Alderham

Alderham, the oldest town in all of Westreach.  Rarely if ever counted amongst the most important towns, its position on one of the greater northern rivers has allowed generations of people to live there long before the Imperium reached the region, Imperial occupation, The War of Independence, and well into modern Westreach.

Alderham is by no means grand or imposing, it possesses no famous craftsmen, great fortress, wealthy or powerful houses, or political importance.  Most travelers know it simply as the dependable settlement between Surehold and Dunwall lying roughly right in the middle of the two settlements.  It is a place where a traveler can trade a bedroll for proper bedding, repair their wagons, replace used supplies and worn gear, and eat something that isn't hard tack.

Nobody really remembers when Alderham was founded, the settlement existed long before the Imperium expanding into the region, though no evidence suggests it is older than the Imperium.  The earliest settlers didn't keep much records of their beginnings as the importance of ensuring there was food for the winter took precedence over such matters.

Several stories have survived concerning the founding, but none can be proved as more correct over the other.  Alderham the name isn't even it's original name, though few if any remember what it's original name was.  When the The First Eternal Imperium of Valdros had moved in they had renamed the settlement and most today simply only know the place as Alderham, so it has stuck.

Alderham stands besides an immense river that flows from the northern mountains into The Death Marsch.  The river provides fresh water, fish, and fertile land while nearby grasslands offered forage initially and transformed into the farmlands that it is now.  Then just across the river is the Elven forest which provided game, timber, herbs, and other woodland resources.

Then of course the crossing which the town formed around is the most dependable crossing point for quite a ways.  There are other crossings of course, but with seasonal changes they are simply not as reliable as the one Alderham formed around.  It proved reliable often enough that travelers gradually favored it over the others aiding in the proper formation of the settlement into a town.

The current bridge in Alderham is far from the first, there have been several that have stood in it's place over the centuries each having been repaired, replaced, widened, or rebuilt as needed.  Ferries also operate across the river for times when the bridge itself is closed for repairs or simply overcrowded.  As well as serving as a place for some of the smaller cargo vessels to dock and unload, though larger merchant ships simply cannot make it this far down the river.

Seasonal changes to the river change water levels enough that some ferry landings don't function year round.  Due to the changing currents docks shift and access roads periodically move with them making the bridge the most dependable means of crossing the river.

Centuries of experience have left Alderham well prepared for ordinary and regular flooding.  Quays, retaining walls, raised banks, and other river works protect the closest structures.  High waters may change the rhythm of the settlement it doesn't, under normal circumstances, threaten it's existence.

Alderham is little more than a large village approaching the size of a proper town, having slowly grown throughout it's existence.  Buildings have been repaired rather than replaced, expanded over abandoned, and repurposed as necessary rather than disused.  Even structures that residents may consider as new may already be a hundred years old.

There are few, if any, obvious districts and little evidence that anyone ever even attempted to impose a grand design.  Homes, workshops, stables, gardens, storage buildings, and older public structures were simply built wherever there was room for them.  The only exception to this is during the time of Imperial occupation.  During tis time roads were improved, administrative structures erected, and the crossing itself was brought closer to imperial standards.  Many of this structures may still stand, though nearly none of them serve their original purpose.

• The former Imperial courthouse now serves as Alderham's general communal hall where winter markets are held, occasional auctions, public meals or gatherings, and other events requiring more space than ordinary households can provide.  During some emergencies it also serves as a shelter.
• The old Imperial town hall has become a communal work hall and storehouse.  Tools, spare materials, firefighting equipment, flood control supplies, and other items useful to the settlement as a whole are kept there.
• The governor's residence is now a halfway house.  Travelers without means, refugees, injured people, traveling workers, and residents temporarily displaced may all find shelter within the building.  Few locals overlook the humor in an Imperial governor's home now used almost explicitly for those who possess neither wealth nor authority.
• The old records hall remains a place of knowledge, though no longer for Imperial administration.  It serves as Alderham's library, schoolhouse, and repository for records considered important enough to preserve in one place.
• The former armory and barracks became the town's main inn.  Its sleeping rooms, kitchens, and common eating areas required little alteration for the purpose, though a large stable was later added by local residents.
• The Imperial granary continues to serve much the same practical function it always did, grain and other foodstuffs are stored there for local emergencies.
• The old tollhouse that sits right on the bridge itself, which was also once home to an Imperial surveyor's office on the top floor now functions as a watch post and informal guard tower.  Some militia equipment is stored there, and because nearly every traveler entering Alderham passes nearby it has also become the town's mail post and notice board.
  • The surveyor's office above remains filled with practical records concerning the river.  Ordinary water levels, seasonal flow, unusual floods, changing channels, and observations accumulated across generations.
    
    

Alderham possesses little formal government, no mayor governing daily life, no council continually creating laws, and no permanent body responsible for every communal concern.  Most residents simply expect their neighbors not to behave like fools towards one another.  When something requires attention, whoever notices it generally begins trying to solve it.  A damaged section of road might be repaired by whoever first recognizes the problem along with whoever they can convince to help.  Someone noticing a quay deteriating may gather masons, laborers, tools, and materials for the repair.  A resident concerned about a dangerous tree, damaged roof, failing ferry landing, or missing bridge timber do not need to obtain permission before organizing a solution.

In practice certain dependable individuals repeatedly find themselves coordinating such work because they possess the necessary knowledge, experience or willingness.  Their influence in these matters coming from competence and trust rather than any sort of official position or title, and nothing prevents another resident from taking responsibility when necessary.

For repairs that are beyond Alderham's own resources and capabilities, local organizers seek help whenever it makes practical sense.  Merchants using the crossing may contribute coin or materials, travelers may provide labor, Surehold may provide manufactured components, tools, or skilled craftsmen, while Dunwall may contribute labor, equipment, or expertise.  Neighboring settlements that depend upon the route may also contribute as needed.  The crossing continues to function simply because enough people depend upon it to make repairing it worthwhile.

Alderham has no single complete archive of its history, the old records hall contains documents considered important or broadly useful, but much of the settlement's memory remains scattered amongst it's residents.  One family may keep genealogies, ferry operators may maintain records of unusual water conditions, drownings, damaged boats, or changes in the river, another household may possess accounts of old bridge repairs, so on and so forth.  Multiple copies of the same event may exist and disagree with another.  Finding a particular record often involves asking one resident who may remember that another family once kept such things, who then directs the search elsewhere until eventually someone produces a box, ledger, bundle of letters, or aging journals containing what it was that was being searched for.