Yellstown Settlement
Yellstown Settlement is the only place in Mountaina with anything resembling actual society, and even that description requires a generous definition of the word. One part wilderness, one part country town, Yellstown sits near the northern edge of the Bleeding Depths with the Unborn of Teixiptla territory pressing in from the south. Bars, homes, and a few stores line the settlement, with the Wayward House and Three Bears Bar serving as its most notable structures. The outskirts host people who conduct strange rituals that the center of town prefers not to discuss.
The common phrase in Yellstown is "leave well enough alone," used to warn children and outsiders against meddling. The town has more going on beneath the surface than it shows. The Wayward House, a towering three-story wooden monstrosity that is one of the oldest buildings in the region, serves as the headquarters of the Wayward Sons cult. Strange noises during the full moon and screams of possible sacrifice victims are reported but largely ignored. The Three Bears Bar keeps odd hours and serves as an impromptu hunting lodge, decorated with trophy heads starting with the original three grizzlies. The owner is rumored to venture into the Overgrowth and make deals with the Unborn.
Big Sky Ranch sits on the outskirts near the Bleeding Depths, raising and taming wild game for meat behind crude spike fencing and concealed pit traps. Each year one person pilgrimages into the Bleeding Depths to leave an elkhorn deer in exchange for one of the crystals found within the Overgrowth. A successful pilgrimage heralds good luck for the year; failure portends darkness for both the ranch and the settlement.
The people of Yellstown are rough-and-tumble Natural Ones who founded the town with settlers from Sweet Grass Ranch and the help of Mountain Men who taught them survival tactics. The small-town secrets here can be deadly for the curious, and the curious are rarely warned twice.
The common phrase in Yellstown is "leave well enough alone," used to warn children and outsiders against meddling. The town has more going on beneath the surface than it shows. The Wayward House, a towering three-story wooden monstrosity that is one of the oldest buildings in the region, serves as the headquarters of the Wayward Sons cult. Strange noises during the full moon and screams of possible sacrifice victims are reported but largely ignored. The Three Bears Bar keeps odd hours and serves as an impromptu hunting lodge, decorated with trophy heads starting with the original three grizzlies. The owner is rumored to venture into the Overgrowth and make deals with the Unborn.
Big Sky Ranch sits on the outskirts near the Bleeding Depths, raising and taming wild game for meat behind crude spike fencing and concealed pit traps. Each year one person pilgrimages into the Bleeding Depths to leave an elkhorn deer in exchange for one of the crystals found within the Overgrowth. A successful pilgrimage heralds good luck for the year; failure portends darkness for both the ranch and the settlement.
The people of Yellstown are rough-and-tumble Natural Ones who founded the town with settlers from Sweet Grass Ranch and the help of Mountain Men who taught them survival tactics. The small-town secrets here can be deadly for the curious, and the curious are rarely warned twice.
History
Yellstown was founded by settlers from Sweet Grass Ranch who wanted to expand outward into new territory. With the help of Mountain Men who taught them survival tactics, these farmers moved north and built a small town on the edge of the Bleeding Depths. They hunted wild game, fished nearby streams, and managed to avoid offending the Unborn of Teixiptla to the south. The Wayward House predates most other structures in the settlement, its founding family having nearly starved during a harsh winter before the oldest child ventured into the Bleeding Depths and returned with rituals that spawned a cult. The town has grown around its secrets rather than in spite of them.
Geography
Yellstown Settlement sits near the northern edge of the Bleeding Depths in Mountaina, with Unborn of Teixiptla territory to the south. Bars, homes, and a few stores make up the center of town. The Wayward House and Three Bears Bar are the most prominent structures. Big Sky Ranch lies on the outskirts near the Bleeding Depths. Hot springs used by animals in winter dot the surrounding area. The Overgrowth interior presses in from the south, and the settlement exists in constant tension with the jungle that borders it.
