South Bridge
South Bridge clings to the remains of an old bridge, its houses positioned above the river on ancient pilings that were never meant to hold a community. Ladders lead down from the elevated homes to floating docks that rise and fall with the seasons. Half the year the water rushes beneath the stilts; the other half, everything freezes solid. The fishing district of Skatown exists in perpetual tension with the elements and with the main town that looks down on it.
Residents depend on fishing rather than farming, pulling catches from Moon Lake and the river during spring, summer, and early autumn. A lively trade of dried fish for grain connects South Bridge to Skatown proper. When autumn arrives and Thrill Kill season begins, the fishing folk hole up in their elevated homes while the main town deals with the infected below. When winter arrives and the cold becomes lethal on the water, South Bridge residents have no choice but to relocate into Skatown proper and endure the insults of people who resent them for being absent during the worst months.
A younger faction within South Bridge chafes against this arrangement. They bear the label of a lesser class, mocked for fleeing both Thrill Kill season and winter, yet their dried fish helps feed the settlement year-round. South Bridge residents have recently called for their own Mother and Father on the Family Council, demanding representation rather than charity. The outcome of that demand remains unresolved, but the resentment that fuels it grows colder than the river in January.
Residents depend on fishing rather than farming, pulling catches from Moon Lake and the river during spring, summer, and early autumn. A lively trade of dried fish for grain connects South Bridge to Skatown proper. When autumn arrives and Thrill Kill season begins, the fishing folk hole up in their elevated homes while the main town deals with the infected below. When winter arrives and the cold becomes lethal on the water, South Bridge residents have no choice but to relocate into Skatown proper and endure the insults of people who resent them for being absent during the worst months.
A younger faction within South Bridge chafes against this arrangement. They bear the label of a lesser class, mocked for fleeing both Thrill Kill season and winter, yet their dried fish helps feed the settlement year-round. South Bridge residents have recently called for their own Mother and Father on the Family Council, demanding representation rather than charity. The outcome of that demand remains unresolved, but the resentment that fuels it grows colder than the river in January.
Geography
South Bridge is built around old bridge pilings rising from the river, south of Skatown's main street. Houses sit above the water on these supports, connected by ladders leading down to floating docks that rise and fall with the seasons. Half the year the docks float on rushing water; the other half they freeze solid. The district is positioned between Skatown proper to the north and Widow's Park to the south, with Moon Lake serving as a primary fishing ground.
