Entry 14 - Crown of the North (5E145)
Heya there! Today we're taking a little vacation to a place in the north of Cathnoquey - the small town of Wodenbury, in the North Territory, about 400 km away from Amesbury. I say small - it's still the biggest town in a large forested and scarcely populated area.
Wodenbury covers the entirety of the Woden Isles in the Red Ash Bay, on the west coast of Cathnoquey. It is a rugged land, much like the rest of western North Territory. About 75.000 people live in Wodenbury, and just as much on the shores of the bay. It was settled in 4E698 by the Dunmer, specifically House Redoran, and despite floods and at least two great fires, it is considered one of the first stable settlements in the country. While the Akaviri Campaigns took hold much sooner, most of the settlements had been dismantled and the island returned to native rule once the invasion of Akavir proved a disaster. Wodenbury was one of those test projects that restarted a colonial drive. Soon enough the whole North Territory was Dunmer held, and would stay so until Cathnoquey bought out their land in the very late Fourth Era.
Visitors to Wodenbury are greeted by a waterfall over which the highway is built. While not an official motorway, federal road A25 is built to motorway standards on most of its lengths until Melrose. The A25 is the only vehicular access to Wodenbury. Due to its colonial past, Wodenbury drives on the left, unlike the rest of the country. The road switches sides over just before reaching the bridge to Woden Island.
View of downtown Wodenbury with two of its tallest buildings : the Regency Tower in the foreground (the biggest in all of the North Territory) and two streets back, the Victoria Tower.
Wodenbury has a neat grid of streets. On this picture one can see the Banhammer Building next to the General Cemetary, and further, the Fishmarket Mall. There's also the North Bridge which is, as usual, congested.
Wodenbury may be a smaller town but it is thriving and vibrant with life. Peters Square, here picture, is at the heart of Wodenbury's LGBT community and also features two Vegan festivals each year : the Cabbage Street Festival in February and the Lettuce Fest in November. In September, the Beerfest draws visitors from all over Cathnoquey as the nation's biggest funfair. It's definitely a lot more lively than Amesbury...
Many of the buildings date from the early Fifth Era, when the fishing village expanded into a full-blown town. Not that it was particularly hard - harbour activities and gentification helped develop the hamlet into the town it is today. This place is historical : in 5E92, three Dunmers were killed by white men, sparking ten days of intense riots and protests in what was considered a heartland of liberal Cathnoquey.
The Victoria Tower is the town's second tallest building. It houses several companies, primarily maritime companies, as well as a number of condos and flats. It is flanked by two satellite buildings. Its architecture contrasts that of the chapel of Dibella behind.
The Banhammer Bank, the third biggest in the nation, has its federal headquarters in this building in the middle of town.
As for the Regency Tower... It was built in 5E98 as a TV tower and houses several offices. Many have named it a blight in the landscape of Wodenbury, but it is also its most easily recognizable building, and can be seen from miles around the Bay.
Council estate towers in the middle of town - the Hempshare Towers are what remain of a more extensive system of tenement blocks, once on the outskirts of town, meant to house workers who toiled endlessly at the nearby Harbour. They have been placed on the Federal Heritage List in 5E125.
Redoran Palace was once the symbol of Dunmeri colonial ambitions but it now houses the City Hall, as well as the Courthouse, in its two separate wings linked together by a prestigious hallway decorated like an art gallery. In front of it, the Victory Tower stands proud as testimony of Dunmer strength and honour - though the Dunmeri population has dwindled since the early Fifth Era.
Wodenbury University, noted for its works in genetics and its architecture. Gotta love wall to wall buildings.
Though the Tribunal has considerably lost power to Aedric cults, the Great Temple of Cathnoquey still stands tall in the middle of town and houses the Cathnoquey Patriarchy. Davelth Avani is the current Patriarch, and leads the Tribunal cults across Cathnoquey.
There used to be a marketplace three times a week here, but the Council has decided to move it somewhere else and put ugly fences instead, mostly to relieve overcrowding in the nearby Great Hospital parking lots.
The County Hall is one of Wodenbury's oldest buildings. Also known as the Admiralty House, there is nowadays a large room within dedicated to conventions and even a full-scale replica of a Chun-Hook class ship.
Not everything is old in Wodenbury...this statue, helpfully called "Three Stone Men on a Pedestal", was set up a mere three years ago. It's a nice and modern gathering spot and meant to exemplify forward-thinking and creativity.
