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=== Races | Culture | Institutions | Buildings & Organizations ===

====== ARLA TOWN COURIER STATION ======

===== Overview =====

  * **Location:** Public Services Ring, [[arla_town|Arla Town]]  
  * **Address:** SE Public Services Ring Road 1  
  * **Surroundings:** Next to the [[arla_town_market|Arla Town Market]], within sight of the [[poseidon_inn|Poseidon Inn]] ruins  

Established in September 2626, the Arla Town Courier Station served as the settlement’s logistical lifeline. Operated under the [[free_state_of_settlers|Free State of Settlers]] and linked with the [[new_kourou_courier_service|New Kourou Courier Service]], it connected Arla’s fishing economy to [[new_kourou|New Kourou]].  

Unlike all other courier stations of the Free State, Arla’s hub was never connected to the paved [[trade_route|ExoHuman Trade Route]]. It relied solely on a rough and unpaved track to New Kourou, making every journey back and forth arduous and dangerous. Despite its isolation, the station was vital for Arla’s supply of goods, mail, and necessities.  

The Courier Station was destroyed along with all other buildings of [[arla_town|Arla Town]] during the Great War, when the [[alliance_of_native_tribes|Alliance of Native Tribes]] razed the town. Today, only overgrown ruins and rusting insignia remain — a cautionary tale of frontier ambition.  

===== Architectural Significance =====

  * **Construction Material:** Timber frame reinforced with local stone  
  * **Floors:** 2 (+ small basement)  
  * **Roof & Roofline:** Short-Wave Antenna (for the [[shortwave_radio_network_of_the_exohumans|ExoHuman Shortwave Network]]); wooden signage “Arla Courier Station” above entrance  
  * **Design Purpose:** Simpler and smaller than other hubs; designed to handle fish crates and supply carts, not large-scale trade caravans  

===== Building Structure =====

**Basement (rear access ramp):**  

  * **Maintenance Workshop:** Tools for wagon wheels and [[hoos|Hoo]] harness repair  
  * **Storage Vault:** Damp-resistant lockers for smoked fish, herbs, and perishable supplies  

**Ground Floor – Arrival & Postal Hall:**  

  * **Delivery Bay:** Sliding doors for carts; fish crates offloaded to Sorting Bay  
  * **Postal Office:** Counter for letters and parcels; pigeonhole racks; small strongbox; hatch to drone alcove  
  * **Passenger Waiting Area:** Rough benches, water trough, small notice board  
  * **Public Restrooms:** Two gender-neutral stalls with [[aurorasan_system|AuroraSan System]]  
  * **External Hoo Stable:** Simple corral for mounts used on the rough track  
  * **Yard:** Small forecourt where carts queued for the trip to New Kourou  

**Second Floor – Administration & Offices:**  

  * **Station Manager’s Office:** Desk, route map of the unpaved track, shortwave desk unit  
  * **Clerks’ Office (1–2):** Manifests, fee ledgers, postal records  
  * **Meeting Room:** Briefing space for Cart Guides and Free State officials  
  * **Staff Restroom:** One AuroraSan stall  

===== Postal Services =====

Run through the small Postal Office:  

  * **Letter Dispatch:** Bundled for caravan runs to New Kourou (2–3 days).  
  * **Parcel Post:** Small crates of goods weighed, tagged, and stored in basement vault until departure.  
  * **Courier Drones:** Short-range dispatches (≤ 2 kg) to nearby hamlets and fishing huts (≤ 10 km radius).  
  * **Public Notice Board:** Pinned in waiting area; free for personal notes, 1 K for trade postings.  

===== Look and Feel =====

The station was rustic and always smelled of fish smoke and damp timber. Floors creaked under boots, crates of herbs and fish stacked high against the walls. Settlers queued with parcels and letters at the cramped postal counter, while Cart Guides shouted over the noise of Hoos stamping in the muddy yard.  

The notice board bore tattered notes — missing nets, lost family, or barter offers for dried herbs. Lantern light flickered against warped wooden beams, and the rumble of departing carts echoed down the rough track toward New Kourou.  

