Wesbeldt

Archivist’s Excerpt from: A Tale of Almost Two Cities: Orphan Heights & Related Histories, CVI 42:4

And then there's Wesbeldt.

It is a curious place to research. Harchester has a reputation for being a rowdy place, full of hard-labouring men and often unpleasant women, but Wesbeldt ... well, let's see.

"People say geography doesn't matter, but if you look at Wesbeldt, ain't it just the farthest thing there is from St. Matthew's? Ought to tell you something about why they are the way they are, mustn't it?"

— Edith Dutch of Harchester

It is foremost the center of manufacturing and home of the great Limeiron forges that largely constructed Orphan Heights in the first place, so one would think some gratitude would be in order. Still, outside repairs or new construction, there is less and less for the Corps. of Limeiron Forgers to do, seeing as they originally did their job so well that everything holds up nicely.

"I’m an Esker, I’ll have you know! Eskers don’t take advantage of a girl like some motherless cad from Wesbeldt!"

— Alvin Esker of Harchester

Many of their facilities have been converted into other things as the need for more and more Limeiron reduced once construction on Orphan Towne was finished, so maybe that makes them grumpy. The largest such case is the conversion of their old iron storage facility into what is now the Tramyards that host great lectral generators, among many others across Wesbeldt, and it is often believed that misunderstood ambient lectral energy in the air, linked with the incessant noise of the forges and the generators, are largely responsible for the moral deficit in this part of town, but this sounds like the sort of rot that comes from the Hilldiver.

"You’re no better than some block-headed bounder from Wesbeldt!"

— Tabitha Hartchild of Sparrowdale

Famous for being ill-mannered, foul-mouthed, and the sort of gits would swear at their mother before begging money off her, the folks of Wesbeldt are given little benefit of any such doubt, if most of Orphan Towne is to be believed. There does seem to be some sort of minor rivalry between Wesbeldt and Harchester in general, as marriage between the two groups is extremely rare, and there is objective evidence to indicate that the crime rate in this part of town is higher than any other by 12.47%, according to the Conservatory's research that was actually done by the Ministry of Clockwork.

"What sort of Wesbeldt ruffian do you think I am?!"

— Ellery Hartchild of Sparrowdale

Nevertheless, geographic opinions of Edith Dutch notwithstanding, its rates of domestic squabbles, violence, and petty crime are noticeable, perhaps the sort of place to one day produce a righteous and valiant young hero, assuming the whole place isn't brought to smithereens in some sort of horrendous catastrophe first, but what are such odds?