Location

Wyllis is the province in the mid-east of Elan. It shares borders with the provinces of Abernathy to the north, Gauld to the west, and Huxley to the south. To the east is the Bryne Ocean. Wyllis’s capital city is Copper Brook.

Environment

Due to its very rocky shores, there are few if any harbors in Wyllis. It hosts great jagged coasts, rocks bursting from the deep and making every bay and inlet a treacherous risk to navigate. Forests stretching from Abernathy peter out at the northwest of the province. Most of the land is rocky, with other parts being covered in tough grass that is ill-suited for grazing and dry soil that is poor for planting. What lies beneath, through, is great wealth. Wyllis boasts a great deal of ore and oil deposits. Because of the wealth beneath the land, much of it has been dug up. 

Livelihood

Wyllis is the largest producer of oil, coal, iron, steel, copper, silver, and gold in the entirety of Elan. Most of the population work in the mines, while others find their calling in the purification of what comes out of the ground. Still others try to prospect for themselves, looking to find the next large reservoir or vein to make themselves rich.

Life in mining towns is hard. The labor is strenuous and exhausting. The pay is enough to put food on the table, but most of the food comes through the mining companies’ stores. If one is living and working in a new mine, they live in a camp with few, if any, permanent buildings. Towns that crop up around mines are usually owned by the company itself, and favoritism is rampant. Unionization is a route many people seek out, but riots and violent clashes between striking workers and enforcers or picket-line crossers quickly follows. And in a town where the company is king, law enforcement rarely bites the hand that feeds. Oil field life is similar, and just as muddled with politics and difficulties.

In larger cities, many find work in factories turning raw materials into more useful resources. There are smelting factories that dot the rivers and coastlines of Wyllis, employing hundreds of thousands. Refineries also dot the waters of the province. While the labor is no less intensive, the pay is usually better than life in the rougher towns. Of course, the heavy stink of the smokestacks can be inescapable. In the winter months, without fresh winds to whip away the smoke, it can even be dangerous.

Those who have particular skills in science are often sought after by companies and corporations to work more comfortable jobs. Working in labs as technicians or in offices as engineers often pays better and with fewer hours. Still, they serve the great machines of the day - machines of progress, of filling quotas, of always trying to eke out that last small measure of use.

There is always the hope that things will get better. To some, this hopefulness turns them to a life of prospecting. They wander the shrinking unclaimed lands, looking for the boon that comes at the bottom of a pan. Few have struck fortune - but the tales of those who have, the lifestyle that they now lead and the comforts that they can afford, always draws more in when all hope seems lost.

Specialties

While they are certainly known for their plentiful resources, Wyllis is also known for their impressive railway system. They were the first province to have a railway, and still lead the country in innovations. The Dauntless Railroad Company was founded in Wyllis, and it seeks to expand its growing empire of iron and track to the far reaches of the country. 

Key Cities

Copperbrook is by far the largest city. It boasts no fewer than seven smelting factories and refineries in its city limits. Often, the public servants complain of the stench. Yet, as more wealthy families have flocked to it, there is some beauty to be found.  There are botanical gardens, numerous parks, and even a zoo - though all in the much finer neighborhoods, all constructed upwind of the factories. 

Most of the province is still made of towns or camps. Yet one other city is of note: Orton, which started around an oil refinery and has since grown greatly. It hosts a university, Scranterry University, that is the leading university for the sciences in Elan. As such, the city has grown in leaps and bounds in technology. It was the first city in Elan with electricity and still continues to produce marvels to this day.

Views from Others

To those who don’t know the hardships of Wyllis, the people of this province seem greedy and materialistic. They are often seen as strong-willed and serious. Still, their work ethic is unquestionable. Often they are sought after for jobs when they relocate to other provinces. They are a hard and determined people, always looking for hope.