Tolvil
Tolvil is a village of around 200 people, living in the remains of a pre-Collapse shopping centre. It’s a typical fixed settlement for the area; most people in the village are farmers or make artisan goods. Tolvillites share resources and draw from the community pool, but trade with outsiders, including the Jayer and until recently, the Zan. Tolvil is particularly known for its winemaking.
A few months ago, the Zan stopped by on a trading mission, and one of the Zan got into a drunken fight with a Tolvil local. When he was arrested by the officials, the Zan chose to retaliate by breaking into the prison to free him, and raiding the village along the way. No one was killed, but several Tolvillites were injured during the raid.
It has been a slow process of recovery for Tolvil. Several months’ worth of crops were taken or spoiled, and some buildings were damaged. Some have sworn vengeance on the Zan, while others think that further provoking a stronger tribe is too dangerous.
Tolvillites do not usually come to Farrago Bazaar en masse. This year, however, Tolvil is running low on supplies, and the village council decided it would be worth the weeklong trip to receive the things they need: fresh and canned food, cloth, and glass.
Like most smaller villages, Tolvil was not built with an underlying philosophy. It emerged out of need as survivors of various wars and natural disasters came together at the time of Collapse, and it has maintained its existence in the ensuing centuries through a mixture of old and new traditions.
NOTE: The 2pm show is now sold out. Tickets are still available for the 7pm show.
Tolvillian Characters
Aimi
She/Her
You’re an apprentice gardener, working on one of the communal gardening patches in the town alongside one of the senior gardeners, Vita. Unfortunately, the garden was destroyed in the recent Zan raid, with most of your crops taken, and you’ve had to start work restoring it; it’s actually a lot of hard work, and your back is beginning to get sore from all the digging. You’re wondering if it’s too late to find something else to do for your job.
Alo
He/Him
You are an apprentice doctor, spending your days mixing up herbal and chemical remedies and learning about anatomy. You are quiet and studious, but can get quite heated when you talk about a subject you’re passionate about, such as the totally unjust raid of your town committed by the Zan. You decided to become a doctor because you want to help others, and you have a keen sense of justice.
Amilia
She/Her
You’re one of Tolvil’s many winemakers, and you like to think you’re one of the best. You spend your days tending the vines, picking and stomping grapes, or testing out the previous year’s vintage. During the off-season, you’ve been training up on physical combat – you swapped a bottle of wine for an illustrated guide to jiu jitsu that a travelling trader had last year, and you think you’re getting pretty good at it, even though you’ve never actually sparred with a partner. Ever since the Zan raid, you’ve been practising harder than ever. You want to be ready, the next time someone tries to pick on your small town.
Atavia
She/Her
You are a potter, making all kinds of things out of clay. You’re a bit of a perfectionist; some people consider you ‘intense’. Your temper has been fraying, ever since the Zan raided Tolvil and smashed up your entire pottery workshop in the process, out of pure spite. You hate what they did to your life’s work and have sworn to take revenge on them.
Lio
He/Him
You run the Tolvil trading post, setting out goods for people from other tribes to exchange for food and resources. You like your job; you get a chance to meet all kinds of people from all over the country; as far afield as Haull to the neighbouring town of Kurm. You take a genuine interest in other people, and love to learn about what life is like outside Tolvil.
Loti
She/Her
You like to consider yourself an aunty to all. Although you’ve never had children of your own, you’ve adopted many of the young people in the village and spend your days taking care of them – cooking them treats, darning their socks, listening to their troubles and giving them an earful when they deserve a good telling-off.
Malia
She/Her
You don’t like standing around and talking when you could be getting something done. Too much discussion has always made you antsy; as a builder, you prefer to get your hands dirty, fix what needs fixing, and ask questions later (or preferably not at all). Since the Zan raided Tolvil, you’ve had a lot of work on your hands – a lot of fire-damaged walls and windows to repair.
Matami
She/Her
You have been working as a doctor for decades now, having learned from your father. Medicine in these times is a tricky business – you have all the medical knowledge of the pre-Collapse era, but very few of the tools. Most of your days are spent making lye soap and experimenting with penicillin – you have very little time for personal relationships or fun. Perhaps because you’re so out of practice, you come across as cold and standoffish to many people, but that’s not at all your intention.
Mati
He/Him
While many of the people in Tolvil are winemakers, you make the barrels that the wine is stored and aged in. Your coopery was your happy place until the Zan raid, when they hacked through your wood stocks and stole some of your best barrels. Ever since then, you’ve been in a permanent bad mood. You’re short-tempered and everything annoys you. Maybe if you found a way to pay back the Zan, you’d stop feeling so angry.
