Turnuntum
Turnuntum is a small village in the northern portion of what used to be Lotharingia, "on the edge of Vikingdom," as the abbot of Saint Maximinus once described it to Stephen. Now it lies in the kingdom of East Francia. It is a simple agricultural center in the shadow of an old Roman fortress owned by a minor noble who more or less leaves the villagers alone. The village is small and peaceful with one Catholic church (pastored by Fr. John, Stephen's tutor) and only one of every trade. Everyone knows each other and squabbles are minor and always resolved in time for the next festival.
Infrastructure
Turnuntum is located on an old Roman road that connects it to larger towns and cities in the south after a journey of several days. The village's only church is located on the edge of the forest in the midst of an ancient cemetary. The marketplace is on the opposite side of the village and surrounded by the mill, furnace, a well, and the homes and shops of merchants and skilled professionals. The rest of the homes surround the village center in a semi-circular loop adjacent to the fields.
Points of interest
The Mill
Stephen's foster father Odo is the miller, so Stephen spent his childhood in this central location where he got to know everyone in the village. The mill is a noisy place, filled not only with the voices of villagers and the mechanism grinding their grain, but also the pair of oxen employed to turn the mill and various other livestock. It is smelly and crowded in a way that is comforting but could also be overwhelming.St. Mary's Church
The ancient church on the edge of the village is simple but servicible. Every member of the village can fit into it on festival days, but usually it is a dark and quiet place for encounting God. Its pastor, Fr. John, is an educated priest from Italy who was sent to head this small parish when Stephen was moved to Turnuntum in order to oversee Stephen's education. Despite the marked contrast between this basic village church and the opulent basillicas of his youth, Fr. John has made St. Mary's his home and seems comfortable in his apartment attached to the church. The villagers get along with Fr. John and enjoy his insightful homilies on the scriptures and tales of faraway lands.The Pine Tree
Behind St. Mary's sits a pine tree of great antiquity. It does not match the foliage of the rest of the forest and it is speculated that the tree was planted beside the cemetary by ancient inhabitants of the village, though no one can tell when. Regardless of its origin, the tree is known and beloved by everyone in the village and has become the gathering point for all village festivals. On the feast days of saints, it is common for villagers to exit the church out the side door and to convene beside the pine tree before starting the festivities.Geography
The ancient Roman fortress out of which Turnuntum grew was established on the edge of a mostly-deciduous forest, which protects the village on two sides. The road and fort protect the village on the other two sides. A a small stream runs through the fort along the side of the village.
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