remains connected to Tatharia proper. Mail, trade orders, passenger manifests, and even high-priority political communiqués pass through their hands. Many consider the halflings the real reason Westrock hasn’t collapsed into isolation.

Transients, Drifters, and Outlaws

Westrock also serves as the main port of entry and exit for the entire Badlands. Ships bound for the Empire offload supplies and passengers, while those fleeing westward can catch a ride out—if they can pay. This has made Westrock a magnet for desperate souls: adventurers, fugitives, broken mercenaries, smugglers, and exiles. Some pass through quickly. Others vanish into the Badlands beyond, chasing coin or running from consequences.
The result is a population defined not just by who stays, but by who leaves. Westrock is the last gate before the Badlands consume identity, order, and past sins alike.

Government

Westrock is a colony in name, not in nature. Though technically under the authority of the Tatharian Empire, it is governed more by necessity than by decree. Officially, Westrock falls under the purview of a Military Governor, appointed by the Tatharian Army to oversee the colony’s interests on behalf of the Crown. In practice, however, his authority is narrow, his resources limited, and his reach seldom extends beyond the stone walls of his own compound.
The governor’s post is a lonely one. His estate, perched above the docks and flanked by signal towers, is a fortified building staffed by a handful of uniformed soldiers—just enough to maintain imperial dignity, not enough to project power. These troops patrol only the immediate grounds of the compound and escort the governor when he ventures into the settlement. The rest of the town is left to its own means.
To maintain order beyond his walls, the governor contracts private guard companies—mercenary outfits and veteran-led bands paid to enforce basic law and keep peace in the streets. Their loyalty is financial, not patriotic, and while some are professional, others are little more than thugs in uniform. Rivalries between guard crews are common, and turf disputes occasionally spill into the open.
When conflicts escalate beyond what the hired guards can manage, the governor may issue temporary authority to militia councils, made up of respected townsfolk or mining guild leaders. These councils act quickly and dissolve just as fast, often solving problems more effectively than the paid guards, though not always lawfully.
Imperial law exists in Westrock—but it is selectively enforced and heavily influenced by Gold, grudges, and the governor’s whim. Justice is a commodity, and rulings are often transactional. The governor holds court twice per month, hearing disputes and settling debts. Most, however, prefer to keep their business out of his hands.
In Westrock, power isn’t held. It’s negotiated, borrowed, and occasionally taken at knifepoint.

Industry & Trade

Westrock survives—and thrives—not on agriculture or abundance, but on its ability to serve as a hub for two distinct populations: the rough-and-ready mining settlements scattered across the Badlands, and the outlaws who haunt its caves, ridges, and lawless passes. What the colony lacks in fertile soil or local production, it makes up for with organization, opportunity, and access to Imperial shipping routes.

Trade and Supply

The colony’s docks bustle with activity each time a Tatharian ship arrives. Supplies such as grain, salt, oil, textiles, and tools are offloaded and sorted by warehouse crews and bonded traders. In return, crates of raw ore, cut gems, and rare minerals flow back to the Empire. A proper manifest is usually filed, but everyone knows that unofficial crates change hands just as frequently—especially at night. Smuggling is commonplace and rarely punished unless someone forgets to bribe the right inspector.
Everything needed to survive in the Badlands can be found in Westrock—for a price. Traders operating under loose licenses sell mining equipment, climbing gear, lamp oil, preserved food, medicine, poisons, and weapons. Caravan companies resupply here before heading into the interior. The colony has become a de facto market town for dozens of remote encampments.

Service Economy

Beyond goods, Westrock thrives on information and services. The Peregrines bring mail and news, but rumors flow faster in the taverns. Bounty hunters, scouts, and guides post their credentials on communal walls or hire criers to drum up work. Many bounty hunters make a comfortable living here, operating under lightly regulated contracts issued by the governor’s office or wealthy mining interests.
Healers, translators, cartographers, and even arcanists run modest businesses out of converted homes and old storehouses. The demand for information and the ever-changing nature of the Badlands make these services as valuable as iron or gold.

Illicit Trade

Though the governor would never admit it, part of Westrock’s trade depends on the very outlaws it claims to despise. They bring stolen goods, illicit minerals, and information—often through intermediaries. There’s a thriving black market that hums just beneath the main streets, sometimes literally. Certain inns and bathhouses are known fronts for fencing operations. Rumor holds that entire networks of tunnels beneath Westrock serve as neutral ground for deals that can’t survive the sun.
In Westrock, everything is for sale, and everyone is a buyer or seller—even if what they’re selling is someone else's blood.

Table of Contents

Founders

• Naram-Sin

Type

Outpost / Base

Population

1200

Location under

Badlands

Owning Organization

Tatharian Empire