There are dozens of towns that still stubbornly remain out in the Wulflands, typically there continued survival is usually due to a critical defensive position such as being on high ground or an island in a river.
Calharrow is one of the former.
Located on top of a mesa, it originally began as an outpost when the Commonwealth first ventured into the Wulflands. Scouts from the Royal Reconnaissance Service were the first to lay eyes on the mesa and a small fort was built on top of it, mainly as an easily defensible waystation and heliograph post (though the heliograph was replaced in turn by a signal lamp and then a radio). As the threat of the Wulvers emerged, sappers from the Commonwealth Army built drawbridges into the path that ran up the mesa and constructed a lift to raise vehicles or equipment too bulk for the path up to the fort.
Over time the outpost grew as tradesmen settled to service the troops at the fort and gradually it grew into a trading post and then eventually a town. It became a nexus of a fledging network of trade routes in the area and a key stop for settlers and expeditions heading west, but its primarily purpose was a military outpost right up until the Great Darmonican War. By the time the War started Wulvers hadn't been seen anywhere remotely near Calharrow and the scouting aircraft that flew from the airstrip regularly reported no sightings on their wide ranging patrols. This influence the decision to siphon off troops from the Wulflands for the Commonwealth's war effort and ultimately to the territory being dangerous ill-defended as was later proven.
The town was seen as a safe heaven and many fled there to seek refuge as the surrounding lands fell to the Wulver onslaught, though the town and its supplies were soon stretched to the breaking point as it became heavily overcrowded. In response the Commonwealth airlifted out everyone who wanted to leave as well as a large portion of the garrison to New Gwentia, leaving behind a skeleton force to man the fort and a handful of civilians who were too stubborn to leave. Within a few weeks Calharrow effectively became a ghost town, its population a fraction of what it once was and most of its buildings now standing empty which helped reinforce the sense of isolation for those who were left.
For a while Calharrow persisted in a state of limbo, its future thought to be nought but dust and decaying wood. But the Commonwealth return to the town atop the mesa, it proved to be the ideal base for the Alyeskan Outriders to operate their patrols from. Army sappers soon arrived to install infrastructure to support the Outrider's vehicles and to improve the airstrip to ensure that the outpost could be kept resupplied by air. The civilians who'd had stubbornly stayed when everyone else was evacuated were finally given some hope, they managed to negotiate a supply contract with the Commonwealth and started earning coin again servicing the soldiers of the new force. Other enterprising souls soon arrived, effectively making the town's history come full circle.
Presently Calharrow is very much a military outpost with an attached civilian own and run service industry. There is now an artillery battery with its guns sited round the edge of the mesa to provide a full 360 degree field of fire in addition to a sole anti-aircraft gun which sole purpose is simply to deter raids from sky pirates with more brawn than brains. There are a handful of civilian shops as well as a tavern and brothel, all to cater to the needs of the soldiers posted here. The military has taken over much of the town and even with the revived civilian population there are still parts that sit empty, mostly homes that was ghostly relics of more fortunate times.
***NEWS FLASH!***
The Frozen Skies Setting Primer will be released SOON!
Just the usual pre-release checks needing to be done to ensure thats everything is correct prior to uploading onto DriveThrue.
Stay tuned!
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