CTE

C'est Toujours Ensoleillé or CTE or simply C'est is a vibrant rogue Confederate colony on the Gulf Coast. It is nestled conveniently on the Texas Louisiana border, near the prewar city of Beaumont but by the coast. The area is a hotspot of conflict from the Rangers, Lobbers and Swamp Folk. The settlement is held together by a delightful dandy of a governor and his ever present faithful companion. A man of class and sophistication that holds the eastern wasteland in great disdain for their boorish antics and low class breeding.
==Town Description==
Using all our senses we have to show what the town is like to RP in and give people a reason to want to write here. We'll also talk about how the town operates and is defended and such here. We should also get a swaggy map, maps always seem to be helpful.
I imagine it being close to the sea, so a wealth of briney, salty, and fishy smells could populate the oceanside parts of town. I see the architecture being very old south in design, with some medium sized plantations (I'd assume they grow a mix of cotton, indigo, and healthy variety of foods, maybe wheat and assorted vegtables) in the outskirts. I see it having a harbor of some sort, and I could see it being very wealthy from food and clothing trades with the Commonwealth of Alabama through its sea trade. I assume it would also have a number of small pubs and inns for visiting merchants. (Blue) 
*Damn you're on fire man, thanks. (MBP)
Maybe there is a river close to the town as well, allowing for easy inland trade? (Hench)
*Looking at the map there is a river that flows north and hits a big lake. From there one of the tributaries goes north and where it starts is about a 3-4 day walk south of Bucket Town.
Perhaps there is a small population of swampers who reside on the beaches of the settlement. They were from a nearby swamper settlement that was wiped out by a rival clan and moved to just within the towns limits. They are a small, insular community that squats on the beach. They manage to find work in town as manual laborer primarily as Texas law does not allow for slave labor. The Governor and the town are forced to put up with these dirty and disgusting tribals in exchange for their labor; much to their chargin. It results in a unique culture within the town; the Swampers would love to return to their native swamps if it wasn't for the fact that their home is gone and the townspeople need their cheap labor but detest their "barbarian" nature.(Hench)
On the outskirts of town, deeper into the Swamps, there was several logging camps that was used to support the construction of the ever-growing cosmopolitanism CTE. Orginally staffed with convicts looking to take time off their sentence, the noise of the logging camps attracted Swamper raiding parties and wild beasts alike. There is now only one, located at the end of a narrow dirt trail leading to and from CTE with the rest of the camps being abandoned and the crews fleeing into the wild. Morale is low, and the once heavy shipments of lumber is now down to a trickle; slowing construction in the city. The governor wants more lumber but the crews (whom are now paid workers, as the Goveroner caught on to the fact that convicts are more willing to run rather than risk their life) are unwilling to make further advances into the wilderness without someone or somebody helping them out. (Hench)
===Government===
Its a neo-colonial government set up by the Confederates back east. The Governor is elected from the House of Burgess, a legislative body represented by the local land owners. The legislature is a tightly controlled electoral body that puts party first. Any new representative must be approved by the governor and a majority of the legislators. A helpful tip is to fancy up your name and make it French sounding. Most of the current legislators opted to go this route to gain acceptance into high society.
===Law Enforcement===
A team of constables lay down the law on the mean streets of the CTE. With all of the Confederate troops stationed here you'd think there wouldn't be a lot of crime but you'd be surprised. No one gets away with ripping on these streets.
* Perhaps they have an extensive list of offenses that receive fines? Such as sleeping in the streets, littering, or whatever bullshit excuse they could think of to write someone a ticket. (Hench)
Town defenses consist of a platoon of Confederate troops and a compliment of cannons lead by artillery officer Stephen La'Valley. Stephen was a former neofeudalist knight that was press ganged into service for the Confederacy. His skill on the battlefield was exemplary compared to the rest of his drafted regiment. In reward for his service he received a post in the CTE. Stephen LaValley is an officer and a gentleman. He’s courteous to most people, charming, well spoken and remains well cultured, an ideal fit for the CTE aristocracy. Despite his charm he can be an inflexible man once he has decided on an issue and he holds ghouls in disdain. Under his leadership the walls of the CTE have held under several assaults from the land and sea.
