Moth - Settlements and Locations

## Overview

This page describes some of the geography which occurs in and around Dust Valley, a formation which lies to east of the Badlands and south of the Haysead Swamps. This general area is where most Moths live today, and is broadly considered their homeland. Despite misconceptions due to populations found elsewhere such as the Everfree Forest, the majority of mothkind resides outside of Equestria     .

## Touch\*

**Type: Town (Small)**

**Location: about 2 or 3 days' cart-travel from Dodge.**

When traveling north, this is the final moth town before Dodge. It is a friendly town, small in size and population and quite unassuming. Moths traveling to Equestria are well-advised to stop for water here .

## Ferule

**Type: City**

**Location: In the outlying mountains that merge into Equestria.**

Ferule is the last major city before Dodge. It is found in the mountains near the final merging of the paths into Equestria. It contains large forgeworks and lumber-mills supplying both moths located in The Mesh and individual mountain moths in need of supplies or equipment . Being in the mountains, it is cold during most of the year.

The city is generally friendly toward tourists or other visitors, some of whom are caravaneers overwintering there for a head-start into Equestria come spring. Despite this general amity, the community here tends to be leery of unfamiliar visitors looking to trade for armor, weapons, and/or hunting and trapping tools. Non-federated woodsmoths or other wilderness-oriented transients are generally considered trouble.

## The Mesh

**Type: Area**

**Location: North of the Dust Valley**

The Mesh is a large area which sweeps across most of the crossroads and path-interchanges as they grow more dense approaching the southern Haysead. It evolved from a series of outposts and guard-towers which were established to provide security there. This was formerly one of the most dangerous parts to pass for the caravans. Without the Mesh in place, it would quickly return to this state. The various forts and safehavens here are relatively dense, allowing travelers to stay indoors and avoid pitching camp during the night.

This area does not generate many goods itself, but is an established location for caravans to rest and furnish themselves with the provisions to successfully complete the push into Equestria and continue trading for the duration.

It also acts as a nerve-center for the training and assignment of jacks, foresters, hunters, and rangers of different descriptions. Much of its durable equipment is produced in Ferule. It uses various supplies provided by almost all moth communities, except for the very isolated ones which are inaccessible or otherwise shun trade .

## Pould

**Type: Town (Large)**

**Location: 1/2 - 2 days' travel from The Lone Maple.**

Pould is a large commerce-town "a few dozen miles over" from The Lone Maple . It is about 2 days' travel from the Lone Maple by light cart, or little over 1/2 a day by wing. This place primarily transforms raw materials into objects for sale in Equestria and, in some cases, richer parts of the mothlands to the south. Accommodations for travelers are present, though minimal.

Pould holds an annual market primarily featuring the latest trends in artisanal tools from Tine plus seasonal goods and imported trifles collected by traders from Channel. Those goods are unloaded piecemeal by rowboats on the nearest shores to Pould, since the beaches are too shallow for large ships to moor, and docks tend to wash away there. It has an apathetic feel to it and is not a particularly useful location if you are not wholesaling materials or simply stopping for night and a few bland meals. Reverie lived here before moving to Dust Valley.

## The Village of the Lone Maple

**Type: Village**

**Location: South of The Mesh/At the northern most tip of Dust Valley.**

The Lone Maple is a smallish, but well-kept village in Dust Valley. It began when a caravan broke down in the area, and Grand Moth Tarkin was inspired to turn it into a permanent settlement with the purpose of being a resting point between other areas in the Valley  . The village lies along what is now the safest route to the Haysead. Although other moths live elsewhere within the valley, it is the only organized set of structures there.

## Iltis

**Type: Ort/Permanent Camp**

**Location: In the East Sea Peninsula Mountains.**

Iltis is a small, permanent camp of fairly spiritual moths in the mountains of the East Sea peninsula, consisting of a number of small cabins . Although Channel may appear to have better access to the nearby islands, most of them are unreachable from the water due to extremely high cliffs, which is one of the reasons the far dragons known to the mothlands prefer them. For this reason, Iltis is used as a literal jumping-off point for those interested in reaching any of the islands of the archipelago. Most moths have to train there first before making the flight.

