Stockman Area
Horses and Livestock are brought in to civilization every day. Here is the where they arrive. What started as a slight convience has made The City prosperous.
The Stockman area started out a ways outside the city, a quarter days ride. It is to the east of The City, down the prevailing winds from the coast. The main way of the Stockman areas comes from the King's Pass (RegalioVexia). The King's Pass leads to Great Plains, a sea of amber grass with mild rolling hills and the occasional oak tree. Since the Plainsmen (Golbins and such) have been pacified and converted, the plains are open to greater usage by civilized people. This has been a boon to the Stockman area, and The City attached. While the Stockman area has grown, The City has grown out faster to meet it.
The Stockman area is where Rancher's stock is processed. Most ranchers are bringing in the furry and broad steer native to the plains, but some bring conventional steer in. A team of ryders herd the stock to one of five paddocks. From there, they are sorted. Some are saved as auction stock, the rest are mere commodities unless a buyer has been arranged before they herd was brought in. The animals are killed in the slaughter areas adjacent to the paddocks. Meat is taken and dried for transport. Hides are either tanned for leather or stretched to maintain the fur. Tallow is taken for candles. Jell (collagen) is taken for food purposes. Bones are ground to enhance flours or used in other processes. What little is left is chopped and used for either pig feed or fishermen's chum. These items are then shipped via ship to the old country.
(Dung from the paddocks is sold and caked for use as fertilizer.)
There are five paddocks in The Stockmen area. There used to be five important men in the Stockman trade, but now there are only two. Elgenius and Gordonus have forced the rest to sign over their paddocks to them, with Gordonus owning the extra one. These two men will not stoop to open war or obvious sabotage, but underhanded business dealings is their bread and butter. The hatred between these two men is good for the Ranchers, as it makes sure that good money is paid for each head. These two men own all of or part of the businesses in the Stockmen area. They may be the wealthiest men in The City.
The Stockman area has always provided services for the Ranchers and their riders. There have been corrals, Horse tenders, blacksmiths, taverns, inns, bathhouses, red lamp houses, and a healers area. Homes to support the workers were built near by. Services to support those people (stores and such) and the occasional needs of Ranchers and Riders followed. The Stockman area would of become its own little town, except for the wealth that has flowed through the City.
Since the Soldiers and Knights who waged war against the Plainsmen needed fresh horses and supplies. They tended to buy their supplies and horses in the Stockman's district, rather than ride/ walk further to the City. The creation of the Kingsmen Fortress at the far end of King's Way, has eliminated most of the personal purchasing in favor for bulk purchasing by the Army. The flow of government monies enriched The City.
Since the clearing of the Great Plains ten years ago, more and more livestock has flowed through the area. The pacified area has allowed more colonists to travel here. The farming, mining, and lumbar harvesting has made a great deal of wealth for the merchants involved, and a little bit for the people involved. The City has grown by leaps and bounds. It eventually has reached the Stockman area.
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? Responses (3)
This is really well thought out. It shows history, growth, and development. I am not sure it is very universal, as it seems to be dependent upon a few things.
However, it is good history and social ecology, as such places have to exist in some variation.
This submission left me wondering two things (neither of which affected the vote or have much impact on the gaming aspect). The first thing was agriculture, the great plains of the US were cleared of indian threats long before any sort of serious settling was done, most everyone was more intent on getting to the west coast. It wasnt until a variation of a plow emerged that could cut the tough prarie sod that the plains were settled. I kind of expected a sort of King's Trail where settlers and pioneers are crossing the plains to destination X. The second is the preservation of meat for long term, major stockyards came about because of railroads for fast transport and later refridgerated rail cars for preservation. I do imagine a major stock yard springing up to produce jerky (dried beef) by the ton.
Those two things aside, this is a solid submission loaded with conflict and plenty of plot hooks. I could see one of the meat magnates serving as a ambivalent backer for PC parties, looking to gain any advantage, from magical items to sabotage.
Nicely done.
We have an east coast/ west coast thing going.
This is more of a Sierra side station, where the towns/ villages (on the west side of the mountains) were in place long before anyone wanted to spend time in the less civilized eastern side. (Most West Coast towns and cities were not far from the coast (relative speaking even if by river). This is a requirement for a pre-railroad export arrangement.
In this case, farming is not taking place, but ranching. Ranching, for export, was the prevolent food production. The Ranchos and Anglo Ranches were always open to Indian predation of herds. The number of ranchos/ ranches grew only as the Indian's numbers (Goblins and Plains folk here) diminished. They then grew farther into the East (your west) in the Greater Plains.