Tilley

Tillians are proud of the variety of food they produce, being the kingdom's breadbasket. Over the centuries, they have developed a strong cultural heritage that is spread among the whole kingdom. Crops and meals that become successful in the village end up becoming a stable of the country's.

Nobles and aristocracy

The upperclass gets to experiment with herbs, spices and ingredients that are rare and bought from neighbouring countries. However, given the country's relative poverty, these option are very limited.

A typical meal for festivities would potatoes with a beetroot and cream sauce, and whatever venison is of the season (preferably deer). The richest folk would add thyme to their venison. 

Beer and honeyed milk are the most common beverages. Wine is a rarity as it can't be grown in the country.

A popular sweet dessert is called the Beaver Tail, a dough made out of wheat and millet, covered in a whipped cream and honey-glazed grilled beetroot.

Commoner

The middle and lower class are limited to what they can grow themselves or that there is an abundance of. Grains or occasionally bread, with some carrots or beetroots soup are the staple of every day life. Meat is based on house or farm animals that are no longer of any use. On holidays, the people of Tilley will eat rabbit stew or grilled spined loach with mashed potatoes.

Beer and milk are the most common beverages.

01. What is the general demographic split?

• Children (0-15) 55%
• Adults (16-60) 40%
• Seniors (60+) 5%

02. How much do the nobles influence the common people?

• Nobles provide jobs, security, commerce to the city. They influence the common people that are in the sphere of influence of their estate, but no one noble influences large parts of the town.

03. Are taxes high? Would Ratyn's shitty shack be taxed? Christopher's tree house?

• Taxes are mostly collected through land taxes. The local tax authority dictates your yearly tax to pay to the kingdom based on the assessed economical potential of the land.

04. What are the politics between the nobles? Are there any? Do they get along and just split areas of influence?

• They put on a facade that they are working together for the good of Tilley and the kingdom, but everyone knows that they are backstabbing hooligans as soon as they have a chance. A business ally is tomorrow's dead weight.

05. What are the people's their general thoughts on calendars?

• If the sun is up and the plants be groin', we be in summer ain't we?

06. What are courting traditions?

• Written letters, hiring a bard to write and perform a love song, whatever floats your goat.

07. Marriage traditions?

• Kidnappings are frowned upon (unless you properly bribe the priest)

08. What's the most common worship? Does everyone just recognize the pantheon as a whole to not piss a specific god off?

• People worship gods based on their own family tradition and what business they are in. Farmer? You'll be praying to Ilyvin. 

09. What are the education standards? Is there a public school? Are they homeschooled? Are children simply raised to take over their parent's trade?

• Kids have some form of community schooling usually between the age of 7 to 11-12, and then start helping on the family business. Nobles will send their children to study in other places with either family or political allies of the family.

10. What are the general laws or traditions that stand out as uncommon? 

11. How are races treated here? Are there any looked on favourably or unfavourably?

• Due to the lack of valuable resources or fertile land, the area saw some brutal fight for lang and riches during the Conquest of Thaelia. However, many humans left in the following decades, allowing various races to take a bigger role in the kingdom's politics and systems. Dwarves are probably the most sought after and highly regarded for their ability to extract the few minerals that the country possesses, but they just get better opportunities elsewhere. 

12. Has anyone tried to flirt with the PCs aside from Harris the Gross at Ratyn? Or even hold interest?

• I don't feel comfortable having a say in this matter, it's up to you guys and your backstories.

13. What are some luxuries here? Coffee, chocolate? Are they expensive? 

• A recent influenza outbreak in the whole region killed off a lot of the swine/boar population, so those meats have become rare and extremely expensive. Anything that isn't produced locally is incredibly expensive, do to the kingdom's wealth being garbage.

14. What are common pastimes in Tilley?

15. Do they have any rivalries or partnerships with nearby towns or villages?

16. What are the common birthday traditions? :smirkthinking:

17. Is there a guard organization? A militia? Is it just private guards for nobles who flex their power? (If the last does that make Ratyn essentially a guard? :P)

18. Is there a black or underground market?

19. What about the criminal side of things? Is there one?

20. How many days travel is Tilley from the ocean? Does any nearby river connect to it? (Map says no but one of your rivers goes uphill)

• Westward by horse back? Two ish day's worth, depending on the weather. A bit faster by river.

21. Local flora and fauna?

22. Are there any local tensions? Workers striking or anything of the sort?

23. Is there a guild presence? Adventurer, merchant, or otherwise?

24. What of local fashion?

25. Is there a common "look" for people in this area? Hair/eye colour, height, or anything similar?

26. Does its proximity to March effect them or culture? 

• Tilley is part of the Kingdom of March, and so most of the culture is hegemonous throughout the country.

27. Is the city growing? Shrinking? Stagnant?

28. How do they feel about outsiders?

29. Are they very traditional, or progressive?

30. Are there any professions that are looked down on? Looked up to?

31. Any big festivals unique to the town we can look forward to?

• We'll see 😏

32. Are they often subject to supernatural or magical creatures or effects?

• There is a general understanding that magic exists, but it is seen as something that always leads to worse off situations.

