Paradise Lake

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While Dad and Billy are out catching dinner, why don't Mom and Susie go do some shopping over at Watermark Crossing Shopping Center? The latest fashions are available alongside your household basics at the variety of stores at your finger tips.

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* Included only with the deluxe furnishing package, only available to original purchasers, non-transferrable.

History

Paradise Lake was built from the ruins of a pre-War housing development positioned on the peninsula of a small man-made lake where the Pleasant Highway meets the Five-Two-Six. Thanks to the abundance of materials to scavenge from the surrounding area and power from a nearby Poseidon Energy power station, the town was able to build up both defensive fortifications and a fairly large-scale water treatment and bottling facility.

The towns leadership were highly devout Christians, and felt their prosperity was granted to them by the grace of God to be shared with the good people of Charleston. As such water rations are provided to visitors, and simple but clean lodgings are provided as long as room is available. All they expect in return is for all visitors to act in a "godly" way, or face exile.

With safety and clean drinking water available, the town became an obvious choice as a rest stop for travelers in the area. Eventually travelers began setting up temporary shops outside the walls (partially to more easily wave down passersby, and partially to avoid the towns strict rules) which developed into a large and ever-evolving market of good and supplies being moved through the area.

Notable People

Most of the notable citizens of Paradise Lake are high ranking members of the church, but a couple of traders have set up roots in the area.

Pastor John Bakewell IV

John Bakewell IV is a fire-brand pastor who preaches fire-and-brimstone style sermons that could put Jonathan Edwards to shame. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all Pastors for the First Paradise Lake Christian Church, and he plans to leave the church in the hands of his first-born son, John Bakewell V.

Deacon Oliver King

Oliver serves as John Bakewell IV's right-hand and representative for the town in dealings with outsiders. He helps organize water rations and housing for visitors, and is one of the few town members who may be found collecting donations from the traders and travelers outside the walls. He has become a jack-of-all trades, knowledgeable with both the workings of the water purifier systems and the value of goods that pour through the town.

Service Volunteers

Bottling and distributing water rations, cleaning and housing visitors' housing, and maintaining the town and church all do not happen on their own. Members of the church regularly volunteer "acts of service" and assist Deacon King in his responsibilities. While most of the donations collected go towards paying for parts to maintain the water purifiers and empty containers to bottle purified water in, as a reward for their service volunteers are often able to allocate a cap or two of the donations towards various town improvements.

The current collection jars for town improvements include:

• A Mr. Handy to help maintain the pumps (has the most caps)
• New fans to help cool the church (has the second-most caps)
• A radio transmitter to create a radio station (has the least caps)

Sister Alma Copeland

Alma Copeland heads up the militia and oversees all defensive measures in the town. She is an extremely devout woman and an elder in the church. Alma is often used as an example of virtue by John Bakewell IV, and she follows the Pastor's decrees to a T.

Paradise Lake Militia

Alma Copeland and her militia are the only members of town permitted to not be outright pacifists. Instead they have taken a "Guardian Angel's Oath", permitting them to commit violent acts only in self-defense of the church and its members. It is very rare the militia has to resort to violence, instead opting to excommunicate lawbreakers and exile them from the walls of the town.

The militia does not intervene in any disturbances outside the town's gates.

Locations

While Paradise Lake itself is a small area, there are a few locations of note in the area.

Town Proper

The walled-in area of the town where most citizens live and work, with housing for visitors who are willing to live by the towns standards. Everyone who lives here is either a member of the Church, or a visitor benefitting from their generosity. This area is well defended by the local militia.

The First Paradise Lake Christian Church

Despite being built initially from the junk of the surrounding ruins, the First Paradise Lake Christian Church has evolved over the years to be one of the more impressive structures built since the War. The large white building resembles a pre-War colonial church, and even includes a large bell-tower (though there is no bell, just a large speaker system that plays the sound of bells.) Throughout the week the church is used as a meeting place for town business, a school house for younger children, and a community center for town leisure activities. On Sunday the church becomes packed with citizens and visitors alike to hear the sermon of Pastor John Bakewell.

Visitor Housing

A large warehouse-like structure built from junk pulled from the surrounding ruins. Though the lodgings are simple, they are clean and more importantly free to visitors who are willing to follow the town's rules. Each "room" (there are no doors and very little privacy) includes two bunk beds for a total of four mattresses and two large lockers with a key provided on "check-in".

The Marketplace

Mostly ignored by the citizens of the town, the marketplace sits just outside the gates of the town proper and is where travelling traders swap goods, supplies, and services or any visitor can go to escape the "godly" standards the town requires visitors to follow. If one is looking for an alcoholic libation or to simply use salty language can general find refuge outside the town's walls. Many an inebriated visitor has been kicked out of the visitor housing after showing up after a long night in the marketplace.

Very few traders have set up any sort of permanent storefront in town, especially since they receive no support from the town's citizens and militia.

Poseidon Energy Substation

A relatively small Poseidon Energy power substation that originally was built to distribute electricity to the surrounding homes and businesses. The town of Paradise Lake protects the substation that sits outside of the town's walls, though recently the town's militia has had to pull out of the substation after it was swarmed by roaming feral ghouls. Shortly after the ghouls showed up, power in the town has been lost intermittently and higher traces of radiation are leaking into the town's water source: the lake.

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