Ashton

Ashton, Washington
City
City of Ashton
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Ashton County, Washington
Bioregion	Cascadia
Founded	1852
Named for	Peter Walton Ashton (founder)
Government
• Type	Commission
• Mayor	Laura Hammond
• Commissioners	Rebecca Tindall Julie Harper Emily Cooke Ash Baker
Area
• City	28.9 sq mi (70 km2)
Elevation	50 ft (20 m)
Highest elevation (Salvation Peak)	2,329 ft (700 m)
Lowest elevation (Newland Bay)	0.2 ft (0.06 m)
Population  (2019)	605,961
• Urban	1,290,548
• Metro	1,957,279
Time zone	PST
• Summer (DST)	PDT
ZIP Codes	98700-98799
Area codes	324 and 420

Settled in 1852 by Peter Walton Ashton, Port Newland (Later renamed Ashton in honor of the founder's passing in 1876) began as a series of smaller encampments. With its close proximity to the mountains, the natural river, and coastal location it was quickly turned into a town known for it's fine lumber, fur...and of course, gold. Ashton has become a thriving port city, secondary to Seattle in terms of population. Though the mine has dried up the city has remained a hub of industry for years to come.

The city of course has its secrets, the most popular though is the rich amount of catacombs throughout the city. During the prohibition era these catacombs were built by the various criminal elements and used to transport bootleg alcohol to various speakeasies in the city. However without any organization, professional oversight, and the overall safety concerns, entrance into the catacombs is forbidden. They have since become an erratic spider web of crisscrossing tunnels, many of which are collapsed from disrepair.

The most infamous incident in Ashton's history was the case of Sacha Karlov, the Butcher of Bradsbury St. In the 1950s, the city was terrorized by a lone serial killer. With a total of twelve bodies, police had scoured Ashton in search of the culprit. Eventually after a witness was able to identify him. They chased Karlov into the catacombs. Three men, two police officers and a volunteer deputy, were slain but Karlov was eventually killed when he fell into a dilapidated part of the catacomb's infrastructure. Rumors continue to claim that the Butcher haunts the catacombs to this day.

In recent history, Ashton has become home to its own Protectorate team. The HQ was established in 1987 by the hero Cogknight. A statue commemorating the day stands proudly in front of the building. A claymore with a cog sword guard embedded straight down into an anvil, the entire thing itself shines brightly of gold, copper, and brass, and doubles as a sundial.

Geography

Pearl River

Encircling Downtown Ashton on three sides, the Pearl River is an iconic jewel of the city. Averaging 1,200 feet wide along its course through the city, this placid stream was the lifeline between Ashton and the frontier mining towns upstream, especially before the steep valleys and unforgiving forests were tamed by man's tenacity.

With the exception of a barge here and there and the S.S. Ashton's weekly cruises, the river today is mostly used for salmon fishing and recreational purposes. In Ashton proper, eleven bridges span its mighty waters.

Wishkah River

The Pearl's cousin, the Wishkah, is a comparatively small stream joining the Pearl at the northern tip of Downtown Ashton. Since the construction of the Walton Dam just upstream of the city, it's been relatively unused aside from the small reservoir, which sees some recreational use thanks to several campsites and marinas on its shores.

Walton Dam

Constructed in 1932, the Walton Dam provides the bear's share of Ashton's electricity needs as well as extra municipal water during the thirsty summer months. It is a concrete gravity run-of-river dam and as such has a relatively small reservoir behind it. Due to its importance to the city, the US Army Corps of Engineers maintains constant armed guard over the dam and has a direct line to PRT and police dispatches.

Peak Mountains

Topped by the magnificent Salvation Peak just southeast of the city, the Peak Mountains form the southern boundary of the valley Ashton rests at the mouth of. The majority of the range near Ashton is kept pristine as the Ashton State Forest, and is one of the most popular destinations for locals looking to enjoy the great outdoors.

Salvation Peak Ranger Station

Radio Band 147.62 will get you connected to Salvation Peak's Ranger Station. Manned by a crew of five to seven rangers at any given time, they're ready to help out anyone who needs assistance. Switch a few bands over and you'll get a small music station operated by a few of the local rangers. Nothing beats a calm night of smooth jazz under the stars.

Neighborhoods and Districts

Downtown

Grand Ashton Museum of Arts and Science

Home of the of Ashton Preservation Historical society. The museum is a large two story building almost a football field in size. The most popular location is of course the pre-historic exhibit with a fully reconstructed skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. A rich section dedicated to arts throughout the ages, and even a working Wright Brothers plane. If an Endbringer alarm is sounded, the displays are lowered into a specially built shelter beneath the building to reduce the chance of them being damaged.

