Shady Gallows (Sha-dee-gall-owes)

Written by chronogazer1

"To say this town is strange is an insult to understatements. They openly practice the dark arts, and worship those demons the world calls goddesses of battle; yet, I dare say you won't find a group of nicer people this side of the Archipelago. When I first arrived, the Gallowers welcomed me and my band with open arms; We ate and drank together, swapped stories over the fire, we competed in Siegeball, hell, even I was surprised when that lizard shaman gladly gave us a though yet strangely enlighting, explanation about the town's philosophy on war and undeath. I can't say I agree with it, but if they've survived this long they must be doing something right. Take my advice; You need a meal, bed or even a friend, you'll find it here, but DON'T mettle in their private affairs"

Except from Norringham Balistar's Guide to the Archipelago

Overview

Shady Gallows is the main settlement on the crooked crescent island of Mori. Nestled right into the swampy jungles of the south, many first-time travellers dread what they may find waiting for them. Due to its location up the river, vessels larger than gunboats struggle to travel up the river; thus, those seeking to enter the village may find themselves walking through the marsh, assuming a riverboat is unavailable.
Those who make it upriver arrive at the mouth of Shady Gallows. Its mixture of gothic and tribal architecture standing out amongst the jungle trees, the vast use of jungle wood, greyed sandstone, hides and even huge carcasses, make this place look like a massive graveyard, often spooking all but the strangest of travellers. Despite having no problem terrifying visitors, the village of Shady Gallows is quite welcoming to outsiders, especially those who wish to trade or study under the boneshamans or priests, but are warned not to undermine the town, no matter the size of the Itch.

Demographics

The main village of Shady Gallows is home to approximately 800 people, the majority consisting of humans (35%), tritons (33%) and lizardfolk (30%), with the remaining populous being a mix of members of other races who have been inducted into the village. However, this only covers the people living within Shady Gallows, not the undead raised to assist in the town's operations.

The living often refer to each other as Gallowers, quite befitting given their never-ending dance with death.

Economy

The village is primarily self-sufficient with hunting, fishing and minor farming. Still, it exports specially-made, reinforced sandstone and swamp critter hides and bones. It has also begun shipping locally made swamp rose mead, bringing in quite a cache of wealth for the village in recent years. The folk of shady gallows seem rather fond of ceramic and electrum pieces, using them as their primary currency where possible. However, they carry a reasonable cache of traditional money for more fussy merchants.

Languages

Whilst the people of Shady Gallows prefer to speak primordial, most of the populous are taught how to speak and read common to interact with outsiders as needed. Those who hang around the lizardfolk often enough will pick up bits and pieces of draconic often woven into their speech.

Religion, Faith and the Dead

Most of the villagers choose to worship The Morrigan, the trifecta goddess of battle. Even the few who don't follow the Doommaiden, Battlematron or Soul Matriarch hold the goddesses in high regard. To the Gallowers, conflict is a natural part of life that will never vanish, civilisation or not. The people of Shady Gallows are taught to face their battles head-on, to not show fear even in certain death, and to celebrate their achievements, no matter how big or small they may be.
Many Gallowers also choose to practice Necromancy, though not everyone practices it the same way. Some raise the dead as a labour force or impromptu battle unit. Others focus more on contacting the spirits and honouring the dead. While not common, a few even practice the more subtle aspects of life and death, reminding people of their mortality or manipulating mortality by healing and resurrections.

Views on Magic

For the most part, The Gallowers view magic as both a tool and a weapon, beneficial in the right hands but dangerous in the wrong. Though exceptions exist, magic users are usually treated equally to their non-magical counterparts.
For Shady Gallows, Necromancy is more than just a tool used to raise the dead or contact the spirits; they view it as the lifeline of magic, the ability to weave and command the forces of life and death itself. Those who walk the fine line between the good and evil associated with the 'lifeline' command the highest respect across all of Mori, even from the Bone Shamans.
On the other hand, many Gallowers become uneasy around practitioners of Enchantment magic. Whilst the town acknowledges charms and enchantments do have their uses, they still view the enchantment school of magic as a danger to freedom and autonomy. As an extreme example, if a murder happens in town, The Gallowers would rather it be because the murderer chose to commit the kill, rather than because someone hexed and forced them to do it against their will.

