A small barony based around a stretch of Carretera 101 in The Papal States, la caña de Mare, or Mare's Shank in English, barely scraps by on taxes from travelers on the old highway.
History[]
Mare's shank was nothing more than a rest stop on the highway before the Great War, after it, it was just another empty building that people and occasionally creatures would stay a night in before moving on. It remained like this for the next 100 years until a man called Felipe Cruz wandered upon it. he saw the potential of the building almost instantly as people still traveled on the 101.
he spent about a week fixing it up, and opened it as Felipe's Cantina and inn. It proved popular with caravanners and travelers, who were glad to have company along that barren strip of road. With the money he made that first month, Felipe bought some wire and two hens to have fresh eggs, and the rest was spent on a felt poker table. The money from gambling boosted his income nicely, and he was able to hire on a bartender, so when he was playing cards, he wouldn't have to keep getting up to fetch drinks. By 2210 the cantina was a well-known spot along the 101, and anyone going south would be sure to stop in. Unfortunately for Felipe's son Jesus, who took over after his father died, anyone included Tuco Abaroa V.
Tuco was a minor card-shark from Distrito Capital who was run out after he attempted to cheat one of the major gang bosses. Those who knew him are aware he never knew his father, but adopted the 'fifth' as a way to sound more distinguished. Regardless of his name, he proved a better card-player than Jesus, who was down ten thousand pesos which he didn't actually own. Wagering the cantina and all assets on three queens, he was crushed when Tuco revealed his hand, four aces.
Tuco's first act as owner of the cantina was to kick out Jesus, and then proceed to get drunk. Trouble would start the next week, however, when the regular food caravan came by, and Tuco's gruff demeanor caused them to leave before the cantina's food supply had been purchased. The lack of food forced Tuco to kill the flock of chickens that had been bred and serve them as the food for the bar.
Knowing that the chickens would only last for a few days, he was forced to pay a higher price from another caravan. Looking to off-set the costs, Tuco hired some drifters to look around for a new food source. while they failed to find food, they did find the area around the cantina had the right materials to make cement. While unable to eat cement, Tuco was forced to hire a new caravan to deliver food, at a higher cost than the previous one did. Realizing he was losing money, he hired on some drifters to gather and make the cement, which he exported to growing settlements in the Papal States.
When a Papal envoy came to him one day, he saw the man as a great way to salvage the situation. Swearing fealty to the Pope, he had to name the small barony he would now rule, calling it Mare's shank in dislike of the dusty cantina. He had no choice of bishop, so one was sent for from Soto La Marina that Tuco felt would do fine. Now a baron, Tuco used the status to attract workers from the States for the cement refinery, and used the first batch to build a home he felt was fitting of a man of his status.
Next he had homes assembled for the workers, laying part of them underground to try and deflect some heat. With this done and production now steady, Tuco arranged a deal with several caravans to wholesale the cement, exchanging it for food and other supplies. This arrangement brought increased trade and travel to the cantina, and the 'barony' slowly grew over the next three decades.
Tuco the fifth died in 2245, and his son Tuco VI would take over. A grim and focused man, Tuco first took to the job of feeding the people, having grown tired of the inconstant appearances of the caravans. He solved this with a trade agreement with the nearby barony of Santa Juana. The next on his list was security, the barony only having three permanent guards under his father's rule, which Tuco increased to twelve, drafting some of the paisanos and hiring two mercenaries from Cattle Country to the north.
Water would emerge to be a prime concern during the 2250s, as the cement production claimed most of the supply the barony drew from. This proved a tougher solution, as water was always at a premium in the wastes. Various cans and barrels were procured and placed around the settlement for rain catchment, though this didn't alleviate the problem in the short term.
to this end various individuals were contracted, from caravan merchants to give estimates, to a lipan rain-dancer. None of these people could produce acceptable results, and frustrated the Baron as well. Cement production was limited in 2256 as a solution was looked for, but none appeared forth coming. This changed in 2259 with the creation of a small coastal barony.
Despite being nothing more than a handful of shacks and gringos, it was becoming a rising star, due to their ability to pull water from the sea. Willing to try anything, Baron Tuco sent an offer of trade, and after a short exchange of letters, worked out a deal for delivery. When the promised goods arrived, the town celebrated, and resumed production.
Things were quiet for a time after this, until the declaration of the Second Southern Crusade in 2267. Seeing little to gain Tuco did not send any fighters south, but did allow a trio of paisanos to go. This proved wise on his part, as over the next three years mercenaries, merchants and drifters traveled through the village trying to profit, and often causing trouble.
When the war wound done in 2270, the village benefited from the settlers and merchants that travelled to the newly controlled areas, many stopping for a drink in the cantina. It also brought about a demand for concrete that saw the barony grow in importance. This growth was checked in 2273 however, with a band of comancheros preying on the caravans.
Despite the best efforts of the barony's guards and some independent bounty hunters, the bandits weren't defeated until 2277, and had deterred some traffic from going through Mare's Shank. Since then the village has been slowly growing, with it's cement in demand to the south. Water is still a concern as their dependence on Sun Kiss is seen as a liability, though no solution has yet been found.
Economy[]
The village relies primarily on the selling of cement to the various caravans on the highway and the other realms of the Papal States. It also levies a toll on travellers on the road, which discourages some from passing through, but a cantina with cold drinks is always a draw at the end of the day.
Government[]
The Barony is ruled by Baron Tuco Abaroa VI, who oversees all matters in the town, whether arguments between the paisanos or the refusal of travelers to pay the tax. The Baron runs the town from his mansion that looks over the settlement and which anyone trying to leave to the south has to pass.
In keeping with his Oath of Fealty, Abaroa sends a tenth of the barony's annual taxes to the Pope and gives it's levies for the Church's wars. The rest of the funds are used to import food for the town, which is unable to grow crops. The town cardinal is Esteban Castro, the baron's counterpoint in many ways, and much more involved in the affairs of the residents.