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A vassal duchy of Nilfgaard, widely considered a beautiful, fable-like land where everyone is eternally tipsy. |  | |
| - Game map description | |||
Toussaint is a small autonomous duchy under the banner of the Empire of Nilfgaard, famous for its wines, enabled by the region's volcanic soil and ideal combination of sunny and rainy days. Toussaint does not maintain a large standing army of its own, instead relying on a few regiments of knights-errant, watching the borders and roads[2][3] in conjunction with Ducal Guard.[4] Despite being a vassal state of Nilfgaard, Toussaint maintains high level of autonomy and the Nilfgaardian Empire does not tend to impose imperial authority on its internal affair or violate its borders for the most part.
While the duchy's surface may be fairy and serene, beneath the wine cellars it hides a gargantuan underground system of interconnecting ancient adits, mines ans dungeons, as well as natural caverns and tunnels hollowed by lava, allegedly connected with the center of the earth.[3]
History
Prehistory and ancient times
For ages the undergrounds of modern-day Toussaint were inhabited by intelligent creatures like korreds, kilmulises, pryskirniks and many others, some of them unknown in witcher tomes even till the 13th century.[3] In the 8th century BR[4] a group of Aen Seidhe elves founded their kingdom here with modern-day Beauclair as its capital. They built beautiful cities made of white marble[3] and ivory.
When the Conjunction of the Spheres occured, it was here where the gate from the vampiric universe opened, trapping vampires in this world. They splitted into three distint tribes: Gharasham, who stayed in the western part of the Continent, Tdet, who ventured east, and Ammurun, who crossed the Great Sea heading to the west.[4]
Human conquest and fragmented land
A couple of decades after the First Landing, elven king Divethaf's realm faced a invasion led by Nordling chieftain Ludovic. In 781 the elves abandoned their ivory cities and left for the Amell mountains, taking with them all that they could and destroying everything else. Whatever they could not take and did not manage to demolish or burn, they cursed. Ludovic marched into the foothills with his army, demanding Divethaf to surrender and proclaim him as king. A battle ensued after the elf refused and Aen Seidhe army was slain. Weeping over the loss, Divethaf agreed to pay the homage. Next year humans decided to celebrate the anniversary of the victory with a pogrom, genociding all the remnants at the Mount Gorgon slopes.[4] The last untouched by humans elven trace was the hidden necropoly of Tir ná Béa Arainne which continued to be used over the course of subsequent ages, protected by Aen Saevherne.[2]
In the following centuries the main occupation of early Toussantois was apparently mining, as they hollowed many adits and mines. Several dungeons were also constructed then,[3] probably to imprison political enemies – the land was parcellated among several petty lords and dukes. One of such lordships was Epicéa on Gorgon Foothils, near the very place of Divethaf's defeat.
One of the most important and landscape-changing events of this period was Nazairi Duke Adam's attempt to regulate the flow of the Sansretour River to his likeness – and unwilling creation of the Sansretour Marsh in the process.[4]
Ademarta's and Caroberta's reforms
At the middle point of the 12th century the power in the country was consolidated by Duchess Adela Marta. She ordered the renovation of the elven capital palace and moved her seat there, establishing the city of Beauclair.[3] She planted the seeds of chivalric traditions in the Duchy by organising a tourney for her suitors, rewarding the qualities she valued most in men – Strength, Valor and Cunning. On her journey south she met the youngest son of Nilfgaardian Emperor Torres[5] and wed him,[4] creating a bond between Toussaint and the Nilfgaardian Empire.
Carolina Roberta, Ademarta's daughter, continued the reforms. She forbade the use of pointed knives during the feasts, as she found the custom of using them to pick one's teeth barbarous.[3] She was also the one who recognised the cult of Lebioda, brought here by Saint Plegmund.[4]
Anna Henrietta's reign
TBA
National Emblems
Coats of arms
The coat of arms for Toussaint is not actually described in the novels. The current coat of arms was designed by our resident heraldry and Witcher expert Mboro and was considered unofficial until it was used in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as part of Ciri's tree. The second was inspired by the Czech concept (the drawing) and redesigned by Juraj103.
Flag
The flag of Toussaint by SMiki55 is based on the icon of the Duchy present on the in-game map in the Blood and Wine expansion.
Geography and climate
TBA
Locations
Vineyards
Regions
Demographics
TBA
Notable Toussaintois
Aristocracy
For a complete list of known Toussaintois, see Category:Toussaintois.
Culture
Tradition is a holy thing in Toussaint. Holidays, the most important of them being Wine Vat, are keenly observed.
Economy
TBA
Notes
- According to Stefan Skellen, Toussaint is one of the few countries in the Continent which doesn't have a Secret Service.
- Toussaint is the main setting of the Blood and Wine expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Trivia
- Toussaint is the French name for the "real world" Catholic holiday celebrated on November 1st, All Saints' Day. It is also the name of a commune in Upper Normandy in the northern part of France.
- In the Blood and Wine expansion, many of its inhabitants will speak French at times. This includes grammar; one letter mockingly calls the Italian wine Est est (Latin for "is is") "Était Était," French for "was was" or "used to be used to be."
- Beauclair's architecture is based on the mannerist architecture of Zamość, Poland.
- The culture is based on the mediterranean regions in Italy, Spain, and southern France.
- The Ducal Guard wears morions, helmets of Spanish origin.
References
- ↑ Note that Toussaint doesn't have an official military branch, having given up military power and replaced with knights
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Tower of the Swallow
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 The Lady of the Lake
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Blood and Wine expansion
- ↑ According to The Witcher Role-Playing Game Torres was the first true emperor, meaning that he is the only one matching the Blood and Wine expansion dialogue
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 CD PROJEKT RED's The Witcher franchise
| Regions in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | |
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Minor regions
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Blood and Wine expansion
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