Editing Winter on the Lake (section)

== Long Description ==

The lake is more than twenty five miles long and eight or nine wide at its widest point...less than a quarter of it is safe for travel (the end you are at). Its called "The lake", by the locals and Lake of the Monks, Monk Lake by those outside of your region. The vast majority of it is either very deep or bottomless, if you believe your grandparents stories...and very dangerous. It shallows out to a more reasonable depth at the end you're on and its clear and clean, with the limestone bottom visible on a good day in good light. Whatever large creatures exist within they generally avoid the shallow end and shy away from contact, but you've all certainly seen creatures you can't name break the surface out in the lake while you watched through a spyglass safely on shore. Those creatures seem to stay miles out from shore and are only seen by those who spend a great deal of time looking. 

I'll expect all the characters to be part of the local community, so whatever class/race you go with be aware of any strings that might flow out from your choices. That said I'll welcome all of you on board. I'm thinking the locals (excluding the monks and clerics) would number between 300-500. That's not a lot of people for the amount of area we are talking (a good chunk taken up by the lake)…that includes the fishing village and as many as two or three other small (10-20) settlements…the rest are families living in a loose group near each other or those with a ranch and a bigger home or lodge type dwelling.

Your end of the lake empties into a river which flows east then turns south and further south which where you'd find the local military and a major network of roads, as that river links into another larger river and the junction is home to the largest local city and the road network allowing the regions influx of trade goods going in and out. That city isn't huge, but say under 5000 people...so a pretty good sized place. You are living in the high country where the hills across the lake continue back and then become mountains.

The military maintains a very small outpost in the area you're in, but outside of what you'd expect you'd be a pretty bored solider serving up here. Pack of wolves and the odd group of bandits might come through, but being in a isolated area having to depend on each other has made the people here resourceful and tough. Many of the problems confronting your people, your people clean up the mess themselves. Most can handle a bow, field dress a deer and live off the land if need be. All you'd need to really worry about is if you were alone, and when you're alone it doesn't really matter where in the world you are... 

In reality the people here are pretty rich, with tons of natural resources and food and little danger…but you have to work hard to get it. Wood is plentiful so folks build with it…stone would be stronger, but it's farther away and a pain to process and bigger pain to move.

I was of the mind that (for example) if one of you wanted a bow you could either make it yourself or have someone you know make it in exchange for some talent or skill you offered.
In a small fairly close knit community I'm guessing that's the way things would go.


'''Weaver's Collective''' - a group of about a half dozen families who are well-respected weavers. Vikens Vickers is the woman in charge, a master weaver herself - she is in the brains behind the business. She's not very pleasant and prefers to run over those around her, rather than trying to be diplomatic. Married to a very pleasant man, she's also the mother of three young girls.

'''"Lakeside"''' - the name of the fishing village at the eastern end of the lake, located near "The Crossing" a very old stone bridge that's the remnant of a prior civilization. Between 50-60 people live in Lakeside with a number more living outside of the village's outskirts. "Rough" is the de-facto leader/mayor of Lakeside, he's lived here all his life and is in charge of the fishing side of things. The fishermen of Lakeside fish primarily for large Lake Trout which are smoked and sold to the outside world, this continues during the winter when they ice fish with huts they've pulled out onto the lake.