Mili
She/Her
You are a gardener, and a true romantic, for which you make no apology. You’re led by your emotions, which can sometimes get you into trouble; you tend to form opinions about others quickly and passionately. You act rashly, and can sometimes have a bit of a temper – but if someone has proven themselves worthy of your love and friendship, you’ll do anything for them.
Mo
He/Him
You are a cook, often making food for the community out of vegetables grown by your partner, Vita. Normally you are a good-natured person (with a competitive streak) but you’ve been different since Vita was injured in the raid by the Zan – someone broke their arm as they tried to defend their garden. You want to punish the Zan for what they did to someone you love.
Olia
She/Her
You are a cook, working in the communal kitchens to provide meals for the whole tribe each day. It’s hard work, but you like it because you get to spend time chatting and sharing gossip with the other cooks, and you take great pride in your work. Recently, it’s gotten a lot harder; the Zan stole a lot of your fresh and preserved food stocks in their raid, and you’ve been finding it hard to make meals with enough nutritional value to sustain everyone.
Omal
He/Him
You run the village school, teaching children aged five to fifteen to read, write and do mathematics; generally you have around ten to twenty pupils in the school at any one time. It’s difficult but rewarding work. You wish you could teach them more, but you’re limited by the small amount of books available in Tolvil – there’s no main library in the town. You never had any children of your own, so your students are your substitutes.
Otto
He/Him
You are a tailor, sewing outfits out of freshly woven or recycled cloth for the rest of your tribe. You’ve always had an eye for fashion, and put great pride into the outfits you make. People like to be around you; you’re chatty, cheerful, and love to tell jokes (even though this can slow down your work sometimes).
Tama
He/Him
You’re Tolvil’s only journalist, finding out everything that goes on in the town and its surrounding neighbourhoods and writing up a weekly ‘news notice’. You don’t have access to a printing press, so you simply publish your weekly articles by writing them out and pinning them to the bulletin board in Tolvil’s town square. You have a sceptical personality, questioning everything and searching for the truth – plus, you’ll admit it, you’re very nosy.
Timi
He/Him
You are a farmer, tending to a flock of sheep in a paddock just outside the boundaries of Tolvil. You’ve always liked getting out in the sunshine, taking your time to make sure the sheep are well-fed and happy. When you aren’t working, you’re usually out playing hoopball with your little brother Mati or relaxing in the shade with a book. It takes a lot to rattle you – you always keep an even temper, and can generally see the bright side of every situation.
Totom
He/Him
You are Tolvil’s glazier. The post-Collapse world is littered with broken glass, and your job is to find it, clean it, crush it into cullet, and re-melt it into new windows, bottles and jars. You take great pride in what you do, and so you take your time, much to the frustration of some of the people around you who wish you’d work a little faster. You hate the idea of doing anything poorly; you seek perfection in your work, in your personal grooming, and even in your choice of words. Some people call you high-maintenance – you think of yourself as ‘fastidious’.
Vai
Any Pronouns
You are a weaver, spending your days drying out flax and turning it into bags, mats and outer-clothing. While you weave, you have plenty of time to chat with those who stop by, which means you’ve ended up knowing pretty much everything there is to know about what’s going on in the tribe – who’s in love, who’s feuding, and so on. However, you aren’t a gossip – if someone trusts you with a secret, you’ll take it to the grave.
Vita
Any Pronouns
You’re a gardener who cares for one of the communal vegetable patches in Tolvil. You’re a quiet and shy person, but you stand up for things you believe in, which is why you ran to the defence of your garden when the Zan raided it, receiving a broken arm for your trouble as you were shoved to the ground.
Vivi
She/Her
You’re a carpenter, and take the same methodical, careful process with carpentry as you do with the rest of your life. You are thoughtful, slow to respond, and a deep thinker, which can irritate others who aren’t on your wave-length. You hate it when other people rush you or pressure you into making a decision.
Volo
He/Him
You’ve never found a particular career that suits you, instead preferring to help out around town where you can. You enjoy having no fixed schedule; you’re a spontaneous person and appreciate the chance to take each day as it comes. You spend a lot of time just having fun, joking around, and never taking life too seriously. Despite sometimes appearing silly or frivolous, you’re more thoughtful than you let on – deep down, you’re quite philosophical.
