Riverside (River-Side)

Riverside

Very little is known of the history of this town, at least not before the final days of the last war. Before the invasion of the Marches by Kroll's forces, Riverside is barely mentioned in the historical records as more than a rest stop between continental Arcadia and the trading city of Traveler's Rest. Its seems almost dismissive of the cruelty and barbarism visited on this town during the occupation to suggest that the only reason it exists as a major landmark today is that Kroll's forces used it as their command post during the 57year long siege of Traveler's Rest. The tales of the men and women who survived that ordeal are truly horrific. The systematic torture and murder of any civilians opposing Kroll's rule barely scratch the surface of the atrocities committed there. It is perhaps a small irony that the existence of the town is precisely what saved the city of Traveler's Rest. Recent discoveries in the Caer Wen vaults have uncovered first hand testimony of a few soldiers who claimed to have survived and escaped from the battle that took the former King's life. They tell how Kroll's army smashed through the Royal defenses and, once the defenders were destroyed, turned and made for Riverside, giving sufficient time for the soldiers who would form the backbone of the Traveler's Rest's defending army to flee south. It was the sacking of this town that allowed the larger city of Traveler's Rest to survive. Once occupied, the people of Riverside were given a choice: join Kroll's army or be put to the sword. The first generation, having witnessed the destruction of the Royal army firsthand, almost universally joined Kroll, but the horrific treatment of the people of the town, even those who served faithfully, had - by the third generation - caused the growth of a healthy, and surprisingly effecting resistance movement. Civilians in general, although men in particular, could be separated into three distinct categories: Collaborators, who served Kroll's army faithfully and, often, enthusiastically. Conscripts, who were called up to serve under pain of death if they refused, only half-heartedly serving Kroll and often passing information to the resistance, and Rebels: Men who had somehow managed to escape the town and joined the rebellion, actively working to undermine and disrupt Kroll's military efforts. Women, regardless of the category of their husbands or fathers, were all in the same category... With the town occupied, Krolls men systematically destroyed the farms and farmland for miles around the town, leaving the land barren and ensuring that the population of the town was completely reliant on Kroll for the income of supplies. Men who served in the army were given provisions to feed their families, men who didn't serve could often find other work (such as construction or laboring) to earn the same supplies. Women were not allowed to work at all. If the men were reliant on their service, in one form or another, for basic necessities, the women were completely and solely reliant on their men. What is worse, if any man was killed... even men killed in Krolls service, even men who had served loyally and faithfully... their families were given no further supplies. The women and girls, sometimes very VERY young girls, had to "fend for themselves". This was a colloquialism for having to prostitute themselves to the men and officers of Kroll's army. What made things more horrific was that Kroll's men made little, if any, distinction between the 'working' women and women in general. There are countless tales of men on the front lines learning that their wives, daughters, or sisters had been dragged off the street and raped by other soldiers in the army they served. The women who resisted this treatment, even those whose men were serving faithfully and - one would have thought - had fair reason to resist, were killed... often brutally as a warning to the others. It didn't take long for men of any of the three categories to be classified as pro-Kroll... or anti-Kroll by whether or not they took part in this appalling activity. After the liberation of Riverside, a wave of vigilante violence swept through the town as bands of men hunted down and murdered the neighbors who were known to be pro-Kroll... The Dragon and the peacekeeping force he left to defend Riverside, although never condoned these acts, did nothing at all to stop them. It is unknown how many men were killed but it is thought very few pro-Kroll Riverside natives are still alive today. The time since the liberation of Riverside has been one of reconstruction and reunification. Families were often separated as men were sent to the front and women and children were smuggled out of the town and to the resistance in the Silver Hills, finding and reuniting these families has been a painstaking process which, all too often, are met with failure. The death toll of the occupation was staggering, it is believed that the population of the town is less than 35% of what it was before Krolls army invaded. More than that, the reversal of the damage done to the local area, specifically its ability to be farmed, promises to be a very long and complicated process that may take several years to undo, leaving Riverside reliant on another foreign power for food and basic provisions. So far, the population, still grateful to be liberated, almost universally approves of Caer Wen's management of the town, especially with the recent effort of the Patron Goddess to repair the land. Riverside is an example of Kroll barbarism and brutality against those who deserved it least, it was the tales told by survivors of this cruelty that prompted the Dragon to attack the city as early as he did. But, even though Riverside is no longer occupied, and the opposite bank of the fortified Riverside bridge is defended by The Citadel , the people of this town live with the knowledge that if Kroll's men invade again, theirs will be the first place occupied.

Type

Large town

Location under

Riverside

Included Locations