Rum
As of this writing, Rum is planned as a port town on an island to the west of the New Elennian countries. Most of the countries of New Elenna have cooperated in opening the Western Lands and have planned a trading port town that will be a springboard for adventurers, merchants, and colonization. This is a planned town; every street and building is already on a paper plan even though a single brick has yet to have mortar.
WLA Compound in the First Month of Occupation
Background
Gold Quarter Times
Posted Weekly by the Golden Hearth Club
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Rum! Not Just A Drink Anymore
Unless you’ve been locked up in Star Tower, you know about Rum and the Great Westward Push. Envisioned by the disgraced Elennian Shipping Guild, it will be the Gateway City to all parts west. Redemption for some. Freedom for most. Profits for all.
Hildalgo Conti, heir to the once mighty Shipping Guild, came up with the concept: build a planned city from scratch that would return the sea trade to its former glory of the 4th age. Hildalgo petitioned Sturtevant, High Lord Mayor of New Elenna and obtained his support. However, things did not go Hidalgo’s way as the Free-States League, an alliance of most of the nations of Elenna took over the project and refused to give the Shipping Guild complete control of the project, just a portion.
Now, planned to the individual zone and street, the project is about to break ground. A small fleet of 10 ships is set to embark from South Harbor before next Godsday. Full of Fixers, Archetects, Adventurers, and Construction Workers, it will begin laying ground for the new city a couple of months from now, when they arrive at the Rum location.
Set on one of the smaller islands near the “Big Island” on the Southern Yrthian Island Chain, the area where Rum will be built, is mostly unexplored. Yet, the WLA says that they have had representatives in the area for the past few years. Mutambo, representative to the public of the WLA states, “If there was a problem with the site, we’d know about it already.”
The building of the City is being handled by a committee of various governments and firms that has been named The Triangle.
Everyone is clamoring to invest in the new city. Plots of land are being auctioned off by The Triangle to help fund the project. Nobles wanting mansions and castle sites are buying property that doesn’t exist yet. Temple sites being promised in exchange for workers, materials, and very large donations. 100s of contracts are going out. Creative payment in future city holdings, land, promises, etc. are being doled out liberally.
It remains to be seen whether these investments benefit those who are seeking their own forms of power within Rum.
Captain Olffrick Hodgemip, captain of the Starkeeper and leader of The Fixer Fleet was interviewed this week. He offered, “I expect we are over-equipped with everything we need to brave these new waters. Fixers can repair any damage we suffer on the journey, Adventurers will keep us safe, and the 10 ships in the fleet were picked for their expertise in deep sea sailing. It will be a smooth and likely boring trip.”
In honor of the Fixer’s Fleet Crossing, the debate this week will be on the topic of “Manifest Destiny and Rum: Salvation or Damnation.”