==Town History==
The present day Governor's father, Gaubert II Miel was not a rich nor profitable land baron and merchant, all he happened to own was a handful of slaves and several farmhands. In an effort to gain his fortune he decided to ask the local barons for the money to get the resources to find more suitable land west of the current confederate territory. The idea was the creation of a colonial city and Gaubert happened to find just enough investors to be able to mount up a suitable force of mercenaries, townsfolk, and others who wanted a new opportunity out west. Taking every scrap of wealth and property with him, Gaubert was betting big on prospects in the West.
Using rotten old gallies the explorers made an useasy trip west along the coast. The swampers nicked at their heels the entire trip with night ambushes and fire attacks. Losses were limited mainly to the slaves, who were put along the shore side of the boat to protect the rest of the crew. By the time Gaubert reached East Texas the boats could go no further. When the expedition had found suitable land in the west, but It was already inhabited by a village of swampers. These swampers were no different the tribes in Louisianna and showed immediate hostility to Gaubert.
After that a brutal stalemate occurred, Miel would not back down as he would not risk going back with empty pockets to his investors. The Governor's father was advised to reform and regroup, he soon found himself in league with Lobbers and Swampers. To the Lobbers and Swampers, he welcomed with safe passage and trade and plenty of money to go with it. While the Lobbers and Swampers would strike the front of the village, he would take several of his mercenaries and a raft to hit the village from the oceanside. In the dead of night, his mercenaries snuck in and lit the village ablaze. They soon came out, alive and intact. The mercenaries were soon called "Constables."
Gaubert Miel placed the first stone of their new found colony on top of a mass graveyard, filled with the burnt bodies of the villagers. It made the flowers, his son would plant later on be all the more beautiful.
----
The Colony was in a sweet spot, west of Houston and south east of Beaumont. It was the perfect place for Texans to come and trade, along with Swampers and Lobbers from the east, Caravan Drivers from the west, and Mexican barges from the south. But that was a problem for this infant of a town, it attracted attention from a bit too many green eyes. Gaubert II commissioned a proper port to be constructed, along with walls that border the town and the oceanside as well. He didn't want karma to bite him on the ass, after all.
Coming from the west, with caravans and hides came the Rangers. When they first found the village that would become C'est, they discovered the slave markets and Lobber hideouts. They demanded a parley against slavery and the harboring of raiders and criminals,
==Stores & Services==
The Baroness - A large dockside inn that caters to sailors, caravanars, and other tourists in town. The pub is a lively area at night full of drunken sailors making bold boasts about big catches from days long past, lusty wenches and monsters out on the open water. The bartender is a quick young lad that fast with a drink and a comeback to any insult. The innkeeper is a crusty old sailor that got to be too old for adventures on the open seas. He rents out cheap rooms that are ensured to have zero flooding and temporary storage space for all that traveling gear carried by young adeventurerers. "Energetic" adventurers may wish to seek the hourly company of the two working girls that hangout at the bar mooching free drinks.
Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler Casino - An upscale gentleman's gambling hall, where roulette and card games are enjoyed by the aristocracy. The men laugh and trade fortunes over tea and finger foods. Don't expect to find slots or working men here, this is an exclusive club. To get in you must meet a strict dress code and receive a private invitation.
Slave Market - Due to technicalities in Texas law, slavery isn't allowed per se. The plantation work is performed by cheap swamper labor to comply with the Ranger's wishes. On the open waters though Ranger law no longer applies. The CTE has a vibrant role in the Southern slave trade. Off the coast a few hundred yards from the harbor the CSS. Evan Casey sits anchored. The vessel is an old steam powered river boat that broke down in port. The engine was stripped out soon after and an enterprising aristocrat bought it for a song. The boat sits anchored just a few yards over on the Louisianan side of the lake and here all slave transactions occur. Through a legal loophole the CTE has a bustling Slave Market on the open water. Roughnecks bring the prisoners in on the lower levels where the slaves are inspected and purchased by slaving firms. The purchased slaves are stored in cells on the lower levels until Confederate ships arrive to purchase the slaves and send them east. The upper decks are the soldier's quarters and the auction block for the slaves. Some of the aristocrats like to watch the slave auctions just for the amusement of it and for the chance to rub elbows with connected individuals back east. The whole operation is overseen by a young Confederate officer Sgt Thelma Red. The Sargent landed the post after het father, who is a legislator in the CTE, pulled a few strings. The Sargent is green as fresh grass and has seen little conflict. She keeps the slaves in line and secures the boat from outside threats with her squad of confederate troops. Given the few numbers of troops on board any perceived threat is dealt with harshly.
