Woodry Bridge

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Woodry Bridge is the name given to the crossing over the Lotus Run approximately forty miles north of the Whitten Waymark.

Shortly after the founding of Whittengrove, it was colonised and transformed into a large town spanning the river.

## History

Originally a ruined tower looming across the river to guard over a stone bridge built over the Lotus Run, Woodry Bridge facilitated a means of crossing before it grows wide near the estuary. Once occupied by jackalweres, it was supposedly the boundary into the domain of Queen Lysiphoia, ruler of Chalimar Palace during the time of the Sapphire Sovereignty, but has since fallen under the control of the Lotus Council of Whittengrove.

## Description

Along the banks of the Lotus Run to the south, particularly so at the estuary upon which Whittengrove is built, the river is far too wide to be effectively spanned by a bridge, save for the exception presented by the Galerider Rail, albeit this too was built on the foundations left by the Great Conduit constructed by the Astedians. Though a ferry service exists, most instead rely on the settlement of Woodry Bridge to cross the river, constructed further north where the Lotus Run is scarcely a twelfth of its two-mile breadth at Whittengrove.

Originally an outpost on the shared border between the Realms of Lachlen and Atralran, Woodry Bridge has flourished with trade over the years, boasting a large river port offering transport services for cargo and people alike. Shrines to Gaityas, Ilemer and Veth are commonplace in Woodry Bridge, oft little more than statuettes mounted upon the bridge's edges. Licit and illicit businesses make their trade serving those travelling through the settlement as part of longer journeys.

The eponymous bridge, wide enough for six carriages to ride abreast, spans the near nine-hundred feet span of the river and is littered with market stalls, hovels, docking quays, and even taverns. Towering several stories high, teetering over the edges and even suspended within the high arches of the bridge itself, the residents of the town have grown increasingly creative at finding space for new builds, though few are truly stalwart and sturdy. As such, crossing the Bridge has become a time consuming task, with the winding path between the constructions narrow and often heavily obscured, rare enough for more than one cart at a time. Fines are commonly doled out to those obstructing the passage of important trade caravans, but elsewise the residents scrabble to use all the space available to them, whether they have permission or licence to do so or not.

While a few structures have since been constructed at either end of the crossing, the majority of the settlement is contained solely upon it, a sprawling shanty town of vibrant chaos. Positioned at a measure of thirds on the north-facing and south-facing sides of the bridge respectively, a pair of guard towers topped with clay-fired brick act as sentries towards source and estuary, as well as the barracks of the local members of the Rosehelms. Patrolled by said guards, the gates at either end of the bridge can be locked at times of conflict, isolating the bridge-contained settlement and forcing attackers to assault the walls, or stage a landing from the river itself.

## Government

Woodry Bridge is overseen by a Councillor actively sitting upon the Lotus Council of Whittengrove. While not a resident of the settlement, a portreeve acts in their stead, residing in a modest manor house on the western side of the settlement, directly adjacent to the gates mounted along the sloped cobbles at the foot of the bridge.

## Crime

The density of construction and individuals in the settlement of Woodry Bridge presents significant challenges for the Rosehelms, and so smuggling and other illicit trade is rife. Nonetheless, given the relatively small size of the settlement, patrols are commonplace, though few venture further than the main road and pathways. Individuals equipped as per their status as soldiers of the Order of the Oyster are rare in Woodry Bridge, so their appearance oft heralds a significant occurrence.