Oakwagon District
Former Heblin Caravan
Thousands of heblin were entering the main city gates. Most were no taller than the guards' knees but they had an easy manner and conversed casually with friendly citizens. It was obvious that they were uncomfortable, as they should be, with a mob of several dozen malcontents jeering at them and calling out insults to any unfortunate heblin who accidentally looked their direction.
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One of the most vibrant districts within any Allegran city, the unusually stationary heblin citizens of the district.Demographics
Nearly all residents of the Oakwagon district are heblin. This isn't a conscious choice since they welcome anyone whose values align with their own. Since Wanderers have permanently settled within the walls of Etude a handful of non-heblin have found the charms and good cheer of the new district enticing and there are now several human families that live in the district.
History
The Oakwagon caravan was the largest and most well-known heblin caravan. With more than thirty wagons, entire families would talk and sing as they traveled, vigilant for danger but so familiar with the perils around them that they were comfortable and happy. For hundreds of years the Oakwagon caravan meandered across Allegri, hunting, foraging, and welcoming any friendly travelers they came across to sit by their campfires. Their wagons were all decorated with bright colours and flowers from across the continent. The people had great pride in their mobile community and worked together for the wellbeing for all.
In the year 4053 NC, known now as the Year of Rain, the first of many catastophies hit the nomadic community as they traveled east on a rough stretch of road toward Etude. A huge thunderstorm rolled across their path with massive downpours that flooded portions of the trail and damaged numerous wagons. Heavier wagons got stuck in thick mud, and smaller supply wagons had canopies torn away by the harsh winds, exposing vital supplies to the elements. It took nearly an entire day to gather their supplies properly under the heavy rain and still, the wagons were spread out over nearly a mile of terrain, leaving them vulnerable should danger appear. Sadly, it did.
That night the caravan guards worked double shifts watching for predators and other threats. Since they couldn't create their usual defensive formation with so many of the wagons damaged or stuck in the mud, it left them dangerously exposed. Stoking fires across the length of the caravan wasn't enough to discourage the hungry pack of wolves that stalked them from the darkness. Their best efforts were not enough to keep everyone safe and Oakwagon lost several members of the guard to wild beasts.
Over the next several days they managed to move the wagons into the usual protective formation and prevent the wild animals from threatening them further. They couldn't resume travel though; too many wagons were still damaged and the area was soaked from rain and filled with deep puddles. Remaining in one location for so long had other serious concequences. Local maurauding kakornio found them and the caravan became the target of repeated attacks. The raiding parties killed or kidnapped anyone they could and managed to steal large amounts of food from the heblin supply wagons.
Their chief and her advisors had to make the difficult decision to abandon the damaged wagons and make a push for the protective walls of Etude. The opportunistic kakornio harried the caravan for days before finally ending the pursuit and disappearing with their captured wagons and prisoners. In total, by the time Oakwagon reached the gates of Etude, they had lost half their wagons and nearly two-thirds of their people.
Seeking shelter within the walls of Etude was intended to be a temporary measure. They camped in a relatively empty district that was mainly considered a slum and continued to live in their large wagons. Keeping mostly to themselves, as the months passed they began to acknowledge the benefits of larger communities and having the protection of massive walls. Eventually the community leaders admitted to themselves and thier people that they were much happier and safer living within the human city.
Since their numbers were decimated, and the impact on the city itself was not negative, the government officials of Etude gladly welcomed the new heblin citizens as permanent residents of the district.
As the decades passed their large wagons were slowly converted into permanent structures and the area the caravan had settled in became it's own little district within Etude. Still called Oakwagon, they're known as a welcoming and friendly section of the city that has done much to improve the surrounding city blocks. Before their arrival it was a slum and now it's a colourful and celebrated community.
Architecture
A naturally muddy and underdeveloped area of Etude, many buildings here are raised off the ground using pad stones or staddle stones as their foundation to keep things dry. Unfortunately, this also contributed to the criminal presence in the area due to the average size of heblin and their propencity to simply wander under buildings to remain out of sight. This also makes the buildings seem less permanent, like the wagons that the heblin lived in before they settled in the city.
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