Arsbourg Western Slums
"As afar as my eyes could see was naught but shack after shack, some of wood, some of stone, and some of metal; there was no order, there was no personality... to me, it felt like the emptiest place on Earth."~Sir London II, A Retrospective of Luxiland, 7m.067
Demographics
Most all of the inhabitants of the Husk are extremely poor or unemployed citizens, unable to enter Arsbourg due to the strict income laws governing those allowed to live inside its walls. A significant portion of the population are actually large families, who were either forced out of their farms by the Frosts or the current war between Luxiland and its neighbors; if you were to walk along the crowded, narrow streets, you would not see thugs and gangs so much as mothers and children, unable to work without a husband or man of the house. Because of this, the Suffrage movement has found significant momentum here, with a large portion of the population- however unable to vote- supporting the Luxi Party.
Additionally, many of the inhabitants of this sprawling slum used to belong to the middle-class, forced out of work and home due to health conditions, union participation, or activism. Because of this- among other reasons such as extreme poverty and poor health- a large portion of the population suffer from a range of detrimental mental conditions. The emerging field of psychology has found the Husk to be an important place of study, examining how almost entirely hopeless conditions shared by a large demographic influence the individual.
"Do you know why it's called 'The Husk?' Let me tell you; when I go outside of my one-room home every day, the sky bleak and full of smog, I see nobody smiling. Do you see anybody smiling? No. We're just a bunch of husks, hollowed out by unfortunate happenstance that need not be happenstance in the first place."~Sareth Xu'Khan's Address, 7m.068
Government
There is no formal government in the Husk beyond that of the Arsbourg City Council, which neglects the district to the highest regard; oftentimes, officials speak as if it doesn't exist, hoping to draw the public's attention away from it. Of course, the citizens of the Husk have set up an unrecognized quasi-government more akin to a town collective, holding meetings and taking votes on what resources to organize and distribute when they can. This provisional government, often referred to as the 'House of Huskies,' is the one which organizes many of the protests, charity events, and other group activities across the district. The Arsbourg Council has, multiple times, tried to shut down the House, but due to the 'hidden in plain sight' nature of it, they have yet to discover those who truly run it.
Industry & Trade
Most inhabitants of the Husk earn a minor living making small trinkets such as dolls, pots, or bread, taking resources from the Husky-ran farms to the west of the city. While this does very little to alleviate the extreme poverty of the slums, it at least reduces the severity of the issue somewhat. Closer to the city walls, Huskies work in the factories or as servants, hoping to work their way up a system in which there is little movement. The diverse nature of employment in the Husk has contributed to its wide breadth of traditions and cultural quirks, from the Mason's Festival to the Mothers' Day.
Infrastructure
The Husk lacks any formal infrastructure, particularly that of trains and streetcars- the only vehicles passing through the streets are the occasional automobile; most inhabitants either walk or ride horseback to get around. Naturally, it often smells of refuse, further exacerbating the existing problems within the district. The Luxi Party announced plans to establish new streetcar lines in the Husk, however their small representation in Parliament has prevented them from achieving their goals. A train track, however, is being built, but its only purpose is to serve the city itself- not the slum. This has sparked some controversy and protests, as the constructing company overseeing the railway has demolished several homes without permission.
Guilds and Factions
The Luxi Party, which concerns itself with the issues of economic upheaval and looming widespread poverty, is naturally one of the predominant political parties in the District; many of the Luxis in Parliament are from the Husk, granted by pure luck or extreme perseverance the chance to present the plight of their people. Another notable Party is the Northern Proletarian Party, however, after the disastrous Third Revolution in Mitzland, their popularity has since dropped significantly.
History
The Husk originally began to form in the late 7th millennia, coinciding with the Great Frost around 6m.899. As farmers and other countryside workers were forced out by the especially strong winter, they found the gates of Arsbourg closed- unable to turn back, they were forced to establish a new settlement right outside the capital city. Over the next decades, as more and more lower-class workers found it difficult to keep pace with the rest of society, they, too, were forced into the Husk. By 7m.037, it had grown large enough to be considered a district of the city, and was incorporated into the Arsbourg Regional Council's area in 7m.039. Since then, the slum has only grown, and is one of the fastest-growing districts in terms of population.
Slums of Moret, Sir London II, Camera, 7m.074
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