Milsen Wagon

Historical Overview

Use

The Vinelands is one of Anhara's most ancient and rural regions. Within it exists a mystical and storied past, and age-old traditions survive in villages far from centers of power. A region with turbulent infighting, usurper houses have long used these stories to their advantage, co-opting the tales and characters to give themselves legitimacy. One way to do this was through traveling performances, showing illiterate and poor villages propagandized myths.

"A family like the Semillons needed to link themselves as frequently as possible to ancient tales, or they would never overcome the legends of those they conquered." - Beraut Bellamy, A Troubadour's Travels

To get to these villages, noble families would fund performing companies, which would travel in caravans of specialized wagons. These were known as Milsen Wagons, after the Anharan word "milsen" which refers to the literary tradition of the Romance of Nobility. These unique constructs would travel with smaller, supportive wagons and carts, and act as mobile stages.

"Actors would not only remain on stage, but especially when performing on a country road, would move out into the crowd and create a theater of the town square." - Beraut Bellamy, A Troubadour's Tale

In major cities, the wagons would stop at successive open spaces, allowing residents to gather and see one scene of a play, before the wagon would move to the next square or location. In its place would come the next wagon in line, showing the next scene, and so forth. In villages and rural areas, these wagons would line up in succession, and the crowd would simply move down the line.

Design

The wagons acted as individual scenes in a play, and while it was possible to do an entire play with one wagon, ostentatiousness was often the goal. The wagons consisted of one and a half floors, the lower being an area in which the actors could prepare themselves, and a stage with scenery above. These wagons were often lumbering beasts, and the largest were saved for urban shows, while smaller, more maneuverable wagons were based in the countryside.

Length

Varies

Height

15 feet

"'Come one, come all, and listen to my tale of great renown.

Your lord has paid a pretty penny for this show to come to town.'

The knight strode past and paid no heed, this story he heard before,

Of inflated deed, of false record, no more could he endure."

- l'Arbour Knyght, an early Age of Rule romance from the Vinelands.