QUEENSPORT

Ask Old Rusty - he's crazier than a shit-house rat, but he knows the way.

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Home, shit, home. First English settlement on this land from way back when-- but you ain't here for a history lesson, are ya?

Got a lot of divide here in Hope; you got the filthy rich and the strugglin' poor all congregated in one place like we're all goin' to one big church on Sunday. Let me tell you right now, though-- this ain't church, partner, Hope bleeds sin.

Everyone's gone crazy 'bout Sheffield lately. Heard it's the fastest growin' city in the whole damn country, but don't hold me to it. Got a lot of art down in Sheff, lot of stars bein' born and raised. Folks head over to Sheff when they can't stand anywhere else. Lot of immigrants down there, too.

I'll tell you what, 'Port used to be somethin' good. It built and rose and then fell like the Romans. Businesses and crooks milked us all dry: Queens and the rest of the north slice of Hope. The further up you go, the uglier it gets; shootin' and hangin' and the last few sheriffs losing their minds and goin' after the first bastard that looks at 'em the wrong way. Crazy's what it all is. Don't know how someplace called "Hope" could'a become so hopeless.

↠ LARGEST CITY ↞ Sheffield: A rapidly growing city in the middle of an immigration boom, considered the hope of scholars, thespians, and society alike. (population: 000,000 000,000)

↠ OTHER TOWNS ↞ Queensport: Had something, once; if Sheffield is hope, then Queensport is grief. (population: 00,000 00,000)

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You think you know the woods, but you ain't even seen wilderness 'til you've been out to Hawking. Good ol' Green State's made up of sprawlin' pine forests and paved with the rolling hills. I'd say you ain't even gotta worry much about the people out in Hawking, 'cause nature'll probably kill you before any of 'em get to ya. There's grizzlies, there's hogs, there's wolves, there's wild rams— and you got all that woods to deal with too, surrounded by them tombstone trees with no end in sight.

There's plenty of settlers up there, though, so I think you'd be fine. Lot of 'em made their homes in some log cabins all over the state. Pinecreek ain't far from here, and I hear they got a butcher that'll take any of your pelts an' give you a lil coin back. A lot goin' on with timber out there, too. Just don't get in any trouble with the law, they got a stick up their asses in Pinecreek. Beckenridge's further, but they got a lot of fur tradin'.

Oh, and they've got that big lake— Bur Oak, and when I say big, damn, I mean big. Some folks get there and think they took a wrong turn and ended up at the coast, but nah, it's just that big Bur Oak. Damn good view, but somethin' weird's going on with Bur Oak, though, I'll tell you what; I hear stories 'bout folks out in the woods at night, they hear voices hollerin' for 'em, but if they try to find who it is, they'll always end up at the lake every time. And once they're at the lake, they're stuck the rest of the night, 'cause any time you try to leave, you're always gonna end up back at Bur Oak no matter where ya turn. You can leave no problem when the sun starts coming up, but don't even think about tryin' to sleep when you're caught by the lake.

↠ LARGEST CITY ↞ Beckenridge: A large settlement known as the hub of the fur trade. (population: 000,000 000,000)

↠ OTHER TOWNS ↞ Pinecreek: A small town with a booming timber industry and rumors of corrupt law enforcement. (population: 00,000 00,000)

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Got a lot of personality, them French-speaking folk, and plenty of urban legends that run through the area like those murky swamp waters and smile up at you like gator teeth. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Vincennes local who ain’t got at least one story about witches or ghosts or half-human swamp creatures. They got a way with weavin’ stories down there— you don’t gotta believe ‘em, but their hospitality means you just might. Somethin’ in their eyes will probably tell you it’s true.

A lot of ‘em make their living from fishing, and let me tell you, you ain’t never had fish like the fish from Vincennes. I’d take the trip just to eat some Vincennes-cooked crawfish any day. Most of the folk there are open to tradin’ and got all sorts of odd jobs for the wanderin’ souls.

You can see their lights twinkling over the water at night with the soft lull of their music. Music’s a big thing down there, too— silk-smooth jazz with warm, crackling saxophones and gravelly honey baritones. Doesn’t get any more lively than it does down in Vincennes. Maybe there's a swamp creature that don’t like it.

