THE TOWN OF BLACK ROCK STATION
The town of Black Rock Station has exploded only recently into public notice. Located in the Great Northern Mountains, the town has sprung up in a sheltered spot at the base of Mount Gilbert on Black Rock Lake. Conveniently, the Great River springs from this lake; which provides for the transportation of people and goods almost directly to the settlement. Due to the rugged terrain, a railroad would be nearly impossible to build into the mountains, and though there is an increasingly well-used road leading to the Station, without the water transportation it is doubtful the town could survive. In fact, that there is any sort of settlement in the mountains is a wonder. All those who tried before to settle there were lost, as the brutal weather and primordial surroundings rebuffed or swallowed even the heartiest explorers. It appears that the combination of the lake and the shelter of the mountain allows the valley where the town rests a break from the worst conditions. Still, the cold climate, thin soil and rough terrain do not make for easy living; and only the most robust find that they wish to stay at Black Rock Station.
The town was actually founded some years ago when land in the mountains was purchased from the Republic by a gentleman of Russian nobility known as Duke Dimitri Kazyovich. Most thought him mad or a great fool. It is rumored that the Republic took his money and sent him on his way; no doubt chuckling at making a profit without having to worry about the results of the certainly doomed venture. The Duke claimed the whole of the lake and mountainous terrain surrounding it. Settlers drifted north, many from Russia, and a town evolved that not only did not die, but continued to grow.
Perhaps more surprising even than this is that the Duke was not the first there. When he arrived there was already a small tribe of people living on the shores of the lake and scratching out a living from the land around it. Not Natives, they claim to have come across the sea to North Appalachiad in a time they have forgotten. They have been holed up in the mountains for decades, if not centuries, with little or no contact with the outside world. They continue to live separate lives, and have their own strange ways and customs.
No one knows if the Duke knew the people who originally lived in his chosen spot, but he somehow located the only known area in the Mountains suitable for human habitation and took advantage of it. Things changed further for the townsfolk when the long hand of the Empire reached out and found them. While the Empire gave up claim to the land to the west, they still have interest in developing it, and in that interest they sent out knowledgeable persons to assist the Republic in making use of their resources. One such was Howard Gilbert, a very competent explorer and geologist. He stumbled by chance to Kazyovich’s territory, and while there took samples of the earth and burrowed into the caves. What he found would transform the bleak and removed settlement into a boomtown.
Gilbert discovered that within the Duke’s lands is the largest currently known deposit of iron next to a smaller field of coal. The discovery of such resources sent Gilbert scurrying back to the Empire, who rapidly set out to deal with Kazyovich. Word reached the Republic somewhat belatedly, but they, too, rushed to take advantage of the situation. By the time they arrived, though, it was too late. Kazyovich had already agreed to allow the Empire to send workers to help extract the resources and ship them to various buyers – most of them Imperial. The Duke had purchased the territory from the Republic fairly and in all legality could make what deals he wanted within Republican law. Fuming, the Republican emissary lost no time in setting up a post in the new town – and declaring a high tax on any goods leaving it.
Since then, the town has come to be known as Black Rock Station after the huge amounts of ore coming out of the earth. By association, the lake gained the name of Black Rock Lake, and the mountain was named after the explorer who “found” it: Gilbert.
Here, more than most other places in the Republic, can be found a large Imperial presence, though they do not control the area. The group retains use of the Imperial name of the town, Station #91, and often refers to it as such. Common workers from both countries have come to toil in mine, foundry and factory. There are craftsmen, too, and scholars who are coming to study and invent. Many are Imperial, but others come from the Republic, or even from abroad, in search of land and work. One can sit and watch the street in the Station and see a shiny, brass Imperial contraption roll by; followed by an old-fashioned wagon drawn by shaggy oxen. Few Celestials have made a presence here so far, though there are some of their race toiling next to all the others. Diplomats and overseers of both the continental nations have made homes in the town as well, and while the Duke and his followers retain control of the Territory, the political atmosphere is tense.
The town is growing fast, and many different pressures seek to shape it. Always the human element strives to make their mark, but all within the town are constantly reminded that a stone’s throw away from the city walls is the harsh wilderness of the mountains. Through the snows and fogs this fierce terrain is craggy and deep with unexplored mysteries. Soldiers (from both the Black Rock Guard and the Imperial Army) are present to guard against whatever might – and does – come wandering out. More often, though, Imperial steam rifles are used to protect goods moving south on steam barges headed for the railroad and trade. There are more Republicans than Imperials, as men from the south move north, with their families or without, to find employment. This gives the Republican government increasing power in the town as they strive to assert their control over what they consider legally theirs. The feel of the area, though, takes unmistakably after the Duke’s influence as he and his men continue to be the dominating force. This mix of booming frontier town and growing technology, all within the niche that the land allows, has led to an interesting blend of atmosphere and culture. Though it is sometimes tense, the Duke is an expert in his dealings, and makes sure to carefully balance the pressures. Perhaps because of Kazyovich’s clever acts, or simply because they were there first, many of those who stay at the Station find themselves adapting to the Duke’s ways and becoming neither Republicans nor Imperials; but a new mixture of both.
