Black Hills

Black Hills is the biggest town in the arctic Serenity Highlands, and a fully functioning spaceport that - unlike the fine folks at Xanadu City - won’t ask you any questions when you land. Built from the remnants of the first expedition to land on Xanadu, Black Hills was abandoned when the original settlers left for the Central Basins. Since then, it has been “reclaimed” and turned into what it is today: a freehold full of creaky old infrastructure and makeshift jury-rigged machines, where pretty much anything goes.

The town itself is ruled by a sort of “pirate council”, a triumvirate of those who are mean enough or indispensable enough (or both) to function as a ruling power. Despite the ad hoc nature of the whole arrangement, it works surprisingly well most of the time. The town’s ruling powers aren’t exactly friends, but they have a lot of history together and would rather the devil they know over the Xanadian Government or the Foundation any day.

Scene: Improvised cables criss-crossing the streets, low enough that pedestrians have to duck underneath them. The scuffed chrome of old terraforming engines and greenhouses converted into housing and businesses. A makeshift tram running through icy streets crowded with pirates, outlaws and mercenaries of every stripe and background.

Landmarks

Spaceport. Dominated by the impressive silhouette of Hiroko Ai’s air defense array, the town’s spaceport is a middle finger stuck in the air at the Xanadian Government and anyone who would threaten the security and sovereignty of Black hills. It has a dozen bays for ships to land and a small ecosystem of makeshift repair garages, vendors selling spare parts of dubious origin, and hopefuls looking for a ticket out of Dodge.

The Webworks. The busy “downtown” area of Black Hills, named after the strings of colourful lights suspended from the ugly cables that cross over the streets. A market for supplies, salvage, scrap and whatever else an enterprising “independent trader” might need to get their hands on.

Last Stop. The biggest and most popular watering hole in town, it’s an unfinished magtrain station that has been converted into a speakeasy. Half-built train tunnels have been converted into bedrooms that wary travellers can rent out, if they can’t bear sleeping on their ship any more. Since the magtrain link to Homegrown was opened up, work is ongoing to convert the bar back into a functioning railway station.

Cold Comfort Clinic. Doc Aldecaldo offers a variety of services to those who can pay to keep the hospital afloat - though they don’t have the equipment for complex surgery and heavy-duty research. To supplement their income, they also run a secure SenseNet facility from the basement for those who need to “go away for a while” or who just want a hallucinatory vacation from life.

Trotsky’s Vault. Right across from Cold Comfort Clinic, this was originally a morgue constructed by the settlement’s original inhabitants. Jackal Trotsky has turned it into a high-tech datavault complete with cameras, scanners, and a few “nasty surprises” for intruders; he hoards old data and tech in the hopes some of it may be useful to him.

Midnight Gardens. An old glass-topped hydroponic plant that once supplied food to Black Hills; the systems have degraded too much for it to be useful for growing crops, but a certain genetically modified flower thrives on the imbalanced nutrient mixes in the soil. Petra Grusson has turned the plant into a huge casino floor, filled with exotic flowers that only bloom at night. She holds court here when she needs to talk business or entertain company.

The Warehouses. A trio of large storehouses originally used to hold terraforming and colonisation equipment, now used by Hiroko Ai as the center of her power. One is used as a secure holding facility for people or goods; one is used to store weapons and munitions; one is used as a barracks for security forces. Supposedly, Hiroko never sleeps in the same building for two nights running.

Notables

Petra Grusson. A former Foundation diplomat who lived in Xanadu City for years before she turned coat. She keeps the Xanadian Government from shutting Black Hills down with her extensive network of connections; it’s even rumoured that she’s the only reason that the spaceport is allowed to operate. She has big plans for Black Hills, and isn’t content for it to remain a second-rate pirate haunt. (Inscrutable, Measured, Gracious)

Hiroko Ai. Runs security for Black Hills - her goons are the ones you see with “SECURITY” stencilled over their bulletproof jackets. She’s an ex-pirate with a reputation as a mean and ruthless individual, and lots of connections in the Hope Belt. Rumour has it she’s one of the only people in the system to stare down Ivan Friendly and come out of it intact. (Ruthless, Melancholy, Direct)

Jackal Trotsky. An eccentric, paranoid man who spends much of his time scavenging and sifting through salvage looking for technological spoils that he can leverage for power. His control over the Water Reclamation Plant used to make him absolutely irreplaceable, but recent events have weakened his power in the settlement and made him paranoid about assassination. (Suspicious, Shrewd, Superior)

Current Events

1	A notorious pirate has rolled into town after a good haul, and they’ve decided to spread their spoils around and throw a celebration. For the next few days, the freezing streets will be filled with bright lights and loud carousing.
2	A powerful cyclone rips through the town, bringing freezing gale-force winds that can rip doors from their hinges. Being outside even for short periods will put you in mortal peril, and there is little to do but hunker down and wait it out.