Aquitaine
The hot, dry weather of Aquitaine’s microclimate is ideal for growing grain. In addition, the slopes of the nearby Little Westridge mountains, to west of the city, are well suited to growing various types of fruit. These factors have combined to make Aquitaine a prosperous agricultural community.
Aquitaine is best known for its smooth fruit ales. While Northerners prefer traditional beers and ales, most Southern brews are flavored beers where the hops are replaced with fruit, and this Republican city is well-known for these. Popular brands include Aragon (orange flavored), Red Mountain (apple), la Roberval (blueberry) and the venerable Mort Subite (raspberry). Mort Subite is an ancient drink which dates back over 4000 years to second millennium Belgium. A local company acquired the recipe from its brewing house during Terra Nova’s colonial period and has, as of yet, no reason to cancel production of this delicious beverage.
The city was founded in TN 1533 by Darvon d’Aquitan, a Badlands rover who had bought a small piece of land in the area and had brought a dozen family members and friends to help him exploit it. In TN 1544, an incident involving a rowdy company of soldiers drew the attention and many former Badlander friends joined d’Aquitan to help him defend his land. He died in the incident, but is remembered as a hero to this day.
The people of Aquitaine are unusually adventurous breed of Southerners and consider themselves to be civilized Badlanders. Needless to say, this claim causes many hardened Badlanders to fall to the ground laughing. Aquitains are best described as Badlander poseurs or Badlander wannabes. They talk tough, but they are just as likely as any other Southerners to fall prey to the desert’s many dangers and creatures. The rough image of the locals is emphasized, however, by the presence of the 44th MILICIA regiment, the Renegade Roughnecks. The Roughnecks are a regiment of troublemakers, conscripts with chronic discipline problems. They, more than the local citizens, are responsible for much of the wild atmosphere in the town.