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Add in the old New World setting, circa 2010-2014

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Andrew Kesterson
2026-05-18 12:26:59 -04:00
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The eastern frontier is where King Braddock is currently pushing
everyone to go; he hopes that by pushing out past the eastern
mountains, and through the Free Frontier, he can create a buffer from
the always wild monstrous bands (which are rumored to be rekindling the
Great Alliance), while providing him more territory (e.g. taxes). It
would also help ease the problems of overpopulation which people are
citing in the Western Kingdom; the Western Kingdom has a population
density of about 1 person every 3 square miles, which by the standards
of most people in this time and area, is quite dense. They want more
open land, for farming, for hunting, and for the occasional black
wizard's tower with strange experiments and all.
Adventuring bands and the Royal Merchant Company, the private
concern of Lord Earl Dunnigan (King Braddock's cousin), constantly lead
expeditions into the frontier. The Church also continues to send
expeditions into the wild country. Some of them do it for King and
Country, some for God, some for Glory and some simply for Money. Either
way, the demihumans are starting to pour out of the eastern mountains
in droves, and the monstrous races aren't about to take it lying down.

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The Elven Protectorate encompasses the entirety of the Civil
Wood, and most of the Dragonspine Mountains. While not officially
claiming to be a sovereign nation – as the Gnomes have done – the elves
who occupy this region consider themselves, for the most part, separate
from Braddock's corrupt kingdom and its Church. Representatives from
the Protectorate often travel to throne to protest its latest
proceedings in their area of influence. The elves also, unlike the
Gnomes, are quite picky about who they allow into the Civil Wood,
though elves are quite commonly found outside the Civil Wood amongst
the rest of the world. To date, a demihuman army has yet to march
through the Civil Wood towards the Dragonspine, and this is a source of
some consternation between the elves and the king. However, thus far
the elves have been quite capable of taking care of the territory that
they are holding on to.
The people of the Elven Protectorate are, naturally, almost
entirely elven. A few gnomes and the occasional human exist in the
protectorate, but they are by far the exception. Of the elves in
the Protectorate, only about 5% are high elves; the remainder are
Sylvan or Kagonesti wild elves.
The Elven Protectorate as a whole is an ancient forest and
mountain range, and it is said that the Gods wove powerful magics
into them when the Elves took up residence, to give the Elves time
to replenish their fading race. Anyone entering the Protectorate
- and this does mean ANYBODY - who is not at least half elven will
be presented with an ever-changing forest and a set of illusions
that will serve to guide them quickly back out the way they came.
Only unarmed messengers and those specifically invited by the
Elven Council can enter unhindered and proceed to the various
elven Cities and Tribal Lands.

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1. Overview
-----------
Wellhollow is the city of the Elves deep within the Civil
Wood in the Elven Protectorate. It is nestled in a hollow at the
feet of the Dragonspine mountains, where it is the most safe from
all intruders.
The city is built in the most ancient portion of one of
the oldest forests in the world, the Civil Wood. The forest is
just as full of Treants and Fey creatures as it is of elves and
normal plants, making it the perfect place for the Elves to
rebuild their line.
The city is built as a series of platforms and treehouses
built in and amongst the trees. Whenever possible, natural
formation are used to create the desired effect, as the elves
are loathe to cut down the trees. So far this has worked out well.
2. People
---------
The people of the city are comprised of mostly high elves,
but some of the higher ranking members of the tribal elves make
homes here as well, in order to represent their people on the council.
The total population of the city, however, represents the shocking
devastation that the elvish race endured during the time of the
Alliance; the total population of the city is only 500, more than half
of which are newborn or otherwise too young to fight, and of which
fifty are in their extreme elderly stages and are too old to fight.
In the city of Wellhollow, there are only 150 people of age and
physical condition to fight - both men and women.
When the city was settled just 275 years ago, there were
only two of the ancient High Elven houses left intact enough
(e.g. enough of them left alive) to create any sort of government.
Now, there are three, and a fourth is on the rise once more. However
the application of the terms "great house" and "noble line" are
fairly superfluous; most of the houses are barely 50 or 100
strong at the absolute most. The distinction of "Tribe" has become
far more important in these times.
