[SentaiPink]

Alroc

After the War of Veld, freed slaves fled the mainlands looking for better lives far from the painful memories of what had happened there. Prospectors went out looking to find themselves riches in the forbidden lands, and what they found was Alroc Lake. Which was named for the prospector that found it, of course; Romia Alroc. What they found in Alroc Lake was a vast coal deposit. They immediately returned word of the bountiful resource, but its location on top of the lake caused concerns. Mining could not begin until something was done to give better access to the coal vein.

Two short years later the lake had been dammed and mining finally started in Alroc Lake. At first it was a community that lived on the sides of the receding lake in simple tents. As time went on houses were built, a clinic, forge, inn… A decade after the liberation of the middle realm Alroc was large enough to call a town. Since the lake had dried up the town was simply named ‘Alroc’.

By this point in Alroc’s history more than just miners had come to call this place home. Craftsmen, traders, smiths, and all sorts settled to trade in the wealth of coal its mine provided. The heat took some time to get used to. Alroc was unforgiving in the summer but its mildness in the winter allowed for year-round planting. The mines and plentiful crops supported the government of Alroc, in turn this new government did well to provide and protect its population. For a decade and a half the town thrived and prospered.

The wealth of Alroc was what eventually caused its downturn. So much trade was passing through the town that it drew unwanted attention of seafaring robbers. Two trade ships were sunk and a third narrowly escaped with only a part of the crew still breathing. Pirates had set their sights on Alroc and their attacks only grew more bold as time went on. Finally the pirates had located the source of the trade and attacked Alroc properly. They raided the town in the truest of pirate fashion: stealing, raping, and pillaging. Alroc’s guard was overwhelmed, never before had they dealt with anything on this scale and there was little hope of stopping it. The pirates took all they could carry of Alroc’s riches and left the survivors to pick up the pieces of their livelihoods.

Alroc tried to better defend itself should a second attack come. Constructing a bell tower to warn the citizens should the ship be spotted coming in, it also ended up being used to signal shift changes to the mine. Two rings to change shift but anymore was warning of an attack. The guard was repopulated and plans were drawn for better defence.

The following year the pirates returned. They arrived to find the entrance to town barricaded. As a result they set fire to the barricade and sent dinghies around the hill side to attack from the north instead. The citizens took cover in cellars that had been built under a few of the homes, barricading themselves inside. This, for the most part, worked. The pirates did not bother with the basements as the majority of what they wanted was still accessible. Once more they took their fill and left.

The following year they returned and the year after that. Each time more aggressive, and each time ripping open more cellars to look for treasures. The danger was too great and in spite of Alroc’s wealth and prosperity its citizens started to flee. The pirates attacked twice more and by the time they made their final assault Alroc consisted of no more than five people. There was scarcely enough to steal to warrant the effort. Furious the pirates killed most of who was left, taking some prisoners and leaving one survivor.

The lone survivor became the only inhabitant of Alroc and, while ships still stopped by every now and again, there was never much trade to be had. Perhaps the merchants were hopeful that miners would return. Given time, nearly five years in fact, people started to arrive again to make Alroc their home. It was a slow trickle, but Alroc was perhaps as stubborn a town as the lone man that had kept her occupied in her darkest years. Since the return of a handful of people new trade was established and everything was right for Alroc to thrive again.

Then one day good news arrived in the form of a rumour, traded to Alroc by a merchant sailor. The pirate ship that had plagued the town in the years prior, the ‘Nipos’ Wrath’ had been sunk with all hands after a failed attempt to plunder a village that lay in the North.

Now safe knowing that the pirates of their past would bother them no more, and feeling stronger from the tribulation of those who survived, Alroc pressed on, eager for a second chance.