Liranequois Settlements
Tionnontego
Tionnontego is the largest town of the Kahne'aké and hosts the council fires of the nation. It is a center of trade, ritual, and diplomacy for the nation and acts as the gathering point for its warriors in times of war. Larger towns once existed to the east, but they have been lost to war and disease. The wilderness has reclaimed those council fires, leaving Tionnontego as the last remaining major town of the Kahne'aké.
The town is composed of 31 longhouses with nearly 1,000 residents and is surrounded by a stout palisade for defense. Tionnontego is located near two hills that flank the Tia'oga River. The two hills, affectionately called Big Nose and Little Nose, funnel all travelers to travel past Tionnontego, giving it a firm grip on the fur trade. A small creek flows south past the town, providing a source of fresh water for the population. The fields near the town are fertile and should provide food aplenty for many years to come.
A century of attrition has reduced the nine clans of the Liranequois to four within the Kahne'aké. The four are the Bobcat, the Crane, the Fox, and the Turtle, and they all boast at least one longhouse in Tionnontego. The Turtle are by far the most numerous, but the Fox hold most of the power. The Clan Matrons selected Defiant Elk, one of the Fox clan warriors to be sachem for the town. Distant Smoke, the elder of the the Fox Clan, is recognized as a Wisdom and has enormous influence in the town and throughout the nation.
The Kahne'aké have supplemented their numbers over the years by taking in refugees from the tribes to the east who were driven from their homelands by the Morantine. They also have adopted prisoners captured in their mourning wars from the Elakanois, the Minaquas, as well as Japethan settlers. Their populations also include a number of métis from visits by the voyageurs. Together, these influences give Tionnontego a cosmopolitan feel that would surprise most Japethan settlers.
White Tree
White Tree is the capital of the Liranequois Confederacy and the Onoteh'ka nation. The sachems of the five nations meet at White Tree every year in the Grand Council to discuss foreign policy, trade, and justice. White Tree is home to all nine of the clans of the Liranequois; in order to ensure that all clans are represented at the home of the Council Fire, families will sometimes migrate from other towns so that each clan has at least one longhouse in White Tree.
The town is built around the Tree of Peace — a great pine tree with pale white bark that gives the town its name. The tree sprouted from a hole where the Peacemaker instructed the five nations to bury their tomahawks to ensure the lasting peace that came with adopting the Great Law. The tree that grew from the buried weapons is the largest of its kind and towers over the town and the surrounding trees. This act by the Peacemaker made White Tree the heart of the Great Longhouse and the Onoteh'ka the Keepers of the Council Fire. The Onoteh'ka take their role as keepers of the customs and traditions of the Liranequois very seriously. Storytellers and artists are held in high regard, and it is in White Tree that the best wampum, sculpture, and paintings are created.
The town has 53 longhouses with just over 2,000 residents. White Tree is unwalled, as befits the town of council and diplomacy. Walls are also considered unnecessary as White Tree sits at the center of Liranequoia and is protected by the Kahne'aké to the east and the Nondowaga to the west. The town is built at the southern end of a long lake that drains into a river that winds its way north to Lake Chambenac. The two most prominent features of the town are the Tree of Peace and a great lodge where the sachem meet for the Grand Council. This lodge is shorter than a longhouse but slightly wider, providing more room for the council meetings.
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