THE COASTAL SETTLEMENT BELOW LENNIX HILL

“A city without a name, a people without permission — yet more alive than any place on Nova Prime.”

I. Status: Unrecognized City of the Republic

Though it holds a population rivaling Gransport, vibrant districts, commerce, and its own internal governance, the Republic refuses to designate it an official city.

No mayor.
No charter.
No tax rolls.
No borders on a map.

And yet — to its people, it is a city.

They simply call it:

The Lowlands

Because everything south of Silverpoint slopes downward until it hits the marshes… then the sea.

But no outsider uses that name.

They call it:

“The Ghost City.”
Not because it’s haunted — but because the Republic pretends it does not exist.

II. LOCATION & GEOGRAPHY

The Lowlands sits on:

a humid, subtropical coast
long marshy stretches
pine-swamps leading to Lennix Hill
canals carved by natural tides
boardwalk districts raised above the water

Weather is almost always warm, sticky, and musical — thunder rolling far more often than it falls.

III. CULTURAL IDENTITY

The Lowlands is defined by three pillars:

1. Music as Lifeblood

Drums echo from the riverfront.
Open-air bands gather on balconies.
Entire blocks break into dance during storms.

Music is how the Lowlanders:

settle disputes
remember their history
declare joy
welcome Lennix when they descend

Every child born here can keep rhythm before they can walk.

2. Freedom as Tradition

No kings.
No mayors.
No officials.

The Lowlanders elect “voices,” temporary representatives who rotate monthly to prevent corruption.

Rules are few and simple:

Do not betray the Lowlands.
Do not speak of Lennix Hill to outsiders.
Do not endanger the peace.

Everything else is personal freedom.

3. Hospitality with Teeth

Visitors are welcomed warmly…
until they ask the wrong questions.

Strangers who pry into the hill, the Lennix, or the settlement’s odd traditions will quickly find themselves guided back to the highway with firm hands and polite smiles.

IV. THE UNWRITTEN PACT WITH THE LENNIX

The Lowlands exists because their greatest secret lives above them.

Everyone knows:

The hill belongs to the Lennix.
The Lennix belong to no one.
And protecting them protects us all.

This pact shapes all behavior in the settlement.

If a Lennix descends:

crowds clear the street
vendors place food outside as gifts
musicians fall silent
doors open and heads bow

Not from fear — from respect.

If a visitor asks about the family:

Conversations die instantly.

The person is escorted out of the district.

V. ECONOMY & LIVELIHOOD

The Lowlanders live comfortably — not rich, not poor.

Key trades:

fishing
spice markets
swamp herbs
metalwork
boatcraft
distilleries
handcrafted jewelry using river-stones and drift-metals
small docks that move more goods than the Republic knows about

But the real wealth is community wealth — everything is shared.

No family starves.
No child is homeless.
No elder is forgotten.

VI. DISTRICTS OF THE LOWLANDS

✔ 1. Riverwalk Row

The beating heart — food stalls, music, river festivals, night parades.

✔ 2. Foghouse Quarter

Where storytellers, poets, and craftspeople live. Known for smoky taverns and constantly lit lanterns.

✔ 3. Bramble Market

Spice stalls, herbalists, and curious apothecaries. Smells like pepper, sugar, and swamp mint.

✔ 4. Timberreach

Raised wooden homes on stilts. Families who’ve lived here for generations.

✔ 5. The Tide Gates

Where boats enter and exit the marshways — a maze of docks and piers.

✔ 6. The Silent Road

The path leading up to Lennix Hill.
No music plays here.
No vendor sets up a stall.
No child plays within sight of it.

It is kept empty out of respect.

VII. RELATIONSHIP WITH OUTSIDERS

Lowlanders are vibrant and welcoming until you violate one of the Three Forbidden Questions:

“How far up does the hill go?”
“What are the Lennix really?”
“Can you take me there?”

Asking any of these results in instant escort out of town.

Journalists, influencers, and thrill-seekers rarely return twice.

VIII. THE LOWLANDS & CRIME

Despite the Republic’s assumptions, the Lowlands is not lawless.

There are no gangs, no syndicates, no extortionists.

Because anyone who disrupts the peace risks attracting Lennix attention.

The town’s last severe outsider disturbance occurred fifty years ago. Witnesses say:

“They screamed once.
The hill answered once.
They never screamed again.”

There were no bodies left.

IX. NOTABLE FIGURES OF THE LOWLANDS

I can generate a full roster if you want, but here are the guaranteed roles every generation holds:

The Three Voices (rotating civic leaders)

THE THREE CURRENT VOICES OF THE LOWLANDS

The Only Leadership Structure the Lowlands Accepts

I. THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

Naliah Creel

Age: 42
Occupation: Community organizer / cook at Dockside Kitchens
Personality: Warm, calm, unshakably grounded
Reputation: “The Lowlands’ heartbeat”

Role & Traits

Handles disputes, neighborhood affairs, public concerns
The face outsiders meet first
Known for solving arguments with empathy and directness
Keeps street peace better than any officer
Refuses bodyguards: “If I need a shield, I’m not doing my job right.”

Why She Was Elected

She is the only person in the Lowlands who can calm a street brawl with five words and a look.
People trust her completely.

II. THE VOICE OF THE RIVER

Jaspar “Jazzline” Thorne

Age: 34
Occupation: Event coordinator / musician / dock manager
Personality: Charismatic, unpredictable, wildly creative
Reputation: “The man who keeps the Lowlands breathing.”

Role & Traits

Oversees markets, docks, nightlife, festivals
Keeps commerce flowing between Lowlands and Silverpoint
Maintains old cultural traditions: parades, night chants, food fairs
Designs the annual Tide-Walk Festival
Has the keys to every warehouse and stage in town

Why He Was Elected

People say: “If you want the Lowlands to live, you choose Jazz.”

III. THE VOICE OF THE HILL

Rhema Voss

Age: 58
Occupation: Retired paramedic, unofficial Lennix liaison
Personality: Quiet, analytical, fearless
Reputation: “The Line Between Peace and Disaster.”

Role & Traits

Manages communication with Lennix Hill
Ensures the three rules of the pact are never broken
The ONLY civilian trusted by the Lennix
Intervenes if tourists stray too close to the boundary
Coordinates street clearing when a Lennix descends
Oversees the protection of the “Farm of Plenty”

Why She Was Elected

Rhema once saved the life of a Lennix child. The Hill never forgot.