3. Notable Persons
------------------
4. Notable Locations
--------------------
4.1 The Well of the World
-------------------------
The Well of the World is here in Wellhollow (one of
the reasons it got its name.) The Well is actually a pool
of water inside of a pool of stones, which holds various
magical properties - among them the ability to prolong
natural life, cure many diseases, and even act as a
sort of gate between time and worlds. It is the duty
of the Elves to protect it and keep it safe; they consider
it a gift from their gods, to assist in their rebirth after
their exit from slavery.
4.2 The Grandfather Tree
------------------------
The Grandfather tree is the single oldest tree in
the Western Kingdom. Standing at the center of Wellhollow,
the Grandfather Tree measures a full 700 feet in circumf-
erence, measuring 30 feet across at its base. The tree is
of an unknown species, but is estimated to be a variety of
Redwood. All educated estimates place the tree at over
five thousand years old, since before the time of the
alliance. The Grandfather tree, it is said, speaks to those
of pure heart, purpose, and blood; that it is a living
historical record that can be asked questions. That its roots
run deep and wide, touching every corner of the earth.
5. Government and Politics
--------------------------
The Council at Wellhollow is both the government of the city
and of the Elven Protectorate as a whole. The council consists of
one member from each of the Noble Houses and one from each of the
Wild Tribes; it was this model from which the Gnomes took their system
of government in Breech.
The government is, at its core, both communist and socialist.
The community of elves in the Elven Protectorate is so small that it
cannot afford the beurocracies enjoyed by the massive Human kingdom,
or the quickly reproducing Gnomish nation. So the government -
consisting of the head of each small family and tribe in the
protectorate - decides the best course of action for the species to
take as a whole. Goods are produced on a communal basis and distributed
according to the need of the individual tribes and families. The
very concept of property ownership as most human and gnomish cultures
know it is simply foreign, if not downright taboo, in elven society.
6. Economy
----------
Being a communist and socialist society, there is no
real economy to speak of inside of the Elven Protectorate. When dealing
with the outside world, however, the elves generally prefer to operate
in a barter system, trading in fine wood products, medicines, art,
literature, histories, and other such rare items. The elves also
pan gold from the rivers that flow through the Civil Wood and the
Dragonspine, and use this to trade for various raw materials,
but they do not use it as a currency inside of the country.
The basic idea in the Elven Protectorate is that money and
vanity are the root of all evils; while the elves are still
struggling with their vanity, they are doing very well about
the money, having refused to adopt - or honor - any system inside
the Protectorate based on the idea of money.
7. Notable Non-Government Bodies
--------------------------------

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1. The Village of Hillsburrough
-------------------------------
Nestled into the foothills of the eastern ranges, Hillsburrough
looks out on the plains and hills of the frontier – the last spot
for civilization before plunging deep into the wild eastern frontier.
Originally planned as a military outpost, it was soon abandoned because
it was “of no tactical value”, and the few people remaining
petitioned the King for autonomy, and it was granted. He really wanted
to have nothing to do with the outpost anyway.
All that changed about 40 years ago, when an earthquake in the
mountains opened up a new pass – that led directly to Hillsburrough,
and closed all of the other passes. Now Hillsburrough is of critical
tactical importance, literally being on the vanguard of the frontier
border. The King and the Mayor of Hillsburrough have been locked into
a discussion about bringing Hillsburrough back into the kingdom, but
thus far the Mayor will have no part of it. And the King, while he wants
the town back in his control, isn't dumb enough to go and try pushing
around a bunch of people that have carved out a living on the frontier
for 100 years. So Hillsburrough remains a sovereign city-state, even
though it is simply a village. It has become a haven for adventurers
coming through to the frontier, or going home to civilization. And
despite the simple appearance of the village and its denizens, there is
a lot of money flowing through this city, due to its special location.
Hillsburrough is a small village of approximately 800 people. Most
of the inhabitants make their living by farming the land, but there are
a few notable establishments such as bars, inns, weaponsmiths, etc. The
main features of the town are the old Church on the north side of town,
and the Clocktower in the center of town. Both are visible immediately
upon your entrance into town – the road from the mountain pass winds
out of the hills and crosses the eastern river on an old stone bridge,
placing you directly in front of the church. In the distance, maybe a
quarter mile, the clocktower rises nearly a hundred feet, towering above
the surrounding homes and shops. The road leads you past a sign that
says “Welcome to Hillsburrough – the road stops here!”, and
this is indeed the case. The road leads you into town, past the various
shops and inns, and the road dead ends at the town hall, at the foot of
the clocktower. And suddenly you realise, you have truly come to the
edge of civilization. If you were to have a map of the world, it would
surely say “Here be dragons”.
