Viridis and Jaspertree, an Overview
Note: In order to make things easier, and because a lot of the original story has been rendered non-canonical anyway, I thought I'd simply take Jess's time-line and combine it with the main time-line I use for most of my stories. Thus making Jess a contemporary with the majority of my characters and, I hope, avoiding too much confusion.
World:
I don't actually have a name for the planet my stories are set on yet. Most of the inhabitants simply call it “the world”, as it's the only one most people are aware of. The planet is very much like Earth, however, with a wide range of ecosystems and a number of different continents. These have mostly been left blank as it's more fun to fill in details as needed.
Time period: ca. 1343 Vulpine Calendar Year
Note: For most of its history, foxes were the dominant species on the island of Viridis. Thus, their calendar is based on the founding of the first permanent settlements on the island, almost all of which were built by foxes. It isn't meant to sync up with any real world calendar.
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Major Settings:
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Viridis -
Island
Government: None. Viridis is split between three separate kingdoms who each control their own holdings, but there is no central governing body on the island.
Major species: Foxes, rabbits, lynxes, wolves, horses
Currency: Barter. Gold. Some kingdoms have their own currency.
Viridis is a large island in the Glass Ocean, off the western coast of Jaspertree. The island is hilly but not mountainous, and a large part of it is still covered in deciduous forests. It is home to three major kingdoms: Cearnach in the south, Oseille in the center of the island, and Blackpool in the north. The island is known as a violent, troubled place thanks to centuries of constant warfare between the different kingdoms, particularly the foxes in the south and the lynxes in the north. However, things have been changing in recent years, as an alliance between the foxes and the centrally located rabbit kingdom and internal troubles plaguing the lynx kingdom have put at least a temporary end to most of the fighting.
In spite of its troubles, Viridis is also known to be unusually welcoming to outsiders and for having an egalitarian society where people are judged on merit rather than gender or social status. While, for the most part, laws only exist where each kingdom can make them stick, murder, predation of sapient individuals and slavery are universally outlawed.
Settlements:
Cearnach City, also known as the City of Foxes
Government: Monarchy
Head of State: Fithir Cearnach, Queen (regent.)
Major species: Foxes, rabbits (growing minority)
Currency: Gold dollar. Accepted almost everywhere on the island. Barter
Cearnach is the largest city-state on Viridis, and at present it is the most powerful as well. It was founded a little over five hundred years ago by a warlord named Connor the Bloody, who forged all the tiny, quarrelsome vulpine settlements into a coherent kingdom for the first time. For its first 300 years, Cearnach was the only major power on the island and many foxes still regard the island as belonging entirely to them. Cearnach is still ruled by descendants of the original king, though in recent years they have mellowed out considerably and are no longer so warlike. Kings and Queens of Cearnach are still expected to be able to fight, and most of them have led their armies into combat, but more and more of them have looked for ways to avoid fighting unless absolutely necessary.
The city itself is surrounded by a thick stone wall, with a walled keep dominating the center of the city. The gates are left open except in times of war, and residents and visitors may travel freely so long as they don't cause trouble. The castle itself is off limits to everyone but the royal family and important officials. Anyone else must obtain permission to visit.
The foxes of Cearnach are typically matrilineal, with the exception of the ruling family which follows complicated rules of its own, but males and females are considered equals and both may inherit and own property and take up whatever profession suits them.
Notable residents:
Fithir Cearnach, red fox, 52, Queen of Cearnach (mother to Brigit Cearnach, mother-in-law to Ciara Lohan)
Brigit Cearnach, red fox, 9, Princess and heir apparent of Cearnach (half-sister to Ciara Lohan)
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Oseille, also known as the City of Rabbits
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Head of State: Fiachra O'Malley/city council
Major species: Rabbits, foxes, wolves, horses, hybrids
Currency: Barter. Silver dollar. Accepts currency from Cearnach.
Originally an agricultural settlement along the side of the Glass River, the city-state of Oseille is the second most powerful kingdom in Viridis and, arguably, the richest. It is most famous for its four seasonal Markets held every year which, over the centuries, have become a gathering place for merchants and traders from all over the island and beyond. As a result of these markets, Oseille has the most diverse population of any settlement on the island, and it has a reputation for being the most open and accepting city-state on Viridis.
Oseille is traditionally an open city, but a defensive wall was built in 1334 VCY during the last major war between Cearnach and Blackpool, when both factions sought to control the city. Unlike the other cities on Viridis it has no castle or keep as Oseille has traditionally been neutral, but most of its buildings are partially subterranean for defensive purposes.
The rabbits of Oseille are traditionally matrilineal, but males and females are considered equals and both may inherit and own property and take up whatever profession suits them.
Notable residents:
Ciara Lohan, swift fox, 30, farrier, blacksmith and wife to Niamh Lohan
Niamh Lohan, rabbit,28, healer and wife to Ciara Lohan
Fiachra O'Malley, rabbit, 33, ruler of the city and sister to Niamh, sister-in-law to Ciara
Rebecca Rabbitfangs, rabbit, 10, daughter of Fiachra O'Malley
Maeve O'Malley, wolf/rabbit, 12, daughter of Fiachra O'Malley
Jen O'Malley, 10, fox/rabbit, daughter of Fiachra O'Malley
Saoirse O'Malley, 72, rabbit, grandmother to Niamh and Fiachra
Alexandria Bleu, 30, wolf, partner of Fiachra O'Malley, parent of Maeve O'Malley and soldier.
