Coalwalls

Coalwalls, a frontier town caught in the chaos of war, also is Francis Wells and Faun's hometown.

Summary

Coalwalls is a mining town founded by one man with a dream of striking it rich. It had long been rumored that vast deposits of coal lay hidden within the great mountain range, but the surrounding environment was so harsh that few ventured to find out. The only once who dared set foot on the land were rowdies driven by reckless dreams and criminals fleeing their pursuers.

The town of Coalwalls developed as these lawless drifters gathered around the one man who has been lucky enough to find coal. Several mining towns of the sort exist throughout Patria, with the central government giving out mining titles that effectively grant self-governance to claimants as they extract and sell the minerals. From the government's perspective, it seemed more profitable to give up a degree of authority over the frontier in exchange for a reliable supply of resources, rather than to chase after distant opportunities itself.

Soon after the War began, however, the mineral-poor North found itself with an insufficient supply of coal and moved to place many of the mines under its direct control. Coalwalls was no exception to this policy. The Northern army brokered negotiations with the claim holder, but these apparently broke down in the face of fierce resistance. According to army records, the mine owner was later found to have Incarnate aptitude and was offered a position while the army assumed temporary management of the mine.