Gurk
Gurk is a small village on the verge of the Arthrypt Wetlands and The Great Forest. It was originally home to Pogonians but as they got braver and attempted to expand their territory further into the Great Forest, the Elves wiped them out and settled here. The village is now primarily used as an Elven outpost for rangers and soldiers to defend the forest from the creature that dwell in the wetlands.
Demographics
The current population of Gurk is made up of Elven soldiers and rangers and some volunteers. There is always at least 400 people permanently settled here, mostly soldiers, cooks, housekeepers, miltary artisans and bedmates, but more are positioned here as needed or for training and rangers often take respite here. Gurk can house up to 1,000 people comfortably and 1,400 if necessary. Captain Venra Feybourne oversees the village permanantly, running it as a military camp under rule of the The Elven Sovereignty.
Government
The soldiers here follow a chain of command under the Captain garrisoned there, who ultimately answers to the The Elven Sovereignty in Degrinoll. Food and essential resources are mostly gathered by the rangers stationed here and anything else needed is sent from Degrinoll by caravan.
Defences
There is a staked trench dug on the western side of Gurk with watchtowers positioned overlooking the more open area of the swamp to ward off Pogonian raiders. There is also constant guard and scouting of the paths to the west and watchguards positioned around the rest of the town. The rest of the perimeter is guarded but there are no permanent physical defenses in place, just small wooden barricades.
Industry & Trade
All resources that aren't gathered by rangers come here through weekly shipments direct from the city of Degrinoll and the off-duty soldiers often gather lumber for building and repairs. They often offer respite to travellers though there is nothing in the way of trade here, it's a settlement built for a purpose.
Infrastructure
The garrison captain runs operations here, and keeps the soldiers stationed here fit by having them renovate and build new buildings. There is a large smithy here and a lumber yard as well as a crude 'wall' on the western side, which is more of a trench full of stakes with a gate on the main path dotted by watch towers. The buildings are a mix of older, simpler designed wooden log cabins and huts, and the newer huts on the outskirts built by the elves from wood, stone and mortar. There is a large hut for food storage, a dining hall large enough to seat around 80 people and a couple of smaller storehouses for weapons and tools.
Assets
Other than the assets required for the military force currently encamped, there is only lumber and other building materials stored here.
History
Gurk is a relatively new settlement, built around 200 years ago by the Pogonians when they tried to expand their territory into The Great Forest. The Elves fought them off quickly and took over Gurk, turning it into a garrison used for training new recruits, a resting place for travelling rangers and an outpost to keep an eye on future Pogonian attacks.
Architecture
The village is made up of a mix of poorly built huts, well made wooden huts and some stone structures for the more permanent buildings such as the smithy and captains quarters. There are often tents pitched around the perimeter where the less permanent residents stay.
Geography
Gurk is near the border of The Great Forest and Arthrypt Wetlands and as such the ground is slightly firmer than the rest of the wetlands and the trees are thicker and more lively. There is still a blanket of fog here, not as thick as the rest of the wetlands but enough to conceal the ground most of the time.
Natural Resources
Wood from the surrounding forest, chitin from the giant arthopods, meat and fur from the beasts in the forest.
Alternative Name(s)
The Elven outpost
Type
Village
Population
400
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
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