Cottonmouth

"Why is it named Cottonmouth?" Iris asked. "Isn't a cottonmouth a poisonous snake? Who'd want to visit a town named after something poisonous?"

"To answer your questions in order," Seymour counted off on his fingers, "Because the first gorgons here couldn't resist the snake reference; yes it is; and nobody, that's the whole idea."

Cottonmouth is a secluded town located in the Palladia Forest. To the few outsiders who know about its existence, it's merely an out-of-the-way farming community, and for the most part that's true. It's just the fact that the whole town is populated entirely by gorgons that nobody seems to know about, and the residence would prefer to keep it that way.

Demographics

Cottonmouth is populated entirely by gorgons.

Government

Cottonmouth is run by a mayor, who technically can only hold a four-year term and can't immediately run for re-election in accordance with Virginia's mayoral laws, but the combination of isolation, small population, and citizen lifespan has led to residents more or less ignoring these laws.

Industry & Trade

Cottonmouth is largely a farming community. Most of its income comes from selling grains, vegetables, fruit and fruit preserves, pork, poultry, and eggs. The most that Cottonmouth tends to interact with the outside world is during harvest and farmer's market season.

Infrastructure

In addition to homes and farmland, notable establishments in Cottonmouth include:

• A combination gas station and general store
• A bar and restaurant
• The Town Hall, the largest building in town that serves as a mayoral office, a police department, and a post office
• A 24-hour clinic
• A library
• A laundromat
• A barbershop
• An all-purpose handyman service
• An eyeglass shop

History

Cottonmouth was founded in 1758 by a family of gorgons who were descendants of Euryale. They sent word out to other known gorgons to join them in creating a safe haven in the New World.

Type

Village

Population

198

Location under

Palladia Forest