Blackhall

Government

Blackhall is a frontier settlement, and does not as yet answer to a higher authority. By virtue of their leadership in crises and their ability to keep the peace with a large posse of armed men, the Brothers Blackhall govern the town.

Defences

A great wall of logs and mortar stones, surrounded by a trench, was built last year and serves as the main defense of the town. Gideon Blackhall, his lieutenant Rufus Feared, and his armed posse man this wall and keep the peace inside. The center of town is protected by the Palisade, which has been left in some disrepair in favor of the outer wall. The Blackhall itself is a formidable structure which has held out against more than one armed attack.

Districts

At the center of town is the Palisade, where a market is held two days per week. Here local produce and the treasures of Thule are brought to trade with goods brought overland by caravans from Mitteland.
Outside the Palisade, but within the Great Wall, what were once three separate villages have grown together and consolidated into a burgeoning town. Without the Great Wall and the trench, villages cluster between the town, the main road, and the way down to the lake.

History

The Blackhall clan were part of the first wave of settlement on the Thulean Frontier more than a decade ago. They were nameless then, just one family among many seeking a new life in an untamed land. While most families around them turned to farming, they made a name and a small fortune plundering old ruins and tombs. This wealth funded the construction of their great hall, and a palisade around it to defend themselves, their thralls, and the free families who settled under their protection.
Four years past, when Vulgan Gristlemaw terrorized the Frontier with an army of sellswords and savages, the people of the local villages took refuge within the Palisade and the Brothers organized a desperate defense. In the final stand the Palisade was breached and the great hall set aflame, but the attack turned into a rout after Bergen Blackhall mortally wounded Gristlemaw. In the aftermath, the survivors named the place Blackhall after its black-charred exterior, and Bergen and his family took that name for themselves.
The Blackhalls have since consolidated their control over the surrounding area, and a thriving town of hundreds has grown up under their vigilant, if sometimes exploitative, protection.

Points of interest

At the heart of town is the eponymous, singed, Blackhall, a grim reminder of the dangers that lurk beyond the walls and a memorial to the lives lost defending them. From here, Bergen Blackhall, his family, and their associates run the town. Bergen personally oversees the town market and keeps a monopoly on the trade in Thulean treasure. He always gets a cut of anything sold to merchants.
Near the Gladford Gate, one of the first buildings travelers see entering Blackhall is the Iron Owl Inn, a cramped, dingy public house and waystation for itinerants. The real attraction is the rowdy Digg's Den, the most famous watering hole between Athelnai and Gladford.
Inside the Palisade, around the market grounds, are a forge & smithy, a hunter's supplies store, and the Syraic Church, newly built of fine timber and painted resplendently.
On the south side of town an Edicule is kept to the old practices, which sees more activity most days than the Church. Nearby, a bounteous garden of herbs is kept for crafting remedies.

Architecture

Blackhall's architecture reflects its status as a frontier settlement and ad hoc fortress. Most buildings are built of logs cut and stacked above dug-out earth. Smoke clouds the air from dozens of lit hearths. The muddy streets of the town are cut by offal trenches bridged by rough-hewn planks. In stark contrast to these rough, if sturdy, buildings, the new Syraic church is built of sawn timber beams aboveground, on stone masonry, and decorated with glass and paints brought across the passes from Mitteland at great expense.

Founding Date

13 years ago

Founders

• Bergen Blackhall
• Gideon Blackhall
• Jehu Blackhall
• Rose Blackhall

Type

Town

Population

c. 300 souls, swells to more than 500 in winter

Inhabitant Demonym

Blackhallers

Location under

Thulean Frontier