Soosainmaree
The songs carried the promise. In slave quarters across the Ironworks, Kings' Court musicians sang of "a land to the north, across the great waters, where peace and freedom reign." The place they sang of was Soosainmaree, a port town on the Great Lake that had become legendary as the promised land for escaped Iron Slaves and Reclaimers.
During the Ironworks era, Soosainmaree harbored an ever-growing population of escapees who had made the crossing. Any slave who reached the settlement was given food and shelter. If their abilities were not needed in a fishing town, another settlement would be found to take them in. The New Abolitionist movement maintained a strong presence, and the town's fishing economy provided a cover of normalcy over what was, in reality, one of the most important stations on the underground railroad.
The settlement was not defenseless. A section of the Sleeping Giant's navy was docked at Soosainmaree, with enough well-armed craft to make slave hunter vessels that pursued fugitives into northern waters simply disappear. The armed ships kept the promise that the songs had made: reach the north, and you would be free. The slave hunters who tried to follow learned that the waters around Soosainmaree belonged to the resistance, and the lesson was usually final.
During the Ironworks era, Soosainmaree harbored an ever-growing population of escapees who had made the crossing. Any slave who reached the settlement was given food and shelter. If their abilities were not needed in a fishing town, another settlement would be found to take them in. The New Abolitionist movement maintained a strong presence, and the town's fishing economy provided a cover of normalcy over what was, in reality, one of the most important stations on the underground railroad.
The settlement was not defenseless. A section of the Sleeping Giant's navy was docked at Soosainmaree, with enough well-armed craft to make slave hunter vessels that pursued fugitives into northern waters simply disappear. The armed ships kept the promise that the songs had made: reach the north, and you would be free. The slave hunters who tried to follow learned that the waters around Soosainmaree belonged to the resistance, and the lesson was usually final.
History
Soosainmaree grew from a fishing port into one of the most important refuge points in Homeland. Kings' Court songs carried its legend throughout the Ironworks, making it a beacon of hope for the enslaved. The settlement developed a reputation as the promised land across the water, a place where freedom was real and defended by force. The Sleeping Giant stationed naval vessels at the port, ensuring that slave hunters who pursued fugitives into northern waters did not return. Over time, the ever-growing population of escaped Reclaimers and Iron Slaves transformed Soosainmaree into a symbol of the resistance itself, proof that the Ironworks could not recapture everyone who had the courage to run.
Geography
Soosainmaree sat on the Great Lake within the free Reclaimer territories of Homeland. Its position as a port town made it accessible by water from the south, serving as a landing point for escaped slaves who crossed the Lake. The Sleeping Giant's navy maintained armed vessels in the harbor, protecting the settlement from Ironworks pursuit. Lakehead, the resistance headquarters, lay to the north. The fishing waters of the Lake provided the settlement's primary economic base.