## Ramshackle

**Type: Ort/Permanent Camp**

**Location: In the East Sea Peninsula Mountains.**

Ramshackle is a smallish city in the mountains abutting Dust Valley, east-northeast of Tine . This is your typical city of sin, debauchery, gambling, and spears-for-hire. The late Farebain's favorite haunt, it was originally founded by expellees from Channel. It is not recommended for tourists.

## Charm

**Type: Town (Small)**

**Location: At the base of the mountains north of Channel.**

"Charmtown" is a small, cozy, snowy set of inns and other sturdy, log-built buildings set snugly together at the site of some hotsprings by the base of the mountain range north of Channel . Although the staff may seem like the kindest folk imaginable, the cost of a 'good time' is included in the price for lodging.

Other than the rare misinformed tourist or moth on a pilgrimage to Iltis, most guests in Charm are unrelentingly encouraged by the innkeepers to avail themselves in the whole package they paid for (and then some). Innkeepers know that guests they can convince to indulge themselves in this way are far more likely to return again later for further business.

## Channel

**Type: City**

**Location: along the Southeast Leg of Dust Valley.**

Channel is an attractive, medium-sized port-city along the Eastern leg heading south . A little more than 2 days' flight, 8 and a half days travel with a light cart, or 10 to 12 with a wagon or heavy cart from The Lone Maple.

Most of the Moths and other sapient creatures found here are tough, and many enjoy a stiff drink, a shanty, and the occasional knife-throwing contest or drunken brawl. However, actual pirates and privateers are consciously made feel unwelcome or turned away. Being the mothlands' only real port-city, most are aware that it cannot be allowed to become a haunt for racketeers or other flotsam.

## Tine

**Type: Town (Medium)**

**Location: along the Southwest Leg of Dust Valley.**

Tine is a medium size town on the Southwest Leg of Dust Valley, and is the oldest trading city in the area . As home to many skilled moth artisans and business-families, it generally-unfriendly city on the Western leg. It's economy is rather complex due to it's significance in the areas trading routes and economy. They tend to look down on simpler moths and is especially unfriendly toward residents and patrons of Dust Valley, since they are considered competitors when the Western leg's interchange into the Valley is open.

## The southern mothlands

Much of the land south of Tine can be dangerous and is not highly documented. It consists of vast wilderness, mountains, rivers, dark forests, unimaginably-strange flora and fauna, and a sundry of varied, increasingly-isolated communities which are nonetheless vital to the moths' current stead . Some of these communities provide small-but-crucial things such as the ingredients to many medicines, and various saps, flowers, vines, and other materials (often products from plants, small insects, or fungi). Without these materials, much of the industry further north would be utterly impossible.

Other than one or two prominent families still in the caravanning business from northern cities, most traders hail from southern areas. They are often strange, particular, and quiet-but-demanding (at least toward other moths). They tend to be extremely insightful both in the ways of the forests and in caravan life.

Many remain loyal to their own, small communities. Instead of making them isolationists, however, their loyalty drives them to take it upon themselves to ferry out the goods of their individual tribes. They return with bits of prosperity and continued assurances from moths further north that although the trade-routes are an important charge of those in the Mesh, their real home lies in the mossy, sprawling forests south of the Valley.

Should the forests ever truly awaken again, as they did only a hoofful of generations ago, moths must remember their roots, and head to where the troubles will be thickest, in the wildest, farthest parts of the "nation" they call home.

## Notes

* \*Touch is not shown on the wide area map.

## Meta

1. ↑ Note: some of the first stories made for the thread were based on the premise that Moths came from the Everfree Forest, but this was revised over time because it was (arguably) too restrictive.
2. ↑ It's worth noting for historical reasons that, at least in past, some anons preferred to refer to Dust Valley's village as "the village" or simply "Dust Valley", allowing the context of the usage to distinguish this from the geographical valley itself. There was *lengthy* arguing on this subject in threads 56 and 57 which will not be covered here in detail.