Tancourt

[mystic1110]

Tancourt

 

Geography – the geography of Tancourt is Mud. There are hills and fields, caves, craigs, meadows and even groves, possibly, it is hard to tell cause it is always raining. Not enough for the soil or the dirt to all wash away. Not enough for any rivers, inlet lakes, or streams to overflow. Just enough rain for the Mud to be the sole geographical imprint one would have of the area. Thick mud for boots to be squelched into, thin mud for boots to slip in. Greedy mud to suck one down and perhaps steal a coin, prude mud for one to be concerned about the filth that it must hide. Tancourt is mostly Mud.

People – if we speak to the race of those who live in Tancourt, then one would have to, sadly, admit that they are Human. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, on the contrary, they are sort of an embarrassment to humanity. Firstly, there is their local, what kind of man chooses to live among the mud? Secondly, there is their parlor. They are pale, but not in an elven lithe way – instead they are the sort of jaundiced pale that comes from a lack of sunlight and poor nourishment. They are not all poor, although the vast majority of them are poor, but even the rich are shut in their manses, intent on only keeping themselves dry and warm. Thirdly, their fingers are too long and their mouths gape too widely.

The people of Tancourt wear mostly waxed leather to keep themselves dry, Tancourt taking it’s name from the abundant tanneries necessary to keep up with the demand. In fact, much of the wealthy members of the personage are elevated Tanners, wherein the slums and dregs of society are those that work in the tanneries, going insane from the various chemical dyes. Going about dressed in leather, squelching around in the mud, one would think Tancourt was populated by pigs. One would be right.

Government – Tancourt is run by gossip. With the rain, people scurry to work, to home and to the pubs, and the only pastime is not keeping your nose out of other people’s business. Rumors are regarded as currency of truth, and all of society is built upon a flimsy Manse of innuendos and hearsay. Like eager hogs, the wet leather clad denizens gather near fires to dry and share, trade, and verify the latest chatter, and one’s status and influence within Tancourt depends on the accuracy and novelty of their rumors. And while wealth includes a certain access to information, one’s ultimate categorization in regards to social status, relationships, and opportunities are determined by the rumors circulating about their personal and professional lives. What is Tancourt’s law is simply which anonymous Rag is the most read and circulated – the words being embroidered into water-proof waxed leather of course.

The currently popular Society Paper is the writings of Spinster Hissfell who has lately found the most salacious scandals.

• Diplomacy: 3 
• Military: 2
• Industry: 5
• Faith: 1
• Intrigue: 5

Faith – Tancourt is extremely religious, but it is the religious of orthopraxy and not orthodoxy. It is not belief in which it believes in, but in the practices one can tell neighbors and prying eyes one follows correctly, and those rituals in which one can find other’s not quite measuring up. The faith, is called “The Sun” – which isn’t that unusual for those that rarely see it, what, with the overcast skies and downpours. There is thinking that sunlight is the ultimate disinfectant, that what the light touches would be clean of the Mud, that whatever the Sun hears must be the truth regardless of any contravening gossip.

Resource – Tancourt has lots of Mud, but doubtful that anyone wants that. It's not special Mud. It has no healing properties or rare minerals that enhance the smoothness of ones skin. But Mud is what they have.

Required Resource – Tanning Agents.

Starting Technology – It is a hopeless battle, but the Rain must be channeled into gutters and flow to the sea lest the whole endeavor drowns in a flood, as such Irrigation is used not to make sure that water flows to crops but simply for drainage. 

Edited May 24, 2023 by mystic1110 (see edit history)