Important Places of
Redemption Hills
Milk and Honey Restaurant – Mrs. Grace Abbott,
together with her husband, retired Army Col. John Abbott, purchased the land
that the Milk & Honey Restaurant stands on. While the owners are not
always present, they make sure to have an excellent cook available for
breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. With spirits outlawed in Redemption
Hills, eateries such as the Milk & Honey have become the main gathering spots.
Most everyone comes through to get some grub, and the Milk & Honey has the only
piano player in town. The piano and some of the furnishings might look a bit
familiar to patrons of the old Velvet Glove, so the displaced citizens of poor,
doomed Devil’s Perch should feel right at home. Things don’t get that rowdy
here, but you can be guaranteed some good food and a relaxing atmosphere!
Golden Meadows Hotel – Owned by the same
proprietors as the Milk & Honey, this is the finest hotel money can buy - in
Redemption Hills. Conveniently situated next to the restaurant, visitors
of all sorts usually stay at the Golden Meadows. Currently, the name is a
bit shinier than the actual establishment, but there is hope to change that
soon!
Godwin’s General Store – The good members of the
Godwin family currently tend to the largest selection of goods in town.
Offering everything from horseshoes to sugar candy, the Godwins keep it neat and
organized. Closed for church on Sunday, the family also frowns on selling
bullets and weapons. They do keep offerings of both in stock, though, and
you can rent a firearm from the store as long as your intention is to keep the
peace.
Matthew
Godwin also had a safe installed by the finest vault-maker in Johnston. It
is reported to be the most secure place within 100 miles, and for a low fee,
anyone can keep their valuables inside.
Office of Dr Jones – A small building in the center
of town, the office is a simple structure that nonetheless gets quite a bit of
business. Owned by Dr. Roslin Jones, a female doctor from the East, the
building has become the go-to place for citizens of the Hills when they need
ills tended. Dr. Jones was a resident of Devil’s Perch, and her stalwart
help during the troubles of ’49 earned her the appreciation of the citizenry.
Though the good doctor walks to the beat of her own drum at times, none can
doubt her skill, and she continues to be popular with many folk – especially the
common people.
Svenson and Sons Smithy – Olaf Svenson has set up
shop in Redemption Hills, fixing all manner of metal bits for the citizens.
Business has been booming with the rebuilding efforts, and hammers ring at the
forge all day long. Olaf is assisted by his sons, Erik and Lars, and
between the three of them they can fix any plow, knife or even gun that comes
their way! Just follow the clanging sound and the heat, and you’ll find
the smithy just off the main row.
Cole Lumber Mill – Not much has changed about the
old lumber mill, and residents will be comforted that the mill is as prosperous
as ever! Mr. Peyton Cole was able to salvage nearly all of the machinery
and other bits from the Devil’s Perch location. Thanks to the work-for-wood
program, no willing local or Celestial need go without employment or housing.
Mr. Cole has offered that any man who cares to can take up the saw and work off
the cost of lumber to build a house, as well as receive steady employment.
Many men in town are doing just that, contributing to the booming lumber
business. The trees farther north seem tougher than their southern
counterparts, so it is difficult work – but this harder wood is even more
profitable! Citizens can be proud of their local industry.
Celestial Ward – An aura of mystery surrounds the
Celestial Ward, and when a person steps into that quarter of town, it’s almost
like stepping into another world. Bright awnings flutter in the wind,
strange smoke drifts through the air, the smell of foreign cooking fills the
nose, and everywhere is the chatter of Celestials. They fill the streets
with their silk robes and draw ornate symbols over everything. The Ward gives
most folk the creeps, and they would just as soon that the Celestials weren’t
around – but they actually seem to be thriving! This is also the best place to
have your laundry done, and Lei’s Laundry is the best in the Ward. A number of
Celestials survived the plague, and more are coming west to work on the
railroad, constructing buildings, clearing forest, and even in the lumber mill.
While they certainly keep to their own kind, the housing regulations imposed by
the Decency Bureau ensure that proper buildings are constructed to shelter the
Celestials. In Devil’s Perch, Celestials may have lived in shacks and tents, but
such breeding grounds for sin and disease are not to be tolerated in Redemption
Hills! Until the men work off the cost of their materials in the mill, or
earn it on the railroad, families are temporarily living together while more
homes are built. During the day, the Celestial population is friendly and
accommodating. However, after the plague, work was needed and Celestials were
one of the few forces around who could do it. With the arrival of Jin
Chen, the Celestials seemed to organize and get better wages. Peyton Cole
even steps a bit more carefully around them, and folks have to wonder what the
world is come to. The Ward still has a reputation as a place for dark deeds,
and only the brave or desperate go there after dark.
