Description:

A small village, it could be called more of a hamlet if anything, that found its existence as a trading point at the center of a handful of nearby farms. Located a little way off the local river to avoid flash floods, you find yourself in a seemingly inhospitable land, but the locals know it as their home.

The village itself holds only a few buildings, most sharing functions, such as the doctor's office doubling as a pharmacy, and the town's school which shares the same building. Despite not exactly being a much sought-after travel destination, the town has a steady trickle of wanna-be treasure hunters and gold diggers, much to the inhabitants disdain. They don’t necessarily dislike travelers, but those who do come, disrupt and disrespect nature with which they try to maintain a fragile balance. Most farmers drive cattle over the nearby open areas, though some maintain orchards and other plant foods. Their strategy seems to exist out of giving the land plenty of recuperation time between uses.

Landmarks:

• The Town Well - Found on a clearing at the edge of the hamlet. It’s said to have been blessed by the spirits ages ago and doesn’t run dry even during the hottest times of the year. Each year when cacti bloom, the town’s people adorn the well with cacti, and fires are lit. Townsfolk will take turns drinking from the well and share wishes for fertility and prosperity.
• Serpent’s Track - A small nearby river that weaves its way through the land. It is often told it was made by a giant snake, a tale that goes with the bones of giant creatures that are sometimes found across the region. Another version of the story is often told to children and passing travelers, of a giant worm that still lurks beneath the sand and makes it better not to wander without a trusted adult or guide… the latter for a friendly price of course.
• Hallison’s Retreat - The local saloon that doubles as a place for travelers to sleep and weary locals to grab a bite along with their drink. The owner’s name isn’t Hallison as the establishment’s name might suggest, but an elderly woman called Jude. If someone asks she’ll always give a different story as to how the place got its name. It certainly isn’t a five-star hotel. It isn’t the softest bed and you’ll find the decor and tableware are an eclectic selection of objects, but you’ll get a good price, a decent meal, a clean room, and the entertainment of Jude’s grand stories as you sip your beverage around the firepit. Jude’s 5 tokis act as bouncers, so it’s advised to behave.
• Flint Museum of Hot Peppers - A prominent building in town, the Museum is becoming quite the tourist destination. It showcases peppers from across the world but most prominently features the Flint Pepper, reputed to be the spiciest of them all. Tourists can sample peppers, as well as purchase seeds to take home with them. Which farm the pepper originated on depends on who you talk to - all three Flint Field farms will claim it.
• You Are Here - This giant arrow, was probably once red but now is mostly a dusty brown, has somehow managed to stay upright through it all, pointing to a large topographical map of the region. There are vending machines just a bit back and to either side of the map, though the offerings are generic at best, and tepid at worst. The map is encased in hard plastic, as otherwise it would have been worn down by both the harsh winds and guests wanting to trace the bumps and ridges of the badlands.
• Flint Field Farmstead, Flint Field Farm, and Flint Field Ranch - The three biggest farm’s surrounding the hamlet. There’s a bit of rivalry going on between the three about who is the best, but mostly who was there first historically. It’s a discussion that started generations ago and still runs strong to this day. Oral history passed on by the elders of the village suggest none of them might be the first farm around, but this has frequently been ignored under the claim that there’s no recorded proof.

Lore:

• There’s a bit of discussion on what the origin is of Flint Field village's name. No flint field has been found in the surrounding area, yet archeological finds have shown flint stone being used in the past. Some scholars suggest Flint may have been the name of the original farm from which the village sprouted, an ancestry readily claimed by several over the aforementioned biggest farms. Many locals stand by their own legend in which outsiders had blocked Serpent’s Track in an attempt to dig for gold more easily, effectively disrupting water availability and leaving both the local population and nature to suffer. When people tried to break down the dam after failed reasoning, the gold diggers became raiders and wrecked the village several nights in a row, resulting in heavy losses. Eventually, it was Livia and her tokota Regio that spotted them coming for another raid and she rode up to them to plead with them to stop their violence. One of them however fired at her, a spark from the blast landed on the dry grass, lighting it up. The resulting blaze took the lives of the raiders as well as Livia and Regio. The firearm used was a Flintlock. It is now widely accepted that this is where the village's name came from, in honour of their sacrifice. Livia and Regio are believed to be guardians of the village and to this day when something exceptionally lucky happens, it’s attributed to their interference.
• Most of the town's income seems to come from a yearly event called Frontier Days, where the town tries its best to clean itself up, shake off the dust and advertise its presence. It is held in the late summer and takes pretty much the entire population of the town to organize. This causes some sleepless nights as they entertain guests with a range of ghost stories, old western songs, tales of life on the range, tours of the town, and survival tactics of days gone by. Given most of the inhabitants’ dislike of strangers, there is a lot of gritting of teeth and fake smiles for the duration of the event, followed by a party once all the tourists have left to let off steam.