El Pueblo
El Pueblo was a small, isolated, rural community set against the backdrop of Southern Europe. Although its exact location has never been determined, the climate and landscape suggests it is a region located somewhere in the wastelands of northern Spain. Its residents often spent their entire lives there and families could be traced back through generations to olden times. The village was surrounded by dense forest across a mountainous region and located not far from an idyllic lake.
The whole region came under the protection of the Salazar family who presided over a large, ancestral castle overlooking the entire area. The village had been
watched over by the Salazar’s for centuries, dating back to when the first Castellan arrived and taught paganism across the area. The people of the village abided by simple values and cherished family and friendship above all else. They lived simple and joyous lives and worked hard to keep up old customs and traditions. They supplemented their lives through farming and trading at markets. The entire village always came together for sowing season and worked hard to ensure a good harvest, celebrated during the annual festival. Whilst the men worked in the fields, the wives would be at home baking and the children helped tend to the livestock. The harvest surplus was always fruitful and always sold for a good price in the neighbouring town. The money generated was used to buy things that were not available at Pueblo such as gasoline.
Although the Euro was the adopted currency throughout a majority of Spain by 2002, the village still traded in Pesetas. Blood ties in the village were strong and the community was viewed as one big family. They were mostly self-sustaining using crops that grew around the village, milk from the cows, eggs from the chickens and fish from the river. They were also deeply religious and would often gather at church at the far end of town to offer thanks and pray. The
village chief, Bitorez Mendez, would always provide a weekly sermon. In centuries past the region was under the sway of the Los Illuminados cult and some followers of the religion are buried in the graveyard by the church. The first Salazar Castellan was influential in driving away the Illuminados and protecting the villagers.
The village was accessible by a single mountain track that snaked through the dense woodland and forest. It crossed over a river before arriving at an isolated
house that belonged to a male farmer. He would often invite the children of the village over and would sit on the doorstep and sing songs on his guitar. From there another woodland trail followed until it reached village itself. The main square was made up of several hamlets and houses as well as a bell tower. The village was surrounded by a farm and various homesteads including the village chief’s mansion which was larger and much grander than the regular dwellings.
The village square had a large bonfire that was lit on special occasions and there was also a watchtower that afforded a 360 degree view of the entire village. There was also a church and cemetery on a hill by the lakeside. In 2004 this church was taken over by the Los Illuminados and the villagers were tricked into
being injected with Las Plagas parasites. It was accessible via a trapdoor inside the bell tower that led to an underground tunnel beneath the hill. Beyond the church was a lakeside path that led to a small mining compound where the El Gigante B.O.W. was locked up.
The village fell afoul of a Las Plagas outbreak in autumn 2004 and once the Los Illuminados were destroyed the whole area was quarantined and made inaccessible to the public. But over time survivors of the incident and relatives of those that died bypassed the quarantine order and went back to reclaim their former home. As the years went by these villagers were slowly infected by wild Plagas still roaming the area. But because they were not under the control of a Dominant Plaga holder, these Ganados were less dangerous than their original counterparts and lived their lives in relative peace, farming the lands and performing medial tasks without any interruptions.
Occasionally the village was raided by mercenaries employed by clandestine corporations and very minor incursion operations took place where Ganado specimens were snatched and Plaga parasites recovered. In 2012, the village was used as a trial stage for The Experiment in which potential ‘Umbrella Corps’ recruits were tested in the field to assess their combat abilities and suitability for the unit as well as gathering Plaga samples. One of the executives now in charge of Umbrella PMC took a great deal of interest in the trials taking place in the village, for he had ties to the original 2004 outbreak as a close associate of Albert Wesker.
NOTABLE LOCATIONS:
FARM: – The farm was located to the northeast of the village and was made up of a pasture, two barns and some huts. Fenced off areas provided grazing ground for cattle and hens and chickens were also kept. Water troughs were kept for the animals and hay was available in the barn. There was also a well, a small windmill and two separate trails leading further down into the valley.
CHURCH: – The church was located at the top of a grassy hill overlooking the lake. The graveyard was full of weathered tombstones, marking the final resting places for many villagers and their families. Special graves identified graves for twins, and others bore the mark of the Los Illuminados cult. The entrance to the church could be unlocked via a round insignia bearing a strange symbol. Inside was an altar,vestry and several pews for worship. The second floor had a small storage room which was where Ashley Graham was held. A puzzle involving shifting three spectrums of light onto a prism was used to deactivate a series of locked gates for added security.
VILLAGE CHIEF’S MANSION: – This was the largest house in the village and unlike the other dwellings was much more lavishly furnished and kept clean and tidy. It had a downstairs kitchen, lounge and dining area with framed paintings of the church and the lake. Bookshelves were full of English-language text books and a urinal was installed in a small room underneath the stairs. The second floor hallway bore an intimidating portrait of Bitorez Mendez himself and further down was the master bedroom. A back door was located here with a trick lock installed that required rearrangement of symbols on a glass plinth to form the Los Illuminados mark. The front entrance of the mansion led back down to the main village whereas the rear exit led down to a well and corresponding tunnel network beneath.
LAKE: – This expansive lake was located to the west of the village and was home to the Del Lago; a Salamander infected and mutated by the Las Plagas parasite. It dwelled below the murky waters but could be summoned to the surface by the Dominant Plaga holder or byan offering such as a dead body. The lake was surrounded by craggy bluffs on all sides and was full of mud and peat, making visibility under the surface extremely limited. A wooden jetty and a small boathouse was located beyond the swamp area and directly opposite a cave system provided a shortcut back towards the mining area near the village. Another hidden cave on the lake doubled as a secret hideaway for one of the many merchants that liked to trade in the area.
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