NEW Story: Killers
The Borough of Santes
Table of Contents
Overview #
This article is about a borough of Vekllei
The borough of Santes is an administrative region in northern Vekllei, located in the Lava Region west of Moma and east of Hoaedesnen. Its area includes several isolated and sparsely-populated towns along Vekllei’s northern coast, particularly along the Grimsy and Mus Mus Fjords. The city of Santes is well-served by Vekllei’s rail network, but the majority of its coastal and inland towns are somewhat difficult to reach. Because of this, Santes is considered a minor borough and makes up part of the economically-depressed North Senrouive Belt.
Shattered fjords make up the north of Vekllei, particularly in boroughs like Santes, which are well-regarded for their striking cliffs and sloping igneous fingers, which evidence Vekllei’s ongoing volcanism. Offshore, hundreds of islets rise and sink over the centuries.
Etymology #
Santes is the Vekllei word for “saint,” and dates back to the Christianisation of Vekllei’s Middle Period sometime prior to the 16th Century. Its earliest appearance was traced to the Santesoavis chapel (lit. All Saints) near the city of Santes, built sometime in the 15th Century by Danish settlers, to which the parish and eventual borough owes its name. Outside of Christian contexts, Santes in Vekllei can also refer to noble spirits, the communicative spirits of Upen.
History #
Do you know what happens when God meets a spirit? Do you have any idea? It is a place of blessings. It’s huge! We have to find this shrine.
– Tzipora Desmoisnes, convinced of hidden shrines in Santes
Vekllei’s northern coast was settled predominantly by Scandinavian settlers, who were displaced from Vekllei’s south in the centuries prior to the 15th Century. For this reason, the cultural and religious segregation of the north coasts produced unusual settlements unique from both southern Vekllei culture and Scandinavia. Settlements in present-day Santes and Moma were heavily christianised, but upon Upen’s reformation by King Desimou IV these populations were forcefully integrated into Vekllei’s feudal hierarchy and were ethnically displaced by Algic Vekllei.
Despite this, Santes would remain culturally isolated from Vekllei’s powerful southern metropole, and remained somewhat politically independent until the late Junta years. By the early 19th Century, a road was established between Montre and the city of Santes, followed by a direct rail line in 1922. By this time, the Junta had consolidated control over all settlements in the Home Islands, and Santes was subsidised heavily by political centres in Montre and Vekllei Proper.
Postwar Development #
Immediately after the war, Santes succumbed to a minor famine that killed nearly a tenth of its population. The borough was largely neglected until independence from British occupation in 2015, when the Interim Administration took control of the Home Islands. It was linked to the VNR Coastal Bullet Train Network in 2044.
Santes’s historical isolation from Vekllei’s coastal regions has left many of its fjords undeveloped, which have become minor tourist attractions. Today, the borough is best known for its natural features, and as the origin of Fisk Ferva, or Vekllei’s modern raw fish cuisine.
Geography #
As a northern coastal borough, Santes sees wet summers and cold winters. Icebergs routinely wash ashore along its coast throughout the year, pulled south from the arctic by the Vekllei Gulf Stream. The borough itself is marked by cliffs and steep fjords, and most of its large settlements are some 100-200 meters above sea level. It is extremely lush, and features some of Vekllei’s most visible and saturated coastal temperate rainforest.
Coastal Fjords #
Santes’s glacial fjords appear as dramatic fingers of igneous rock, puncturing its coast with thousands of deep-water inlets. Since the borough is still dominated by aquaculture and minor agriculture, small villages are often found at the base of these inlets. This dramatic landscape and coastal treelessness is described in old Upen sagas, which contribute to the borough’s interest among pilgrims.
Inlet Biosecurity Zone #
Most inlets in Santes are protected by the Inlet Biosecurity Zone of Santes, a national legal protection that seeks to maintain the populations of open-water fish that live in them. Under these laws, only residents of Santes are permitted to fish among its fjords.
Santes Rainforest #
Santes has several crown land rainforested regions, which prohibit sovereign visitation. Since the harsh weather of the coasts has depopulated most of the fjords of trees, these rainforests are mostly found around the city of Santes and further into its interior. The largest of them is the Mus Mus Crown Land, which includes nearly six thousand acres of rainforest.
Infrastructure #
Santes is considered a minor borough and is not home to much venrouive/bureau proper activity. Most factories are consolidated in the city of Santes, which mostly produce fish products and metal components.
Santes Magma-Electric Power Plant #
The Santes Magma-Electric Power Plant is a facility operated by the Magma-Electric Commission of the Thunderburo. Its massive steam bores supply most of the power to Santes and Moma, and the waste water of this process is pumped into the Santes Mineral Lagoons, an open-air mineral spa open to the public.
North Vekllei Tourism Council #
The North Vekllei Tourism Council, a direct branch of the Vekllei Tourism Bureau, is headquartered in the city of Santes for its proximity to Vekllei’s world-recognised fjords and bullet train rail access.
Towns #
- Santes
- Scisp
- Cult
- Santes-Dismia