Byssal Sound

Settlement

The original frontiersmen that propagated this island made their way westward. Villages and towns were built throughout the process, but for many, the allure of finding the end of the island was greater than settling down. Byssal Sound marks the official terminus of this westward migration. The founders of Byssal Sound had achieved an incredible goal, exploring the mysteries of unknown land and blazing a trail for future generations to follow. Byssal Sound was where they would retire from their old lives and focus on building a thriving community.
Initially the community struggled as the settlers were men and women who only knew the lawlessness of the frontier, where survival at any cost was most important. Relying on one another was a new challenge that proved to be quite difficult for a group of very independent-thinking individuals.
To the east, not far from Byssal Sound was Goroma, which was fast becoming a major city. Representatives from the big city came to Byssal Sound in order to cultivate some sort of industry that could eventually benefit interests in Goroma. These men and women were not trusted by the settlers of Byssal Sound, but the "Sounders" were eventually won over by certain financial benefits. Soon Byssal Sound flourished as a fishing industry developed, which brought jobs and a certain amount of wealth.

Present Day

Today Byssal Sound is considered apart of Structuralist territory, which stretches from the coastline along the west to the White Rose River to the east. While many here still exhibit the individualistic ideology of their founders, they do so within the Structuralist religion. As one Byssal Sounder would tell you "Like Framer Eliasen would say, 'Work is work' and if we do the work, there ain't a problem."
While the Byssal Sound is technically governed by theocratic representatives of the Church of Structuralism, many with the town look to The Byssal Five, the five families that own the Byssal Sound Scallop Nursery for guidance on town matters. This has a created a bit of tension between those families and Church representatives.

Scallop Farming

While general fishing is Byssal Sound's most lucrative industry, their scallop farming is certainly their most popular. Situated on the south side of the town, the Byssal Sound Scallop Nursery is an aqualcutural co-op between five families own portions of the coastline, and work together to cultivate marketable scallops. Byssal Scallops, known as Big Sounders, have become a highly sought-after luxury, with Goroma's wealthy paying large sums to import them to their dinner table.

Sounder Feast

Sounder Feast is a large event in which people from nearby towns descend on the town of Byssal Sound to celebrate and ingest their delicious scallops. The Feast is marked with many fun activities including a 'Mongo Forage', in which children search in a shallow seabed for the hidden orange scallop. A Prince and Princess of the Shell are also crowned.

Type

Large town