For Barrayar mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
barrayarmods) wrote2016-11-16 09:58 am
barrayarmods) wrote2016-11-16 09:58 am
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[For Barrayar] location: riverfall village
[VILLAGE MAP GOES HERE]
Riverfall village is typical of a Dendarii hill village – small, close-knit, and almost entirely without modern technology. The Dendarii hillfolk are the most rural population of the district, only a handful of them literate, and though many villages are situated in or near the foothills, hillfolk settlements are found up in much higher altitudes in the Dendarii mountains.
The Riverfall villagers live in small cabins made from wood and rough-hewn stone. They have no electricity or running water, although wood-fire stoves heat their houses in the winter while the stone provides steady insulation. Glass is a rarity up in the mountains and is always imported, as they lack the raw materials. Their primary textiles are tanned leather and fabric woven from spun wool.
Riverfall houses a population of about 80 people led by Village Speaker Yakiv Gura, and while some villagers specialize in trades such as masonry, carpentry, and weaving, the village is community-oriented and everyone works in some capacity. Trade and agriculture are only slightly above subsistence level, but the Dendarii are fiercely loyal to their Count and to their home, and they pass on whatever they can spare to the guerrilla army.
The village is set against a rock face from which a small waterfall flows into a river. The waterfall at the edge of the village is one of its greatest assets, providing a constant supply of fresh running water. As the majority of their drinking water comes from the groundwater well dug in the village, the river is used mainly for washing, farming, and watering their animals. It's also a favorite play spot for the village children in the warmer months.
The barn at the river's edge houses most of the village's livestock, a modest collection of pigs, sheep, horses, and two cows. The chicken coop is located closer to the small farm, although it's not uncommon to see loose chickens out and about. The farm itself is more of a glorified community garden, where they grow any crops that can sustain the rough mountain climate: groats, root vegetables, and an assortment of leafy greens. They also harvest the sap from the surrounding maple trees to make syrup, which is put to various uses, including fermenting it into the deceptively sweet Barrayaran moonshine known as maple mead. For more than one practical reason, the village's humble graveyard is set at the edge of the far side of the farm.
The village center serves a variety of community purposes. At its center is an old, stone-encased fire pit, surrounded by a few rows of weathered wooden benches. The trading post is set at the south end of the village center, facing the only road in, and Speaker Gura's house is set next to the trading post, although it's no more glamorous than any other in the village.
Riverfall village is typical of a Dendarii hill village – small, close-knit, and almost entirely without modern technology. The Dendarii hillfolk are the most rural population of the district, only a handful of them literate, and though many villages are situated in or near the foothills, hillfolk settlements are found up in much higher altitudes in the Dendarii mountains.
The Riverfall villagers live in small cabins made from wood and rough-hewn stone. They have no electricity or running water, although wood-fire stoves heat their houses in the winter while the stone provides steady insulation. Glass is a rarity up in the mountains and is always imported, as they lack the raw materials. Their primary textiles are tanned leather and fabric woven from spun wool.
Riverfall houses a population of about 80 people led by Village Speaker Yakiv Gura, and while some villagers specialize in trades such as masonry, carpentry, and weaving, the village is community-oriented and everyone works in some capacity. Trade and agriculture are only slightly above subsistence level, but the Dendarii are fiercely loyal to their Count and to their home, and they pass on whatever they can spare to the guerrilla army.
The village is set against a rock face from which a small waterfall flows into a river. The waterfall at the edge of the village is one of its greatest assets, providing a constant supply of fresh running water. As the majority of their drinking water comes from the groundwater well dug in the village, the river is used mainly for washing, farming, and watering their animals. It's also a favorite play spot for the village children in the warmer months.
The barn at the river's edge houses most of the village's livestock, a modest collection of pigs, sheep, horses, and two cows. The chicken coop is located closer to the small farm, although it's not uncommon to see loose chickens out and about. The farm itself is more of a glorified community garden, where they grow any crops that can sustain the rough mountain climate: groats, root vegetables, and an assortment of leafy greens. They also harvest the sap from the surrounding maple trees to make syrup, which is put to various uses, including fermenting it into the deceptively sweet Barrayaran moonshine known as maple mead. For more than one practical reason, the village's humble graveyard is set at the edge of the far side of the farm.
The village center serves a variety of community purposes. At its center is an old, stone-encased fire pit, surrounded by a few rows of weathered wooden benches. The trading post is set at the south end of the village center, facing the only road in, and Speaker Gura's house is set next to the trading post, although it's no more glamorous than any other in the village.