Trichstes

**Trichstes** Proudly independent gnomish democracy, rumoured to contain many tamed beasts by its neighbours

Pearltrout, clang, Widemeadow

Trichstes has been defined in recent years by good fortune. While the records are inconsistent other which of the maligon states was the first democracy, Tritches proudly claims that their order of gnome land owner representatives were the first democratic elected parliament across the cogs, dating to around the original founding of Ragnnloth. The control of the pearltrout waterful was a conflict between the halfling monarchs of Saihal and the gnomish Trichstes militia that began exploring the higher elevations from the central valley their kind had called home since prehistory. After a small majority voted to to join their kin in the forces of the Allied, the quiet prosperity they enjoyed was plunged into uncertainty and chaos. This was especially apparent after the battle of Okiyassa pass which was more accurately a massacre due to some lack of communication or misinformation from the agents of Uranagso. An entire infantry regiment with two companies of pike gnomes were charged unexpectedly by the calvary of Ragnnloth and cut from reaching Pritberg by the crossbows of the Kalev guard. Slaughtered to a person and thoroughly unprepared This tragedy ended their campaigns further afield and they spent the rest of the war attacking Saihal.

At the first Maligon conference, Trichstes was punished by King Khabarov of Grand Kalev, but less so than its allies of Tryb, Urangagso and Caraniv. Some disgruntled members of the former Allied have claimed that the president of the time Horvyn Loppobas had had a private meeting with King Khabarov, in the notorious cage throne room. While records of the King corroborate this, The defeated claim Loppobas traded the relative leniency of their punishment for secrets about the allied’s assets and coffers, secrets and continued plans after the conference. This theory, truthful or not has left Trichstes alienated from much of the continent, something that continues to this day. Were it not for the intervention of Lady Emnigduux, Trichstes would have probably faded to fallen outposts.

The most beautiful town in Trichstes and arguably one of the most beautiful places across the cog is Pearltrout, the waterfall village. Built on a natural outcropping that splits the torgil river as it falls down the yoluger-torgil range, it splits between three levels, one atop the river named the ‘Truepebble yard’, one midway down called ‘Erosion court’ and one behind the falls called ‘the plunge’. In an almost elven style, the streets and municipal houses drape elegantly with natural and organic looking stone columns weave between delicate mosaics and stained glass pieces mostly depicting fresh water fish, depictions of the waterfall and grapes. A century ago, this was simply a small but complex fishing outpost on some barren rocks, connected by a simple rope bridge. After the war which took three of their sons, the elderly Truepebble couple who had maintained the hut were considering retiring the project when they were approached by a human noblewoman. Lady Ermintrude Emnigduux, of Gadprig’s lowerhold as she introduced herself arrived alone, and offered five hundred platinum pieces for the land, and for Ertha and Bobbert Truepebble to remain as her ‘caretakers’ while she built a grand town she had envisioned ‘Since being a little girl.’

The plans she brought were remarkable, and more out of bafflement than understanding, the truepebbles agreed. Over the next ten years, the town took shape, and Lady Emnigduux would act as a foremen to the workers and also entice gnomes from the other Tritches towns of clang and Widemeadow to join them, promising work and fine fortune. When it was finished, Pearltrout had fine shops, a schoolhouse, a free Etolik Apothecarian, an ingenious lift system between the levels, a theatre concert hall that masked the rushing water, or in the case of symphonies composed by Lady Emnigduux incorporated the sound as natural percussion. In a mere decade, the small vertically arranged town rivalled Tryb city or even Grand Kalev and when accounts got out, homes for the spring and summer were purchased by the wealthy across the cog. Lady Emnigduux built herself a handsome cottage on Erosion court, but had seemingly lost enthusiasm for it after the Truepebbles had died of old age briefly after its completion.

Some half a century afterwards, Pearltrout is still a remarkable town as pearltrout has become foremost destination for merchant wares in the north east. The shops on the Truepebble yard cater to townsfolk: ‘the Moitessier bakery’, ‘Boldroots fishering supplies’, ‘cloaks of pearltrout’ and the etolik worshiping moonmother apothecarian which offers free service to locals and a small donation encouraged from outsiders. The Argent Cornu inn and bar offers rooms and a selection of the wines of the region. The Cornu’s basement eatery is famous for its seasonal dishes, strictly served only when the produce or meats are in their season. This adherehance to the cogyear has become very fashionable thanks to a cooking book written by Lady Emnigduux and the inn’s head chef a gruff Lumthonom dwarf Bermur Firegift. The Cornu’s basement opens up to the Erosion court, home of the Lady’s cottage, which is often rented by nobility or the wealthy across Maligon for their vacations. The erosion court has shops that appeal to a higher class audience, including Quillthread fine clothes, Desmond Longo’s clocks of clang, Fofabeanand spices and herbs and a shop that sells paper, bindings, ink, vellum and occasionally second hand books ran by a hobgoblin called Vrovleg.

