Ngtorestone - Gem of the Midlands

Location

The town sits on the main body of the River Nene, which flows West to East from the Midlands of historic England, towards the North Sea. The river itself is prone to flooding and as such has many natural watershed zones, lakes and floodpains. The town centre itself is positioned within short road distance of many small tribrutaries and islands, which provide suitable habitat to forage for resources and harvest wood. There is no immediate coastal access due to the towns inland location, however due to the widening of the River Nene downstream from the towns location, small vessels are able to navigate from here to the open ocean.

Environment

The town sits in the wooded biome, surrounded by seemingly endless forests. There is also a large amount of clay and rock, however this needs to be extracted from the ground and is not immediately noticeable on the surface. Due to the proximity of the River Nene, the town has extremely arrable land. Due to the natural watershed of the river, even during periods of drought, the water table remains almost near constant, allowing continous growth of crops and steady drinking supply throughout the seasons. The river is also a vital source of food for the town, boasting numerous populations of fish and small crustaceans.

Town

The town is zoned into 3 different districts:

Town Centre - North of the River, centre of Goverment and market traders. The majority of the population lives close to the Centre, due to its access to resources and goods. The centre is mostly setup in a grid pattern, with stone roads encompassing settlements of denseley packed houses. A riverwalk stretches the bank of the Nene in both directions and there is heavy emphasis on the planting of trees in all areas. There is also a number of fisheries that operate in the town centre.
South Ngtorestone - The south of the River, accessible via numerous bridges spanning the river is home to the more affluent residents. Streets here are generally quieter and wider, with houses allocated gardens and private spaces. This part of the town also features the Ngtorestone Tavern, the only pub in the town, a very popular spot on most weeknights and weekends. Further to the east, there is also the towns first port, which allows international trade. The port has seen much business since its construction and there are plans to extend this zone to accomodate industry and exports.

3. East Ngtorestone - The east of the town is focused primairly on resource production and trade, there are no houses far east. Crops are grown largely on the Northern side of the river, due to its slightly higher eleveation which allows floodwater to drain quickly. There are numerous small islands that are host to woodcutters and tree nurseries, these islands allow the town to grow and harvest wood out of sight from the mainland forests.

Economy

The towns economy is driven largely by two resource groups - Wood and Alchohol. Wood is the largest produced good and also the largest import of the town, it is used as the primary resource for construction and maintenance and therefore is in high demand. Due to the town having suitable farmland to group high tier crops, the decision was made to allocate land to the growth of corn to be used in alchohol production. This has led to a large increase into the consumtion of drinks in town, via the Taverns notably. This is also the towns largest export.

Population

According to the most recent census, the population was around 4465 . The growth has been slow compared to other nearby towns, notably due to the emphasis on decorational objects consuming heavy amounts of resources.