Chen’s – If there is a heart in the Celestial Ward,
it beats at Chen’s. Jin Chen is the owner of this warren of pavilions and
ramshackle buildings, but he’s a hard man to find. If you go to his place,
you can expect to run into a number of tough looking Celestials instead.
The interior of Chen’s “shop” is hung with silks and lanterns, and heavy with
the smell of smoke. All sorts of food is served up, or at least the
Celestials seem to eat it! Chicken feet and other withered objects a man
shouldn’t ask about hang from the rafters. Celestial women and children (some
say they all belong to Chen) stare from the shadows. The counters are
piled and powdered with strange herbs and even stranger objects float in jars.
Visitors take their tea or dumplings in the large front room, and only a few
pass beyond the ornate tapestries into the maze of buildings at the back.
St Christopher’s Church – Not a large church by any
means, St. Christopher’s was still one of the first built. It is one of the few
structures made entirely from stone, standing out of the mud and trees as a
sturdy reminder of faith. Catholics are still in short supply, but Father
Pederi and the two priests with him ensure that they are well tended to.
Mass is held every day, and twice on Sundays. Saturdays soup is given to
the poor, along with any spare coins collected during the week. Though
still outsiders; the steady, kind presence of St. Christopher’s is hard to turn
away during these difficult times.
Meeting Hall – A simple wooden structure near the
heart of town, the meeting hall was first erected to provide shelter for the
workers brought in to set up Redemption Hills. As people began to settle,
it was needed for storage, and then to host meetings. Work has been done
to make it more sturdy and pleasant, but it is still a basic building of four
walls and a wooden floor. Now, though, it is ready to be used for socials,
weddings, and other gatherings. Mostly, the Decency Bureau uses it to host
their meetings, which they hold frequently.
Lovelace Tea Shoppe – A little taste of the East,
brought West! Mrs. Viola Lovelace, a widow of the Serape war, purchased a
little store just off the main street with the intention of bringing a little
refinement to the territory. An assortment of tea, coffee, and dainties is
served up daily. The store is bright and decorated with lace curtains and
flowered upholstery. While at first the store seemed doomed to failure, business
is picking up. Even the menfolk can be seen coming and going, picking up
packages for their wives.
Holy Hearts Orphanage – Thanks to the generosity of
some folks out east, a group of missionary-minded women have come to Redemption
Hills to care for the orphaned children of the area. After hearing about
the tragedy of Devil’s Perch, Mary Francis and her companions took up a
collection in Cago and headed west. The land for the orphanage, purchased
on a rocky knoll in the forest outside of town, now contains the sleeping
quarters, a church, school rooms, and a number of other buildings to see to the
children. Many children lost their parents in the plague, or in Native
attacks, but others are coming in from miles around; as this is one of the few
orphanages in the west. The walls seem fit to burst with little ones!
Mary Francis does her best to instill discipline, knowledge, skill and Godliness
to her charges. The children grow much of their own food, and many learn
crafts from local volunteers. If you want to help, just look for the cart
full of children on market day!
Army Encampment – Though a large force was sent to
Devil’s Perch and the surrounding area during the Native Wars, their numbers
have dropped off. After the destruction of the Perch, the Serape tensions
became heated, and all the soldiers marched south. Remaining in Redemption
Hills is Colonel George Emory’s 11th Infantry, companies D and H. The men
keep separate from town, as the colonel believes in keeping military discipline.
The tents gave way to shacks to better keep out the cold over the winter, and
now a shanty town exists to house the soldiers. Though the soldiers find
just about any reason they can to come to town, the citizens do not feel the
same and find little of interest at the encampment. A few traders go out
to do business, but as the soldiers get more bored and prone to pranks, people
stay away. Col. Emory is known for his strict morality, and attempts to keep a
tight hand, but his duty to both the Army and now to the Decency Bureau keep him
in town.
Cutter’s Brook – This bustling town is still
standing, barely hurt by the troubles of the Perch, about half an hour east of
Old Devil’s Perch by train. With the new track built to Redemption Hills,
it takes a little longer, but Cutter’s Brook is still the closest Republican
town. Considered more civilized than most frontier towns, the people of
Cutter’s Brook are busy enough to tend to their own business.
Old Woman Butte – Most people think “tragedy” when
they think about Old Woman Butte, and the place has earned its name.
