Blackwood
Water and stone from the Hollow Peaks, dark wood from that cursed forest, and money from the Current. This city is as depressing as that girl is joyful...
A city built entirely out of pale granite slabs and wood as dark as coal, Blackwood is a port city in the southern region of Faströnd, famous for its raven-black ships guarding the southern waters of the Wooden Coast and for being the cultural center of The Mourning Return.
Named for the dark-toned wood it collects from The Mourning Woods which re present in every part of the city's daily life, Blackwood was once a great bastion of defense in the southern region of the Wooden Coast. Its tall granite walls stopped goblin invasions from The Hollow Peaks from ever reaching the riches of Fyr-Elfhafen and its dark warships effectively put an end to naval raids and piracy in the area until the Great Southern War.
Demographics
Mainly human, the population of Blackwood has a slightly different population than expected from a city in Faströnd. With almost no elven or halfling families, this darkened city is home to a greater population of integrated goblin families than one would normally see around Rendära-düh. These families however, at the same time they are valued for their crafting expertise, are still normally treated as outcasts, being excluded to a sort of slums near the walls of the city.
Government
In an attempt to emulate the ruling system in Fyr-Elfhafen, the city of Blackwood initially evolved in such a way so that it was ruled by a single noble family, advised by a small group of advisers, each focused on a single aspect of city's daily life. Unlike what used to happen in Fyr-Elfhafen, in Blackwood the Council of advisers was not elected by a vote of majority by sections of the population, but directly chosen by the ruling noble at the time. Even though this noble family still answered to the Crown in Fyr-Elfhafen, this method of choosing its personal advisers allowed for some amount of authoritarianism within the city's borders.
However, the destruction of the city during the southern raid of the Great Southern War left the population to fend for itself, as the previously ruling noble family has supposedly been murdered during the event. Although it managed to self-rule for some years, it is now under the rule of [PH]Blackwood_Noble , who answers to Gale Lionhart, ruler of Fyr-Elfhafen.
Defences
Once a formidable fortress, its tall stone walls are now crumbled to the ground, along with the city's keep, Blackwood Keep.
Industry & Trade
Before its destruction, Blackwood obtained half of is income through their port, known as the Pitch Harbor, due to the color of its sand after ships in maintenance were covered in black resin to increase its resistance to water.
Nowadays, this city is forced to lean on its secondary source of income, forcing the surviving citizens to live focused on the trade of darkened wood and granite stones by land merchants.
Infrastructure
Although once a relatively rich city, this bleak location was never opulent in possessions or appearances. With a decent access to stone, only the poorest habitations were made entirely from wood and mortar, with stone houses being a prevalent sight in the richest part of the city.
On top of the tallest hill stood Blackwood Keep, keeping watch over the path between the Current and the Mourning Woods.
Nowadays, due to the Great Southern War, most of the city stands in ruins, with crumbled walls around a crumbled keep over crumbled houses. The survivors live either in freshly-built wooden sheds or, as is the case for the more wealthy, in rebuilt stone habitations.
Geography
Built near the mouth of River Rolig, the city of Blackwood stands atop a group of steep hills next to a small cove by the sea. With time, the city grew along its natural defenses, incorporating them to the advantage of the population.
RUINED SETTLEMENT
3380
Type
Large town
Population
~1000
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
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