2. Locations
------------
2.1 The Ambushed Chicken
-------------------------
Accommodations: Occupied by owner and employees
Example Menu:
- Breakfast: Fried perch, Chicken eggs, Sharp cheese, Peach,
Oatmeal (cost 1cp).
- Lunch: Lamb stew, Soft cheese, Broad beans, Blackberries (cost
2cp).
- Supper: Pork liver, Potato, Corn, Millet, Pecan pie (cost 2cp).
- Snack: Chicken eggs, Pear, Rice (cost 1cp)
The main entrance to The Amushed Chicken is to the right; you can
tie your horses on the right side of the building. There are 2 tables in
the front room. The tap room is to the left. The tap room has 10 tables
where patrons eat and drink and warm themselves by the fireplace. Stairs
lead to rooms on the second floor. There is another entrance through the
kitchen porch in the back. The proprietor of the establishment, Edward
Longfingers, is edging into his fifties and is rumored to be preparing to
turn the business over to his two daughters, Arnora and Tiffany, both in
their early twenties. However, despite his plans for retirement, he doesn't
show any signs of slowing down – he is a capable and strong man. In
fact, he has won the local strongman competitions for as long as they have
existed, and once lifted a fallen portion of a sawmill off a young laborer.
He's not much for endurance, though, and is often coming down with some
kind of mild sickness. His youngest daughter, Arnora, follows after him
in the Alebrewing profession – though she is not as strong as her sister,
Tosti, who follows her father's business mainly because he is her father.
She has studied the Longsword with the town guard, and is rumored to have
some secret business on “adventures”. The tavern got its name for
the first chicken that was cooked in this establishment – it was a wily
beast that actually had to be ambushed in the kitchen for it to be caught
and cooked.
Edward Longfingers, male human Com9: CR 8; Size M (5 ft., 5 in. tall);
HD 9d4-9; hp 18; Init +7 (+3 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Spd 30 ft.;
AC 13 (+3 Dex); Attack +8 melee, or +7 ranged; SV Fort +2, Ref +8, Will +6;
AL NG; Str 19, Dex 16, Con 8, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 12.
Languages Spoken: Common, Halfling
Skill points: Com 72
Skills and feats: Climb +16, Craft (Armorsmithing) +11, Craft
(Blacksmithing) +14, Craft (Sculpting) +11, Craft (Shipmaking) +13,
Craft (Woodworking) +5, Hide +3, Listen +17, Move Silently +3, Ride +14,
Spot +5; Alertness, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Point
Blank Shot, Skill Focus (Craft (Sculpting)).
Possessions: Edward keeps three gems in a locked box under a loose board
underneath his bed. chrysoprase (bright green) (27 gp) crazy lace agate
(11.3 gp) lynx eye (9.5 gp)
Arnora, female human Com3: CR 2; Size M (5 ft., 7 in. tall); HD 3d4;
hp 13; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 11 (+1 Dex); Attack +3 melee,
or +2 ranged; SV Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +2; AL N; Str 14, Dex 13,
Con 11, Int 11, Wis 13, Cha 9.
Languages Spoken: Common.
Skill points: Com 18
Skills and feats: Craft (Sculpting) +6, Craft (Alebrewing) +4, Hide +1,
Listen +4, Move Silently +1, Open Lock +4, Spot +1; Power Attack,
Skill Focus (Craft (Alebrewing)), Toughness.
Possessions: A brooch with a diamond in it given to her by her father
(2 gp value)
Tosti female human Com3: CR 2; Size M (5 ft., 11 in. tall); HD 3d4-6; hp 4;
Init +2 (+2 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 12 (+2 Dex) Attack +5 melee, or +3
ranged; SV Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +2; AL LE; Str 18, Dex 15, Con 7,
Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 7.
Languages Spoken: Common.
Skill points: Com 12
Skills and feats: Craft (Painting) +5, Craft (Alebrewing) +1, Hide +2,
Listen +1, Move Silently +2, Ride +8, Spot +1; Great Fortitude, Martial
Weapon Proficiency (longsword), Skill Focus (Ride).
Possessions: A longsword
2.2 The Giant Baby
------------------
Accommodations: Good (a small private room with one bed, some amenities
and a covered chamber pot) for 1 sp/day – currently unavailable
Example Menu:
- Breakfast: Meatballs, Curds, Dragon turtle omelet, Peach, Mush
(cost 6cp).
