Mossley

***"A nice place, filled with nice people. A rarer thing than treasures and gems, nowadays... And twice as valuable." - Lorenzo Monte Icebrande, First of His Name and founding champion of Mossley***

## Village of Mossley

### Inhabitants

90% Halfling5% Ratfolk

2% Gnome

~3% Other

<1% Dragon

## History and Legends

The village of Mossley was allegedly founded centuries ago by the progenitor of the Icebrande family, a legendary halfling dragonrider named Lorenzo Icebrande, and his trusty steed whom he took his last name after. While the two are well known to have been close allies and closer friends, legends say that the two met when Lorenzo went out on a nefarious quest to hunt a dragon so he could sell its scales for gold.

The two clashed for over a day until they could both no longer move, and when the dragon realized Lorenzo's motives, he offered to simply hand over the scales he shed just a month earlier. When Lorenzo heard this offer, he and Icebrande supposedly laughed at the futility and needlessness of their struggle and formed a special sort of bond with one another. From then on, the two became inseparable friends and together founded the village of Mossley. For the next several hundred years, the descendants of Lorenzo and Icebrande would share a family name and continue the cycle of halflings bonding with dragons to defend the village's freedom and independence.

The veracity of this legend is often disputed and derided, but the fact remains that as long as anyone can remember, House Icebrande have been influential in the politics of Mossley, and have defended the town with their draconic steeds for generations.

## Village Leadership

Mossley is ran by an elected council made up of twelve town denizens and the current village champion, which in the town's history has always been an Icebrande. While there is no law against members of other races holding office, the town has only ever seen three non-halfling council members; two of whom seat the council this very day.

The twelve elected members of the council are able to vote on policy for the town, while the champion only participates to maintain civility in the council, break tied votes, and puts forward topics for discussion and debate.

## Culture

The people of Mossley live a very peaceful, agrarian lifestyle. There is a general attitude of live and let live among the villagers here, and while all are accepted, it is difficult for 'tall folk' to adapt to the villages pint sized infrastructure. Although small in scale, there is an ingenuity to halfling architecture that is not immediately apparent. Their famous 'mound homes,' for instance, are known to for their comfortableness and long lasting nature; expanding deeper underground than up multiple stories most of the time. The secrets to the construction of these homes are well kept and proudly guarded.

Despite living by the sea, only a brave few take boats out to fish in the ocean or to conduct trade; as such the village's port is under developed. Instead, mining and farming are Mossley's main points of interest. The town is no major exporter, but halfling wines and jewelry are well known staples sold in some of the larger cities.

## The Dragons of Mossley

The dragons of House Icebrande serve as one of the town's primary defenses. From birth, the eggs of Icebrande dragons are matched with the children of the House's current lord, following the line of succession and starting with the current heir apparent. When the dragon hatches, its rider-to-be is made to form a bond with it.

The dragon and the halfling become as close as siblings in this way, and their very lifespans are tied together. The halfling tends to live longer and the dragon much shorter. Should one die, the other inevitably dies soon after. These dragons tend to not grow very large over their life span, and instead become swift and agile. The largest Icebrande dragon was Icebrande himself, and he was supposedly only as large as a horse.