The Ghost Coast

The Ghost Coast is the name of the most northeastern coast of Alven. It is so named because of the ruins of the ancient deserted cities and ports you can still see strewn along the coast of this harsh place. These settlements were deserted at the end of the Old Era at the time of The Darkening. For forty-nine moons, Alven was to be without a sun and to survive, people migrated south of the world, away from the ash rains and the killer waves.

When the sun returned the lands to the north, including the Ghost Coast, were still under several fists of ash, and the large ports and cities of the coast were left mostly destroyed and deserted. Over the following millennia, some clansmen ventured back into these inhospitable lands and started to repopulate the coast. These hardy people came back to take advantage of the large shoals of fish present off the shores of The Eastern Seas. The new fishing ports are modest in size in comparison to the bustling cities of the Old Age, the largest one of them is Lostport .

Demographics

Lostport is built on the site of a very ancient place the name of which was not recorded. The tops of the ruined buildings of the once-proud civilization of the Ancestors still stand in the large pine forest a few furloughs east of the new town. The silent granite pillars and their beautiful ornate mantles can be admired by the few foreign travelers who come by the place every year. Lostport itself is a busy fishing port of five hundred people or so. The people there rely heavily on the fishing and fur trade for a living. The fish they catch is cured and smoked and then sent by caravans to reach the larger southeastern towns and harbors of Alven.

Government

No clan has laid claim to the wilderness of these northern provinces. The settlements are by definition under the Law of the Thane, but there are so far removed from any clanland that it would be difficult to regulate the lives of these Alvenites as per the usual model of the more civilized Alven regions. The clansmen who have moved north and settled down along the coast belong to different clans. Some families are still proud of their clan allegiance, but many 'exiled' clansmen have found their way and settled down in these parts over the centuries and clan allegiance is not as important as it is in the rest of the country. The Archive does not have yet any real power in these regions.
To maintain order a Council of Elders has been established within Lostport, in the manner of the Old Ways. Senior community figures are elected, chosen by the townspeople to decide on community issues and to arbitrate disputes in the absence of an Archivist of Peace. Once every two years or so, they will have the visit of such an Archivist who will come with news and edicts of the Thane (including the all-important prophecies and omens) and will help dispense justice. The Archivist will be shown all the honors due to his/her rank, stay a few days, then leave.

Industry & Trade

Lostport is well known along the eastern coast for its smoked herrings and other fish delicacies. The people there will also raise livestock to keep their families and their communities fed during the year. The Light Months of the year are very short in this harsh northern region, and the fishermen will only be able to grow crops on the narrow fields along the coast that benefit from the milder influence of the maritime climate. The seaweed they gather from the shore is a good source of fertilizer and surprisingly, has kept the pastures and fields fertile over the centuries.

Some of the settlers have also set up a lively trade in furs and pelts. These settlers spend most of the year in the large woods of the region and come back every few months or so to Lostport to sell their goods. This is mostly a solitary endeavor, but some Loggers have built family steads inside Taiga Forest.

Guilds and Factions

Because clans do not have much of an influence on Lostport and other coastal settlements, guilds have become more important in the social fabrics of the place than clan allegiance.
There are different fishermen and other artisan guilds (metalwork, clothier, etc). It is very important for a young man or woman of the coast to become an apprentice into a guild or another before the age of thirteen. Usually, sons and daughters follow their parents into the guild they belong to, but sometimes, a young man or woman showing a special ability or calling for a different career will become apprenticed to another guild.
Most apprentices with The Guild of Seers and Poets usually follow that course. If a child seems adept with words from an early age, he or she will be raised and fostered by a family in the Seer's guild and their potential developed. They will learn how to read and write and interpret omens. It is usually considered a great boon for a family to give life to such a child. Not only will it bring luck and good fortune to their parents, but it will also mean that parents can count one of their offsprings to be part of the very influential Seer guild.

History

Lostport was created 400 years ago. A few exiled men from The Eastern Isles brought their family up north, following the coast, to find a place where they could make a living in their disgrace. Very soon the community grew to a few hundred, and many turned to the sea to bring food on the table and scratch a livelihood.
It was not long before clansmen noticed the abundance of game, including wolves, bears, deer, and boars in the deep wild forests of the north, and started to supplement their fish diet with more diverse food sources. They were also able to create very warm clothes out of furs and pelts to protect them from ice and snow. Over the last hundred years or so, life in the coastal outposts has become more organized and family orientated. The guilds and the guild council have created a stable social frame for the families and children of the coasts. Lately, the settlement has become quite an important trade center in the area, and its goods are well known throughout the western regions of Alven.

Architecture

Traditionally the homes of the Ghost Coast or The Lost Coast and Lostport had been built from pine wood from the local forest. However, more and more buildings are now built out of stones. The stones are borrowed from the ruins of the lost cities of the ancient Alvenites. Many of the wealthier traders in Lostport will have beautifully carved stones brought back from the nearby ruins to decorate their facade. Lately, the more experienced and gifted stonemasons have started imitating the designs and patterns from the ancient stones, and are doing a roaring trade in carved stone goods such as bas-relief, and cornerstones. As the supply of ancient stones dwindles, other enterprising clansmen have been running expeditions further north and into the Wilds to discover other cities and take advantage of the ancient artifacts trade.

Geography

Lost port is situated to the southern extremity of the Ghost Coast, and uses the well-known ancient coastal road to communicate with the southern ports of the eastern coast. Many also use boats of all sorts to sail from one port to another. The northern part of the coast is mainly inhabited. There are a few more fishing villages north of Lostport, but the coastal road becomes very difficult and dangerous north of Lostport and communication is not that easy by land with the rest of Alven. There is also a strong community of smugglers, The Hawkyves, operating further up the coast from Nedderhyve. It is thought that the ancient cities used a long-lost thorough road through the taiga to travel within the regions.

Type

District