Geography: Rattledam

The foundling villages of the plains are unusual oddities that are scattered over the face of the grass. An unusual feature unique to this grass desert due to the harsh environment and cruelty of the area. All foundling towns are run by the Monks of the plains as a place to give those lost in the plains a place to stay, heal and sometimes live out their lives. The Monks guide the foundlings through physical, and spiritual healing. The Monks have no set god that they worship and thereby attract worshipers of all gods so they can administer to the spiritual needs of all people as they heal. The monks then use these villages to help raise crops and create trade goods. This income helps sustain and continue the reclamation of the plains. The population of a foundling village is made up mostly of orphan children found on the plains. Children lost from their parents in excursions due to carelessness, or violence. There are also a number of children found that have been outcast from Raiders camps or the Barons' cities. Some of the foundlings here are the remnants of families from the same broad spectrum of circumstances. Most of these foundlings grow up and move away, however some stay, fall in love, and have children of their own. Most foundling villages are made up of about 50% Monks, 20% orphan children, 15% traveling labor and artisans and 15% wounded or lost adults. These towns are often used as sanitariums of sorts, or simply retreats for the brokenhearted or emotional destroyed. They are places of peace and work. Because the populations of most of these villages are made up of exiles and found people, they rarely last long or stay in one place. The only exception to this is the Foundling City of Rattledam.

Rattledam is unusual for a number of reasons. The first being that they have an agreement with the Trade Captains to remain non-mapped. Those that place it on maps soon find their maps mysteriously destroyed or stolen. Rattledam wishes to avoid contact with the outside world. They want to live quiet cloistered lives in worship, work and art.

Worship is the second thing that makes Rattledam unusual. The Monks within this community are all devout followers of Pantheon. In fact the whole community worships the god of Justice and Balance. While worshipers of other gods are welcome the most prevalent belief has always been that of Pantheon.

The third thing that is unusual about Rattledam is the number of extremely talented artisans that the town has. Some say that there is some kind of magic spell cast over the town that makes artists of normal people. This myth while not encouraged by the Monks is also not disagreed with. It gives an aura of mystery to the town and everyone knows that the Monks of Rattledam love their aura of mystery. While we can be sure that there is no magical spell over the town it must be acknowledged that within the borders of Rattledam a mediocre artist often becomes outstanding. All forms of artistry seem to be effected. Weaving, painting, sculpture, pottery, even cooking. All forms of art leaving Rattledam seem to be effected. However it is weaving that is the towns most outstanding form of art. The things woven that come out of Rattledam are easily some of the most beautiful, strongest and amazing fabrics and tapestries ever seen on the face of the Wold. The work cloth woven here is almost strongest than boiled leather and is clearly more flexible and lighter. The weaving done here is simply amazing. This is probably why they have stayed here so long and become a community of weavers.

The fourth-unusual feature about Rattledam is its geography. It is covered by a large beehive like structure made of grass. A group of climbers maintain and repair this structure. The story of this structure is something of a legend in the area. It goes;

“Long ago when the winds bit the faces of our forefathers and the sun baked the backs of our foremothers, four strange men from outside came into our small village saying that they were called, by the Gods, to this place to protect this place. That it was to become a haven for the pious and the just. That this would be a place of beauty and peace. They were called to protect and preserve it for the future. The Gods had called them to build that protection over the village and then to teach the villagers how to maintain it. They then with the help of our foremothers and fathers built a great grass dome over the village and taught the villagers how to weave it so that sun and rain could fall in but that the high winds, terrible storms, and swarms of insects would be kept at bay. They taught the villages how to weave from the grass and how to make great panels of grass to be used as windows in the dome so as to let large areas stay open for ventilation, light, or water. These panels can be closed or opened in a hurry for whatever reason they need. They taught the villagers to climb. The cling to the surface of the dome with fingertips and toes, to build calluses to keep the grass from cutting, and most of all to love the work. Soon after the dome was built a miracle happened. The sun was not able to bake the naked earth any longer and the ground cooled. One day near a slight depression the ground shook slightly and out of the depression water spouted. The spout lasted for only 30 seconds or so but a great deal of water was released from the earth. 47 minutes it happened again; the slight rumble, the spout, and the water. Every 47 minutes.”

