Salvation

Salvation is an independant mining town, previously operating as a colony, located on the western border between Enphune and Urushee. It consists largely of refugees that fled the hostile conflicts of Enphune's splintered factions, or conscripts of the mining operations that participated in an open revolt against their former masters. It also claims host to a number of Arcana {Major} creatures that travelled to the settlement as a place of safety from the myriad of societal pressures and fears against their kind.
Despite their claim of land laying within Urushee's borders, they are not officially recognised by other major settlements, yet at the same time there have been no signs of reprisal or even communication between the parties. As such, Salvation exists in a grey area, but is accepted by the majority of trade unions.

History

Salvation originally began life as a mining colony, operated by the Fabrika Conglomerate in Enphune, in 792. At the time, the mountainous region was under the ownership of the Enphunian Empire, having been annexed in 783 for the precious materials that had been uncovered in the region by expeditionary researchers in previous years. The colony was populated with captured Urusheen POWs, who were tasked with gruelling hard labour to extract the rich deposits of minerals and metals.
After The Collapse occurred in 874, the prisoners staged a jailbreak, using the immediate confusion to their advantage in the following days as the Empire began to collapse upon itself, with a substantial number of them successfully fleeing the border back to relative safety, though Urushee still suffered much turmoil on its own the events. All of these escapees were descendants of the original prisoners, and as such would have experienced much difficulty integrating into a modern society. However, in a twist of fate, the breaking down of government structure and supply chains allowed them to put their resourcefulness and heavy duty work experience to the test, establishing a number of refugee towns for both themselves and displaced Urusheen natives. Today, these settlements are known as The Five Freedoms.
For several decades, the colony would remain uninhabited as the turmoil within Enphune took hold, but the surviving components of Fabrika would remain guarding the site. Over time, several groups of destitute workers from Urushee would make deals with the Fabrika conglomerate to work in the dangerous mines, in exchange for housing, food and water, a deal that was markedly favourable to them in comparison to contesting with the rampant bandit gangs that roamed the lands. Reportedly, the irony of individuals willingly assigning themselves to work that prisoners were assigned to, and escaped from, was not lost upon the individuals in charge of the operations.
In 1110, reports began to surface from The Five Freedoms that an increasing number of individuals that were working in the mining colony had been removed from their posts for unknown reasons, despite satisfactory performance values. It was believed for a time that the mines were simply running out of material to be excavated, and operations had simply been wound down, until scouts from the settlements in 1142 learned that Arcana {Major} creatures from the Enphunian homeland had replaced these voluntary workers. Deemed much more effective and efficient in these roles, subjugated individuals were routinely purchased by Fabrika and put to work at the mines in a similar fashion to the original prisoners.
The Five Freedoms would eventually make contact with some of the individuals being held, and despite their limited abilities in reading and writing, helped to stage a riot with the outside aid of the settlements. After a siege that would last several days of civilians from the towns, mercenaries from the local areas, as well as a prolonged holdout within the site's barracks, the Fabrika conglomerate would order a retreat of their hired forces from the mines after retrieving the majority of their valuable equipment. Today, the settlement is known as Salvation, and was converted into a habitable town by its residents. Though lacking in the means to retrieve substantial amounts of the valuable materials held within the mines, they were able to establish small scale operations by 1148 and trade with Urusheen merchants with The Five Freedoms as an intermediary.

Demographics

Salvation is significant in that it is the only settlement in Urushee that is comprised by a majority 60% proportion of Arcana {Major} individuals. The races that make up this group are diverse, largely encompassing those that would traditionally be found in the Enphune homeland, particularly those with characteristics that prove beneficial to heavy labour or assisting in the oversight of operations related to mining. In the years since its liberation, two generations of descendants have been produced additionally, with some noted examples of cross-breeding between similar Arcana species having occurred.
35% of the remaining population are Humans - largely those that were left from the original operations run by Fabrika, as there were simply not enough Arcana creatures to replace the entirety of the workforce at the time.
The overall population of Salvation has seen a steady rise over time since its liberation, with the majority of Arcana creatures choosing to live within its boundaries for the majority of their lifetimes, rarely venturing outside past The Five Freedoms.

Geography & Structure

The settlement is contained within a mining quarry. With the majority of its contents having been removed from earlier operations, the re-established operation found it convenient to house its workers directly next to the mining site, building a multitude of cheap, easily constructable and expandable homes from readily available resources to provide for its occupants. These homes were notorious for offering little protection against the elements, particularly the harsh nights of the Enphune-Urushee mountain border.
After the liberation of the colony, some of these homes were given minor refurbishments in order to cover for these structural weaknesses, but the majority of new households and communal spaces were built into the inactive, long-emptied mine shafts of earlier operations, with existing areas being further expanded upon. Additionally, the existing railway system that was put in place to facilitate the transportation of miners and goods was expanded upon with the help of an Urusheen architect, transforming it into an elaborate trolley system that was capable of taking individuals from one area of the mine to another.
As a result, Salvation's mountainous interior is navigated by this network of railways and tunnels, leading to their currently small population centers. The old buildings that exist in the quarry have since been repurposed as markets, guard stations, and a public office where community-wide meetings are held.

Governance

Salvation possesses no formal leaders, with a flat hierarchy system that has individuals representing the different groups that reside in the colony as "Chiefs". These organizers are chosen by a regular rotation within the groups every two weeks, and meet every night at the public office to discuss the day's events, and any issues that require discussion. However, any decisions on these topics that may affect the larger settlement are not made in these meetings - Instead, polls are held among the residents of Salvation before a resolution is accepted.

Economy

The main export of Salvation is precious metals, minerals and gemstones, much as the original mining operation once produced. These include valuable construction ores, and crystals that are often fashioned into jewelry. The colony maintains a strong business relationship with The Five Freedoms, often using them as middle-management for larger deals with trade companies in Urushee. Salvation primarily uses the commonly accepted currency of Urushee to help facilitate this, and in recent years have begun to send limited numbers of trade caravans from the mountains further in-land.

Founding Date

792

Type

Town

Population

512

Location under

North Urushee