Graylock Compound
The walls are gray and massive and very, very old. Graylock Compound rises from the marshes and interconnected islands of The Mass as the largest landmass in the territory, its stone perimeter continuously buffeted by tides and the reaching hands of undead that the waterflow sweeps away before they can gain purchase. Two pillboxes overlook the lone approach, a bridge spanning a channel of rushing water, and the Graycoats who man them do not wave travelers through with friendly gestures.
Commander Justine Barbier oversees all movement through the gatehouse personally. Entering unnoticed is nearly impossible. Leaving without being accounted for is equally unlikely. The Graycoats maintain a level of access control that would be oppressive if the alternative were not the open marsh, where Sleeper-type undead lurk inches beneath the surface and every step is a gamble.
Inside the walls, the compound operates as a functioning settlement. Fishing boats line a crescent bay, and various Baywalker families and gangs control businesses along the waterfront, their flags and standards indicating which crew claims which pier. Savvy traders learn to read those markers quickly; paying premium to one family's operation when a competitor offers better rates three docks down is the kind of mistake that marks an outsider. The compound provides something rare in The Mass: solid ground, defensible walls, and the particular security that comes from knowing the guards will shoot whatever tries to come over them.
Commander Justine Barbier oversees all movement through the gatehouse personally. Entering unnoticed is nearly impossible. Leaving without being accounted for is equally unlikely. The Graycoats maintain a level of access control that would be oppressive if the alternative were not the open marsh, where Sleeper-type undead lurk inches beneath the surface and every step is a gamble.
Inside the walls, the compound operates as a functioning settlement. Fishing boats line a crescent bay, and various Baywalker families and gangs control businesses along the waterfront, their flags and standards indicating which crew claims which pier. Savvy traders learn to read those markers quickly; paying premium to one family's operation when a competitor offers better rates three docks down is the kind of mistake that marks an outsider. The compound provides something rare in The Mass: solid ground, defensible walls, and the particular security that comes from knowing the guards will shoot whatever tries to come over them.
History
Graylock Compound was built shortly after the Fall as a flood rescue site for survivors of the rising oceans and earthquakes that sank the surrounding territory. It was meant to save lives. It did, though not in the numbers its builders intended.
When hundreds of thousands of people flooded toward the promised sanctuary, the guards were overwhelmed. The compound could not hold them all. Officials made the decision to close the gates on the majority of refugees outside. Tens of thousands fell to infection and rising tides beyond the walls, within sight of safety, within earshot of the people already inside. The compound endured. The memory of that choice endures with it.
Today, Graylock stands as the largest permanent settlement in The Mass, its stern gatehouse and impassable walls providing a level of security that few other sites in the territory can match. Commander Justine Barbier of the Graycoats oversees the garrison with a discipline forged from the understanding that these walls were built on a terrible compromise. Whether the compound's founders made the right call is a question that the walls themselves seem to answer differently depending on which side you are standing on.
When hundreds of thousands of people flooded toward the promised sanctuary, the guards were overwhelmed. The compound could not hold them all. Officials made the decision to close the gates on the majority of refugees outside. Tens of thousands fell to infection and rising tides beyond the walls, within sight of safety, within earshot of the people already inside. The compound endured. The memory of that choice endures with it.
Today, Graylock stands as the largest permanent settlement in The Mass, its stern gatehouse and impassable walls providing a level of security that few other sites in the territory can match. Commander Justine Barbier of the Graycoats oversees the garrison with a discipline forged from the understanding that these walls were built on a terrible compromise. Whether the compound's founders made the right call is a question that the walls themselves seem to answer differently depending on which side you are standing on.