So-called because of the wizened shape of the hill, the butte was settled first
by a few loners and then by intrepid farmers and herdsmen looking for a fresh
start. Most of the original settlers, and those following them, have
passed on due to illness, the local wildlife, or other misfortune. The
place was starting to get a name for being “cursed.” But the grassy slopes
beckon, and the land isn’t going to waste! It’s said that the Burke family
has bought farms there; repairing the buildings and getting fields ready for
planting. The question has to be asked, though, can they break the curse
of Old Woman Butte?
Wasteland – This vast desert stretches out, barren
and almost lifeless, as far as the eye can see past the Snake River.
Wilted, twisted bushes and trees cling to existence under the heat of the sun,
sucking out what life they can from the sandy, pale soil. You can stare
into the Wasteland from the outskirts of the settled areas of the Republic, and
it’s said that the Wasteland stares back. Every tale about the place is
full of madness and death, and no right-thinking man would set foot across the
river to see if the stories are true. Every so often, someone will stumble
out of the desert haze, gibbering out a tale of woe; changed forever by what
they saw. And the locals have stories aplenty about deadly rabbits, weird
chanting, and eerie lights at night. That’s enough for most people. Expeditions
to see how far the Waste stretches came back without an answer – and most often
not at all. Still, apart from the blood spilled out there, folk say that
treasure and power wait under the rock. Some are fool enough to seek it
out, too.
Old Devil’s Perch – This town still stands, charred
and empty after the horrible plague of 1849. The disease that struck was so
terrible that the Republican Army quarantined the entire area. It is said that
any who tried to break the barriers were shot, their ghosts haunting the borders
of town forever. The buildings themselves are mostly gone, destroyed in
the fire and shelling that was the Army’s last attempt to eradicate the plague.
It seems to have worked, since the sickness stopped spreading. Many died,
though whether from pestilence or at the barrel of the gun, no one wants to find
out. Their bodies are left, mostly unburied and mourned from afar. Corpses, half
burned and gnawed upon, lie in the streets; while blackened walls and broken
windows look down with vacant eyes on the aftermath of the town’s destruction.
Wailing can still be heard coming from Devil’s Perch’s streets, especially since
Redemption Hills was settled only 10 miles north of the cursed ground. Though
the surrounding area has been declared safe, no one wants to go close to the
place. The town itself is still under quarantine, and few would brave the
vengeance of the dead by breaking that rule. But there are always a few
willing souls who don’t mind damnation. After all, in the rush of the
evacuation, who knows what treasures were left behind?
Great Northern Mountains – The great barrier of the
north, these huge, craggy peaks stretch across all of North Appalachiad.
Steep slopes, difficult passes, sudden fogs, severe cold, and inhospitable
wildlife have all contributed to make the mountains a wall almost no one has
crossed. Apart from the sheltered Black Rock Station, only the rare mountain man
or hermit makes their home in the mountains, and they seem to die or get lost
soon enough. Sometimes, great shaggy bears and wolves come down, and folks have
seen Native markings on the stones in the hills. Whether any of these are
accountable for the disappearance of travelers, no one can say for sure. The
mountains offer little of value, and are therefore too wild for most anyone to
tame. Even the foothills, which stretch into Redemption Hills, are full of
difficulties. Whether it’s the difficult terrain, the chilly weather, or the
strange inhabitants, folk mostly steer clear of anything related to the entire
mountain chain.
Snake River – This wide band of water winds from a
source hidden somewhere in the Great Northern Mountains, through Laughlin
Territory, and then twists back to form a border between the Republic and the
Wasteland. The river meets up with New London in the south. Few dare to
travel so close to the Waste, but those who do find it a profitable way of
hauling goods. And some are just desperate enough to take the cheap
tickets in order to find a new place to settle. Not as dangerous as the
Wasteland or Great Northern Mountains, many places along the Snake River are
still viewed as treacherous, and strange things are sometimes fished up out of
its murky depths.
Green’s Swamp – The waters of the Snake River seem
to have spilled over and created a marshy patch of land not far from town.
The swamp got its name while rumors swirled around the disappearance of one of
the wealthiest men in Devil’s Perch, Mr. Green. Known as being the first
person to stand up to a Cole in an election and live, Mr. Green vanished and has
not been seen since the summer of 1849. When settlers explored the swamp
during the establishment of Redemption Hills, they claimed to have found a
distinctive looking top hat floating on the still waters of the marsh.
While some stretches are pleasant marshland, filled
with chirping insects and singing birds, others are downright sinister.
Deep pools, sucking mud, biting insects, venomous wildlife – all these things
can be found in Green’s Swamp. Even with all that, some people have
started living in the swamp, since it teems with life and makes it easy to eat –
and easier to be left alone.