Shawgate
"Shoar's Gate", "The Defier's Stand", "Bread Basket of Westmarch"
Foundation
Shawgate was founded in the spirit of rebellion and rioting. Originally a peaceful farming village, isolated and hidden away, it quickly became the spark that set the brief yet violent riots of Shoar's Revolt aflame. In its earlier years, the village-that-would become Shawgate had been settled by missionaries of the Church of the Redeemer and their families in an attempt to convert nearby Eostre tribes to the newly born belief of the Light.
Centuries passed, whilst men and women chanced the woods to meet with the Ilmari tribesmen and mine the rich veins of tin, silver and iron to the north, thus creating Steelport. A lordship there was established, and the villagers fell under the the House of Blackmoor's authority, providing leathers, wheat, wool and wood. The name of Shawgate, and its current state, come from "Shoar's Revolt". At a time when the Lord of Steelport had chosen to grow ever more authoritarian, the villagers gathered under a young farmer named Shoar.
Catching like a wildfire, angry mobs of farmers and artisans began to ransack, pillage and murder the townsmen of Steelport. Rumours of the uprising ran across even to Sigthel, where members of the lowest castes chose to burn shops, deface the statues of past Archons, and dragged those they deemed heretics to be murdered on the streets. In Westmarch, a great stone fort had been built from the quarries where Shawgate sits today, and named Shoar's Gate.
In a desperate attempt to quell the revolts, the Lord of Steelport called upon the Archon of the Church, who had deftly and righteously crushed the riots in his own city, to aid them. Shoar's Gate had been swiftlu besieged, burned and laid to ruin. Shoar's limbless body was proudly paraded through the streets, whilst the bricks of his castle used to lapidate his followers to death. Their remains scattered across the woodlands with neither burial nor ritual. All that remain of Shoar's brief realm is the crypt below the chapel, and scattered stones across the valley.
Map of Shawgate
Demographics
Shawgate is home to mostly Eostre people, with some Ilmari blood and even the rare Dànu exile making their home as far away as possible from their old abode. The village has recently seen a drastic decline in male population due to the Devastation.
Local Population:
- Eostre, tribe of Light - 75%
- Ilmari, tribe of Winds - 20%
- Jormar, the Children of Ice - 3%
- Dànu, tribe of Earth - 2%
Government
The government of Shawgate is helmed by a Reeve, appointed by the Lord or Lady of Steelport. The reeve is supplemented by a sheriff, who leads the local guard, and is counselled by the Solar of the local Church in matters of faith & ethics. There is also an unnamed, unofficial group of men and women that aid in the running of the village, created by the wealthiest merchants and artisans in town.
Many of the people in Shawgate are serfs, and as such only till the land that is owned by the Lady of Steelport whilst being overseen by the local reeve. The sheriff is the local authority that applies the laws decided across Westmarch by the Lord or Lady of Steelport, and her council chamber. The local guard is sourced namely from young men in Shawgate who have joined the militia, or from Steelport to oversee this hay-strewn hovel of a village.
Defences
The defences of Shawgate are meagre. It is a simple village on a hilltop, where the raised chapel may provide a vantage point for archers and soldiers to defend, however much of the town itself is widely unguarded. The local militia does serve as protectors, but only to some extent. Since the Devastation, many of the fighting men and women of the town have either turned to banditry, died or deserted the battlefield, leaving a small group of well armed, yet poorly trained fighters.
The Sheriff of Shawgate is at the helm of this militia, although he has a reputation for laziness and inaptitude bordering on sheer cruelty. The soldiers and officers obey him out of fear, for he is still a violent man, and because of the tight grasp he keeps on the militia's purse strings. Few are the guards who have joined to protect their homes, many find work further north or would rather simply suffer the stones and arrows that misfortune aims at them throughout the years.
Industry & Trade
The main export of Shawgate used to be wheat. Yet after the Devastation, the rolling fields of Shawgate's valley were devoured by pests and famine struck swiftly thereafter. Since those days, the people of Shawgate desperately attempt despite their best efforts to recover the golden fields of their home. Instead of wheat, they provide all manner of swine meats, leathers and cattle.
Points of interest
The Chapel of the Redeemer is the tallest point in Shawgate, and home to Brother Edwin Randall, the local Solar. It is the oldest building in the village, and sits atop an old crypt wherein the bodies of the old lords and ladies of Shawgate were once buried. The bodies of the unknown, or travellers who were killed on the road are buried there now, to provide an access to the afterlife even for the lost and destitute.
The Reeve's Manor is the home of the local governor, appointed by the current Lady of Steelport. Whilst not necessarily a point of interest, it is nevertheless a landmark for many villagers to congregate to. The Reeve's Manor is the largest building in Shawgate, and staffed by members of the village, as well as "imports" from various other countries, typically taken from Jormar raids.
Additional Details
Founding Date
-476 BTD
Alternative Name(s)
Shoar's Gate, The Defier's Stand, Bread Basket of Westmarch
Type
Village
Population
400 (Actual NPCs unknown)
Related Ethnicities
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Additional Rulers/Owners
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Inns & Taverns of Shawgate
"Stay a while and listen."
Joan's Tavern, is the only inn in Shawgate and owned by Joan, a young and somewhat... passable cook. Since her father died in the war, she has decided to take up the business and try to set it right. Many of her fellows have left for Steelport or passed on the battlefield, leaving her both alone and desperately trying to fight off destitution. She'll let anybody use her hearth, and is more than glad to give out pointers to cooking, despite her ineptitude.
Shops & Artisans
Hobb's Forge, is manned by the lone survivor of the Hobb family, a middle-aged woman named Bridget Hobb. Devout Laitosians, the Hobb family was once a prolific group of farriers and blacksmiths, who joined the war effort. None came but young Bridget, who has since decided to continue her work, seeking purpose in her craft. She is a bitter, protective woman, who will never give something out for free.
Otto's Tannery, is manned by Otto Lederer, a middled man crippled with debt, whose key concern is meeting those debts before the end of the month. Otto is a man whose interests lie in leather, leatherworking and anybody else who might be associated with such affairs. Even the unsavoury types, who need black dyed leathers to skulk in the darkest nights. Despite his profession, he is a well read man, whose stresses and anxieties take over and are oft solved through tabac and opiates.
Milo's Workshop, is manned by Milo Drake, an acrid and cynical man in his late 60s. Milo is renown for being a harsh and rude fellow, with a softer heart if one gets to know him. He will always guard those he holds dear, but damns the rest. Many villagers leave Milo to himself, unclear of what his purpose or direction is.
Darker Secrets Linger...
It is rumoured, during the plague in the aftermath of the Devastation, that the village of Shawgate had to resort to gruesome acts of cannibalism to survive. Many men and women were butchered by the old Solar. Many of the people here refute such horrific claims, and instead praise the old priest for his presence of mind, yet some still swear by it, and many of the refuges from Shawgate that migrated to Steelport enjoy entertaining such unpleasant thoughts.
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