Rich Man's Land
Rich Man's Land is the largest and most prosperous town in Old Dominion, built on a bluff in every sense of the word. The Rich family, Retrogrades who arrived with nothing but nerve, talked their way into owning almost every major building in the settlement and then spent decades making good on promises most would have abandoned. A mile of forest has been cleared in every direction, giving citizens a clean sightline against whatever the wasteland sends crawling out of the treeline. The waterfront canal port can house over fifty ships. The open-air market stretches a mile long in each direction during the seasonal farmer pilgrimages, when the population swells by roughly five hundred percent and the sewage system earns every upgrade the Rich family has paid for.
By day, the town is a sprawl of low buildings, one or two floors at most, looking like a shanty-town in the off-season and a roaring bazaar during market months. Canal-side booths are prized real estate because lazy ship merchants buy out the first decent stall they find rather than walking inland. Local artisans line the outer ring. Out-of-town merchants bring goods that travel well. The Rich Man's Theater, a carefully maintained pre-Fall relic with cobbled seating and a rotating cast of musicians, comedians, and locally written plays, offers entertainment at reasonable prices. Performers share drinks with the crowd after every show. Balcony seating exists for those with deeper pockets.
Overlooking it all from a hilltop stands Rich Manor, the only major structure in town built entirely from new materials rather than pre-Fall foundations. Its faux marble columns and enormous red doors, rumored to always be open, serve as a beacon to the citizens below. No visible guards stand watch, though armed staff are numerous. The Rich family funds road protectors, maintains infrastructure, and reinvests profits into the town with the kind of consistency that builds loyalty. Citizens serve as a neighborhood watch, protecting those less skilled in combat, cleaning streets, paving roads, and rebuilding houses. Freemy Rich, the young matriarch, lifts booth frames at festivals and judges cook-offs alongside her people. The family's rags-to-riches arc has become aspirational for the entire community, proof that in Old Dominion, working hard enough might actually get you somewhere.
By day, the town is a sprawl of low buildings, one or two floors at most, looking like a shanty-town in the off-season and a roaring bazaar during market months. Canal-side booths are prized real estate because lazy ship merchants buy out the first decent stall they find rather than walking inland. Local artisans line the outer ring. Out-of-town merchants bring goods that travel well. The Rich Man's Theater, a carefully maintained pre-Fall relic with cobbled seating and a rotating cast of musicians, comedians, and locally written plays, offers entertainment at reasonable prices. Performers share drinks with the crowd after every show. Balcony seating exists for those with deeper pockets.
Overlooking it all from a hilltop stands Rich Manor, the only major structure in town built entirely from new materials rather than pre-Fall foundations. Its faux marble columns and enormous red doors, rumored to always be open, serve as a beacon to the citizens below. No visible guards stand watch, though armed staff are numerous. The Rich family funds road protectors, maintains infrastructure, and reinvests profits into the town with the kind of consistency that builds loyalty. Citizens serve as a neighborhood watch, protecting those less skilled in combat, cleaning streets, paving roads, and rebuilding houses. Freemy Rich, the young matriarch, lifts booth frames at festivals and judges cook-offs alongside her people. The family's rags-to-riches arc has become aspirational for the entire community, proof that in Old Dominion, working hard enough might actually get you somewhere.
Demographics
A diverse full-time population maintains the city year-round, supplemented by massive seasonal influxes during the farmer pilgrimages that increase the population by roughly five hundred percent. The permanent residents are civic-minded by necessity: they clean streets, pave roads, rebuild houses, protect against outside threats, and manage the infrastructure that most wasteland settlements lack. During off-seasons, many supplement income by working as Rich family staff. The community embodies the neighborly spirit of Old Dominion, with citizens acting as a neighborhood watch and protecting those less skilled in combat. The Rich family's rags-to-riches arc has become aspirational for the entire settlement.
Government
The Rich family controls Rich Man's Land through ownership rather than election. The Retrograde dynasty owns almost every major building and accrues income through rent and market stall cuts. Currently led by Freemy Rich, the young matriarch who lifts booth frames at festivals, judges cook-offs, and leads by visible example. The family funds road protectors to guard trade routes, maintains infrastructure, and continuously reinvests profits into the town's development. Citizens participate in governance through an unspoken exchange: the infrastructure and services available exist because residents contribute their labor to maintaining them. There is no formal council or voting process described; the Rich family provides, and the community reciprocates.
Defences
Rich Man's Land is unwalled, relying instead on cleared sightlines and citizen vigilance. A mile of forest has been cut in every direction, giving the population an unobstructed view of approaching threats from every angle. The waterfront canal position provides natural protection on one side, with sea creatures tending to gravitate south toward the Beach rather than the port. Citizens serve as both residents and defenders, forming a neighborhood watch that protects those less skilled in combat. The Rich family funds road protectors who guard the trade routes connecting the settlement to the broader Old Dominion network. The town has rarely been attacked from the canals, and its cleared perimeter discourages overland raids.
Industry & Trade
The open-air market is the settlement's beating heart: a massive clearing stretching a mile in each direction that transforms into a sprawling bazaar during seasonal farmer pilgrimages. All manner of crops, produce, livestock, artisan goods, and exotic crafts are sold. Canal-side booths are prized because ship merchants buy out the first decent stall they find rather than walking inland. Local artisans line the outer ring while out-of-town merchants bring goods less likely to spoil. The canal port houses over fifty ships with full docking staff for loading, unloading, and assistance, serving primarily as an export hub: merchants arrive by water, buy wholesale, and ship goods out. The Rich Man's Theater provides entertainment revenue through music, comedy, and locally written plays at reasonable prices. The Rich family reinvests commercial income into infrastructure, creating a self-sustaining cycle of prosperity.
History
The Rich family arrived in Old Dominion with nothing but nerve. Retrogrades who talked their way into owning property, they built up the settlement from bare foundations through sheer bluff and decades of determination. The family name became the settlement's name, and the rags-to-riches story became the community's founding myth. Under successive generations of Rich family leadership, the town grew from a modest waypoint into the largest and most prosperous settlement in Old Dominion. The canal port expanded to accommodate over fifty ships. The seasonal market grew from a local affair to a regional event drawing traders from across the wasteland. Rich Manor, the enormous hilltop mansion built entirely from new materials, stands as the physical proof of what the family accomplished. Freemy Rich represents the latest generation of hands-on leadership that has kept the settlement growing.
Old Dominion's biggest market, built on nerve and reinvestment.