- Lunch: Sausage, Soft cheese, Spinach, Apple (cost 3cp).
- Supper: Pork liver, Broad beans, Leeks, Flatbread, Custard (cost
1sp).
- Snack: Gnomes yogurt, Raspberries, Flatbread (cost 4cp)
The front porch of The Giant Baby offers shelter from the weather
and sun. The main entrance to The Giant Baby is to the right; you can
tie your horses on the left. The bar has a comfortable lobby where you
can wait for friends to join you before leaving or as you arrive. The
tap room is to the left and the barkeepers' desk is straight ahead on
your left. The tap room has 7 tables where patrons eat and drink and
warm themselves by the fireplace. Stairs lead to rooms on the second
floor, which are occupied by Svein and his son-in-law Isleif.. There is
another entrance through the kitchen in the back.
Svein, the proprietor, is the only person who has been in town long
enough to remember when the large Clocktower in the center of town
actually still worked. He is pushing his 65th birthday this year, and is
planning to work his bar until he dies. He has his son-in-law, Isleif,
help him around the tavern. Isleif is the obvious heir-apparent to Svein's
sizable inheritance (sizable for a tavern owner, anyhow). Isleif's wife,
Svein's daughter, died of a rare disease two years ago. She is buried in
the cemetery east of town, on one of the many sunny hilltops.
Svein actually has a history as somewhat of an adventurer, but he
doesn't have any adventurer levels. He was a sailor in the Royal Navy for
many years before settling down and becoming a woodworker, then later a
barkeeper. He is not an alebrewer like his competitor Edward Longfingers,
just a barkeeper. However likable Svein may be, he's not the brightest of
men, leading him to be entirely too trusting at times. This is another
area in which Isleif can help his father-in-law; he helps keep his fortune
intact.
Nobody remembers how the inn got its name. Something to do with a huge
ostrich creature.
Svein, male human Com20: CR 19; Size M (5 ft., 9 in. tall); HD 20d4-20;
hp 33; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 10; Attack +13/+8 melee, or +10/+5 ranged;
SV Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +10; AL NG; Str 16, Dex 10, Con 9, Int 8, Wis 14,
Cha 12.
Languages Spoken: Common.
Skill points: Com 46
Skills and feats: Craft (Shipmaking) +17, Craft (Woodworking) +7, Hide +0,
Listen +25, Move Silently +0, Spot +2; Great Fortitude, Iron Will,
Leadership, Skill Focus (Listen), Skill Focus (Craft (Shipmaking)),
Skill Focus (Craft (Woodworking)), Toughness.
Possessions: A +2 longsword, and 1000 gp in gems. The sword hangs above the
door frame of his bedroom, and the gems are hidden in beer kegs in the cellar.
Isleif, male human Com3: CR 2; Size M (5 ft., 2 in. tall); HD 3d4+6; hp 15;
Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 11 (+1 Dex); Attack +4 melee, or +2 ranged;
SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +2; AL CG; Str 16, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 17, Wis 13,
Cha 13.
Languages Spoken: Auran, Common, Elven, Terran.
Skill points: Com 36
Skills and feats: Craft (Alchemy) +8, Craft (Weaponsmithing) +9, Disable
Device +5, Handle Animal +7, Hide +1, Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) +4,
Listen +6, Move Silently +1, Perform (Oratory) +2, Spot +1, Swim +9; Combat
Expertise, Run, Simple Weapon Proficiency (dagger, punching).
2.3 The Sneezing Cane
---------------------
Accommodations: None
Example Menus:
- Breakfast:
- Beef steak, Sharp cheese, Goose eggs, Blueberries, Corn
pone (cost 1cp).
- Monkey brain, Goose eggs, Curds, Blackberries, Corn pone
(cost 1cp)
- Ham, Soft cheese, Curds, Melon, Rice (cost 1cp).
- Lunch:
- Owlbear chop, Sharp cheese, Broad beans, Dates (cost 1cp).
- Pork chop, Soft cheese, Chick peas, Dates (cost 1cp).
- Pork chop, Goose eggs, Lentils, Blueberries (cost 1cp).
- Supper:
- Cat cutlet, Corn, Leeks, Goblin bannock, Applesauce (cost
2cp).
