New Ashfield

  New Ashfield is situated on the coasts of the Burned Frontier. It has stood for many generations and has seen its share of disasters along the way. Its proximity to the ocean regularly brings in violent storms, as well as the toxic Ashen Tide. With each passing decade, its population dwindles more and more. Locals are unfriendly and distrustful of strangers and refer to them as "drifters". They operate through bartering with a strict code on what an item's worth. A single vial of antibiotics is worth three days of salted fish; produce from outside the frontier is worth a few clips of ammo and weapon maintenance provided by the town mechanic.   As a coastal town, New Ashfield relies on seafood as their main source of sustenance, as well as their most traded resource to acquire other essential supplies. The town is run by a group of dockmasters, none of whom were officially elected to their positions of leadership. They're all the longest-lived survivors of New Ashfield and have resided in the town for the majority of their lives. The most respected member among them is Marla "Stonehook" Vance, a gruff, old woman weathered by many years out on the sea. Her family lived in New Ashfield since before it was in ruins.   Marla comes from a long line of fishermen and is a fair woman, though she doesn't waste time with flattery or small talk. Outsiders who want her help have to prove their worth to her community. What she says goes; Marla's word is final. Her right hand is a crude prosthetic made from the scavenged metal of old anchors. She was injured during a shipwreck when she was a young woman, but her injury never discouraged her from sailing. Marla keeps a lantern burning outside of her home at all times. Locals believe that as long as it's lit, the town will stand through anything. While not outwardly violent people, the residents of New Ashfield have no qualms about stealing from travelers and even caravans that pass through. Ever since the arrival of Saltspire Industries, though, the rate of petty crimes has fallen. After their surveyors uncovered a deposit of cobalt near the town, Saltspire Industries settled in the Burned Frontier to begin mining operations. They arrived shortly after another hurricane hit the coast and offered their help in New Ashfield's rebuilding. The company needed shelter for its employees and offered to provide essential supplies to the town in exchange.   They provided guards for the town's protection, but in reality, their guards are stationed in New Ashfield to ensure that the locals don't take advantage of their people. New Ashfield's condition is dilapidated but habitable. Its architecture is a mess of crumbling buildings, corrugated metal, and tarp. Broken windows are hastily boarded up, and rusty vehicles litter some of the town's yards. Power is inconsistent and provided by scavenged solar panels and jury-rigged generators. The streetlights, at least the ones left standing after the storms, flicker on and off throughout the day.   The ocean air is thick and humid, threatening to choke out the coast's remaining life by calling in the Ashen Tide. It always smells faintly of brine and rot. New Ashfield has small, simple shops throughout it, as well as several bars and one major inn. A short distance outside of town is Hollow Watch, an abandoned lighthouse that Saltspire Industries repurposed into a secondary base of operations. The lighthouse is functional once more and also outfitted with radio equipment.   Settlers continue to live in New Ashfield because they fear that the Burned Frontier doesn't have anything better to offer. The town is all many of them have known, making its dangers predictable and survivable. Others stay out of stubbornness, clinging to old family legacies or a need to survive on their own terms. The town's constant destruction brings its people closer. Despite the trauma that each storm brings, neighbors bond over rebuilding what is wholly theirs and theirs alone.