Interestingly, there are many older people in Wodenbury. It's a nice place to live : warm but not too hot like southern Cathnoquey, and with plenty of things to do. Also low taxes. 11% for a modern social welfare state? Seriously?
The Chapel of Zenithar is the most visited Aedric chapel in the city. It is bordered by many townhouses, but also greenery.
Mournhold Square, named after the former temple complex in Morrowind capital Almalexia, is one of the key points for traffic in Wodenbury : the waterfront avenue, the main road to the south of the island, and the bridges to the North and East Islands all eventually converge here.
Ashland Park is the biggest park in the city and also home to the Folk Festival every summer, when it turns into a giant camping grounds with very loud music.
The park straddles a small river that flows from inlands into the hills. In the horizon, many container ships arrive and depart, making full advantage of the high tide.
Ashland Park is perfect for running and other fitness activities.
Angling is also possible, for those who fancy more quiet activities.
Otherwise, well, there's also the Grand World Cinema, one of the most hyped places in the city, with 14 screens.
Wodenbury is linked to the national rail network. Wodenbury Railway Station is at the heart of the city, in front of Victoria Park right by the eponymous tower. It's a nice, shady spot and Station Road (the continuation of the motorway) is a lavishly decorated thoroughfare.
Looking from Platform 2, where the regional train from Melrose Central is expected. The tracks dive underground right after leaving the city, and come back out clear of the city.
Here's an Intercity train from Wellsborough making its way to the station. Trains on the Wodenbury <> Melrose <> Wellsborough line have large, panoramic windows as a selling point, inviting customers to sit back and enjoy the ride through breathtaking scenery.
Two freight trains meet on the tracks.
Here's a third freight train, this one actually coming from Amesbury.
The railyard is located in close proximity to the south harbour area. While Wodenbury does not produce much, many ships call at port and load and unload cargo, which is then shipped on rail or road to inland parts of the country.
The main problem is that while the harbour itself is quite big, the highway is at capacity and there are no budgets for a second road or rail link to the rest of the country.
Two ships leave Wodenbury in the evening sun. There is much traffic from Akavir here.
While Wodenbury isn't so big it is crossed by a small network of 8 bus lines.
This doubledecker bus serves the busiest lines of the network, like Line 38 from Victoria to Ramsey.
For other services, Citaros are typically preferred.
There are also many regional buses stopping in Wodenbury. However as Wodenbury drives on the left, unlike the rest of the country, many of these buses are right-hand drive buses. They have their own berth near the Victoria Tower for safe operation.
However, these buses are not nearly enough to solve congestion problems, many stemming from the lack of enough links between different parts of the city. The North Bridge is usually heavily congested on both sides.
This evening rush hour congestion will not prevent the local baseball team, the Legends, from playing. Though it will still be a few hours before the game begins...
There are quiet spots in Wodenbury. Here looking towards the mainland, one can see the small village of Ramsey.
It is built around a small inland canal, and linked to a fast road that goes from Wodenbury to the South Harbour. It's a nice, quiet place to live.
Many of the boat piers that used to dot its shoreline have yet to be replaced. Following a hurricane last year many low-lying parts of the town were submerged, and while the town has mostly recovered traces of the damage are lingering.
Wodenbury is also connected by air. Wodenbury International Airport (WOD) is a major airport located on the North Island. Due to its central position in the North Territory it serves as a hub for the national carrier Cathnoquey Airlines. At such it is built to accommodate larger jets on its three runways. Most traffic never leaves the airport; 78% of all passengers only changed planes in Wodenbury. Destinations include many major airports around the country, but especially in the North Territory, as well as several international destinations such as Akavir or the Imperial City. It's a very handy airport : many places from Akavir to Tamriel refuel here as it is in the middle of the route and also not as overcrowded as airports in New Wigmore or Wellsborough.
And that's it for today! Hope you enjoyed this Euro building set update, and thanks for your feedback as always. I will probably not make any more updates for a few weeks due to offline holidays but I'll come back soon enough.
Thanks for reading! ^^
-
5
7 Comments
Recommended Comments
Sign In or register to comment...
To comment in reply, you must be a community member
Sign In
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In NowCreate an Account
Sign up to join our friendly community. It's easy!
Register a New Account