Before a catastrophic pandemic reduced their numbers to a stronghold at Hathersage, clowns were the fairest rulers of The Dark Peak, an advanced civilisation that colonised every corner of the region. They have since repositioned themselves as spies and couriers, mercenary and self-interested, loyal only to their own kind. It is, I think, what several hundred years of managed decline looks like.

Squall-Longleg is one of the named years in the Dark Peak calendar: squall for the thin, lazy rain that goes straight through you rather than around, and longleg for a creature long associated with witchcraft and miltings. You can greet someone with "Happy Squall-Longleg" and it is considered a proper salutation. Whether it improves anything is less clear.