↠ LARGEST CITY ↞ Deauville: A trading hub located on the river with lively locals and vivacious culture. (population: 168,675 166,120)

↠ OTHER TOWNS ↞ Montrouge: A smaller, poorer town north of Deauville. (population: 14,190 14,050)

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What I like to call the "Family Land"— sure, there's bad apples and rowdy hellions over there, but most of 'em are just farmers and their families. They got a lot of tobacco fields; there's plenty of money to be made from that if you can find yourself a slice of the pie. A lot of people head out that way for a better life, they say. Do a lot of Bible reading an' praying, there's plenty of God's watchdogs and little white churches. Not much trouble you can get into out there, just be careful not to step in cow shit.

Ain't all sunshine and roses, though. I hear all about them prairie ghosts that rustle through the fields at night, echoin' screams like a banshee. Where there's God, there's the Devil, after all. They say don't look out the windows if ya hear knockin' in the middle of the night. There's also them fierce storms and those tornadoes they kick up like Satan's whistlin' a tune; I hear they can tear apart an entire settlement in minutes.

They got ranches scattered all over. A lot of horse trading goes on over there, too. If you're lookin’ for a new horse, Westhaven's gotta be your best bet, I'd say.

↠ LARGEST CITY ↞ Farpost: A large settlement located in the center of the state with trading and a doctor. (population: 000,000 000,000)

↠ OTHER TOWNS ↞ None: Westhaven relies on travel, farming, and trade for most resources. (population: 12,214 10,981)

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Don't know how a place with so much damn sun can do what it does to folks who end up goin' there. Maybe it’s the miles of nothin’ but sand and a sky that’s open like a bad wound. Be careful out in Lowpoint, is all I'm sayin'. They say people who go out too far lose their minds an' come back different in the head— if they come back at all. Sometimes there ain't even bones left behind, from what I hear. Nothin’ at all for the vultures to pick off. Trust your gut if people seem too friendly, 'cause they say Lowpoint's got a town that'll lure in travelers and kill 'em and serve 'em up for dinner.

If you're lookin' for real wild, head out to Lowpoint, 'cause you can't get any wilder than that. Not much to do other than makin' sure you ain't about to get robbed by bandits. Folks go to Westhaven lookin' for God, and other folks go to Lowpoint lookin' for the Godless.

But I don't think you got much to worry about. Just make sure to bring water for you an' your horse, 'cause without it, you're as good as dead. It gets hotter than Hell over there. “Hell” seems like a more fittin’ name for it, I think.

↠ LARGEST CITY ↞ Tescary: The watering hole of Lowpoint that survives on the oil industry's money. (population: 3,878 2,800)

↠ OTHER TOWNS ↞ Stanlow: A seemingly abandoned town with locals that seem a little too friendly. (population: 32 27)

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Way out there on the coast, you got Altamahaw. Lot of coal mining out there, but I don't think they got much else with the..industries and what-have-you. A lot of Native folk have been pushed outta their homes in the other states and forced into the mountains of Alta. Huntley's the main hub out there, but they ain't got much else; if you're interested in huntin', though, Huntley's gonna be heaven. It didn't get the name "Huntley" for nothin'. There's enough game out there to make ya head spin, and plenty of huntin' clubs if you're lookin' for like-minded folk.

It snows like ya wouldn't believe out there, so be careful not to get caught up in it. Lot of storms and rainin', too. I wouldn't go alone, if I was you.

Don't know much else 'bout Alta 'cause I only been out there once-- hey, let me tell you 'bout the crazy shit out in Alta who thinks he's married to the mountain. Sat me down with smokes, all normal, he's talkin' about his lady and I'm expectin' her to walk in the room with us..no, partner, he's talkin' about the mountain. Wonder if he's still out there. Maybe you can find 'im.

↠ LARGEST CITY ↞ Huntley: A small, but steadily growing town that's known for its hunting resources and foothold in the coal industry. (population: 000,000 000,000)

↠ OTHER TOWNS ↞ None: The rest of Alta is mostly considered unexplored and uninhabited, but you'll find a few stray farms and tiny settlements littered across the mountains. (population: 00,000 00,000)