City of Chanson
Chanson is a large town on the continent of Hyphantonar. Relatively obscure, it is tucked away from the main roads, requiring intentionality for a visit. Chanson and its closest neighbor, Erhaben, shared a peaceful history until recent years, when a mysterious war broke out between them.
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Geography
Chanson is a walled city surrounded by farmland and grazing fields. A forest borders the city to its immediate west and stretches down onto Erhaben's lands. The treeline has been carefully maintained to create the surrounding borders of all of Chanson's lands, including the small mountain range to its north.
Beneath the fertile lands between the cities sprawls an expansive cave system. Although many of the tunnels are mapped and lead essentially from one city to the other, new areas appear and old ones cave in regularly, making such a trek uncertain. Adding to the danger is an exceptionally large spider, Ungwelome (nicknamed Beatrice by Chasse Dehnen), who has made her lair directly between Chanson and Erhaben. She and her brood remain in certain areas of the cave system, avoided by the humans from above. When the territories are breached, however, spider and human alike dispose of the unwanted trespassers.
Government
Chanson is an autocracy, led by a member of the Dehnen family, with few exceptions. The current ruler, Lord Klein Dehnen, surrounds himself with and gains advice from a council of trusted and proven leaders. The only time he disregards the word of his advisors is when that word openly contradicts a word received directly from the city's deity, Kyrie. Although it is generally expected that the oldest Dehnen son of any given generation is to be the head figure of the city, Klein has, on several occasions, left the decision of leadership to the people. Only once have they chosen a different leader, however; and they soon after returned their loyalty to Klein.
Religion
The people of Chanson follow the good deity Kyrie. Despite the unusual circumstances and longevity of the war, the people strive to follow Kyrie's precepts of honor, justice, mercy, and forgiveness.
Inhabitants
The people of Chanson are good, law-abiding citizens, fiercely loyal to their deity and leader. A kind, hospitable people, they offer food and lodging to any travelers or merchants that arrive in the city, making inns unnecessary. Taverns, likewise, are absent from Chansonite society, as the people hold honor as a high virtue and consider drunkenness and loose tongues to be dishonorable.
Because of the ongoing war, every man and adolescent boy, along with many of the women, are armed with weapons of one sort or another. Once old enough to be trained, each man and boy takes a turn on guard duty, walking the walls of the city and keeping eyes and ears open for any signs of impending attack. This constant readiness and militia training keeps crime at bay throughout the land. Similarly, with threat of death on any given day, petty grievances are settled quickly among the people, rarely needing intervention by authorities. Those rare occasions often line up with the end of Respite, as the tension of expected war grows.
In years past, a small number of citizens went forth on adventures. The number of adventurers decreased steadily as the stories brought home of dangerously powerful magic and equally dangerous creatures increased. Consequently, the people are hesitant where magic is concerned and consider magic suspicious until proven benign.
