Owin's Station
Historical Overview
Founding
"Early Promineres saw the sea as an enemy. It made the low-lying land into salty marshes useless for farming, it swamped the fishers' small craft, and the waves tore away attempts to expand the city. To kill whales was not only crucial for the city's survival, but a way to strike back at an all-encompassing ocean trying to swallow the town." - Isobard Quickquill, Whale Whale Whale, What Have We Here?This new whaling company was founded by immigrants from Caletta, in The Litoric Islands. They used their connections to their homeland to begin whaling further afield, exploring the Unknown Tides and charting new whale pods. As whaling motherships began sailing into the frozen north, a waystation was needed, and a veteran Deepquest captain named Owin Acosta established a small town at the mouth of the Starrun River river.
Survival
Owin's Station faced many challenges, particularly in its early years. While his connections to the Litoric Islands helped him establish a town so far from Anhara, it was not on Islander land. Rather, the early settlement suffered frequent attacks from nearby tribes, already wary of settlers after continuous encroachment from Coldharbor. While supplies were not a concern, as funding came from Deepquest Whaling and there were Islander ports nearby, violence scared off many early traders.Growth
Nevertheless, economic necessity and increasing poverty in the Promenade meant Owin and his initial group of a few dozen settlers grew over the next decade. Deepquest had fully dedicated themselves to their colony plan, even beginning to dot trading posts across other islands. However, frequent interference by the Nemura's Cay Pirates meant a permanent, western base like Owin's Station would remain the most popular. By the 490s, the Station had grown to around five hundred permanent residents and began to develop a character of its own. Taverns, brothels, a government, and a shipyard had popped up and Owin's Station became a cultural force in the life of the Promenade and the wider whaling industry.Pike Provocateurs
With Owin Acosta's death in 515AM, his daughter Alice Acosta took over as mayor of Owintown. Her control over the growing settlement was largely peaceful, but towards the time of her death in 552AM, Pike & Sons Co. had begun sending their own agents and whalers into the town. Their intent was to disrupt local government and get their own employees elected to the town's council. While Pike company men have not yet taken control of Owin's Station, their backing by House Prominere gives them an institutional advantage over Deepquest. For now they have been confined to a minority of council positions, but through coercion or violence, they aim for more.
Founding Date
475AM
Founders
Alternative Name(s)
Owintown
Type
Trade post
Population
~900
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
"Call all hands to man the caps'n,
ready the anchor, we're nearly there.
We're southward bound, to Owin's Station,
and to Alice, with golden hair.
Headin' south, headin' south,
Headin' south across the sea,
Headin' south to Owin's Station,
Headin' south, Alice, to thee."
- Whaling Songs
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