East Bexgate

“Let it be known! The unpublished paper by Wang et al on the myovirus gene therapy system significantly underestimates the rate of dangerous mistargeting. Review how this error occurred, and do not allow it to happen again.”
—Manatana, June 3886

East Bexgate is a place of straight roads and mid-rise buildings, bisected by Providence Boulevard.

A street just off Providence Boulevard

Providence Boulevard is Bexgate’s main street, running from the Commission’s headquarters in the west through to the train station at the furthest east edge of the town. Rows of chestnut trees flank it on either side, and electric trams ferry passengers in their shade.

It also serves as Bexgate’s retail centre, lined with shops and a smattering of cafés and restaurants.

One of the screening rooms in the Theatre of Delight

The Theatre of Delight is Bexgate’s premier cinema, found a little way off Providence Boulevard. Cinema is a popular pastime among the residents of Bexgate. New films, whether from the district’s capital of Wesmarch or from around the world, are screened regularly.

The censors of the Commission work fastidiously to ensure that every film provides high-quality family entertainment, and that their plots retain religious integrity.

A view along one of the platforms of Bexgate Station

Bexgate’s only train station lies at its far eastern end. Arrivals and departures are frequent and serve as the only gateway to the town. It brims with activity throughout the day and night, crowded with residents, pilgrims, logistics workers, and the civil servants who oversee them all.

Two decades ago, negligent plumbing made a row of houses in east Bexgate a delayed disaster. It was only a question of when a gas explosion would occur. This was revealed to the residents upon the visitation of the angel Manatana. As intended by Manatana, the visitation ignited the gas lines, triggering an explosion which destroyed the houses and shattered windows streets away. By miraculous grace, no lives were lost. But for Manatana's visitation, how many would have died can only be a matter of speculation. Before they withdrew, Manatana proclaimed new lines of scripture to the assembled onlookers.

Where those houses stood is today a public square, and at its centre lies a stele hewn from grey granite. Upon it is engraved a description of Manatana’s visitation and the lines of scripture which they proclaimed. It remains one of the holiest sites in Bexgate, and a steady trickle of pilgrims travel to Bexgate throughout the year to view it.

Bexgate maintains a small lending library, tucked away between residential complexes. Its catalogue has grown slowly over the years, a book needing far more time than a film for proper examination by a censor, but now serves as a good source of literature and of information about the world.

• Lauren Peirce (she/her): The owner of Peirce Goods, a corner shop on Providence Boulevard. A pillar of the local community and a relentless conversationalist, whose knowledge of local goings-on is surpassed only by the Commission and the angels.
• Yves Corbet (he/they): barista at the Committed Bean, a small but beloved café on Providence Boulevard with a contingent of loyal regulars. The first and only happy face seen on many a morning commute.
• Alex Oakley (they/them): the lead projectionist at the Theatre of Delight. Rarely seen and yet more rarely heard, the object of rumour and speculation. Email: alex_oakley@conviction.oxfordrpg.com
• Aster Grey (he/they): Apprentice florist at the Green Thumb flower shop on Providence Boulevard.
• Florence Green (she/her): Used to run the Green Thumb flower shop until her health declined; now her son Oleander has taken over. Email: florence_green@conviction.oxfordrpg.com
• Moira Quail (she/her): A close friend of the Green family, who can often be seen around the Green Thumb. Email: moira_quail@conviction.oxfordrpg.com
• Gerard Lex (he/him): The local librarian, and father of Morgan Lex. Email: gerard_lex@conviction.oxfordrpg.com