Pearl District

Pearl Water Park

Do you like water slides?! DO YOU LIKE FUN?! COME ON DOWN TO PEARL WATER PARK! Home of the Twisting Typhoon! Bring your kids! Bring your friends! Bring your pets! COME ON DOWN TODAY!

Pearl Water Park is Ashton's only water park. Most of it is only open part of the year. The water park is pet friendly and fun for all ages. During the off season, their on-site restaurant The Pearl Dive is a restaurant/sports bar that has its share of regulars. Decent Hot Wings.

Pearl Catcher Casino

Operating since 2011 the Pearl Catcher has slots, roulette, poker, blackjack... you name it! Monthly tournaments are held on the 2nd and 4th weekend of every month. The Pearl Catcher is also one of the more charitable organizations in Ashton. Each year they hold a charity event for the Endbringer Recovery Organization, a group dedicated to helping people relocate and get their lives back together after losing it as a result of the never ending battle against them.

Ruby District

The Ruby Cornet Club

Originally called the Ashton Abbey, the Ruby Cornet Club has a long reputation of secrecy and vice. The club has always boasted an extremely exclusive membership which only fed the rumors. Most people believe it's merely just a men's lodge like the Shriners, some say that the location is a swinger's club, a few rumors go even further and describe it as a Hellfire club, or even one in which a secret cult operates within. Whatever goes on behind the doors is just one of the city's many mysteries.

Emerald District

Ashton Farmers Market

Year after year, the Farmer's market of Ashton has slowly shifted into more of a swap shop. It still retains the name but nowadays not only can you find locally made honey or alcohol, you can find just about anything. The Farmer's Market also has it's very own arcade, featuring machines both old and new.

Central Business District

Chateau De Royale

This popular restaurant has been serving Ashton for forty years. The most famous dish is the Royale Burger, a signature crafted artisan burger with a sweet, savory "Royale Sauce" that even the most staunchest of taste buds find flavorful. The site has seen celebrities from all around, and been featured on several TV shows. Anyone who stops by Ashton ends up coming here at least once.

Ashton Aquarium

A beautiful underwater adventure awaits visitors. Thousands of exotic fish and aquatic wildlife have made their residence here, even a couple of otters and penguins! Watch them waddle and splash about. Students get 10% off, and have opportunities for work-study programs

Watchman

"Industrial district"

The Commissary

Parking lot converted into restaurant, the Commissary is the location of a major group of food trucks and outdoor diners that have found permanent residence here. Seating can be terrible at times, and the place is the worst when it rains, but you're guaranteed to walk away full. From Fatboy's BBQ to The Fishfry and back, come and get your grub on.

Magnolia

"Warehouse district"

Boardwalk

Sammy Seagull's Seaside Spectacular

This wonderful by the bay carnival is a year round festivity. A popular tourist attraction for all ages. It features carousels, salt water taffy, and of course a ferris wheel. It's been in operation for a decade now and continues to entertain guests season after season.

Yggdrasil Park

Summer of '92. 4,602 people were killed when an Endbringer assaulted Ashton. This park, where the Endbringer was defeated, is considered neutral territory for all parties. A large tree surrounded by a glass wall with the names of those who died in the event stands as a testament to the survivability of Ashton's people. The city holds a memorial every year at this location to honor those who give their all.

Climate

Ashton/Climate

Economy

Historically, Ashton's economy has centered around reclamation of natural resources. Founded in the height of the Gold Rush, the rich hills surrounding the city made a lot of rich people richer, and when the metal ran out, logging took its place. Today this remains somewhat, although changing economic times have left lumber in decline in Ashton as well as across the Pacific Northwest.

The economy is in the process of transitioning from lumber and other natural resource extraction to a more diverse service economy as well as manufacturing trades. The large population of Parahumans has brought a surge of tourism to the city despite the havoc these capes cause in their day-to-day.

Culture and Recreation

The Enders of Endbringers

Main article: Enders of Bringers

Fort Bastion

Many years ago, powers were new, strange, unknown. Nobody knew the rules of how they work or came to be. Maybe they were magic, maybe aliens, some used them for good, some evil. When a dark shadow began to terrorize Ashton in the form of a monstrous case-53, a group of kids came together and made a pledge to defend it. They became the Ender of Endbringers and together they built Fort Bastion in the trees.

The league's membership waxes and wanes, kids grow up and have to leave (no adults allowed of course), they have to nominate new kids to join (1992 saw the first girl join!). But Fort Bastion has always been their home. Strangely enough though... while they can remember being part of the EoE, none of the adults remember where exactly the prominent tree house was...

