Maltus Town - the town that will endure.
History[]
Built on the side of a mountain, overlooking a scenic view, and filled with once beautiful temples and shrines, Maltus was originally built as a tourist attraction and a place of worship for the spiritual. It was said to be a "thin place", with a deep connection to whatever is on the other side of the astral plane. Unfortunately for the residents of Maltus, the developers may have been right.
Not long after the town was opened, guests began reporting sudden rashes and boils appearing on their skin days after their visit. No one knew how the plague spread but it seemed to be highly contagious; the virus spread through hospitals like a wildfire. With no solution in sight, the plagued were forced to return to Maltus, far away from anyone healthy. The little tourist trap soon became a city of the dead.
As the infected dropped like flies, a group of young, naive doctors - almost fresh out of medical school - worked tirelessly to find a cure. One of these doctors, Jason de Lorme, took it upon himself to visit the town and see the plague first-hand, despite countless warnings from his colleague. Though he believed himself well protected, his time in Maltus brought the plague down on his head as well.
With de Lorme now working from the inside and the fear of death looming over his head, there was an explosion of new information on the plague. Eventually a vaccine was created, allowing government officials to tentatively reopen Maltus to the public. In an attempt to drum up some more attention, the townspeople built a gym and de Lorme, who had been studying ghost-types in an attempt to find a more supernatural cause to the cure, was appointed as the gym leader.
Present Day[]
Maltus has once again become a tourist attraction of sorts, bringing in thrill seekers, paranormal investigators, and, of course, pokemon trainers. Many of the townspeople, including the gym leader, go along with the "spooky" theme to bring in more tourists, though a few of their local ghost stories are actual beliefs.
Culture[]
Few people can understand what the people of Maltus had to endure, and so they formed a very tight-knit community to help survivors of the plague cope and the make sure that their children and any newcomers understand exactly what happened all those years ago. However, more recently a rift in the community has formed; the more superstitious townspeople believe that the plague will return if they abuse the spirituality of Maltus again, while others hope to once again bring in tourists.
Pokemon[]
Wild Pokemon[]
Naturally, Maltus is a hive for various ghost-types. Many locals say they are the spirits of the dead, reborn as pokemon, but most visitors just think they like playing pranks on the easily frightened locals. There are a small number of poison and dark type pokemon as well.
Gym[]
The gym itself is located inside what used to a temple near the top of the town. The outside of the gym appears to be an enormous, blank-eyed face, while de Lorm's lab is inside what looks like the arms of the human-shaped building. It's operated by Doctor Jason de Lorme, a ghost-type user. Those who defeat him will receive the Wraith Badge.
Inspiration[]
The name Maltus is derived from the Latin root mal, meaning "bad" or "evil", and the Latin word gravatus, meaning "sick" or "oppressed".
The village itself is loosely based on the Chinese ghost town Fengdu.
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