Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #354

Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #354 

December 22nd, 2023 

• Number: 354 

• Name:  Deep Dive of a Site and Persons Therein of of Interest: TriCounty Fairgrounds – Part 4 

• Location: Corner of Counties Berian, Claid and Ulste in the City-State of Noldrune 

• Population (approx.): 275 (Fair staff), 511 (Village of Farewell) 

• Brief: As the years of the Fairgrounds passed, the number of crafters interested in selling their wares and entering the hosted competitions grew and grew. Contests for created items (carvings, pottery, paintings, metalwork etc.) are held throughout the year, but the First Cull festival and the season of autumn is the time for food-centric competitions. While the great Houses of Noldrune focus on athletic and team competitions, the people of the small towns and minor Houses from across the City-State love to compete in baking, candy-making, barbequing, brewing and grand battles between master chefs to create banquets centered about the most unusual local ingredients. The scale of the behind-the-scenes drama during events may be an order of magnitude smaller than that of the Summer athletic games, it can be as intense for those involved. Careers and reputations rise and fall with the bread and souffles. Many of the competitors own or work for businesses either in Fairwell or with a booth (temporary or permanent) in the Fairgrounds or both. 

1. Sylsatra (Syl) Blueshard, 173, female Wood Elf, is a pastry chef for the Chunky Boar Inn. She is of average height and slender. She wears her silver hair in a bob and skillfully uses makeup to cover a long scar on her cheek. Syl's dove-gray eyes are short-sighted, and she wears blue glasses to complete her look. Her outfit for the festival is a long green skirt and a long-sleeved acorn brown blouse. A sharp knife is her only weapon. 

2. Syl loves to bake and has turned out various pastries over the years. She used to have her own pastry shop but wanted to avoid managing the business end of things. When Syl met her partner, Valstina (Val) Firstale, 168, female Elf, their love of food brought them together. Syl and Val got jobs working together at the Chunky Boar Inn. Val works as a chef, and Syl creates magnificent pastries. Syl's specialty is using mushrooms to create special handheld pies.  

3. Syl and Val have a cottage near the fairgrounds. They have several children and many grandchildren. They have a special booth at the fair to sell mushroom pastries. The mouth-watering pastries quickly sell out, and Syl resorts to making sweet pastries. Syl loves to read and has started a Thursday night book club. The book club helps out local charities and provides Syl and Val with many friends. 

• Geography: The Chunky Boar Inn (location 1 see below) can be found facing the main highway in Fairview. Syl and Val live in a small house midway between Fairwell and the gates to the Fairgrounds. Syl’s Fairgrounds booth, being one of relatively long-standing, has a prime location on the left side of the main avenue between the gates and the Grand Canopy. 

• Key to Fairwell: 

1. Chunky Boar Inn (#354) 
2. Mad Pony Stables and Courier (#353) 
3. Blue Stars Tavern (#353) 

 

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