The World of Gastown
Gastown, or more specifically, Varstad, comprises of: the Citadel, the Four Kith, including the Slough, the Burghs, the Docklands, and the Mutton. Gastown is very much based on a class system, as depicted by the different occupants for each location.
The Citadel
The Citadel of Varstad is the stronghold of the Damm Warriors and looms large over Gastown, known as Assaborg to the Var. The Var did not build the Citadel, but conquered the Ma’din, the Old Ones, and seized their capital, the fabled city of gold, Andalayim. Varstad is encompassed by a vast wall, and seven hills guard the rear.
The inspiration for the citadel is the Moorish architecture of Seville, Cordoba, and Granada.
The Four Kith
The Four Kith is the sprawling working class area of Gastown, situated directly south of the Citadel. It provides the workers who power the Burghmeister foundries and polluting industries, and the butcher, tanning, and burial trades not permitted inside the Burghs. Honest, hard-working people live in the Four Kith, but there is also a criminal element like Cotter Sullivan’s Bully Boys.
The Four Kith is built on a series of canals, and somewhat of an amalgamation of London, Amsterdam, and Vladivostok.
The Slough
The Slough is the poorest section of the Four Kith. Only the destitute, the addicts, pickpockets, waifs and strays, murderers, and other assorted criminal elements reside here. The Slough is the main access point to the Mutton from the Four Kith across Skank Bridge.
The Slough is similar to Whitechapel back when it was an overcrowded slum.
The Mutton
“They left the merchant burghs, vaulted over the moss covered walls, and crept back into the Slough, and across the bridge into the realm of the slagmaidens and their orange lanterns marking the entrance to their dens of vice, depravity, and anything goes mentality. An area collectively known as, The Palace of Earthly Pleasures by those marketing high end thrills, and as The Mutton Market, or simply The Mutton, by those hailing from the lower end of the social echelon.”
The Mutton is the entertainment district of Gastown. Located adjacent to the Docklands, and accessible from the Slough across Skank Bridge. It comprises taverns and bordellos. The population is innkeepers, taven workers, and slagmaidens. The Swell Daddies, particularly Puzzle Pete and his Crimpers, hold sway.
The Burghs
“Workers dispersed to their own Burghs, designated by their respective trades. Stonemasons and sculptors; carpenters, sawyers, cabinetmakers, and woodcarvers; brightsmiths and blacksmiths; painters and jewelers; broodbakers and pastry makers; chandlers and quillers; cobblers and cordwainers; armorers and swordsmiths; bowyers and fletchers; gildsmiths, and whitesmiths. Even the kolmen, each carrying a small bucket of gratis kol to fuel their back to back hauses and warm the water to wash off the kol dust, had their own small district between the Four Kith and the Burghs proper. They were silent outcasts of sorts, not part of the burgh system, but necessary labor for Gastown to function, and so slightly elevated from the Four Kith. Only the Assameister was in the singular, and the Willow abode lay at the end of a lane behind the gild craftsmen.”
The Burghs are situated to the west of the Four Kith. It is the affluent area of Gastown, and populated by the merchant class.
The Docklands
The economic engine of Gastown is sea trade, and the Docklands are the hub. All trade flows in and out of the Docklands, and on into Gastown via the canal system. The Docklands is populated by the dockworkers, the fishermen, and their respective families. They are hard-working, honest people.
Bridge of Broken Souls
“Juan’s flock were in a happy, playful mood as they followed him through the Slough and onto the bridge. Some of the folks from the Four Kith even came out to see what all the commotion was about, but they were sensible enough to watch from a distance. This was not their squabble, but the distraction offered free entertainment. A handful of street vendors thought about hawking their meat pie and blud sausages, but given the nature of the demonstration, and the chant of ‘What we steal fairly we keep,’ they decided to shut up shop.
Juan’s heart beat faster as the Slough folk surged onward towards the citadel and the intent of planting their post at the very gates for all to see the Great Charter and their list of demands. He did not know what the result would be; he had not thought that far ahead, but the exhilaration of leading his people and the unity of folk who would generally kill each other for a shaved coin, was worth any potential risk to life or limb.
Juan’s army never made it to the gates of the citadel, or even to the other end of the Bridge of Broken Souls. As they crossed the arch of the bridge, they saw what was waiting for them on the other side and stopped dead in their tracks.”
The Bridge of Broken Souls is the main access point to the Citadel from the Four Kith. The Burghmeisters and the kolmen, who work in the Citadel, use it as their access point.
Skank Bridge
“Jojo took her post on the corner of Grainger and Gray. It gave her a clear line of sight of any potential targets crossing the Bridge of Earthly Pleasures, better known as Skank Bridge, over the Witten canal and on into the Mutton, and a view of her little army in their assigned positions. Her interaction with Juan was crucial, and they communicated with hand signs, flapping coats, and head gestures. Once the mark was identified, Juan would take over as captain and steer the good ship, Purse Snatcher to the port of misfortune for one and opportunity for others.”
Skank Bridge is the main access point from the Slough to the Mutton.