Southland: Cross Features

THE SOUTHLAND

A Fantasy Core Setting

© Jerry Harris 2014

Published here as Open Game Content.

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Sample Town and Adventure Index

Cross Features

● Holidays in Cross: Callane’s Day (Spring-Patriotic holiday, Callane was a hero of the Commonwealth War). Harvest Day (Fall-there is no harvest in Cross, it’s just a Commonwealth tradition). Commonwealth Day (Summer-Patriotic holiday, celebrating the foundation of the Commonwealth). Haraman’s Day (Winter-all denominations religious celebration). The Grand Ball (Winter-New event started by Maxter). The Coney Hunt (Spring-don’t ask, let’s just say that it’s a quaint rural tradition that involves a rabbit hunt, that has nothing to do with rabbit hunting).  Note that there are no Follower holidays.

● Cross’ town features: The smell (the sheep). The yearly convict roadwork gang (a colorful group).  The Tower’s bell rings at sunrise, mid-day and sunset, and rings vigorously for emergencies.  There’s mutton and lots of it, cheap.  Everything else is expensive since there aren’t any crop fields or other types of livestock near town. 

● Maxter’s civic improvements (using mostly his own money): Public bath (with hot water).  Free clinic (in conjunction with the temple).  Work program for the refugees.  Working on a school to encourage families to settle.  Also working on the deplorable Dump/Cemetery (it’s a big job). Paved the Great Road (in town), North, and Roman’s streets. 

● Trade: This is highly dependant upon where you place the town.  If you’ve put it near a valuable natural resource, then it is brought into town as a collection point by various prospectors, and sold to brokers, who then likely ship it back to the Commonwealth.  Alternately, the brokers could be the “offices” of the various companies who are in the field working the asset.  If the town isn’t near such a resource, then wool and meat are being exported, with grain being imported, and the brokers are dealing with that.  The Cartel, via Asa, regulates the values and gets a cut in all cases.

Trade in Cross works something like this: Traders bring merchandise to the brokers in the bazaar.  The merchandise is bid on at auction (takes place at the end of North Street).  Whoever wins takes possession of the goods and either pays the trader or barters with other goods they are holding.  The broker then sells the goods to other traders.  Basically, traders exchange goods, and return with the other’s goods.  You could take your goods directly to a larger market in one of coastal cities, but you’d have to spend your time and money transporting them. 

Finished goods of all types are also brought into Cross and sold at the Bazaar (the Cartel gets a cut of that too).  For a small, backwater burg, decent goods are pricey, but readily available.  Weekly caravans are guarded by the Cross defense force and handed off to Frontier Service troopers at Fort Zin, who escort it to the nearest city.  The fee is fairly small, since it is distributed amongst many merchants.  Those that are in a hurry can buy mercenary escort, such as the Breakers.

● Taxes: Business and livestock taxes are collected monthly and charged on the basis of the type of business (again, according to Bligh’s infamous guidebook).  Currently, no one in town qualifies for the “wealth” tax (land and property taxes).  The “Revenuers” come directly from Canberra and are escorted by the local troops.  The collected taxes are held under guard at the Estate.  The town is given a certain percentage cut of them.  The bulk of the taxes are then transported, with armed escort, once a month, to Canberra.    

● Law Enforcement: The town Militia is technically in charge of local law enforcement.  As a rotating, low-pay volunteer activity, it is fortunate that crime isn’t much of an issue in Cross.  The mercenaries of the defense force are more often seen as the enforcers.  There is no sheriff, marshal, or judge as yet.  Maxter hears the cases of petty criminals and grievances in the Estate Audience Chamber (which is why he’s a governor and not a mayor).  As you’d expect, he does not relish this role.  Keft often finds himself drafted into filling in for him.  Serious crimes are sent to a judge in the nearest city.

● Religion: Not going into any depth on this subject.  The Hegemony faithful are called Followers.  The Commonwealth religion is called the Faith, but there are several denominations, usually relating to their nation of origin.  Maxter is an Orthodox from Krail.  Van Claire is a Puritanical Immaculate from Mindaira.  Keft Horgon, Melville, and Emperor Leon are Immaculates from The League.  (Yes, Maxter is a bit of religious “Black Sheep” of the family for converting to another denomination.)  The Clinic Healers are Revivalists from Galacia as are much of the rest of the town.  (Revivalists don’t believe in having specialized centers of worship, like temples.)