Hammerhenge Town
Hammerhenge Town is the main settlement on Hammerhenge Island. This is the location of the Hammerhenge docks, the primary law-bringing organizations, guilds, merchants, etc. If you are on the island and in need of goods, this is the place you'll go. There are six main districts in the town with little obvious separation of their borders. The residential district houses a primarily working-class population of merchants and specialized craftsmen. Few people on Hammerhenge Island could be considered poor or destitute, as the gems and ore from the mines have allowed the economy to flourish, despite a lack of farmland. Many of the individuals living in Hammerhenge Town appear rather rugged and consider themselves to be hearty individuals. It is rare to find individuals who hold themselves in a pseudo-aristocratic role within the town's social hierarchy. This is due to the autonomous nature of the island's government and the small population of the island.
Demographics
Hammerhenge Town is not a very diverse location. Primarily, it consists of humans, gnomes, and dwarves. Rarely will you catch an elf living in Hammerhenge Town, but many frequent the island to purchase powerful magical items or master-crafted goods.
Humans: 70%; Dwarves: 18%; Gnomes: 12%
Government
Hammerhenge Town is overseen by a governor as well as an independent city council. Officials are appointed by the townsfolk every three years during what is called "the Posting." Taxation is low in Hammerhenge, as the area is extremely wealthy from the mining of local gems, and the crafting of superior magical and mundane items. As the Island is under autonomous control, there is no overarching lord or king to tax the citizens to death. A minor tax is placed on the export of mined goods from the Arraki Mine.
The main code of laws on Hammerhenge is quite strict in some regards and quite lenient in others. There is a heavy restriction on the production of some magical artifacts and items, as the The Brotherhood of Seven exerts influence over this. Most laws are punished by a significant fine when violated, with only the most egregious crimes requiring incarceration or death. Most individuals incarcerated are required to work the Arrakki Mines as a part of their hard labor sentence.
Defences
Hammerhenge Town is not built for a large-scale siege. The town's primary defense from the wilderness of the island is a set of stone walls, loosely fortifying the perimeter of the town. Two main forts are situated on either end of the town's main docks, which allows for the easy defense of the waters around the inlet. The island itself provides strong fortifications, including an impassible mountain range on the northwest ridge of the island, and high cliff sides along the outer crescent wings. Smaller uninhabited islands fill the gap between the wings of the crescent and provide shelter from storms, and prevent easy access to the bay from invaders. Smaller forts have been established on some of the smaller islands, but are meant to serve as a forecast system to weather events and potential attacks, rather than provide any substantial defense.
The primary defensive position on the island is the Keep of the Seven, designed to shelter the entire population of the island in the event of a major conflict. The Keep of the Seven into the mountainside, and fortified by four concentric walls which stagger down from the mountainside to the grasslands below.
Industry & Trade
The settlement's main economy is based on master-crafted arms, armor, jewelry, and magic items from the town's master craftsmen. Hammerhenge Town is the definition of an artisan village, in that little-to-no large-scale farming occurs on the island (save a handful of small farmsteads on the northern crescent. The town survives on the trade of goods, and the selling of rare minerals, ores, and gems which are retrieved from a seemingly never-ending supply of veins in the Arraki Mine to the southwest of the Town.
Infrastructure
The settlement is complete with a working set of industrial-scale docks, necessary for the unloading and loading of precious metals, freight, and construction-related cargo. There is no working shipyard on the Island, save a single dry dock for the occasional repair of sailing vessels. The island itself is sparse with regard to infrastructure. However, great care is used in the maintenance of a common-use road between the mines and the main town. Within the town, inhabitants have a working sewer system beneath the streets, well-maintained roads and a number of architecturally advanced aqueducts to bring water from the springs within the mountains of the island.
Districts
The six main districts are:
- Harbor District
- Merchant District
- Governmental District
- Residential District
- Guild District
- Industrial District
Guilds and Factions
The Merchant's Guild and Mage's Guild hold prominent positions on the Island and make up Hammerhenge Town's pseudo aristocracy. The more financially solvent merchants and mages are the primary recurring members in the town's council, advising the governor in decisions related to the settlement.
Natural Resources
The most important natural resource on Hammerhenge Island is Ghost Ore.
Founders
Type
Town
Population
3,211
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Comments