Flusselveflod-Drippingsford: The Houndkeepers of Riverrijk
-
FLUSSELVEFLOD-DRIPPINGSFORD
Once two rival villages separated by the River Flusselveflod, this reunited town remains divided between the fashionable culinary experimenters of Drippingsford and the stubborn traditionalists of Flusselveflod. Both halves are famed for breeding Trollhounds, although their most successful specimen is Hector, the town’s exceptionally long-lived canine mayor.
Along the River Flusselveflod
Situated at the southernmost point of Riverrijk, where it meets Greater Hobbleshire and Mildaark Forest, Flusselveflod-Drippingsford began life as the small village of Flusselveflod, built on the river of the same name. Flusselveflod literally translates as ‘River river river river’, a fantastic example of why you shouldn’t let a group of stubborn, argumentative Halflings with different first languages name anything.
It was a traditional village, much like any other, with a focus on animal husbandry, roasted meats and dumplings. With everyone mucking in, it grew into a popular stopping point for travellers along the river, through Mildaark Forest and between Greater Hobbleshire and Riverrijk. The position of mayor was ‘voted’ down to the eldest child of the Ferris family, more by tradition than anything else, with every mayor descended from the village’s first, Alexander Ferris.
Unfortunately, some generations later, the mayor’s firstborn children were twins. Two sons, Errol and Jonas.
As they were technically the same age, for the first time, the vote actually needed some consideration! On the one hand, there was Errol, who was minutes older, but was determined to bring Flusselveflod into the future by updating its baking practices and expanding its menus. On the other, there was the more traditional Jonas, who believed in good old-fashioned work and good old-fashioned food. Errol believed that the position was his by right as he was the elder, but the majority of the village preferred the stability that Jonas promised, and he was voted mayor at his father’s death.
Errol was furious! He was so angry that he took a group of like-minded culinary experimenters and left the village to set up a new home on the other side of the river.
He became mayor of the new village, which grew to be known as Drippingsford, after the bridge erected to transport animal fat from Flusselveflod. This was still considered to be the best for all sorts of roasting, baking and frying for miles around!
Errol was very forward-thinking and started raising sheep rather than the more traditional Bullox, as the sheep were quicker to breed and mature. They gave Drippingsford new avenues of business, providing not only mutton and lamb for their meals, but wool and mounts. This allowed the Drippingsfordians to expand their trade further afield, shipping their new food out to the Empire and beyond.
This essentially made Drippingsford the more obviously wealthy village. Errol was hugely keen to show off his success in as many garish ways as possible, with lavish buildings, extravagant outfits and accessories, and new acquisitions from across Upper ArcWorlde. In his mind, this rubbed his success in his brother’s face and showed Flusselveflod how much better things would have been under his guidance. It became the fashion of the whole village to display their wealth in brightly coloured clothing made from rare materials, changing styles and outfits each season.
Meanwhile, Flusselveflod supplied much of what the Drippingsfordians needed for their cooking, and prospered alongside them. For them, however, it was far more fashionable to appear drab and traditional, wearing functional, hard-wearing outfits that served a purpose and stood the test of time.
Holding true to the old Halfling tradition of ‘every ’Fling looking out for their neighbour’, they considered it the height of bad manners to flaunt your wealth. They preferred simple functionality and plain dress, and were slow to adopt modern conveniences that might interrupt family time or community involvement.
The brothers’ rivalry grew and spread between the two villages as they vied for power and glory over each other, each wanting to be known as the best mayor of the best village. One of the last acts of both brothers before their deaths was to implement heavy tolls for using the Drippingsford bridge in each direction, rendering it effectively useless as a means to cross the river! The rivalry passed down their family lines as time went on.
This forced both sets of villagers to find new and ingenious ways to move goods and livestock between the two villages, as they both needed each other, though neither would openly admit it!
Their craftsmen and engineers began building houses and shops that leaned further and further over the river, at first supported by logs, then by stone pillars and, eventually, leaning against each other as they met in the middle, with the river flowing beneath.
After only a few hundred years, the two villages had effectively become one again, and the town of Flusselveflod-Drippingsford was born.
The final act that renewed their bond was a heavy attack from pirate raiders who had made their way inland up the river.
There were too many for either village to fight off alone. With their vessel too large to pass beneath the tollbridge, the pirates had moored alongside it to land their raiders. By working together, the Halflings were able to hold them off long enough for the craftsmen and engineers of both villages to undermine the nearest supporting pier, bringing a great span of the stone bridge crashing down upon the vessel!
This union was cemented at the first mayoral election after reunification, when neither of the two prospective candidates from the branches of the Ferris family received a single vote. Every voter had favoured a write-in candidate, and almost all had chosen the same one: a Trollhound named Hector, whom someone had added to the ballots as a protest, or possibly a joke!
As its first act, the unified town rebuilt the bridge, without the tolls. It became the site of Hector’s palatial home, ‘Dunnsniffin’, where the Privy Council meets and which also houses the Kennel Club.
A Privy Council now manages the day-to-day running of the town, with twin brothers Donald and Douglas Ferris acting as dual Sheriffs and overseeing its militia. Donald leads the Drippingsford branch, resplendent in red and yellow livery, with the best equipment the funds from their nouveau cuisine can supply. Douglas leads the Flusselveflod contingent in its more traditional black and blue.
There is still some rivalry between the two halves of the town, but it is far more good-natured now. They compete with one another, but present a united front to the rest of the world.
Dog breeding has become a huge industry in the town. The Kennel Club is the largest organisation in Riverrijk originally devoted to dog health, welfare and training, though it has since expanded to the care and handling of all animals. Their objective is to ensure that dogs live healthy, happy lives with responsible owners. Flusselveflod-Drippingsford is renowned far and wide for a breeding programme that has produced not one, but two of the most popular breeds of Trollhound.
The Kennel Club is headed by Mrs Barbra Oakhome, an older Halfling whose cheerful confidence extends to creatures most sensible folk would prefer to meet from behind a sturdy wall. She accompanies the militia as a monster trainer, bringing escaped livestock to heel and insisting upon good manners from animals with rather more teeth than their owners know what to do with. Even the most difficult animal can count on her patience. Handlers who give contradictory instructions are expected to learn faster. Donald and Douglas may command the militia, but both know to listen when Mrs Oakhome speaks.
The Mildaark Sheephound originated in Drippingsford, where it was bred to herd and protect sheep, and often accompanied the trade caravans. A large dog, it is immediately recognisable by its long, thick, shaggy grey and white coat, with fur covering its face and eyes, and ears that lie flat against its head.
The Flusselveflod Oxhound is a far older and more traditional breed, bred and trained to assist in the care and protection of the Bullox that were a staple of Flusselveflod life. It is a medium-sized, muscular, hefty Trollhound with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose. Its size belies its strength and tenacity.
The Kennel Club also organises and hosts Furds, an international dog show held annually in Flusselveflod-Drippingsford on Warploque Day. Famously the largest show of its kind in the world, it is a huge celebration that many breeders are eager to prepare for and desperate to gain standing in.
There are also rumours that whenever ‘Hector’ dies, the Privy Council secretly swaps in a new dog. It is said that they’re now on something like the twelfth Hector, but not by anyone within earshot of a Flusselveflod-Drippingsfordian!
Officially, it’s the same dog, but in dark corners, it’s whispered that it’s the latest winner of the prestigious Furds Best in Show award and that the whole town much prefers this arrangement to the idea of voting in a new mayor!
