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The people that fled to the smaller continent did not set up nations there upon their arrival.{{book ref|sfs}} Fearing that the Evil would manage to follow them across the ocean, they instead founded several [[Fortress Town]]s{{au ref|Threnody}} in the mountains, such as [[Bastion Hill]] and [[Lastport]].{{book ref|sfs}} They focused on making these places cities into fortresses rather than homes, and even much later theythese places still feel as if they are half-built.{{au ref|Threnody}} TheseNonetheless, these serve as centers of civilization and law within the Forests.{{book ref|sfs}} They have their own legal systems that lay out procedures for things such as marriages, taxation, bounty hunters, and debt collection. A person must have citizenship at a fort if they wish to live there, so Homesteaders and others cannot simply move into the forts. They prioritized on making these cities secure rather than comfortable. These towns claim to own the paths through the Forests and the land on either side, but in reality have little authority beyond their own walls. The fortdwellers see some waystops along the roads as being strategically important and dislike when they are owned by unknown elements. They tax those homesteaders and waystops outside the cities, ostensibly charging to maintain the roads and send out occasional patrols of soldiers. In reality, the roads are poorly maintained and overgrown, and the patrols uncommon. Occasionally, the forts will doembark somethingon projects such as the construction of bridges to help the Homesteaders, but often timesoftentimes their work is shoddy and does not last long, as in the case of the [[New Bridge]]. As a result, many individuals who live in the Forests simply refuse to pay the tax collectors, becoming criminals by default. Waystops and homesteads are still consistently taxed by the forts though.
LivingLives spent living in the mountains, - with few shades in the area, fortdwellers- aremakes many fortdwellers skittish about shades and unused to following the Simple Rules.{{book ref|sfs}} They avoid traveling the Forests, particularly at night. If they are forced to do so, they remain perfectly silent and do not speak. Fortfolk have a particular way they often look at the Forests, they avertaverting their gaze and rarely looklooking at them directly or starestaring too deepdeeply into the trees. Those traveling in the Forests without proper guidance often end up violating one of the simple rules and are slaughtered by the shades. They tend to wear fancier clothes than the homesteaders, black coats with shirts covered in lace at the front, as well as wide-brimmed hats with tall tops. The lands near the forts are relatively infertile and they are dependent on the Homesteaders for the majority of their food.
=== Homesteaders ===
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