The villagers realizing that a precious resource was going to waste quickly built a stone quarry about the spout and a square enclosure around the quarry to hold in the water. The dam about the well rattles as the ground rumbles every 47 minutes and this is where the name of the village comes from. The other most unusual thing about this water is that it purifies itself, one minute after every spout as if a purify water spell was cast over the entire well. Because of this a favorite pastime of the young is to swim in the well. The town keeps four fountains separate from the enclosure for drinking water.

The fifth unusual aspect of the town is its size. It’s actually almost a town with a few hundred residents as well as a full monastery of Monks. In fact the city of Rattledam actually has quite a few full families that live and work there. While the major purpose for any foundling village is to take care of those in need the secondary reason is to provide food, trade goods and other support for the order of Monks that watch the plains. Rattledam is special because it is knows all throughout the Wold for its weaving. The finest weavers ever known are said to come from Rattledam. They can weave the softest material from the grass of the plains, or stout armor with almost the strength of steel and half its weight. This is what the city creates and trades with the Barges that come by. They also do a great deal of Prairie Pig, grain, and Glass Grass farming as well as distilling it into liquor. They farm some Wheat Grass, whose pods make excellent bread.

The final unusual aspect of Rattledam is perhaps the most mysterious. It is know that all foundling towns discourage speaking of the outside world, preferring to seek inner peace within the community for the purposes of healing and meditation. Discussing what is out side too often leads to thoughts of revenge or wonder that leads to pain. The plains are a hard deadly place and those that go looking for adventure in them too often never come back except in pieces. However in the town of Rattledam this idea is pursued to a much greater degree. There is an understanding among the people that discussing the outside world is not only discouraged but also almost forbidden. Bards are never welcome if they are going to sing of faraway places or adventures in other lands. Love songs, songs of the plains or local heroes and events are always welcome. However a Bard who begins to sing of a far off place will soon find that he has emptied the tavern and will be asked politely to leave town. People who continue to disturb the township with these kinds of thoughts are soon found staying in the holding houses in the trader’s compound. These houses are wonderfully lavish places that are completely self-sufficient and make contact with the general populace of the town impossible. People are held here until a trade barge comes through in the direction they are headed and then politely put on the barge and asked not to return. People wishing to leave are always welcome to. (Rattledam is a small town and not rich even with the magnificent art that leaves the village. All profits from such trades are given to the Monks, for room and bored are free within the town but you are expected to work for the benefit of all). All that leave are welcome to return as well However after having lived in Rattledam, those that wish to leave are always interviewed by the Pantheon Monks exactly one hour before their departure. These people are in no way hurt or harmed but it has been reported that some seem slightly disoriented and distant after the interview. No one will discuss the interview and often if they return they don’t even remember the interview when they left. This interview is given only to leaving residents and no one outside the population of the town is aware it ever happens.

There is no written law, forbidding discussion of the outside wold but those that bring up the world too often tend to be asked to leave for the health of the community. While this attitude tends to weave an aura of mystery around those of the outside wold. The people in the town are generally content with this unwritten law. No one is a prisoner here. There is the freedom to come and go as you please, to leave the compound and return whenever you wish. The freedom to go out into the wold and come back home years latter are enjoyed by all, it is simply not acceptable to discuss what is “out there” The people of the town wish to live a cloistered, devoted life. Working and worshiping.

People

• Galafar - Headmaster of Monks of Rattledam

Slang

“Those that talk about Noon, soon go blind.” - A mothers parable

Due to the isolation of these foundling villages many develop their own slang. Rattledam is no exception. Here are a few of the phrases and words you might hear….

• Eats Grass
• Meaning – That’s bad / undesirable / stupid / yucky / sucks.
  • “Man that eats grass.”
  • “Your mother is a grass eater.”
  • “That test ate grass.”

• Grass Walker, or just Walker
• Meaning – A native / someone who has gone native / not of the community / not right in the head due to obsession with native life.
  • “Donald fell from the dome and after hasn’t been the same, he went walker.”
  • “Two Grass Walkers were in the temple today.”
  • “Don’t talk to the Walker Jimmy.”
  • “If you don’t go to sleep the Grass Walkers will come steal you away.”