Les Deux Hommes - A commercial building complex renting to two businesses, L'homme de la Nuit and L'homme du Dour. The building is owned by the governor's right hand man Renaud Vinaigre. The business was an anniversary gift by the governor to comemorate their lengthy partnership. Being a landlord can be tricky as the two businesses are bitter rivals fighting over the right to the name L'homme.
L'homme de la Nuit - In the less respectable half of the building, L'homme de la Nuit operates as a classy bordello. Open from sundown to sunrise, it offers fun for the entire family that happen to be over 18 and a landholding male. If you aren't a landowner a quick change into fancy lad clothes might be sufficient to trick the dumber employees. Every night begins with a elaborately staged play production of Shakespeare made more errotic and concludes with a bang, if you know what I mean, wink wink nudge nudge.
L'homme du Dour - A salon inhabits the more respectable half of the building, the Salon is the hub for social life for many of the elites in CTE. Has a small coffee bar, serving only the strongest and the best imported coffee from the Caribbean isles. Many of the social elites of CTE can be seen here at any given time, trading stories and ideas as well as networking. It's a vertiable who's who, and if you want to meet someone in power then this is the place to go. However they enforce a strict dress code and if one doesn't match up to the intellectual conversations of the other salon goers than one is likely to receive negative reputation.
Might I suggest that we use cotton bonds as currency. Its paper money that can be redeemed for bales of cotton, it was used in the final days of the civil war when unbacked paper currency was worthless.
Another Blue idea here, I could see cotton being a big product for CTE to export. Maybe they also could have some small scale clothing industry. I know it would require a lot more than just cotton to start producing clothes on a large scale, but as a confederate colony I assume they have access to a lot of resources. (Blue)
(Blue)
I think it needs some sort of general store/marketplace. We could maybe introduce some hier tier gear here, such as pawned confederate weaponary, interesting clothing options, and maybe even some special southern whiskeys and other rarities. (Blue)
==Notable NPCs==
See: CTE Characters
Important people that have not been mentioned yet and how they fit in with everything. Any settlement villains should definitely get a shout out. We can throw cool buildings in here as well.
* Shaman Johnboy Shrieves: The leader of the small Swamped settlement. An old, wizened man with rough facial features speak of a hard life. Seemingly never sleeps, his campfire is always roaring throughout the night as he awaits visions from the pagan swamped gods. His followers are intensely loyal to him forcing the elites of CTE to pay homage to him lest they risk none of their Swamper workers show up to work the next day. Wise but curt.
* Stephan La'Valley: The son of a respected North Texan Noe-Feudalist; Stephan La'Valley was originally press ganged into the Confederate Army after a case of mistaken identity. The former Blue Blood Knight proved himself in battle with his artillery detachment and was reassigned to CTE. He is a proven commander of men, and a gentlemen of the highest standards. He doesn't forget a favor, although he's set in his ways and is intensely bigoted against ghouls. Also he holds the Governor in some disdain, as he feels it is only fitting for a true "blue blood" to lead from the front rather than sit back in a palace and enjoy luxuries. Stephan keeps his lack of respect for the Governor quiet to preserve his position.
==The Surrounding Area==
Is there anything cool close by? What is the aesthetics of the countryside around the site? Are there threats to worry about?
Potentially a small group of roughnecks could have an oilrig offshore an occasionally assualt the town. This could be a potential bounty for players or give those powerplayers an option of taking over the town? Just something to think about. I'd like to also see a potential Mirelurk threat in the surrounding swamps. 
*If you got an idea for a significant raider camp at an oil rig, you can put it up. It doesn't have to be a full fledged settlement. At a minimum it helps to set a little atmosphere. (MBP)
- Valhall 14: A roughneck oil rig, which occasionally sails to CTE to sell their captives off into slavery for supplies.
Category:Workshop
Category:Gulf Coast Texas
Category:Settlements