Below the erosion court, accessible by spiral staircase or the lifts is the plungepools, with well appointed homes in the rock, a cosy tavern called ‘Behind the waterfall’ and the theatre concert hall

After her work of Pearltrout was completed, Lady Emnigduux left her abode and moved to Clang on the west. Clang had always been the seat of parliament in Tritches and was impressive, if a little worn by the war. At the centre of clang is the Tritches clocktower, where the town gets it’s name from the impressive bell called ‘Clang’ by the locals. Lady Emnigduux was expected at Clang, and the president at the time Tana Dappledust had much prepared to make her feel welcome. Lady Emnigduux seemingly lavished the attention and had committed more of her platinum pieces to restoring the clock tower, and proposed to madame Dappledust that a library and a museum would be a fine thing for the gnomes to have. And so, once more, Emnigduux set out on an ambitious and impractical project, paying the labourers and sourcing the materials herself. Visitors to Clang will see the restored Clang tower with its elegant filigree, the Dappledust Museum of gnomish history and culture and the Zancryn library, named after a gnomish boy Emnigduux had hired to pull her rickshaw. While many of the members of the landowners parliament were quick to accuse Tana Dappledust of handing their precious democracy over to a wealthy noble, Emnigduux had little interest or stake in policy, and in one memorable incident was told by former president and opposition leader Umwor Wefferton that her taxation must increase to five platinum a month if she were to continue living within their nation. Rather than baulking at this purposefully intense rate, she asked the minister if he would like it one hundred years in advance, Before Dappledust explained to Lady Emnigduux that Wefferton had no power to do so. Clang has the ancient timbered ‘Democracy of all’ tavern and coaching house, the museum and the library, a farriers and feed shop, the workshop of clockmaker Desmond Longo and associates, and a blacksmith named ‘Tog’ Togglebottle who specialises in farming equipment that she takes to widemeadow in her iron coach. The majority of clang is a residential area with small but comfortable estates stretching up the hill.

After being gently encouraged by President Tana Dappledust, Lady Emnigduux visited the hamlet of Widemeadow that was surrounded on all sides by farmland. While enjoying the company of the farmers in her initial meeting, Nothing had seemed to spark the obsessive enthusiasm that had turned the fortunes of the other towns. The handful of farmers in Widemeadow displayed great skill in growing the crops to sustain the other towns and training animals, specifically dogs and wolves. Lady Emnigduux thought any of her development projects would deprive them of land, which the overly eager parliament eventually agreed. To the surprise of President Dappledust however, Lady Emnigduux decided this was where she would live for the forseable future, instead of the cottage and the townhouse she had built in pearltrout and clang. She travelled to outside of the boarders and found a stretch that had long been considered badlands, too rock and clay filled for anything to grow consistently. With her now stable team of builders, she drew up a final design, a great farmhouse centred around a ballroom and a vineyard to the front. The Emnigduux vineyard was predicted by many of her detractors to be the ruin of her, especially when they saw the size and scope of the lands she hoped to cultivate. But that year, fantastic weather buffeted all of Widemeadow, rains across Dewsheath and half of Torihoh, a blistering Brongle and then not a hint of chill until the end of Vitarek. Although she had become reclusive as she stayed in her farmhouse, jokes were made in parliament that their eccentric resident was so rich she had payed Takamul herself. The first vintages were unremarkable, but competent and after twenty more years, the vitners of Emnigduux had a full bodied and fresh tasting wine that produced some of the cogs best Fortified wines, particularly the ‘lady Ermintrude sherry.’

Recently, Goodfellow Zancryn, butler of Emnigduux manor and vineyard spoke at parliament to announce the death of his mistress, who he said had passed away at ninety five years old. He then had the pleasure of introducing her daughter, Lady Elodie Emnigduux. Elodie looks exactly like her mother when she first arrived in Tritches, knows intimately about all of her mother’s projects and plans and has an awkward habit of continuing a conversation at the point her mother had left it when seeing old friend. Given her gentle if scatterbrained nature and all she’s done for the nation, the current people of Tritches welcome this ‘human’ noblewoman with open arms.

Modern Widemeadow is peaceful, seven family farms make up the bulk of the hamlet with a crossroads at the centre. The crossroads and it’s ever present scarecrow indicate the farmer’s open market that takes place on Etolight each five days. Emnigduux manor is mostly quiet, unless Lady Elodie is hosting a holiday feast, at which time Pamplets of open invitation are spread throughout the town. Shrews, voles and field mice have enormous numbers in Tritches, but the majority of animals are not wildlife, but the trained dogs, wolves and pack animals. Tritches gnomes have an affinity for animal handling and rarely a more exotic creature will be taken as a pet, work animal or companion for a hunter folk. As most of neighbours are suspicious of this ‘lucky land’ any animal attacks in the north east are blamed on some ‘beast of Tritches’ which has become a phrase unto itself.