- Pork liver, Spinach, Yams, Centaur rye, Rice pudding (cost
2cp).
- Broiled catfish, Collard greens, Taro, Corn pone,
Applesauce (cost 2cp).
- Snack:
- Quail eggs, Blueberries, Rice (cost 1cp)
- Duck eggs, Pear, Coarse rye bread (cost 1cp)
- Soft cheese, Pear, Millet (cost 1cp)
The main entrance to The Sneezing Cane is to the right; you can tie
your horses on the right side of the building. The tavern has a comfortable
lobby where you can wait for friends to join you before leaving or as you
arrive. The tap room is to the left. The tap room has 10 tables where
patrons eat and drink and warm themselves by the fireplace. The long bar
promises quick delivery of all kinds of drinks. The taverns's kitchen has
2 ovens and provides a large menu every day. There is another entrance
through the kitchen in the back.
Erika's tavern is the most recent addition to the city, having been
here for less than a year. However, it is quickly becoming a success with
its wide variety of foods (thanks to its two ovens), and its quick-witted
and beautiful owner. She is a bit frail – which makes her even more
attractive to many men – but quite amply endowed in all of the areas
that matter. She is young, unmarried, and quickly becoming wealthy. She
lives in a small house on the south side of town, choosing not to live in
her establishment, like so many business owners. She was able to do this
because she comes from a semi-wealthy family in a large city, and brought
enough money with her to build a home and a business. It was almost entirely
exhausted while doing so, so she is no less energetic about the
profitability of her business. For that reason, her establishment is the
only one in Hillsburrough that serves all 3 meals of the day. The ovens
get stoked at 5 am, and don't stop until midnight.
The tavern got its name from the rare flowers that skirt the front of
the tavern, which grow on long canes and end in beautiful red flowers with
huge petals, that caused Erika to sneeze constantly until she got used to
the climate.
Erika, female human Com10: CR 9; Size M (5 ft., 4 in. tall); HD 10d4-20;
hp 14; Init -1 (-1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 9 (-1 Dex); Attack +8 melee, or +4
ranged; SV Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +6; AL LN; Str 16, Dex 10, Con 9, Int 13,
Wis 13, Cha 16.
Languages Spoken: Common.
Skill points: Com 26
Skills and feats: Climb +16, Handle Animal +8, Hide -1, Knowledge
(Geography) +4, Knowledge (Local) +1, Listen +3, Move Silently -1, Spot +3;
Alertness, Iron Will, Skill Focus (Climb), Skill Focus (Knowledge (Local)),
Skill Focus (Handle Animal).
Possessions:
apache tears(small droplets of black, smokey black, reddish, greenish black,
or purplish black obsidian) (11.4 gp)
potion of spider climb (50 gp)
dun-colored
sweet odor/taste
watery, translucent appearance
She keeps both in a locked metal box hidden next to the right oven in the
kitchen, in the bottom of the coal bucket.
2.4 The Annex
-------------
The Annex is a weapon/armory smithy run by Bella and Ynvar, her husband
of fifteen years. Both are in their early thirties, and they're the best
smiths in this region. Bella does all the armor work, and Ynvar performs all
of the weapon work. They share the blacksmith work. All their goods sell for
the prices listed in the Player's Handbook, but they sell to the town guard
for a 10% discount (because they buy in bulk). They will do masterwork
weapons, with an 8 month delay for the crafting of the weapon. The couple has
lived here their whole lives, and have had two children, Otkel and Eyvind.
Both are lieutenants in the Town Guard.
Bella is well mannered, polite, and still good looking despite her
profession and advancing years. She wears simple blacksmith clothing at work,
but in her off hours she tends to dress as elaborately as is practical,
especially when going to any sort of social function. She doesn't gossip
like a true Belle, though, which suits her and her husband just fine. Ynvar
is fascinated by magic, and has always wanted to be able to do it himself;
but not necessarily like a regular wizard, he has just wanted to be able to
imbue his weapons with magical ability. However, he never had the requisite
intelligence or wisdom to master any sort of spellcasting abilities. He is
also getting to be hard of hearing, which would make spells with verbal
components difficult to follow.
Bella, female human Com6: CR 5; Size M (5 ft., 7 in. tall); HD 6d4; hp 15;
Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 10; Attack +4 melee, or +3 ranged; SV Fort +4,
Ref +2, Will +2; AL N; Str 12, Dex 11, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 11.
