Vauverd

It's never quiet, but it isn't loud like the cities and satellites are. And the people are nicer, though I'm definitely biased on that front. They work hard for themselves and each other - though I wish it wasn't so difficult.

— Jalen Romilly

Vauverd is a small town in the southern mountains of Vallon in the Dumas System. It is largely self-sufficient except for medicine and technology, factors which leave the residents comfortable but often fairly poor.

History and Industry

Settled in 58 IE by the farmsteading Droit family, Vauverd was always intended as an 'escape' from the heady industrialism of the large cities, focusing instead on small-scale agriculture and self-sufficiency. Preserved fruit and timber remain the settlement's primary exports to the nearby city of Puerto Valle, sustaining a small economy.   Vauverd's relative isolation from greater Vallonese politics and commerce has insulated it from a number of incidents, such as a sharp drop in the demand for iron in the 100s that took years to recover, as well as scandal involving bribes given to Lafèrean representatives of the Dumas Governing Authority to support subsidizing Vallon's industry. Involved in neither, Vauverdans barely noticed the events.   Luck in solitude did not last forever, as the Pythian Flu which swept the system in 432 initially skipped the town by, before coming back with a vengeance in a deadly wave in 434. Vauverd's limited contact with big cities left many residents with a reduced immunity to seasonal flus, leaving them especially vulnerable.   While some Vauverdans would have undoubtedly recovered on their own, the survival of the town is credited to the spaceship Dielli, which chose to stop and render medical assistance. Through their efforts, many began the slow road to recovery. The effects of the pandemic on Vauverd continue to ripple to this day, with many locals experiencing worse health outcomes and lessened abilities to do the agricultural work that has kept the town independent, increasing their reliance on imports from Puerto Valle.