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Armorica's District of
Vannes
Ceann mor:
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One of the older Armorican settlements, Vannes is located on the southern side of the peninsula and enjoys a mild climate and fine harbor within the protected Gulf of Morbihan. The Veneti or Vanatais were fierce fighters and superb seamen believed to be a subgroup of a Celtic Tribe which settled the area of Venice.
ince the mists first cleared off Morbihan Bay, there have been Vanatais. Sailors we are, with a hillfort on every headland and three boats on every beach. We are the hunters of the sea, bringing home the big fish in our strong nets. Our women salt them and dry them over the smokey fires, so they will keep through the winter.
Where do we get our salt, you ask? From the same place we get our fish; the sea. We carry the water in sealskin bladders and pour it into the troughs of the saltern. Beneath the troughs, we build a fire. As the water goes away, we add more and more. The salt comes out in lumps, some as big as my thumb. When the trough is full of salt, we keep heating until it is dry. Then we take the trough and scrape out the sparkling pieces of salt and grind them up to a powder. This is stored in oiled skin bags until it is needed. We make most of the salt in the summer, when the weather is dry. 
Come! Let’s go down by the boats. The tide is out right now, so we will be safe. If we were to wait another few hours, we might be trapped on the beach. The tides in our Mor-bihan, our Little Sea, can rise twice the height of a man and more. The currents at the mouth of the gulf are stronger than our swiftest boat. When we venture into the open waters of the great sea, we must choose our times wisely. Yes, we are a fisher-folk, but we are also great sailors and traders. Our larger ships can travel for many months; to far-off ports where we trade for strange cargo. Some of our sailors have been beyond the Pillars of Hercules, though those who control the inland sea do not like our intrusions. There she is! Do you see how she floats like a feather on the water. She is broad of beam and shallow of draft; ideally suited for these waters. The sails can move her in nearly any direction, and very quickly, too. For this reason, our boats do not have oars. And that was the cause of our downfall.  
Since that time, we have grown strong again. The Romans finally left us after more than 500 years of domination. We resisted right up to the last, and still retain much of our old customs and language. Our fortunes have waxed and waned, much as the moon. The coming of the Franks brought new pressures to bear. And the influx of folk from Britannia, fleeing from the Saxons, even changed the name of our land. Yes! We are now known to some as Bretaigne and are no longer called Armorica. Even that name is a Roman corruption of the original, Ar-Mor, which means "Seaside".
We will always be a people of the sea, even though our fair town grows inland, and away from the water. We still come down to the water. The fishermen mend their nets and repair their little boats on the beach. The sailors venture ever further from home and are gone for ever longer times. Ah, but the cargoes they bring back are well worth the wait. They bring wealth to our little town. The cargoes and the fish. The gifts of the sea. Resources Credits Neighbourhood builders:
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