The Chalk | Tiffany Aching | A Discworld Fantasy Ambience

Описание: Our Terry Pratchett, Discworld-inspired fantasy ambience features the region known as The Chalk. The Chalk is the setting for the Tiffany Aching books: Tiffany Aching is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's satirical Discworld series of fantasy novels. Her name in Nac Mac Feegle is Tir-far-thóinn or 'Land Under Wave'.

Tiffany is a trainee witch whose growth into her job forms one of the many arcs in the Discworld series. She is the main character in The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, I Shall Wear Midnight and The Shepherd's Crown. Tiffany grows up over the course of the series, from nine years old in The Wee Free Men to being in her late teens in The Shepherd's Crown.

The thin turf of the Chalk, with almost no subsoil, supports sheep and little else. Wool, cheese, lamb and mutton support a scattered population of family sheep ranches (although these are likely to be owned, feudally, by the local Liege). There are villages, such as Twoshirts, but these appear to be on the borders of the Chalk and serve as points for entry and exit. Every so often, a herd is assembled for sale and slaughter, and drovers such as Seth Petty lead it on foot to faraway Ankh-Morpork. These days, the Chalk is now served by rail: a main line out of the city stops at Twoshirts. It remains to be seen what this will do to the droving trade.

With government working at the Baron's pleasure, and physical separation of the populace preventing local co-operation, there is very little organised society. Life goes on in very small groups, families or a few neighbours. The conclusion of I Shall Wear Midnight suggests improvements in governance and organisation are under way. Tiffany is owed a few favors by the Chumsfanleighs, and instead of the fifteen gold pieces offered by the old Baron, she extracts promises for a school (which she has already begun), apprenticeships and scholarships and a hospital to be supervised by Preston when he is trained by Dr Lawn.

Magic isn't a common topic on The Chalk. Oh, the world still runs on magic, and the effects are still seen, but the shepherds seem resigned, and they concern themselves with the shearing or the lambing, according to the season. Witches appear, as elsewhere, but they adapt to the sparse population mixed with the Nac Mac Feegle. They are charged more with the care of the land and the sheep than the few humans, and they advise the Pictsies. The Pictsies depend on a hag, as they call a witch, for their rare interaction with humans. They have their own appropriate magic, and don't ask much but advice from the witch. The practice of anything called witchcraft is prohibited by the Baron and old custom. This is largely ignored these days, but anything too showy or blatant - such as Tiffany's employment of the Feegle, Sorcerer's Apprentice style, to clean Mrs Petty's slovenly and ill-kept cottage - will attract negative attention, even in these liberally-minded times.

Witches have to do what needs to be done, and on the Chalk, that's more likely to do with sheep or Feegles than people. They're there, just the same, just in case.

As always, thanks so much for dropping by and leaving a comment :) We are always open to exciting suggestions of new soundscapes for us to make - if you have a cool idea for an atmosphere you'd love to hear, please feel free to leave your suggestion in the comments