Rennet
| Government |
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| Gerontocracy? |
A mountain village deep in Fir Lanear hugging the Giant's Crown Mountains.
Rennet is a walled village hugging the Giant’s Crown Mountains, deep in Fir Lanear.
The village sits high up a hill and provides a great vantage over the pastures below. Which eventually meet the pine trees of Fir Lanear.
It’s build by an early Elven settlement. Most Elves are nomadic, but the Elves of Rennet saw the potential of building a small settlement.
The settlement turned into a village, which in turn got walled off. Eventually the village expanded by building pastures and small residences outside of the walls.
Within the walls the natural caves were used for cold storage and eventually aging cheese.
The village is largely self-sufficient. It gathers resources from the surrounding forest, it’s cattle and crops. It trades with nomadic Elves in Fir Lanear as well as a select few caravans that stop by Rennet especially for their cheeses.
Locations
Alatando
There is nothing ‘great’ about this gate, but it’s the entrance to the inner village. The doors are hardly ever closed. Two stone pillars are crowned with fire baskets of Elven smithy. At night they are lit by magical fire. On special occasions the colour of the fire will change throughout the spectrum. It’s a popular meeting place for Elves. They sit among the gate on their breaks where they enjoy each others company as well as the vista. Being elevated the village look over the trees below the meadows.
Tyurfelya (Cheese caves)
At the back of the village are entrances to several caves. Most have been cut out to make usable chambers. They are used for cold storage and cheese production. The caves are owned by different families.
Tyuratho Tyurfelya
Cheese caves of the Tyuratho family. A single entrance allows access to a tunnel with various chambers. Save from the ‘hot’ chamber to make Dwarven Hard Cheese these are all natural chambers. The back of the cave holds the oldest cheeses and is home to the Mist Shard altar. The altar blocks small tunnel deeper into the mountain. It’s said there is nothing deeper in the tunnel. In reality the tunnel widens up and follows it’s way through various chambers and side chambers deeper into the mountain.
Telar Ethelë
While most houses have their own well these days, the Telar Ethelë is still used by the village to draw water. Probably more to socialise and gossip than to get actual water. The round stone structure stands on top of a tunnel dug straight down. The water level varies as the well is connected to tunnels that carry water from the mountain. The top of the well is fenced off with a decorative elven made fence to prevent children falling in. A door in the fence can be opened to lower the bucket.
The well is said sometimes called Ethelë Oiala because it has never run dry.
Kids like to say the well is haunted and that sometimes voices can be heard from deep below, especially when the water level is low.
Tyuratho Herulatsë
In the back of the village lies Dauphines home. She loved here with her parents and Great-grandparents.
It is surrounded by a meticulously maintained rock garden. The stone building has an attic under it’s thatched roof. Two dormer windows look like eyes overlooking the village. Behind one of those windows is Dauphines room.
Her Grand-parents are almost always near the house, her parents are often out in the meadows, herding goats.
Organisations
Rindë le Anyára
The village is run by the Circle of Elders, the Rindë le Anyára. Seniority plays a large role in getting a leadership position. Wisdom comes with the ages, but so does senility. So the village is eligible to vote leaders out of the Circle. The Circle is made up out of different number of Elves depending on demand.
Nossé (Families)
There are no ‘organisations’ or ‘companies’ in Rennet. Things are run by families, or Nossé as they are called in Elven. For example, the Tyuratho Nossé produces cheese, and the Mamándil Nossé herds sheep. This way there are numerous Nossé in Rennet that each serve a purpose.
Merchant Houses
Most wares in Rennet are produced to sustain the population. As such, there is no need for merchant houses.
Should outside parties want to trade it is done through the Circle of Elders. Prices are negotiated with the Circle. Part of the gaining’s go the providing families, the rest is saved or invested in the community.
Temples
Nassëa Yána
Nassëa Yána is literally translated to Natural Sancturay. It stands in the west of the village. It is a multi-functional building. Besides being a place of worship it serves as the town hall and education centre as well. The monks maintain the surrounding fruit gardens, brew ale from barley, fruit and honey. They also provide education the children with the support of local mages and the Elder. In front of the sanctuary is a small plaza with wooden tables. A great place to meet your friends and have an ale or two. A fair warning to the ones who like to pass out drunk, the monks love a prank or two. You just might wake up somewhere strange, covered in honey and feathers or wearing your boots the wrong way around. The Sanctuary is built on top of a vast network of caves that are closed of to other networks. It holds Rennet’s treasury, emergency resources and a fortified sanctuary should the village ever be overrun. These caves are not open to the public and maintained by the monks. It is said that the caves have secret exits.
Notable People
Yára Matso
(Elven male, Circle of Elders)
The oldest elf in the village, part of Rindë le Anyára.
It’s hard to believe he can see anything from under those wrinkles. The man is quiet and observant. He likes to say an Elf has two ears and one mouth for a reason; listen before you speak. He walks with a cane that seems to root once it stands in a place for too long.
Yára used to be a high ranking Druid in the past. He is a formidable wildshaper and he used the weather and it’s elements in combat. Though Yára is a pacifist, he’d much rather prevent the enemy from combat that to pick up his sword.
The story goes that, when Rennet was in it’s infancy, he called upon a rain and hailstorm with deafening thunder to ward off attackers.
Dauphine Tirfelya
(Elven female, Hero)
Chosen to be the villages hero.
Nochume Tyurahto
(Elven male, Elder)
Great-grandfather of Dauphine, works in the family cheese caves.
Used to be an adventurer together with Ulelassë, which later became his wife.
Ulelassë Tyurahto
(Elven female, Elder)
Great-grandmother of Dauphine, works in the family cheese caves.
Born as a nomadic wood-elf and now settled in Rennet.
Lungambar Mamándil
(Elven female, Shepard)
Childhood friend of Dauphine. As part of the Mamándil Nossé she is a sheep shepherd.