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Way down south, where the murky waters of the Quagmash meet the sea, is Muckland Harbor. If you have ever had a delicious Skrimp Cocktail, or a Mobster roll, then chances are it came from Muckland Harbor. Well, that or the imitation stuff from Viletech. In the last few years things have been getting harder for the folks in Muckland Harbor. The murky water of the Quagmash are getting murkier, and skrimp and mobsters aren’t nearly as plentiful as before. The folks of Muckland Harbor are tough, though. They know that tides come in and tides go out. Sometimes you just gotta weather the storm.
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Way up north, in the River Country sit Capstan. A little island set in the wide rivers, the people there have a laid back quality. Things move slowly in Capstan, following the gentle, but constant lead of the waters. While other communities further down have seen, well, issues with what the Companies have been putting in the water. This, however hasn’t affected Capstan and so this water community has kept good relations with the companies, supplying many of the shipping vessels for them.
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The Land of Erm is covered in small towns and hamlets, but large cities are a bit more rare, though they do exist. Take Marshgate, for example. It is one of the oldest cities in Erm, growing out of an ancient trading hub that existed between the people of the Forest that used to be and the denizens of the Quagmash. It was one of the first cities to see the true terror the Gloom Kings forces. The fallout of that major attack,and the disappearance of the forest, has put Marshgate on hard times. It’s people, however,are a hardy lot. Always been. Always will be.
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Finally, while the river country doesn’t have a formal group of guardians, that doesn’t mean they aren’t without protection. Them Ole Rudder Boys are a loose nit group of vigilantes, patrolling the water ways and helping those in need. They’ll laugh if you ask them who their leader is, saying they just do what needs doin. Though, in recent years, Them ole Rudder Boys have been noticing the waters closer to Thurf are getting hard and hard to navigate.
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The Rangers of the Drippy Downs are a much different bunch to Bogwatch. While the Bogwatch sees themselves as a noble order, the Rangers of the Drippy Downs see their task as a grim responsibility. Maybe this comes from the population of monsters in the area that threaten settlers, or maybe from the fact that they were the first to encounter the Gloom King when he rose up all those years ago. Either way, it is said that if you see a Ranger of the Drippy Downs smiling it is best to run and run far.
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While groups like Viletech are powerful for sure, there are still other forces, ones more just and moral, out in the Land of Erm. Take, for instance, the ranger of Bogwatch. They have patrolled the border of the Use Ta’Be Forrest as far back as when those trees stood, lush and green. While their order did see the lands changed, they still vowed to protect the people living in them, which nowadays means stopping raiding groups from bandits like the Red Boots. Though, while Bogwatch is brave and just, they are not of a single mind and rumor is there is some decent amongst the rangers.
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Still though, it gets harder and harder each year to keep these influences from creeping in. At first they offered money, then trades and partnerships. However, as Viletech and those like them kept getting nos from the small communities, the niceties fell away and the tone and tenner became more cold. More hostile. Of course, the companies can't, say, march an army into a small community and take. That would be just ridiculous. No, I’m sure that these grand companies will do their best to find more, cunning approaches to get what they want.
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Of course, some small communities still thrived out in the world. Someone had the feed the cities after all. However, one by one these small farms and the villages that supported them come under the ownership of groups like Viletech. Soon only a few, truly independent farming communities remained. The town of Dunk was one of the most prosperous. Ran by a town council, decisions maybe didn’t happen fast in Dunk, but it does work to help keep outside parties and the interests at bay.
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In the time since the Gloom King Fell, life has changed dramatically for the people of Erm. Not just the great technological advances from the companies, the most powerful of which is VileTech Wholesome Home Goods, but in where they live. Many small towns and hamlets were greatly impacted from the Gloom King, and their remaining residents found their way into the cities of Erm. There they found work in factories and offices run by the companies, further relying on them for their everyday needs.