Languages Spoken: Common.
Skill points: Com 27
Skills and feats: Craft (Armorsmithing) +7, Craft (Blacksmithing) +8, Craft
(Stonemasonry) +7, Hide +0, Listen +2, Move Silently +0, Profession (Miner) +7,
Spot +2; Alertness, Great Fortitude, Martial Weapon Proficiency (falchion),
Skill Focus (Craft (Blacksmithing)).
Possessions: A lynx eye (9 gp) and a green malachite (19 gp). She also has a
+4 large steel shield that she won in a bet from Milo, after he came back
from one of his raiding trips.
Ynvar, male human Com12: CR 11; Size M (5 ft., 2 in. tall); HD 12d4; hp 29;
Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 10; Attack +8/+3 melee, or +6/+1 ranged; SV Fort +6,
Ref +4, Will +4; AL CN; Str 14, Dex 11, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10.
Languages Spoken: Common.
Skill points: Com 45
Skills and feats: Climb +18, Craft (Blacksmithing) +13, Craft (Weaponsmithing)
+8, Hide +0, Listen +2, Move Silently +0, Spot +14; Alertness, Great Fortitude,
Quick Draw, Skill Focus (Craft (Weaponsmithing)), Skill Focus (Climb), Skill
Focus (Craft (Blacksmithing)).
Possessions: Chrysocolla (8 gp) and peach sunstone (9 gp) gemstones. Also a
set of +2 studded leather armor.
Otkel, male human War2: CR 1; Size M (6 ft., 3 in. tall); HD 2d8; hp 14;
Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 10; Attack +2 melee, or +2 ranged; SV Fort +3, Ref +0,
Will +0; AL N; Str 10, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 11.
Languages Spoken: Aquan, Common, Halfling.
Skill points: War 15
Skills and feats: Decipher Script +0.5, Handle Animal +2, Hide +0, Knowledge
(Weapons and Armor) +0.5, Listen +0, Move Silently +0, Ride +4, Speak
Language +2, Spot +1.5; Blind-Fight, Weapon Focus (battleaxe).
Possessions: Chain shirt (+4 AC), Longsword, 50 silver pieces
Eyvind, male human War2: CR 1; Size M (5 ft., 10 in. tall); HD 2d8; hp 9;
Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 10; Attack +2 melee, or +2 ranged; SV Fort +3, Ref +0,
Will +0; AL N; Str 11, Dex 11, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10.
Languages Spoken: Common.
Skill points: War 15
Skills and feats: Climb +5, Hide +0, Intimidate +5, Listen +0, Move
Silently +0, Spot +0, Survival +2.5; Exotic Weapon Proficiency (crossbow,
hand), Point Blank Shot.
Possessions: Breastplate (+5 AC), Masterwork Trident, Masterwork hand crossbow
and 10 bolts, Longsword, 2 Smoke sticks, 50 silver pieces
2.5 Master Gerbo's House of Contraptions and Contrivances
---------------------------------------------------------
This is the local Tinker, owned and operated by Master Gerbo, an 11th
level expert (and also secretly a 5th level gnomish artificer that I haven't
yet fleshed out). For a small fee, he will fix most manners of device –
wagon wheels, tongues, faucets, cranks, etc. For a reasonable fee, he will
create new machines. For a much larger fee, he will operate his unadvertised
services as an Artificer, creating entirely new pseudo-magical devices.
The shop from which he operates is a stone building, fifty by fifty feet
on the outside. The lobby where he receives customers, however, is just
barely fifty by twenty. He keeps ready stock in the back room, and does his
actual work below ground, which he enters and leaves through a trapdoor
behind his desk, only when he is alone. The shop is windowless, being lit
by oil lamps on the inside; the only indication to its purpose is the large
glyphs carved into the stone above the door. When the shop is closed, a
large locking mechanism drives 4 3” diameter steel pins through the door
and wall, making it essentially impossible to open (Strength check DC 30).
Even if you were to break in, the total value of things in the back might
total 100 gold; the truly valuable items are below ground, underneath the
well-hidden trap door located underneath Gerbo's desk, which will sprout
wheels and roll to the side, exposing the door, when a button is pressed.
Until the button is pressed, a mechanism similar to the door keeps the desk
secured to the floor.
