Hillshire
A quite mining town with an odd reputation for tolerating species from all corners of Tarien, Hillshire was first settled in the late second century AC as an Eldoria penal colony. Criminals from Molcatta worked the mines for over nearly half a millennium as the various governments of Sarya's Republic continued to send undesirables to the town. Grisly conditions in the mines led to ghastly mortality rates. Fortunately for the mine overseers, neither the Eldorians nor the warlords that followed found a shortage of prisoners to fill the ranks.
Finally, in the middle of the seventh century a group of minors, led Amzukk the Butcher, revolted, killing mines current owners and freeing all of the miners. Amzukk attempted, for a time, to improve conditions and pay the miners, but soon proved a better revolutionary than businessmen and the mines shuttered, leading to the near abandonment of the town. Only in recent years, when an Khadric engineer named Tharmin Dark Eyes took interest in the mines did they re-open.
By purchasing debts from the various warlords in Sarnyan, Tharmin has managed to establish contracts with a steady flow of miners. While the terms of these contracts might seem oppressive to some, charging the miners exorbitant rates for their own equipment, room, and board, many indebted find it a better solution than facing whatever passes for justice in the Republic. Without any regard for whether these debts belong to Human, Ork or any other species, Dark Eyes has had no shortage of takers despite terms in indenture that run as long as thirty years in the most severe cases. And while a few have attempted to flee their contracts, Tharmin's motley crew of mercenaries have had great success tracking them down and turning them into harsh examples to dissuade others of a similar mind.
With the mines churning out iron again, the town has begun to rebuild. Most of the original buildings remain - vacant and dilapidated - with newer barracks for the miners and other buildings built in the open spaces left by those that had been razed in the riots when Amzukk first revolted. No self-respecting Khadra would consider anything built by Tharmin's enterprise as acceptable. Instead, he spends just enough to keep operations running and iron flowing. In recent years, he has added a pair of taverns, complete with brothels and gambling, to keep his workers entertained and sufficiently in debt.
Shift Change in Hillshire
Founding Date
184 AC
Type
Town
Population
1500
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location