By Georgie R.
Art by CLOUD
In our field guide study series, we’ve taken closer looks at the Deepwoods Archives and Elion Hill, covering the Everans who live there, the landscape, and the history of these notable places north of New Mossgrove. In this blog, we’ll be going even further north towards the Dorinda Wastes as we take a closer look at Padrol Tower.
Once a minor water recycling plant, Padrol Tower was built over a huge underground reservoir with the goal of providing communities surrounding it with clean and crisp water for all of their needs. Somehow managing to only sustain light damage during the War, it was deemed a perfect location by the Archivists at Deepwoods to be brought back into service for the people of the region. 10 years ago, Estro Bruan was leading the Archivists at Deepwoods who led the campaign in support of fixing up and using the tower as an Archivist center like Deepwoods. Internal politics caused the idea to gain opposition and Bruan’s rival, Estro Attleigh, was the final nail in the coffin in denying Bruan the ability to set up Padrol Tower and get it working. Unhappy with the decision, Bruan packed up his belongings and began his journey to Padrol Tower without permission from the other leaders. Accompanied by his daughter, Rango Inaya, and his supporters, they journeyed north to find the tower and get it running to supply communities with clean water from the reservoir. They reached the tower and began work to get it functioning, at the cost of losing their connection with Deepwoods as they refused to send any help to them. 10 years on, the Tower isn’t fully operational and has a long way to go. Bruan has grown the community who live there to 250, and they all believe it's only a matter of time before the plant becomes self-sustainable.
If you’ve already visited the Deepwoods, seeking out Padrol Tower to get both sides of the story from both Estro Bruan and Attleigh could start to mend the rift between the communities. Where things may go next can depend on how you feel, you may think Attleigh was justified in denying Bruan the choice of setting up an Archivist tower here. Or maybe Bruan’s sharp way with words will have you taking his side and petitioning the Deepwoods for support to quicken repairs to get the tower functioning?
Padrol Tower is mainly defined by its damaged control tower, the top half of it was sliced during the War but the control room on the upper levels was left unscathed, although not safe to occupy. The ground floor and basement of the tower are used by Bruan both as a center of operations for the community and his personal abode. The tower and surrounding areas are always being worked on by community members to improve their home, but with a lack of support from Deepwoods they spend more time on repairs than improvements. Most of the buildings have solar panels on the roofs which generate enough energy for light, huts made of wood or stone with thatched roofs also double as water collectors with them tilted to run it into water butts. Padrol Tower’s community is extremely resourceful and will take any opportunity to salvage what they can. The land surrounding the tower is lush and fertile, settlers have taken full advantage of this by cultivating crop fields and rearing livestock such as pigs and sheep. With a lack of natural predators in the area, they are able to let them roam freely with added protection from a wooden palisade. Could this turn into a problem in the future? Emerta houses a once bustling wildlife park dedicated to the conservation of Old Earth and Everan species of animals, could they disperse from here and cause harm to communities like this one?
Estro Bruan has led the community to be the resourceful and tough force it is today, with support from Altas Tamerlan and Dipaak who followed him 10 years ago when they left Deepwoods to set the tower up. But tensions are rising between these leaders as Bruan’s logic can rub people the wrong way, Tamerlan is worried about the lack of time dedicated to working on defenses, and Dipaak is angry that Bruan won’t swallow his pride and attempt to mend the rift between them and Deepwoods. Alongside his daughter being impulsive and often getting into trouble, people worry for the future of Padrol Tower and whether or not the sacrifices they made to get there were worth it when it still isn’t functioning 10 years on.
The people of this community all have their own goals and problems with each other, Inara’s impulsivity could spell disastrous consequences if she got herself into too much trouble. Could she cause such a stir that her father could no longer protect her from the consequences? Could Alta Tamerlan take defense construction measures into their own hands at the risk of going behind Bruan’s back? And could Alta Dipaak attempt to mend old wounds with the Deepwoods whilst simultaneously ripping open new ones?
Whilst Padrol Tower is a shining beacon of hope for getting fresh water once the plant is functional, there are many unspoken issues between the Archivists who lead this settlement as each of them have their own idea of what is best for the community. You can proactively shape campaigns based on the thoughts and actions of players and how they ultimately decide to either help this settlement achieve an immense feat for itself and surrounding communities. Or ignore their plea in support of Estro Attleigh’s original decision to disallow the settlement existing in the first place.
But remember! As lucky as Bruan’s group was to find this plant in a repairable condition, will fixing the water supplies disturb something better left alone? You’ll find out when you begin your adventure in Emerta Valo!
Until then, you can ready yourself for your own adventures in Emerta-Valo by pre-ordering the Dreams and Machines: Setting Guide - Emerta Valo today!
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