Location

Killock is the mid-north province of Elan. It shares borders with Abernathy to the east, Gauld to the south, and the Thorpe Territory across the Girdle Mountains to the west. Its northern border is shared with the nation of Dorage. Killock’s capital city is Breakridge in the southwest of the province. 

Environment

To the eastern border with Abernathy and the western border with the Girdle Mountains, Killock hosts some forests. However, most of it is rolling grasslands, broken apart by rivers lilting up to the mountains and foothills. The soil is rich and holds water well, making the terrain ideal farmland. 

Livelihood

Killock is the breadbasket of Elan. With such good soil and ample fresh water, it’s little wonder that the province is a place made up primarily of farming communities. Fruits, vegetables, and grains are all widely grown across the province. Most woods and forests are cleared away to make more room for ever-expanding farms. 

Life in Killock follows the seasons. Planting in the spring, growing and upkeep in the summer, and harvesting and canning in the fall. In the winter, however, people are mostly concerned with survival. If families don’t store up enough food for the winter, or if the harvest was not as plentiful as wanted, many may starve. Farming walks a thin line between feast and famine, and the farmers become keen at predicting the coming seasons. To do this, they often watch the weather, the times of certain frosts, the habits of animals around the farm, and the amount of rain. Some outsiders call it fortune-telling, but it’s simply a skill passed down within families - and each family has its own ways of divining the coming conditions.

Most of Killock is divided into rural towns, centers to the expansive farmlands. In these towns, much-needed supplies are offered. There are places to host parties and other celebrations, meeting other neighbors and people one might not otherwise see in the isolation of farmwork. Despite these communities being close-knit, capitalism has manifested in some areas. Farms are in direct competition with each other, and this can lead to some extreme rivalries. 

When it is harvest time, farmers split their crops between what they personally need and what they plan to sell. Some trade their crops in small markets at towns nearby. Others, more enterprising and with greater yields, ship their foods along railway lines to the cities of the province to be processed and redistributed all over Elan. As such, the cities often host large canneries, bottling factories, and distilleries. 

Once the harvest is completed, most communities host large parties. There is music, shared goods, and that fine fraternization of folk young and old. While sincere at the time, it does not supplant the seasonality of goodwill among neighbors. During the long, cold months ahead, resentments take root. There is a Killock saying: “Old grudges die under the harvest moon, but they regrow during the long cold dark.” Borrowing without returning becomes stealing. Fence repair responsibilities become feuds. The people of Killock have long memories and a sense of duty to their land and families. Wronging them can lead to bloodshed when others don’t step in to mediate.

Specialties

Killock is known for producing most of the food of Elan. It is also known for its moonshine, hard alcohol, and especially wine. There are quite a few vineyards in the foothills of the Girdle Mountains, and they have seen a surge of wealthy visitors coming to get the very best wines. 

Key Cities

Breakridge, sitting in the foothills of the great Girdle Mountains, is the capital and the largest city in Killock. Several large distilleries operate in the city, making it one of the easiest places to get alcohol in all of Elan. Often the law makers will defend the interests of such businesses with any legislation made, which can lead to massive protests by farmers. 

Supperville is in the southeast of the province. It was the first city established and the first city connected to the railroad. As such, it is the hub of most imports from and exports to the rest of the provinces. It is a sprawling city, made of processing and canning factories. There is always fierce competition between farmers to be picked up by the companies of Supperville, and tempers often run high in this city.

Views from Others

Killock’s production of alcohol and lack of colleges has led some to believe that most Killockers are uneducated drunks. Flaring tempers and feuds that riddle the place also make those in “more sophisticated” areas of Elan suspect that they have high tempers. In reality, the people know their craft well and have a great deal of pride in what they do. Tempers may flare, but their devotion to their work is staggering. They love the land and working on it, with it, forever part of the seasons that they toil in.