The Crossroads

The Crossroads is the name given to the rough-and-tumble region that serves as the crossroads of two major highways in Pitchwood County. It is a place of transience and violence, an unintentional destination for many on otherwise ongoing journeys. There is hardly a population to speak of; besides Red Roughlove and his family, most people who settle there do so briefly, and move on hastily or in shallow graves.

There are several clusters of splintery shacks, ragged tents for rent, and patchy corrals and open spaces for public use. Presiding over the whole thing, on a slight rise, is the Roughlove Roadhouse, a hotel and gambling establishment.

History

The Crossroads has seemingly always been there. Homesteaders would refer to a place near the Red River where several paths converged, and it has been used quite organically as a stopping-point during travel. A general uneasiness has been reported there, however, by many passing through, though some people cannot seemingly leave.

Red Roughlove, an entreprenuer from Silvertree, moved to Pitchwood County shortly after the establishment of the Western Settlement Act. He married the youngest daughter of Count Rudolf Rough-Helm, Eris, and the two established the Roughlove Roadhouse, which serves as a magnet for traveling businessmen and prospectors traveling back to civilization.

Law and Order

There is no established authority working in the Crossroads; the burnt-out shell of the former marshal office can attest to this. The folks who pass through the Crossroads often have bounties on their heads or are fleeing from justice, and several marshals have died in the area. Without several backup marshals, the typical Pitchwood County Marshal refuses to enter the thick of it.

The Shire Reeve, Seamus One-Eye, has absolved the marshals of their fear, and instead sends his own personal deputy service, the Red Eye, into the Crossroads in their stead, where he is assured of their steady hand in the service of justice.

Points of Interest

Aside from the Roughlove Roadhouse, there is an office of the Steelshod Horse Messaging Service.