Tinger

Tinger's flag

Stylized city heraldry

**Tinger** (pronounced *TING-grr*) is a city-state located on a large island of the same name, in the Broken Fingers of southeastern Tretch. Unlike the other free cities of that region, **Tinger** was once a vassal of the Breckish Empire and only gained its full independence in the last three hundred years. Their independence from that empire was one of the instigating events leading to the Breckish Civil War.

## Geography

Not outwardly as tropical as the rest of the Free Cities, **Tinger** is still home to a rather pleasant climate. The island on which the city sits is also known as **Tinger** and is host to an abundance of rare and exotic wood which is cultivated by some of the Halfling Houses as well as their Gnome craftsmen and farmers in a plantation system. There are also numerous gem mines scattered throughout the island.

## Government

The city of **Tinger** has been ruled by a succession of Halfling monarchs for centuries. Styling themselves as “Princes” and not kings, the current reigning monarch is Hasler Leaspell of the Leaspell Dynasty, a Halfling family that has been at the center of **Tinger** politics for nearly 700 years. Prince Leaspell has only recently inherited the throne though he is on the older side of middle-aged at 190. His father, Gosire Leaspell, came to rule the city before the island fell under the rule of the Breckish Empire and he is often beloved as being a noble steward of the city-state from being an independent kingdom, Imperial province, and back again.

Prince Hasler Leaspell of the Leaspell Dynasty rules the Free City of **Tinger**. He has recently inherited the crown after his father Gosire Leaspell, a beloved prince for many decades, died of old age. Court politics are primarily waged between the members of the Halfling nobility, the most powerful families are the Fatbranches, Clickuppers, Milddancers, the Havenhare, and the Cinderbelly family.

## Defense

**Tinger** doesn’t maintain a standing army but its many merchant houses pay generously for private security and mercenaries to guard their ships and wares. Many security firms based in Corlsport find willing clients in **Tinger**.

## Commerce

**Tinger** enjoys a bustling manufacturing sector as many Halfling artisans and Gnome tinkerers maintain successful shops in the city. Outside that, the hills surrounding the city are home to numerous gem mines and the forests beyond home to numerous lumber operations that supply fine and rare woods to the rest of the continent. The climate is also kind to many rare grape varieties and the Havenhare family monopolizes the wine trade.

## Organizations

The Halfling culture of **Tinger** has supported large and multifaceted family structures for generations. As such, a list of the most powerful Halfling families are listed below.

### Cinderbellies

The Cinderbellies were a very wealthy and influential Halfling family. They had their hands in numerous types of businesses and were known as great patrons of the arts. They also had a tendency to be ruthless and uncompromising. While there were few Cinderbellies in obvious positions of political power in **Tinger**, it was generally understood that they preferred to flex their influence from behind the scenes.

### Clickuppers

A family famed for their meatpacking and restaurant empire, the Clickuppers of **Tinger** were actually a cadet branch of the Pondswattle Clickuppers. A handful of centuries ago, some of the second-sons of the main family left Pondswattle to expand the family business into the Free Cities. While both family lines were cordial with one another and even worked together on occasion, they were distinct groups connected only by a distant ancestor, a common family name, and a love of charcuterie.

### Fatbranches

After the Cinderbellies and the Leaspells, the Fatbranches were one of the more powerful families in **Tinger**. They worked closely with the city's Gnome tinkerers and were themselves known to dabble in the mundane technological pursuits of their wards. Any Gnome workshop worth its salt could usually be found paying homage (and rent) to one of the Fatbranches.

### Havenhares

Active more outside the city limits than within, the Havenhare family operated a lucrative wine, brandy, and cognac trade with vineyards, wineries, and distilleries dotting the city's home island. They maintained some fancy tasting rooms in **Tinger** and were known to work closely with the Cinderbelly family.

### Leaspells

The Leaspell dynasty had ruled **Tinger** since before the founding of the Breckish Empire. Instead of kings, their patriarchs styled themselves as "Princes" and viewed themselves as stewards of tradition and consistency.

### Milddancers

Like the Havenhare family, the Milddancers were predominately active outside **Tinger** proper. They operated numerous tree farms and lumber mills throughout the island, taking advantage of their home's unique climate and harvesting large amounts of fine and exotic wood to ship to artisans in their city and throughout the ports of the Wide Ocean. They worked closely with the Fatbranches and their Gnomish tinkerers and sometimes provided unique varieties of mesquite and plumwood for the Clickupper's smoking operations.