33. Do they understand these things? Or is it all a mystery and a very low-magic town?

• The Bells seeks out children with potential in the town and area and tries to help them with understanding or controlling their magic, to avoid being a hazard to the town. But many parents don't trust the institution and do their best to hide the fact that their child possess innate casting.

34. How many people dislike Oris behind his back? To his face? (or any other PC for that matter)

• To his face: Harris Yorehil. Behind his back? Come on, I'm not spoiling that big reveal!

35. Are things expensive here, in general? Or cheaper?

• Cheap due to the quality. A health potion is still 50GP, unless you want to try your chances with a "potion of feeling better" for just 15GP.

36. Is there a Kankappy Cult? A Cultkappy if you will?

• Not yet. It is your job to introduce Kankappy to the inhabitants of Tilley to level up.

37. Do they use electrum (I hope not)? Is gold, or platinum uncommon and not often accepted?

• Electrum is a rare sight, gold too. Copper and silver are what is used most.

38. Do nobles here have to do political marriages? Are they allowed to marry for love? Are they allowed to marry commoners?

40. Do they interact with common folk much? Or are castes generally insular?

41. How much influence does the monarch exert here?

42. Is there a strong sense of community, or individualism?

• Community. People look out for each other, help out each other. More towards the town than the kingdom, since they already provide food for the kingdom.

43. Are you even reading all of these?

• WE CAN READ?!

44. Are there any cool or interesting drugs that are common here or uncommon elsewhere?

45. Do travelers often pass through?

• Fairly often, Tilley being the breadbasket of the whole kingdom. At the end of summer when crops are gathered, many caravans come and bring the food to the rest of the kingdom.

46. What's hygiene like? Public bathhouses? Private baths in homes?

• A few public bathhouses, but only the wealthiest will pay people to bring water to their homes. Sewage in the streets is technically illegal but still quite common, especially during rainy days.

47. Do they have plumbing? Outhouses and wells, instead?

• Bucket with poop thrown out in the street and hope for rain to clean it off quickly. Some ins and taverns have an outback shed. Sucks in winter.

48. Do they have local myths and legends? Ghost stories or fairy tales to scare children into being good?

• The swamps are known to be dangerous, and some say its children from The Bells that have been cursed with being animals sent to the swamps to terrorise the village.

49. What is general housing like? Wattle and daub shacks? Tudor homes? A large split between areas?

50. Do people who are born/grow up here get "stuck"? Do they try to get out first chance they get?

• Family being important, most people stay. Those without a strong bond to Tilley, or who's business fail, tend to move to larger towns of the kingdom and try their luck there. A visitor from a foreign country is always a reason of excitement and gossip in town.

51. Are there any open secrets or conspiracies?

52. Is there some historical event or figure people of this town are patriotic about?

53. Are they even patriotic in general?

54. Is there an official law system or set of laws? Or is it all done on a case-by-case basis?

• The kingdom has some laws, but the local nobles have quite a lot of flexibility in applying and making their own laws.

55. Has Adam Morley ever been here? Will he?

• He has yet to come here, and probably won't as the kingdom of march is a poor and uneventful place.

56. Is there a "That Guy" of the city that basically everyone knows? In a good, bad, or quirky way?

• Harris. Fuck Harris.

57. How is the town at night? Quiet? Do youths party hard at local taverns and shoot dice in alleys?

• Deadly quiet during the spring and summer, and gets livelier during fall and winter when people move in for the colder months. Nights are generally quiet, unless a festival is happening or a riot.

58. Is there a local news service? Town crier? Are they reputable? Slimy and full of gossip?

• A few competing town criers, but they'll mostly relay information about the capital and kingdom at large, with no international news. They'll mention if someone was unfaithful again.

59. Are they more capitalist or socialist leaning? 

• Serfdom is still very much a thing, with technically most people belonging to the local nobles or the king. Magic makes it weird where people aren't worked to death, seeing how easy it is to get someone killed with a fireball.

60. Are butchers, animal workers, and such allowed in the city? Or are they more on the fringes?

• They are allowed in town, which causes sanitary issues. Some pay for magical cold storage to keep the quality and smell under control.

61. Is there much, or any, industrialization? Any pollution due to this?

• None! Fields and swamps is all you can see.

62. Is there any ancient evil, artifact, or other in the area? Is it known?

• First, it's artefact, second, some guy called Gregory and his ex associate are known to hunt down and find lost artefacts and sell them.

63. Are pets common? Which is the most common?

• Yes. Poultry for eggs/meat, cats to hunt rodents, dogs to keep guard, pigs before the outbreak for warmth and meat. Foxes are all the rage since a few years, with disastrous consequences for the poultry population.

64. Why are there so many orphans?

• Kids born out of wedlock/infidelity, parents who died from disease, parents who couldn't afford to nourish/take care of a child. Tilley has the food to at least guarantee the orphans don't starve, so parents bring their children here to abandon them.

65. How literate are the people of Tilley? Does the average person know how to read? How to write?

• Only studied people can read write (which is most of the NPCs you interact with).