Gautamtown

Gautamtown citadel at night (2018)

**Gautamtown**, also known as the **Skykeep**, is a small fortress constructed on the Isle of Brandyburn in the kingdom of Mistui. Serving as the base of the kingdom's defensive force, the base is also inhabited by civilians and the Rainbow Tribe's international elite division, the Regn Breachguard.

## History

The Gautamtown fortress was built as part of a plan executed by Governor Marcus in 2009 to stop a skirmish between two of the settlements in Mistui. Captain Grantiniolatan Alenop, the leader of the kingdom's military, led a force to sieze the hilltop by force and defend it for about two weeks while the fortress was constructed. It was mostly wood and planks, but after the skirmish ended, its strategic location and high ground prompted Governor Marcus to keep the fortress in effect. Once it had evolved into a stone fort in 2010, he made it the kingdom's defensive center, and stationed a division of soldiers in it as well as civilians. The town inside the walls were mostly log huts and was inhabited primarily by members of the Rainbow Tribe. Grantiniolatan's second-in-command, Holdener Krykone, led the division for 4 years before the Mistybane War, a regional conflict between Elves in the Straits of Fire and Firedrakes, the only dragons exempted from the Dragon Act of 1877. The fortress took significant damage during the conflict and Holdener Krykone was sent to a medical emergency center. The next year, Fluffy Blanket was placed in charge of the division, but most of the division's soldiers moved back to the kingdom's main town. The fortress was reinforced with a proton cannon and a company of Mountain Tribic soldiers, as well as a dome shield of multiplex glass. It also developed several underground tunnels and a subterranean level of housing for the Mountain Tribers.

## Geography

Gautamtown's geography is located in the freezing but scenic alpine regions of the Misty Archipelago. Surrounded by four tri-peak mountains (Mt. Pineapple, Mt. Duck, Mt. Penguin, and Mt. Stormstrike), the Brandyburn valley is covered in pine trees, rushing creeks, rocky cliffs, freezing bays, beautiful waterfalls, rapid rivers, and calm ponds. Other than its twelve peaks, the Isle's second-most incredible feature is its extensive pine forest, covering over 75% of the valley. The forest has long been the go-to for resources in the village. The plentiful vole cities hidden within promise great hunting for the little Elvish village. The forest continues up the slopes of the mountains and reaches the snow-capped treeline halfway up. Another significant feature of Gautamtown is the freezing-cold Silver Bay Trading Port. Originally built in 2010, the Silver Bay Trading Port lies on the edge of the deep and cold Silver Bay, the sole entrance point into the valley. All 1,000 annual visitors use the port to enter, and the bay docks over 10 ships and 1 dragon taxi. All resource-trading from Gautamtown's main provider, Scotlorian, is also wired through the port. Flowing into Silver Bay is the ending point of many tributaries all over the island: the Brandyburn River. This in itself may be the island's most relied-upon feature. In 2009 the village was built along it and the river returns such good fishing that people have gone as far as to say "it is the best fishing in the world". Even though there are thirty-four tributary creeks flowing into the river, the main source of the river is the Ki Glacier, which melts to feed the river year-round. For 6 months, though, the river is frozen over with an inch-layer of ice. The island also is home to two smaller mountains, the Citadel and the Stronghold. The Citadel is home to Gautamtown's citizens and shops, but the Stronghold contains the Gautamtown Littles' Art Center, the Burning Brook School for Littles & Babies, and the Gautamtown Grain Silo, Farmhouse & Barn, as well as the Gautamtown History & Artifacts Museum, where things such as the Coralden Keys, the Prism, and several ancient scrolls are kept. About 5% of the valley is taken up by the Flash Farms, a facility which provides crops for the village year-round. Whitewater rafting is a popular activity in the village, where younger citizens put on swimsuits and climb aboard kayaks to race down the raging tributaries of the Brandyburn River, home to many kinds of fish, voles, mice, other prey, and insects. Incredible waterfalls tumble down cliffs and shatter rocks, sometimes dying away to create calm lakes and ponds such as the Duck Pond. A popular camping site, the Duck Pond lies in the very corner of the island, tucked away beneath two towering mountains joining to create an L shape.

## Lifestyle

Gautamtown's lifestyle remained the same after Mistybane, although losing over 200 people and over 100 pounds of resources. Gautamtown's lifestyle is typically consisting of a mixed tropical-temperate-tribal sort of thing. After Mistybane Gautamtown's chief was replaced with the tribe majority chief, the Rainbow Tribe chieftain Fluffy Blanky as opposed to traditional Phoenix Tribe chieftain Holdener Krykone. The Phoenix Tribe mostly left the village after that, on account of being the minority, and finally set Gautamtown's dual-tribe arguments to rest as the Rainbow Tribe claimed its new colony. The Rainbow Tribe's origin is in the tropical jungle/cloud forest realm of Coralden, on an inner island within the Cyclandia archipelago, in the city of Letheria on the lagoon. The city is famous for its tribal dancing, beach parties, and Little concerts, where the kids of the society sing tribal chants. This aggressive lifestyle was partially copied over to Gautamtown, where it became tropical hot/humid in the summertime, but remained cold for 8 months of the year. So for the rest of the time, Gautamtowners adjusted their lifestyle to become the first settlement placed in King Jason the Amazing's Lovely Alpinias program. Gautamtown citizens enjoy campfires, rustic meals in their log cabins, playing in the hall, having snowball fights in December, tree-climbing, chatting over freshwater brandy, dragon riding, camping near the lake, skiing, hiking, and whitewater rafting. These activities are the alpine opposites of their rival tribe's village across the mountains, where Tanishatowners enjoy warm beaches, coconuts, and sun 9 months of the year. During the winter, Gautamtown Littles sing and dance tribal songs from their homeland in Coralden, and are educated better than expected from a remote alpine village. Today, Gautamtown attracts nearly 1,000 visitors a year, inside the kingdom and out, to enjoy the lovely national park-ish feel and rustic lifestyle.