• Last Thread
• Meaning – Something almost finished or done.
  • “Where are you in the test Philip?” – “Last thread mom.”
  • “Old man Jenkins is weaving his last thread.”

• Weaving
• Meaning – The act of doing or not doing.
  • “What are you doing Sam?” – “Just weaving mom”
  • “Take out the trash Jerry!” – “I’ll weave it latter mom.”
  • “We need to weave a cake for your birth day.”

• Weaver
• Meaning – Someone how deserves respect.
  • “He’s a weaver.”
  • “You’re a weaver man.”

• Piggie
• Meaning – Little ones / children / young people.
  • “Will you watch the piggies while I run to the store Brandy?”

• Black Face
• Meaning – Farmer, laborer / hard worker / strong person / decent (Comes from the tar mixture that people who work in the sun wear all over their bodies).
  • “Two black faces were helping Greg last night.”
  • “That black face he’s a weaver, give him room, he takes care of us.”

• Shade / Shady / Shadow / Shades
• Meaning – Something good / excellent / well done / fantastic / cool.
  • “That was really shady man.”
  • “That was totally in the shade.”
  • “You are so shadow.”
  • “That rig has shades!”

• Bouncer
• Meaning - Someone who cant stay in one place / with one idea / one person (Also slang name for the Bounders).
  • “Jess you don’t want to date him he’s a bouncer.”

• Waxed
• Meaning – Something smooth / easy / relaxed / fine.
  • “That job was a wax.”
  • “Your dancing is waxed.”
  • “That ale was so waxed.”

• Pack
• Meaning – a tight group / brothers / family / friends
  • “My pack and I are going climbing mom.”
  • “Come my pack, it’s time for dinner.”

• White Hands
• Meaning – Evil / not liked / scary / lazy / getting rich off others work / unkind.
  • “Two white hands were hassling Tim last night.”
  • “I’m tired of Jake living off his mother, His hands are white as any.”

• Night Soil
• Meaning - Someone (thing) true and decent.
  • “My pack is the night soil.”
  • “You are speaking the night soil there.”

• Weft and Web
• Meaning - Things inseparable / totally connected.
  • “Those two are the weft and web.”
  • Traditional wedding vow. “You are my weft and I shall be your web for all time we shall two shall live as one.”

• Shuttlecocked
• Meaning – Ready focused, tense, and intent.
  • “He was shuttlecocked and looking for trouble.”

• Reeds
• Meaning – (A) life or life force.
  • “The reeds string that way” = That’s life.
  • “His reeds have left him.”
  • Adding cut, broken, ruined, strung, string, rip, ripped, torn, can dictate doing something to someone’s life.
  • “I’m gonna cut his reeds.”
  • “After the accident he re-strung his reeds.”
  • “She’s torn his reeds by leaving him.”
  • “Her reeds are broken, he won’t last the night.”

• Pick
• Meaning – a move or action.
  • “Show me that pick with the stone.”
  • “That was a great sword pick.”
  • “He’s got great picks with that bow.”
  • “His picks at the dance were so shady, they were waxed.”

• Treadle
• Meaning – The lowest of the low / the dirt beneath your feet / pond scum.
  • “You stupid treadle.”
  • “I hate him he’s such a treadle.”

• Beater
• Meaning – A mean cop / mean teacher / monk / priest / person in charge.

• Warp
• Meaning – A persons level of stress.
  • “He is warped WAY to tight.”
  • “He’s got his warp all up.”
  • “Warp down man.”
  • “Don’t get your warp all tangled.”

• Spinner
• Meaning – An easy job, some one who’s got it made.

• Noon / Bright / Sunbaked
• Meaning - Things / people outside the pack, group, family, friends, town, understanding / Bad secrets, secrets that can kill, that you will get killed over.

• Night / Dark / Moonshadow
• Meaning - Things / people inside the pack, group, family, friends, town, understanding / Good memories, knowledge, happy thoughts, things