Vassal Enclave – Timberreach Foothills
Aspen Row is not a community by choice.
It is five houses clinging to a steep, narrow uphill street where retreat is impossible and advance is deadly. The incline limits vehicle access, the tight spacing forces cooperation, and the terrain itself discourages large infected movements. What remains are people who survive because they must—and because they are watched.
The enclave exists in a fragile equilibrium: just fortified enough to deter wandering infected, just weak enough to remain under control.
Aspen Row fell into vassalage early.
Within the first two weeks after the collapse, the enclave lost two members during a supply run intercepted by Beacon scouts. What followed was not a massacre, but a demonstration. Beacon enforcers secured the street in under ten minutes, disarmed the residents, and made it clear that survival here would come at a price.
Aspen Row pays:
Food from small gardens
Crafted materials
Structural labor
Intelligence on Timberreach foot traffic
They are spared because:
The street is defensible but not expandable
The residents are useful, not threatening
Their morale remains low enough to prevent rebellion
Beacon allows them to live because Aspen Row cannot afford to leave.
(As established)
Tom’s house anchors the enclave physically and socially. Its reinforced framing supports shared barricades that extend into the neighboring homes. Tom coordinates repairs, structural planning, and emergency fallback points.
Beacon tolerates Tom because he is predictable.
They watch him closely because he could make the street deadly if pushed too far.
Residents:
Miriam Calder (54), former city clerk
Jonah Calder (19), her son
Role:
Lookout / Early Warning / Record Keeping
Description:
A narrow, three-story townhouse with the best uphill sightline on Aspen Row. The upper windows are fitted with angled mirrors and scavenged optics. Rope alarms and noise traps originate here.
Appearance:
Darkened windows, minimal external repair, reinforced stairwells inside. The roof is flat and partially enclosed, serving as a watch post.
Lore:
Miriam keeps records—who comes through, who leaves, what Beacon asks for. Jonah runs messages between houses using rooftop lines.
Beacon allows the Calders to exist because Miriam remembers things Beacon would prefer forgotten—and they know it.
Residents:
Carlos Rivas (43), former line cook
Elena Rivas (41), former school aide
Two children (ages 9 and 12)
Role:
Food Prep / Preservation / Morale
Description:
A compact family home with a reinforced kitchen and cellar. Most preserved food for Aspen Row comes from here.
Appearance:
Smells of smoke and herbs. Windows are boarded from the inside. A vented stovepipe exits through a former bathroom window.
Lore:
Carlos learned how to stretch meals and hide scarcity. Elena teaches the children of Aspen Row in the evenings.
Beacon controls the Rivas family by controlling fuel access.
No fuel means no meals.
Residents:
Darla Pike (38), former EMT
Sam Pike (40), former delivery driver
Role:
Medical Aid / Triage / Plague Monitoring
Description:
Once a modest single-story home, now converted into a rudimentary clinic. Supplies are scarce and heavily rationed.
Appearance:
Clean compared to the others. White sheets repurposed as curtains. Bloodstains that never fully wash out.
Lore:
Darla knows how to identify early plague exposure. That knowledge makes her dangerous.
Beacon ensures compliance by limiting medical supplies and reminding her who decides who gets treated next.
Residents:
Elliot Knox (29), former park ranger
Renee Knox (27), former outdoor guide
Role:
Street Defense / Traps / Exterior Patrol
Description:
The lowest house on Aspen Row, closest to the main access road. It absorbs the first impact of anything coming uphill.
Appearance:
Scarred doors, layered barricades, retractable obstacles. Rope alarms converge here.
Lore:
Elliot and Renee handle anything that reaches the barricades. They’ve killed infected at arm’s length more times than they can count.
Beacon keeps them in line by stationing scouts nearby—close enough that rebellion would be suicide.
Mornings begin quietly. Rope lines are checked. Windows uncovered briefly. Food is rationed.
Afternoons are labor-heavy:
Repairs
Gardening
Reinforcing shared barricades
Evenings are communal but tense. Meals are shared sparingly. No one raises their voice.
At night, Aspen Row goes dark.
Too much light attracts attention—from infected, from Beacon, from things worse than both.
Aspen Row is not united.
Some want to flee downhill and disappear into Timberreach.
Some want to submit fully and survive quietly.
Some believe Tom Little could turn the street into a kill zone if pushed.
Beacon knows this.
That’s why Aspen Row still exists.
Aspen Row can serve as:
A fragile allied enclave
A moral test for player intervention
A spark point for rebellion
A tragedy waiting to happen
It is not safe.
It is not free.
It is still alive.