IMPORTANT PLACES IN THE STATION
For the reasons of convenience and geography, the town of Black Rock Station can be considered to be divided into multiple parts. The entrances to the mines bursting with ore are found higher in the mountains than most find comfortable; while the lake and most of the fertile land is in the valley or at the shore. Thus, the two main parts of the settlement emerged. In the heights, utilitarian buildings went up to facilitate the mining and processing of ore and those that have an interest in it. Instead of traveling up and down the slope, more buildings were built to meet the basic needs of workers so that they do not need to go far. Below is the more “civilized” aspect of the Station where those whose work is not tied directly to the mines reside; along with the docks, the homes of those with families, and what farms and pastures can survive. Some might consider the settlement of the “locals,” called “Lake Town,” to be part of Black Rock Station as well. Their dwellings are actually located farther north along the lakeshore, hidden in the crags of the hills for protection. And finally, while close enough to town to be considered in city limits, the Duke’s castle is often viewed as being separate from the rest of the activities of the people in this condensed territory.
High Town
In the upper town are the entrances to the mines and the structures that house most of the foundries and the few factories in the town. Many here are covered in dirt and black coal dust, and the sharp mountain vistas are becoming increasingly hidden by clouds of smoke. Most workers live here, and this part of Black Rock Station often seems more practical than pretty. The air here is dirtier and colder than in other places as it is more exposed to the elements. A large Imperial presence can be found here, as the Imperial Army is stationed here; and within their walls are many of their more skilled and more important citizens who reside in the Station. A few other important officials live here as well, but many reside below. High Town is connected by a road to Low Town, which takes about half an hour to ride up and down. A transportation service makes the journey with people and goods several times each day. Though it may not be as pleasing to the eye, High Town is the lifeblood of the Station, and few forget it.
Low Town
The lower town is close to the lake, built in a valley. It is warmer and more protected from the weather, and some crops can be grown at this altitude. The town that was established by the Russian settlers has grown with the influx of Republican and Imperial alike, and houses of stone and timber have sprung up quickly. Those workers with families have homes here, as do most of the more well-to-do of Black Rock Station. Schools, churches and stores can be found in the valley next to most of the merchants who cater more to the needs of the citizens than to the business of the Territory. The center of town is home to most of the buildings used for stores and gatherings, and many of the more impressive homes. There are many areas inhabited by the less well-to-do that are little more than huts; though with the abundance of coal even they are able to keep out the chill. The docks are not large, but house a few boats in addition to the steamboats and barges that dock there. Due to the long distance there is seldom more than one or two steam-powered ships in port. Those leave and arrive daily, and the docks are usually bustling with new arrivals and departures as well as the commerce of loading and unloading goods for transport.
Lake Town
Along the shore of the lake the “original” denizens of the territory retain their homes. Known as Lake Town, the people who live here are strange and separate. They have built dwellings of rocks and driftwood north of the town near to the lakeshore amongst the crags and crannies for protection against “the black,” as they say. They rarely leave their own lands, and few know of any reason to visit them. Most of what they seem to need comes from the lake, and they know its waters better than anyone. They are tough, too, having stood up to the passing seasons and the dangers of the mountains for years. Lake Towners have garbled speech that marks them out, as does their poor and bedraggled appearance bedecked with fish bones and other trinkets.
The Castle
The Duke has built a castle for himself and his closest followers. If the Imperials or Republicans had been around to watch him do it, they would have protested the waste on such an extravagance. Or perhaps they would have simply ignored what they would have seen as yet another symptom of the Duke’s madness. They were not there to interfere, though, and the Duke and his people find that a castle is no more than what is due to his station. Almost all of the materials had to be transported upstream and assembled there at great expense, and many of the finer and more unique touches came from the Duke’s other lands in his native country. Not immense, the solid building rises from a cliff nestled against the mountain and overlooking the lake. A long, winding road leads to the simply elegant structure, and it is too difficult a road for most people to visit with ease. The castle is built from bricks of dark stone, and has narrow windows along its wings and studding the three towers that rise from it. The towers are topped with onion domes and the Duke’s flag flies from each. Walls mounted with iron spikes guard the Duke’s home, and any military man could see that it was built not as a pleasure palace but as a comfortable fortress. Within is said to be decorated much the same as a Republican hunting lodge, though few have seen inside. Only those in the Duke’s inner circle, and those who are required to maintain the grounds, make their homes here. Few others are invited past the courtyard’s creaking wooden gate. Most have no need to come, as the Duke can often be found in the town itself and any who need to speak to him can do so there. A few rumors have come of strange cries and monstrous noises rising from the castle, but such rumors usually follow a castle. It is also said that there is an extensive labyrinth beneath the castle, but for what purpose at this remote location, no one can guess.