Sports

Ashton has a myriad assortment of minor sports teams, as well as four major-league professional teams:

Soccer

Valhalla Field is home to the Ashton Valkyries, a world-class women's soccer team here in Ashton. The ladies in their blue and gold uniforms have brought victory home countless times and will surely continue well into the future.

The men's counterpart, the Ashton Vikings, is middling at best, and hardly worth notice.

American Football

Sharing Valhalla Field with the local soccer teams, the Ashton Sasquatches are the city's NFL team. With green and silver jerseys, they are best described as "alright".

Baseball

Ashton is home to the Backstops, a MLB team mostly known for sometimes only losing by ten runs! Although the team was more prominent in the '60s, a series of match-fixing scandals and subsequent sanctions left the franchise crippled, and it never quite recovered despite several changes of ownership.

Hockey

Unleash the Kraken, or rather, get hyped as the Kraken tears through the playoffs only to fall short at the last minute. Five-time runners-up for the Stanley Cup.

Notably, in 1996 during a fight, enforcer Robert Moss triggered after getting a skate to his face, marking one of the first well-documented incidents of a trigger event of a public figure. Moss (later known by the moniker Freezerburn) would go on to lead a long and illustrious career in the Ashton Protectorate before dying in 2013 during the year's Endbringer attack.

Law and government

Ashton City Hall

A large three story building with a massive clock built in the front, where city officials gather to handle the day to day task of managing the city and its resources. The statue of Peter Ashton, city founder, is situated in front of the building, pointing out towards the sea with a small child sitting on his other arm. The basement contains a large Endbringer shelter.

Ashton County Courthouse

Built on top of the ruins of the old jailhouse and hangman's galley, after the fire of 1912, the courthouse has been the center of law since the city's founding. The exterior is a fine white marble coloring at the top of a series of steps. A recent annex built in the '90s contains a reinforced Endbringer shelter and digital archives of all the city's vital records.

APD Headquarters

The home of the Ashton Police Department. Underground garage, a couple of cape-worthy containment cells, and direct line to PRT forces. You'd be hard pressed to find a more dedicated and able-bodied police force. The cape-cells are situated in a sub-basement, far from the general population, with reinforced stone and metal walls encasing it.

Protectorate Headquarters (PHQ)

A three building compound in a secured area. The main building is five stories tall and is home to Protectorate Forces while the other two are dedicated to administrative and recreational purposes for the city's heroes. In the center of the courtyard centered within a stone circle is a statue dedicated to its founding.

Wards Headquarters (WHQ)

Referred to as the Wards HQ, this is another station for Protectorate and PRT forces to gather. Mostly used for further administrative purposes, a second staging ground for any PRT activities, training of PRT Troops, and maintenance of PRT equipment. While not having the full capabilities of the other headquarters, it still provides many needed services with less of a commute. Like all PRT buildings, this location also serves as an Endbringer shelter. The Wards themselves are today housed in the Protectorate HQ.

Education

Nashwood High

Your everyday all around average High School. The most famous thing to happen here was that it was the site of the rom-com movie "Luv Bites; the Teenage Vampire Love Story" from a few years back. The school mascot is a flying buffalo. Generally known to be the school of choice for the Ashton Wards team.

Christ Peak High

When you really want your kids to have a wholesome, proper catholic child education, you send them to Christ Peak. Because nothing says religious morality better than weekly bible study class.

Marquis High

A private school where the progeny of Ashton's upper crust attends. School uniforms are a regal blue, with a pin of Ashton's flag on the lapel. Bright smiling faces can be seen in every one of the photos, and has one of the states finest amateur yacht clubs.

Watchman High

Metal Detectors in the doors. Police presence is always on location and it's a common event to see them questioning some of the local students.

Infrastructure

Healthcare

Saint Amelia Hospital

Mother of saints, the image of her holding an open book and with a crown on her head is prominently displayed in front of the hospital. The medical center is one of the top child care and pediatric locations in the state.

Caduceus Hospital

Centered in the heart of the business district, Caduceus Hospital is a well known landmark. One of the taller buildings of Ashton, the upper floors have a beautiful view of the ocean from the top of the ivory tower. Notably, it has the largest non-PRT Parahuman Trauma ward in the Pacific Northwest.

Memorial Hospital

Underfunded, understaffed. Memorial Hospital has always been the one to shoulder the burdens of the poor and destitute. After an incident involving a pyrokinetic triggering back in '08 the PRT have maintained a small presence at the hospital with two troopers and a licensed therapist at any given time.