===== Roles and Responsibilities =====

  * **Station Manager (1):** Coordinated trips to New Kourou, managed staff  
  * **Administrative Clerks (1–2):** Logged consignments, processed payments, scheduled carts  
  * **Postal Officer (1):** Logged letters/parcels, supervised drones, maintained notice board  
  * **Cart Guides (Variable):** Escorted carts on the rough track  
  * **Stable Hand (1):** Fed Hoos, repaired tack and harness  

**Non-Human Staff**  

  * **Maintenance Bot (1):** [[maintenance_bots|Maintenance Bot]] repaired carts and fittings  
  * **Cleaning Bot (1):** [[cleaning_bots|Cleaning Bot]] swept and sanitized rooms  
  * **Guarding Bot (1):** [[guarding_bots|Guarding Bot]] stationed at entrance  
  * **Courier Drones (2–3):** [[courier_drones|Courier Drones]] for local dispatches  

===== Public Access & Operations =====

  * **Public Access:** Open to settlers in waiting area, postal counter, and yard  
  * **Operating Hours:** Mon–Sat: 06:00–20:00  
  * **Operational Rhythm:** Morning — departures to New Kourou; evening — arrivals with supplies; postal drone runs twice daily  

===== Security Measures =====

  * **Guarding Bot Patrol:** Armed with [[guarding_troopers_stun_gun|Stun Gun]]  
  * **Manual Logs:** All arrivals recorded in handwritten manifests  
  * **Cargo Checks:** Clerks verified loads before dispatch  

===== Services and Prices =====

Set locally by Free State clerks; less formal than Trade Guild rates.  

| **Category**            | **Service**                          | **Description**                                                   | **Price (in [[kourou|Kourou]])** | **Notes** |
|-------------------------|--------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|-----------|
| Passenger Transport     | Passenger Fare – [[new_kourou_courier_station|New Kourou]] | Seat on a Hoos-drawn cart between Arla and New Kourou              | 12 K                             | 1 to 1,5 days, dangerous track |
| Cargo Transport         | Consignment (small)                  | ≤ 25 kg of goods (fish, herbs)                                    | 15 K                             | Higher risk of loss |
| Cargo Transport         | Consignment (large)                  | ≤ 100 kg crate                                                    | 30 K                             | Prone to raid/road hazards |
| Postal / Communication  | Letter Dispatch                      | Folded fiber-paper letter                                         | 2 K                              | Sent with cart run |
| Postal / Communication  | Parcel Post (small)                  | Package or small crate (≤ 5 kg)                                   | 5 K                              | Stored in basement |
| Postal / Communication  | Parcel Post (medium)                 | Wooden crate (≤ 25 kg)                                            | 12 K                             | Tagged and locked |
| Postal / Communication  | Courier Drone Delivery               | ≤ 2 kg to hamlets/huts (≤ 10 km radius)                           | 6 K                              | Weather-dependent |
| Postal / Communication  | Public Notice Board (free)           | Personal/community postings                                       | Free                             | Waiting area |
| Postal / Communication  | Public Notice Board (paid)           | Trade offers, commercial postings                                 | 1 K                              | Weekly refresh |

===== Player Interaction Possibilities =====

==== Legal Interactions ====  

  * Book passage on cart to New Kourou  
  * Check in fish/herb consignments for shipment  
  * Submit letter or parcel at Postal Office  
  * Escort wagon convoy as Cart Guide  
  * Read or post notices in waiting hall  

==== Illegal Interactions ====  

  * Smuggle contraband within fish crates  
  * Bribe clerks for false records  
  * Sabotage rival shipments before departure  
  * Steal from unattended consignments in vault  

===== Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters =====

The Arla Courier Station provides a rustic but tense stage:  

  * **The Silver Crate** — A crate of fish bound for New Kourou rattles oddly. The Postal Officer insists it’s just poorly packed, but the Guarding Bot disagrees. As clerks argue, the shortwave console sparks: “SECURITY BREACH — DEVICE DETECTED.” A blast shakes the timber walls. PCs must investigate: was it sabotage by rivals, or the first move of the [[the_trando|Trando Tribe]] raid?  

===== Related Pages and Further Information =====

  * [[beta_age|Beta Age]]  
  * [[free_state_of_settlers|Free State of Settlers]]  
  * [[arla_town|Arla Town]]  
  * [[new_kourou_courier_service|New Kourou Courier Service]]  
  * [[hoos|Hoos]]  
  * [[courier_drones|Courier Drones]]  
  * [[free_state_courier_riders|Free State Courier Riders]]  

**Courier Stations within the Free State of Settlers:**  

  * [[new_kourou_courier_station|New Kourou Courier Station]]  
  * [[Firetown Courier Station|Firetown Courier Station]]  
  * [[Hope Region Courier Station|Hope Region Courier Station]]  
  * [[Morningstar Courier Station|Morningstar Courier Station]]  
  * [[arla_town_courier_station|Arla Town Courier Station]] (not connected to the [[trade_route|Trade Route]])