Stilt-Town
Stilt-Town is an abandoned settlement in the northern plains region of Montrose. The settlement, located about 65 meters inland of the river on Montrose's border with Vailan, is comprised of 6 wooden structures, ranging in size from very small to small. Given the contents of each structure at the time of this writing, it appears that the settlement once housed between 4-5 residents with as many as 10 people at once occupying the area. The settlement's residents appear to have been members of an unknown religion.
Geography
Stilt-Town is located in a plains region, with a river about 60 meters to the west and a swamp biome about 60 meters to the east. A few ponds and trees adorn the surrounding area, which is otherwise a typical plains biome. Most of the settlement's ground is between Y=70 and Y=72.
Architecture
Each of the six structures standing today in Stilt-Town demonstrate an adherence to Stilt-Town's proprietary architectural style. The settlement's name, coined by FlufflePuffPony, derives from the stilts upon which each structure rests. Most buildings have stilts of fencepost, with two being built instead on log blocks of various types of wood. Each structure, with the exception of one, consists of a rectangular frame with stilt columns in each corner. The buildings are accessed by means of scaffolding, which likely served to keep aggressive mobs from entering them. The wood types present at the site are mostly birch and spruce, with some oak used as well.
Building A: "vetous Publishing Company"
Materials: Oak planks, oak slabs, spruce trapdoors. Single story, max height 78. Windows on every wall. 18 square meters interior.
The Vetous Publishing Company building sits on oak plank stilts 2 meters from ground level. The main entrance, accessible by scafolding, is made mob-proof by use of a trapdoor entrance. Inside the building at the time of inspection were 2 large chests and one single chest, as well as a crafting table. The name of the structure was identified by two signs on its entrance.
The first large chest (on the left) contained, initially:
-10 oak fences, 4 spruce planks, 5 bones, 33 gold ingots, 1 carrot, 2 water buckets, 60 glass panes, 21 birch leaves, 6 arrows.
The single chest was empty. The second large chest contained 30 Book and Quills, some of which may have been since removed by local players. No finished publications were found in the building at the time of its initial exploration. It is not clear who founded the company, what its role in the settlement was, or what text it may have produced. No volume linked to this company has been found anywhere in the settlement.
Building B: Single-player dwelling
Materials: Birch planks, spruce trapdoors Single story, max height 77. Open corners. 16 square meters interior.
This apparent single-person residence sits on birch stilts 2 meters from ground level. The main entrance is guarding similarly to that of Building A. The building contained only a white bed and an empty single chest. The chest is labelled "bad chest". No evidence was found as to why the chest is named "bad chest".
Building C: Town Hall/Meeting Headquarters
Materials: Birch log, spruce slab, spruce trapdoors Three story, max height 84. Windows on every wall of each story. 252 square meters (84 square meters each floor) interior.
This structure seemingly functioned as a town hall and residence. The first floor sits 3 meters from ground level and is well-lit. The south wall contains a birch lectern, facing nine birch slab seats with spruce trapdoor backs. The room appears to have had a spiritual or clerical function of some kind, allowing residents to gather and hear a speaker. The second floor contains a 9 by 3 meter spruce table, with 10 seats. A torch in the center provides lighting. The third floor seems to have been housing. 4 beds, each with a large chest and a crafting table, are separated by birch fencing. Each 'room' of the floor is a little over 12 meters square. The contents of the chests are as follows:
Southeast: Empty
Southwest:
-3 spider eyes, 2 bows (of varying durability), 5 arrows, 55 rotten flesh, 1 gold sword (durability just above half), 8 wheat seeds, 8 bones, 2 jungle saplings, 1 birch leaf block, 22 diorite, 1 barrel, and 3 torches.
It is not clear where the jungle sapling may have originated from, and there does not seem to be any jungle biome nearby. The residents must have traveled a great distance to settle in this location.
Northeast: Empty
Northwest:
-48 arrows, 2 bows with half durability enchanted with Power II and Unbreaking II, Unenchanted bow, half durability, 2 gunpowder, 1 gold ingot, 1 'Player Head', 37 'Religious Mask' (a player head in function, textured as spruce planks. Red text. When placed and broken, becomes a 'Player Head'. One Mask was inadvertantly converted to a player head by the author), 3 cobblestone, Bow with half durability, 10 bones, 64 rotten flesh, 3 wheat seeds, 4 buckets, Iron leggings (very low durability).
FlyingGMM advised that the previous occupants of this settlement may have worn the above-referenced 'Religious Masks' as part of their settlement or religion. No further information about this religion, its practitioners, or the masks' function is available at the time of this writing. A single bee is trapped on the third floor. It is unknown how it got there or how long it has been there for. The bee does not seem to be named.
Building D: Bath house
Materials: Birch, glowstone lighting. Single story, Max height about 78. No windows. 64 square meter interior.
This building seems to have been a bathhouse. The interior contains four 3 by 3 meter pools, made with birch stairs. Above each is a trapdoor with a water source block. These waters may have had a ceremonial or spiritual function. The glowstone lighting indicates that the settlement's inhabitants had access to the Nether and the ability to harvest materials from it safely, though no portal or advanced tools have been found.
A single oak tree of normal size and proportions stands in the path between Buildings D and E. Buildings A, B, C and D are on the west side of the street, and E and F on the east. The path is similar to any path one might find in a naturally-occurring plains village.
Building E: Cleric's shop
Materials: Spruce exterior, birch interior. Single story, max height 77. Windows on each wall. 50 square meters interior.
This building is the only in the settlement to not have single-position stilts. The spruce stilts supporting the structure extend 3 meters to the side of each. The building itself is 2 meters off the ground, and has curvature to the top and bottom of the building due to the stairs used in its construction. Inside, there is a birch counter, behind which there is a white bed and a single villager. This villager is a cleric, and is trapped in front of his brewing stand.
At the time of my arrival, the cleric had not been traded with and was novice rank. Its trades were as follows:
-32 rotten flesh -> 1 emerald
-1 emerald -> 2 redstone
The building contains 2 tables with birch chairs. It was possibly used as an eating establishment or informal meeting place.
Building F: "The Ordered Wood Shack"
This building is the only in the settlement for which the entrance is not at the front of the building, but rather underneath in the center. Materials: Oak logs, Birch trapdoors and planks. Single story w/ rooftop access, max height 79. No windows. Main floor is 36 square meters.
This is the only other building in the settlement that has a name posted on its exterior. Completely square, its interior contained a crafting table in each corner and two large chests along the east wall. These chests were empty at the time of my exploration. The rooftop, accessible via scaffolding, contained 32 square meters of grass. This was possibly used to temporarily grow trees or other crops.
Economy
Not much is known about the trades practiced by the residents of Stilt-Town. It appears that the publication and circulation of written text was important, given the existence of a named publishing house. There is no evidence of any mine, farm, underground dwelling, or any other means of generating or harvesting resources.
Religion
Based on artifacts found on-site, it appears that residents of Stilt-Town practiced a religion. Sign references to 'Ordered Wood', the existence of a spruce-textured Religious Mask, and the predominance of wood in the architectures suggests that the religion involved wood in some way. Some players (FlufflePuffPony) theorize that the publishing company could have served to produce and reproduce religious texts, and that other buildings (such as the bath house and the cleric's shop) may have had a religious function.