Pinellas
The town of Pinellas is located within the nonmagical part of the Fruitlands and is best known as a punitive colony, or better, a prison town. The town is a fortified settlement in which the fortifications are meant to keep people in, and all of the outlaws, rebels, and criminals of the Empire are sent here to work and serve their sentences, which typically are for life. The interior of the town is known for a rough and tumble attitude, and those unfortunate enough to find themselves imprisoned within are in for a difficult life.
Demographics
The town of Pinellas is probably the most racially diverse community in the whole of the Jakonian Empire. This widely comes from the imprisonment of prisoners of war and harsh laws upon nonhumans in some parts of the nation. Many of those imprisoned within Pinellas are simply guilty of not being human in the Fruitlands. Some have even been prisoners here for hundreds of years. That considered, humans are still the largest segment of the local population, mostly Nasites, Jakonians, and Bahamis. After that come the catfolk, who were slaves "confiscated" from Bahami corsair raiders defeated by the Imperial Navy. Orcs and goblins from raids into the Badlands, gnomes from raided forest burrows, and any other nonhuman captured by Imperial military forces have been thrown in here too.
Government
The only official governance of the city of Pinellas is the Overseer. He leads the Imperial Army regiment tasked with maintaining the security of the walls surrounding the town. His main task is to prevent escapes and attempts, while also securing any items and raw materials recovered from the Hole. Outside of the Hole and the security forces, there is no organized government within Pinellas, beyond the various gangs that have been formed. These gangs are in charge of different neighborhoods within the town, claiming various blocked off streets and buildings for themselves. They handle the division of food, water, and other resources provided to the rest of the population by the wardens.
Defences
The town of Pinellas is actually surrounded by two walls, both made of stone and over forty feet in height. They are designed facing inward, rather than outward, although the exterior wall features a limited amount of external defenses to prevent an exterior attempt at a jailbreak. Nearly a full regiment of Imperial Army soldiers have been deployed to provide security, and it is well known as a training post for new recruits. This contains over eight hundred soldiers that act as the defenders and wardens of this town. Within the town itself, nearly everyone is a member of a gang or militia, but they cannot be relied upon to fight with those who have guarded them and are therefore not counted upon to defend anything beyond their own neighborhood.
Industry & Trade
There is only one industry in Pinellas, and that is the mining operations in the Hole. The Hole is a location that was discovered centuries ago, but left alone due to the clearly magical runes and curse that seemed to afflict it. Many who approached died, and it wasn't until the 9th Century that the effects seemed to have worn off. According to archaeologists from the Imperial University, the Hole appears to be an inverse tower, likely created by a powerful wizard, perhaps even the one who formed the Fruitlands. It delves straight into the earth, far below the water table and the maximum distance it was thought possible to dig. When the prison was created, it was decreed that those within would be involved with the excavation of the Hole, recovering strange stones, metals, and artifacts from within. It is an incredibly hazardous task, as some levels were flooded, others filled with noxious gases, and each level possessing vicious traps and even arcane beasts. Over two hundred years, the miners of the prison have reach almost to the ninetieth level, and there appears to be no sign of any end. The recovered goods are often sold directly to the Imperial University for study.
Infrastructure
The roads in Pinellas were once paved, but most of the cobblestones have long since been reappropriated for other purposes, including new construction. When the city was turned into an official prison, a set amount of residential buildings were constructed, and none new have been built in the previous two hundred years. The inhabitants have done what repairs they have been able to make, using dirt, cobblestones, and what supports can be spared from the Hole to keep the buildings intact. Even with these efforts many are homeless and without any dwellings, instead building tents out of old clothes and bedrolls.
Assets
There exists a single market in Pinellas, but gold is not the currency of choice. While the merchants within will except gold, food and water fetch a far higher price, being used as trade goods among the town's gangs. Weapons are available, and there are even a handful of smiths practicing their trade in the town, but metal is hard to find, and most choose instead to make primitive clubs or spears. Otherwise, the main items traded in the market are luxury goods which make the stay in the world's largest prison a bit more bearable.
Guilds and Factions
The governance of Pinellas is solely under the control of House Jakson, but they typically have a hands off approach to matters within the town itself. This has given rise to a large number of feuding gangs, usually established upon racial or ethnic lines. These groups fight each other for resources, and do their best to control food and water distribution. Due to their own illegal nature, the Cult of the Damned also has a substantial presence in Pinellas, perhaps the largest in any community outside of the Citadel of the Damned. They have actively organized, and while in practice they are essentially just another prison gang, they are attempting to bring about peace, preaching that if the prisoners could work together, a better life, and perhaps even freedom could be found for all.
History
Pinellas was originally a small town that was conquered nearly as an afterthought by the Jakonians when they claimed the Fruitlands. The settlement that had existed there was small, built around a strange ruin that seemed to delve straight into the earth, called "the Hole" by the locals. The Jakonians found that those approaching it died of a strange curse and it was left alone. The community was predominantly a farming town, but with the wealth of the Fruitlands, few wanted to eke out the minimal living that actual farming could provide when easily plucked farm goods could be found just a few miles away. The town dwindled in size, and for centuries never had more than a hundred people.
In 822 AF, an increase in fighting towards the north and raids in the Badlands led to a massive growth of prisoners of war and criminals. Local prisons and jail cells were unable to keep up, so the Emperor sought out a new place to put these people. The remaining inhabitants of Pinellas were paid a stipend, told to abandon their homes, and a large planned town, designed to house five thousand, was built around the Hole in a grid style. Two walls were constructed and Pinellas, or Fort Loyalty, as it was officially known, was founded. Efforts were directed towards mining in the Hole, but doing so was optional, as luxury goods and food would be provided to those who survived the process.
In the ensuing two hundred years, Pinellas has only grown in size, far outpacing the original vision. The decline of the Jakonian Empire and the increase of instability has led to a much larger number of prisoners. Even the constant deaths in the Hole and fighting among gangs has done little to diminish the population growth. Some believe however, that the depths of the Hole may nearly be at an end, and common belief among Pinellans is that the one hundredth level will be the final one.
Alternative Name(s)
Fort Loyalty
Type
Town
Population
9,900
Related Ethnicities
Inhabitant Demonym
Pinellan
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Comments