The Duchy of Palmetto is a Kithain Fief in the Kingdom of Willows that corresponds to the state of South Carolina.
Overview[]
Centered in the port city of Charleston, the Duchy of Palmetto encompasses all of South Carolina, a state then between the desire to keep up with the New South and the compulsion to preserve the nostalgia of the past. While many people continue to lump South Carolina together with its sister state in the catchall phrase "the Carolinas," the Palmetto State strives to assert its own identity. It's increasing attractiveness to industry and its thriving tourist industry (particularly along its excellent beaches) have attracted interest from ambitious changelings throughout the Kingdom of Willows. Many nobles in Meilge's court consider the duchy's ruler, Duke Antoan, a black sheep of the changeling fold. Several would like to supplant him and gain the rich duchy for themselves.
Physical Geography[]
The Duchy of Palmetto is bordered on the north by the Duchy of the Triangle and the easternmost portion of the Duchy of Appalachia. On its western and southern faces it abuts Willow's Heart, the Barony of Vellumton, and the eastern edge of the Echota Council Lands. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean, and at its southeastern edge is the eshu-identified holding of the Gullah Free State. Its northern and western regions, referred to as the Upstate, lie within the Piedmont (literally "foothills") and Appalachian regions, and can lay claim to breathtaking mountain vistas as well as rolling hills and fertile fields. The central and southern part of the state, called the Low Country, extends from Charleston to the interior and consists of farmlands and horse country. The Grand Strand of beaches that comprise Palmetto's coast provide recreational environments for locals and tourists alike.
Major Cities & Landmarks[]
Charleston[]
Palmetto's oldest city and one of the South's most important ports, Charleston attracts many Kithain of the old guard, who support the sidhe aristocracy. These elitists gather around centers of culture such as the Charleston Museum, which dates from 1773; the College of Charleston; the Gibbes Museum of Art, and the Dock Street Theatre. A number of trolls and House Gwydion sidhe patronize the American Military Museum and the Old Exchange Building and Provost Dungeon, used by the British to incarcerate prisoners during the Revolutionary War. The Fort Sumter National monument, which commemorates the firing of the first shots of the Civil War, serves as a rallying place for Kithain in favor of secession from Concordia.
Columbia[]
The capital of South Carolina since 1786, Columbia lies in the central part of the duchy and is surrounded by forests of hardwoods and palmetto firs, marshlands and fertile farmlands. The city's pooka and other changeling nature enthusiasts congregate in the Riverbanks Zoological Park and Botanical Gardens. A thriving community of nockers makes its home in Columbia's commercial and industrial center.
Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson[]
This tri-city region of the Palmetto Upstate enjoys a reputation as a gracious vacation and resort area for tourists who come to stay in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Appalachian region. Resident Kithain appreciate its natural beauty and work hard to ensure that metropolitan development doesn't curtail its scenic attractions. A larger number of boggans and trolls reside in the Appalachian foothills of the area, many of them practitioners of various "mountain" crafts.
Myrtle Beach & the Islands[]
Myrtle Beach contains a wealth of family-oriented recreational spots, including the Myrtle Beach Amusement Park and National Wax Museum, as well as a number of water-based theme parks and miniature golf courses. Changeling wilders flock to the beaches during the tourist season to take advantage of the rampant Glamour that surrounds the vacationing mortals. Older changelings sometimes sense the taint beneath this Glamour, as the Banality associated with all tourist traps sometimes reaches epidemic proportions in parts of the city. Off South Carolina's southern tip a string of islands that include Hilton Head, St. Helena, Edisto, and Parris Island (home of the Marine Corps training grounds). Some of these islands contain luxurious freeholds for the duchy's most prominent changelings. Many of these are tolerated (with barely concealed amusement) by the eshu separatists who claim the islands as the Gullah Free State.
Natural Places[]
The Duchy of Palmetto contains a wealth of national forests and wilderness preserves, including Devil's Fork State Park, the Chattooga National Wild, the Hitchcock Woods (near Aiken), and Hunting Island State Park. These wild places are home to some Nunnehi freeholds and a noted satyr enclave dedicated to restoring the old Grecian rites, the drama competition and dances
Enchanted Places[]
Dramatis Personae[]
References[]
- CTD. Kingdom of Willows, pp. 58-60.