This post is informational and offers details of our characters' home towns. It is offered in an effort to introduce and immerse your further into the world and setting of Mouse Guard RPG.<br/><br/><strong>Elmoss</strong><br/><div class="floatright">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/2/2f/Elmoss.jpg)</div>Elmoss is named for the moss that grows on the trunk of the oldest elm in the Territories. The moss is renowned for its healing properties. The mice of Elmoss harvest and deliver most of the moss to Sprucetuck, but trade some of it as a raw commodity. The wood collected from the surrounding elms is also a prized item. Elm is water-resistant and strong. There is a fair amount of harvesting near Elmoss as well: oats, wild carrots and tubers. Some crops are planted and cultivated, but most are harvested wild. Elmoss is a medium-sized town that is home to trades dealing with carpentry and woodcrafts. It once was a hub of food trade, but after Walnutpeck, Ferndale, and Woodruff's Grove fell, its importance has declined. The family who rules Elmoss employs a group of armed mice to protect laborers as they harvest in the open country.<br/><br/><em>Location/Structure</em><br/>Elmoss is built under and inside a massive elm tree in a small grove of elms.<br/><br/><em>Size</em><br/>Town (was once a city)<br/><br/><em>Government</em><br/>Family rulers govern over lords of trades--Wood, Moss and Harvest. The system's complexity is outdated and burdensome on the population.<br/><br/><em>Major Trades</em><br/>Grains, harvested moss, harvested vegetables and wood products like furniture and carts.<br/><br/><em>Import/Export</em><br/>Elmoss imports metal goods, paper and medicine. It exports finished wood products and its moss.<br/><hr/><strong>Lockhaven</strong><br/><div class="floatright">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/1/16/Lockhaven.jpg)</div>Home of the Mouse Guard, Lockhaven is carved deep into stone. Only the ivy-covered face of Lockhaven is visible from the outside. Lockhaven serves as a base of operations for the Guard and is not an open city. While there are mouse citizens that live there, they are invited guests of the Guard. The Guard extends invitations to skilled and trustworthy mice and their families. A full-time armorer is kept on hand at Lockhaven to maintain an armory for the Guard. Staple foods are stored in abundance, while prepared foods are made as needed, as it is unknown how many or few will be fed on any given day. Lockhaven is known for<em>gabcroon</em>: a dense bread filled with seeds, fruit and nuts. It travels well and stays warm long after baking. Woven and sewn fabrics are important to the mice of Lockhaven. The Guard are known for their cloaks, which need to be both warm and durable, as they are a Guard's primary piece of clothing. Lockhaven is also home to a hive of bees. The mice harvest the honey for food and the wax for goods and medicinal purposes. To do this, the apiarist uses smoke to charm the bees. The bees also serve as a natural deterrent to predators. In the past, Lockhaven has acted as a sanctuary. It's one of the most fortified and central locations in the Territories. While home to about 70 guardmice, these protectors are rarely found in the city itself. They are busy with missions and patrols throughout most of the year.<br/><br/><em>Location/Structure</em><br/>Lockhaven is built of stone blocks and wood, but mainly carved deep into a large stone outcropping. Lockhaven has a very large cistern that collects water from a fresh spring deep under the larder.<br/><br/><em>Size</em><br/>City<br/><br/><em>Government</em><br/>The Matriarch operates as strategist, ambassador, and administrator. She has several captains and administrators beneath her, including a scribe, a castellan and a quartermaster. The Matriarch keeps a secret document with the name of her successor written on it. The document is only opened in the event of her death.<br/><br/><em>Major Trades</em><br/>Textiles, weapons and armor, prepared foods, honey and wax. Harvesters, masons and carpenters live at Lockhaven as guests of the Guard to keep it running and self-sufficient.<br/><br/><em>Import/Export</em><br/>Lockhaven is sustained by donations. Many cities give grain as thanks to the guardmice at harvest time.<br/><hr/><strong>Sprucetuck</strong><br/><div class="floatright">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cc/Sprucetuck.jpg)</div>Harvesting sap from the spruce trees in the area, the sciencemice of Sprucetuck brew various beers and elixirs. They infuse them with many natural remedies. In the winter, the mice stay warm by utilizing hot stones they place on a central fire and carry to their apartment dens. There are a few laborer jobs at Sprucetuck, including sap harvesting, central fire tending and hot rock delivery, but most work done here involves more thought. Mouse science is focused on mouse health, crop health, pest control, some metallurgy and the study of the heavens.<br/><br/><em>Location/Structure</em><br/>Sprucetuck is part of a hollow spruce tree. Inside, the mice built a multi-leveled dwelling. Supplies are shuttled to the upper levels using a series of counterweighted lifts. Rainwater is collected and held in a cistern in the roots of the tree.<br/><br/><em>Size</em><br/>Village<br/><br/><em>Government</em><br/>Sprucetuck is managed by a governor with a lifetime term. The governor names his successor upon stepping down from the office. Monetarily, Sprucetuck uses a coin shared by Elmoss and Copperwood (and Walnutpeck before it fell). They are leery of coin from too far away, as few mice from Sprucetuck travel and they have little use for "foreign" coins.<br/><br/><em>Major Trades</em><br/>Scientific work: apothecary, science, mathematics.<br/><br/><em>Import/Export</em><br/>Sprucetuck imports almost all grain and food. It exports medicines, elixirs and poisons.