Highgrove

The capital of Midcost, Highgrove, is a gorgeous township perched atop a gently sloping hill. Famous for its whitewood architecture and brilliant red rose gardens, Highgrove is the seat of power for House Thorne. Every building in Highgrove is constructed from woods, such as aspen or pine, that display a pristine white grain. The most expensive structures are built from naturally white woods, while cheaper ones may have simply been bleached. This motif is often imitated across the rest of Midcost with white paint. Rose bushes and brambles are carefully cultivated in Highgrove. While these may seem like an odd choice, the thorn is a symbol of strength for the people of Midcost and decorative bramble bushes are thus a popular patriotic display.
The people of Highgrove are friendly and quite used to foreigners passing through from Bridgeport. The township is considered one of the last places where they are welcomed rather than suspect. Despite this, Bridgeport natives are easily picked out by their accent and experience a very different welcome. Tension between Thorne and Hudson has manifested itself into strained relations between local populations. Those of Bridgeport are often scrutinized and harassed by town guards if caught alone - so a thriving “tour-guide” business has sprung up in recent years as the situation has deteriorated. These ‘tour-guides’ are little more than armed and aggressive mercenaries paid to taxi their wealthy clients around and keep bothersome guards away.
Among the many smaller whitewood buildings of Highgrove is the Roselyn Thorne Mansion. Constructed by Lord Weatherby Thorne in honor for his daughter Roselyn nearly a century ago, it is considered one of the wonders of Westridge. Standing nearly three stories, the manor was built with only the finest materials available. The outer rooms share more in common with elven architecture, featuring natural open-air spaces divided by grand white curtains. More standard walls and ceilings provide a weatherproof interior for the winters. The Rose Manor is warm, well lit, and considered one of the great prides of House Thorne.
=== Current Ruler ===
After the assassination of Lord Edmund Thorne, the Captiol has been in disarray, and no house has been elevated to Baron of Midcost. The seat currently lies vacant.