- "Taking a stroll through these tall, proud orchards while they lie barren in the cold brings about certain longing for the warmer days. These Pearviewer folk are of hardier hearts than mine, I fear. Thankfully, nothing quite warms the melancholy winter spirit like the richly-spiced syrup of Pearview's buttery-soft wine-poached pears paired (haha!) with a piping-hot mug of mulled perry. (A tip to the fellow traveler: under no circumstance should you call it 'pear cider'. This shall be your only warning.)"
- ―A Taste of Home: The Cuisine of the Small Country, written by Gilug Mereside of the Order of Chroniclers
The Duchy of Pearview was a Ciderfoot (later Bluefoot) halfling duchy centered around the town of the same name. Ruled by the Peartree family, it was infamous for its feud with its southern neighbor Appleton.
History[]
The lands that would become part of Pearview were some of the earliest incorporated into the Small Province of the Gnomish Hierarchy, with more gnomes settled here save the "eastern capital" of Beepeck. When the Dragonwake saw most gnomish administrators and soldiers pulled away to defend against the Kobold Rising, one gnome, Pimleebezz, remained as he was happily married to a local halfling woman. With his inventions, he helped defend Pearview from Alenic incursions, earning him the epithet of "the True."
During the Small Kingdom era, Pearview was part of the western province of Ciderfield along with Appleton. The Peartree family and the Appleseed family of Appleton were both cadet branches of the Ciderfield ruling family; when the mainline family died out, the two sides feuded over the succession, starting the Cider Feud which would dominate Pearview's politics for multiple centuries.
The War of the Sorcerer-King would see Pearview's ally Gawed fall to Castanor. Taking advantage of its northern rival's weakness, Pearview would fall under Lorent's domain in the aftermath of the Third Tall War. It would then be invaded by Castanorians as part of the Invasion of Lencenor. It would be liberated and granted independence in the Treaty of Anbenncóst.
The Cider Feud would flare up a number of times over the following centuries with Appleton launching raids across the Burroy River, usually attempting to seize Newcobble. Pearview adopted the practice of building fortified mound houses in response. Lorent and Gawed would take advantage of this conflict as proxy wars for their own rivalry, leading to to the secession of Pearview's rich western county of Butterburn to form the neutral Turnwell League with Cowskeep.
With the collapse of the neighboring halfling kingdoms, Pearview would become a loyal vassal of Gawed and the new center of the emergent Bluefoot culture; in particular, they would promote the practice of nepotism, branching out their businesses across the north through their second and third sons. The duchy refused to participate in the failed Viswall Rebellion and thus was spared annexation for a time.
It would later become part of the Small Country following the Small Country Rebellion in the mid-1500s.
Culture[]
Pearviewers see themselves as a resilient folk, facing the brunt of wolf attacks during winter in addition to having had a less lenient overlord in the Gawedi. Their culture is largely defined by their dominant crop, pears, and their rivalry with Appleton. Pears are the preferred pome in its cooler climate, the cold helping to keep the pears fresh as they slowly ripen to perfection in storage. Wine-poached pears are favorite winter dessert, and their preferred alcoholic beverage is perry.
In addition, Pearview woodcarvers are renowned flute- and drum-makers, their instruments seeing use by local musicians and halfling signalling regiments. As the local saying goes, "Wherever the banner of Pearview flutters, the march of the pipers follow."