Deirdre Lohan, 48, swift fox, mother of Ciara, mother-in-law of Niamh, General and Defender of the City.
Megan Bryar, 35, rabbit, kin by blood or marriage to the above. Historian.
Deborah Bryar, 18, rabbit, daughter of Megan. Apprentice farrier.
Kyree Bryar, 10, Snowbunny, daughter of Megan
Killian, 50, red wolf, owner of Red Wolf Tavern and friend to Deirdre Lohan.
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Blackpool, also known as the City of Cats
Government: Monarchy
Head of State: Genevieve Cuarán, Queen regnant
Major species: Lynxes
Currency: Gold coins.
Blackpool began as a temporary settlement on the northern coast of Viridis. Lynxes originally came to the island as raiders (similar to Viking raiders in the real world) and it is debated whether they ever intended to stay. However, their first, temporary settlements were first fortified against counterattacks from the native foxes, and eventually grew up into a walled city. Unlike the city of Cearnach, Blackpool remains open to the ocean, as it is still a port city and of all the settlements on Viridis it does the most trading with mainland cities. It remains the most military as well, with few comforts and a strictly regimented society. Lynxes trade with the rabbits of Oseille and, rarely, with independent fox merchants, but they still tend to keep to themselves. It is only within the last hundred years or so that they have begun to integrate with the rest of Viridis.
The lynxes of Blackpool are traditionally matriarchal and for the most part, only females may own inherit or own property. However, an exception exists in their military. Soldiers of both sexes are treated as equals in regards to the command structure and promotion prospects, and anyone who holds the rank of Captain (infantry) or Lieutenant (navy) or above may own property. Furthermore, due to influence from Oseille and Cearnach, as well as a new Queen on the throne, attitudes have begun to shift toward a more egalitarian view that is more in line with the rest of the island.
In spite of their rather forbidding attitudes, the lynxes of Blackpool are friendly to outsiders, so long as they are well behaved and most lynxes embrace a strong code of honor.
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Seawash
Government: Unknown
Head of State: Unknown
Major species: Rabbits, foxes, lynxes
Currency: Unknown
Seawash is a tiny settlement on the northernmost tip of the island of Viridis. Very little is known about it, save that it is a haven for those who, for one reason or another, have been put outside the protection of even the modest laws of the island. It has no affiliation or alliance with any other settlement on Viridis, but it may do some trading with the mainland.
Notable residents:
Seán O'Farrell, 19, rabbit, half-sibling of Niamh Lohan
Liam O'Farrel, 52, rabbit, father of Niamh Lohan (estranged)
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Jaspertree
Mainland city-state and surrounding territory
Government: Monarchy
Head of State: Elizabeth Frost
Major species: Foxes, rabbits, mice, wolves, skunks,
Currency: Dollar (not accepted in Viridis)
Jaspertree (state)
Jaspertree is a large state that encompasses roughly the north-western corner of the continent neighboring the island of Viridis. The land in Jaspertree is heavily forested and turns mountainous to the north, around the bay where the Free City of Jaspertree is located. The state is well known for its vast mineral wealth and it rivals the city-state of Oseille as the trading and mercantile hub of the area. The state is dotted with many small settlements, all under the control of the capital, but most of the land is still wild and largely unexplored.
Free City of Jaspertree
The capital city of the state of the same name, the Free City of Jaspertree is a large port city in the northernmost portion of the state. Surrounded by mountains to the south, as well as by thick forests, the city has rarely been successfully attacked by enemy states, in spite of its rather predatory nature. It is home to perhaps the most diverse population in the world, at this time period, and it welcomes visitors from anywhere in the world. Almost anything anyone could desire may be purchased in Jaspertree, from rare spices to timber and ores, to various services to please any taste.
The legal system of Jaspertree is exceedingly complex and arcane, and even life-time residents generally don't understand all of it. The most famous aspect, however, is the city’s use of punitive slavery. Citizens and visitors alike may be enslaved by the city for crimes ranging from theft to fraud, and even for a variety of other reasons such as inability or unwillingness to pay off debts. Slaves are owned by the city, and are set to certain tasks depending on sex and criminal record for a period that may last only a few years or may last the rest of their lives. These slaves, as city property, are guarded closely and anyone who injures or kills a slave will be executed for treason.
Notable Residents:
Jessamine Bryar, 34, mouse/weasel, ex-slave and revolutionary.
Catherine Coburn, 28, red wolf, owner of the Coburn shipping company
Sarah Sullivan, 31, spotted skunk, petty thief and Catherine's girlfriend.
Elizabeth Frost, 73, silver phase red fox, ex-slave and ruler of Jaspertree. Elizabeth raised Jess after Jess's mother died, but their relationship has cooled considerably since Elizabeth took power.
