Derby/RoughGuide
Derby: A Rough Guide
Somewhat isolated from the other outsider settlements, Derby is quiet and relatively safe. Its proximity to two native towns means that enemies can be found in the jungle outside the town, though Derby proper has not seen as much conflict as its sister city, York. Derby makes a good base for those interested in hunting natives or animals. Most visitors to Derby are traders or explorers, though there has been an influx of visitors drawn by the renaissance Derby has recently seen. Derby is home to two local militias, the Derby Hospitallers and the 1st Derby Privateers. The two groups together founded the Eastern Federation, a secondary clan that serves as a de facto government for Derby.
Derby was once regarded as the most backwater of the outsider settlements, the only settlement without a clan dedicated to its defense (York, in contrast, had several). However, with the foundation of the Derby Hospitallers, followed closely by the foundation of the 1st Derby Privateers, the town has seen an explosion of activity. In less than six months, the clans of the Eastern Federation opened a hospital, a school (the first on Shartak), a newspaper, a tavern, a court system (also a first for Shartak), and an ambassador program to the other two southern towns. The Derby Privateers also serve as a police force. Derby is also the only town to have its own message board.
The Eastern Federation has also historically supported new services run by non-Federation members, such as a local bank and the island's first explicit hotel (though taverns have generally served the same purpose). Adding to this increasingly cosmopolitan air, the Derby Evening Press recently announced the beginning of the Derby Lecture Series, a series of educational seminars on a varity of topics. Perhaps as a result of these efforts, Derby is the host for a thriving expatriate community, as people from other towns make Derby their home away from home.
Derby received its baptism by fire at the beginning of the Derby Derby. The feared WickSick Headhunters announced their attention to take the heads of as many Derbians as possible. In a bloody guerrilla war, the Wicksicks and the Federation fought for exactly one month (albeit with surprisingly good sportsmanship on both sides). This, coupled with Derby's intervention in the Fourth Battle of York and the Eastern Federation's public works activities, have made Derby a respected power on Shartak.