The Dance with Death

When it is time for a child to declare themselves an adult, they are brought to the Undying Fields to undergo the rite of passage known as The Dance with Death. To prove they're worthy of their life and the struggles of the outside world, they are tasked to make it across this perpetual battlefield where even the dead don't stop fighting for long. The participant can use any means necessary to cross the battlefield; they may even bring allies approved by the town.
While crossing the field is the objective, the participant must only survive until the trial's end to complete the rite. In The Morrigan's eyes, retreat is toleratable, but cowardice is not. Whether through the goddesses' will or dumb bad luck, those who flee or hide from battle out of cowardice often find themselves surrounded by fighting on all sides, slowly smoking out the participant. Despite the name for the Rite of Passage, it is significantly difficult to die whilst in the Undying Fields, especially for a child.
Occasionally, a swarm of crows may descend upon the participant, pecking at them to do better. More so, that same swarm may instead shield the participant from the harm of the battlefield. The Gallowers believe this to be a sign of their goddess having taken an interest in the participant. At the end of the week where one or more children survive the Dance of Death, a feast is held in the names of the newly turned adults.

Relation with the World Government

Like their Ferris Fields counterpart, Gallowers aren't too fond of having an outside influence dictate how they live or conduct themselves. Whilst Necromancy isn't illegal in the Archipelago, The World Government fears the possibility of a town of necromancers getting out of hand and becoming a threat to the wider world. It's no secret higher-ups within the World Government have tried to have Shady Gallows destroyed or converted on more than one occasion, but those same higher-ups later found themselves indisposed after incriminating secrets about them came to the public light. Whilst the Gallowers have denied any involvement, its no secret that something mysterious happened behind the scenes.
As part of a measure to try and build trust with Shady Gallows, The World Government only maintains a small outpost within the town and its members stationed there are required to integrate themselves into the culture, even learn the Primordial language that The Gallowers natively speak. Officially, the sheriff acts as an agent of the World Government and its laws, but in practice is usually hands-off on local matters and functions as more of a middleman between the Gallowers, the World Government and other outside factions.

Crime and Punishment

Despite being a village, it receives its fair share of crime. Whilst said crime is usually the result of outsiders meddling with the affairs of Shady Gallows, sometimes one of their own gets a little too cocky. However, as the village doesn't have the resources or facilities to lock up criminals long-term, it tends to be a little more relaxed on crime punishment.
If a criminal is caught committing a minor crime, such as petty theft, drunken brawling, harassment, etc., they simply pay a fine or partake in community service as punishment; sometimes, they may spend one or more nights in the holding cells as appropriate. Under most circumstances, if the victim believes the crime was an accident or a misunderstanding, the criminal is usually let off with little more than a warning.
In the event of major crimes, as the Gallowers don't have the facilities for long-term imprisonment, the criminal is usually given a choice; be handed over to the Sheriff for an official punishment, be exiled from the village, or be branded with the Undeath Penalty.

The Undeath Penalty

"Look... Us Gallowers don't like killing people. Sure, our faith, stock and trade is tied to death, but that doesn't mean we enjoy it. This is our compromise: The criminal gets to live out their life, but when their soul passes on, the body rises again and makes its way out to the village to serve the sentence helping us. One might be quick to call this a form of slavery, but let me reiterate this; Our brands are a post-life prison sentience, and once the sentience is up, the body returns to where it once was to finally rest"

Graxis, Lizardfolk Bone Shaman.

When a criminal is convicted of a significant crime, assuming they don't want to be executed or handed off to the World Government, there is a more unusual alternative punishment Sahdy Gallows is willing to use; The Undeath Penalty.
If a criminal is convicted in this manner, they are branded with a series of ancient necrotic runes. The exact size and placement of the brand depend on the nature of the crime committed. Whilst it's still being determined who or what first created these runes, the Gallowers know what the brand does. The marks of The Undeath Penalty are harmless to living creatures, although it causes them to register as undead to magic that explicitly affects them; however, this is merely a side effect compared to the brand's true purpose.
Within a day or so of dying, the branded creature rises as a zombie or skeleton and, if possible, proceeds to make its way back to Shady Gallows to carry out a sentence of service, the exact duration depending on how much the creature was branded in life. The brand slowly fades away during this sentence, though if the zombie is slain whilst it still has any trace of the brand, it will revive after a short period. Oddly enough, outside of self-defence, an undead raised in this regard doesn't lash out at people who get in its way.

Type

Village