Gerbo is somewhat lazy unless a particular project REALLY grabs his
attention. Most simple jobs will take the normal amount of time; mundane
creations will take 150% the normal time to complete. However, when working
in the task of artificer creating magical (or unique non-magical) devices,
he will finish them in ? the estimated time. Gerbo is easygoing, but quick
to take vengeance – he keeps a shotgun of his own design underneath his
desk, and will not hesitate to use it.
Gerbo, male gnome Wiz10/Artificer 5: CR 10; Size S (3 ft., 6 in. tall);
HD 10d4+50; hp 78; Init +4 (+4 Dex); Spd 20 ft.; AC 16 (+4 Dex, +1 Size, +1
Ring); Attack +6 melee, or +10 ranged; SV Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +9; AL CN;
Str 10, Dex 18, Con 21, Int 19, Wis 13, Cha 14.
Languages Spoken: Common, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Orc.
Skill points: Wiz 78
Skills and feats: Craft (Alchemy) +6, Craft (Weaponsmithing) +15, Hide +8,
Knowledge (Arcana) +17, Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) +17,
Knowledge (Geography) +15, Knowledge (Nature) +17, Knowledge (The Planes) +10,
Listen +3, Move Silently +4, Spellcraft +15, Spot +1; Craft Rod, Empower
Spell, Extend Spell, Point Blank Shot, [Scribe Scroll], Still Spell, Widen
Spell, Exemplary Artificer
Possessions: Goggles of Minute Seeing, Ring of Protection +1, Ring of Force
Shield, ~200 gold pieces in a chest underneath the shop
Artificer Powers : Gerbo is unique amongst Artificers, in that he can use any
of his wizard spells known when making a device. This is unique to him,
because he has the feat Exemplary Artificer, which has requirements so
rediculous I won't go into it here.
Wizard Spells Known (4/5/5/4/4/2): 0th -- Acid Splash, Arcane Mark, Dancing
Lights, Daze, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Disrupt Undead, Flare, Ghost Sound,
Light, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Open/Close, Prestidigitation, Ray of
Frost, Read Magic, Resistance, Touch of Fatigue. 1st -- Identify, Magic Aura,
Magic Missile, Shocking Grasp, Silent Image, Sleep. 2nd -- Acid Arrow,
Blur, Darkness, Fox's Cunning, Invisibility, Knock, Resist Energy, Spider
Climb. 3rd -- Dispel Magic, Fireball, Flame Arrow, Haste, Hold Person,
Lightning Bolt, Magic Circle against Chaos, Magic Circle against Law,
Protection from Energy, Wind Wall. 4th -- Charm Monster, Fire Trap,
Polymorph, Stoneskin. 5th -- Baleful Polymorph, Hold Monster, Persistent
Image, Secret Chest.
Gerbo's Scattergun: 2D10, +5 to hit, 16-20/x3 (threat range decreases by
1 for every 20 feet away from the muzzle – beyond 100 feet, this weapon
has no effect other than to frighten and make lots of noise), holds 2 rounds
in a break-open design. Hidden underneath his cloak. He carries 10 spare
rounds. Both barrels may be fired in a single round even if the character
has only one attack, if all other actions that round are forfeited.
Reloading this weapon is a full-round action.
2.6 The Scrying Stick
---------------------
The Scrying Stick is a recent addition to the village, having only come
in the past year. It was a welcome addition, however, as the slight
population boom of the Orc Bounty has caused the very small amount of room
space in the local taverns to be exhausted by the influx of adventurers on
their way to the frontier. So The Scrying Stick is doing good business,
although they think they may have built it too big – the second and third
floors are almost entirely unoccupied, unless someone specifically requests
an elevated room. Although, Anaphia has been able to compensate for the loss
of occupants by using those rooms to run her own bordello in the Scrying
Stick. The girls are all pretty, running the gamut from slim and boyish, to
curvy and busty, to slightly pudgy and average. The cost for a girl is 1
gold piece per visit (one “visit” being defined as you getting off,
or one hour), a full 5cp of which goes to the girl. The girls that work here
work here because the money is good, not because they're slaves, and Anaphia
heatedly defends herself against those who say otherwise (as do the girls).
The Scrying Stick is an elaborate affair compared to the rest of the
village. It is a three story affair, with ten rooms per floor, excepting
the ground floor which has only 9. The main entrance is in the center of the
building's face, and opens to the registration desk, manned by Anaphia, the
innkeeper. Her desk is on the left, and on the right there is a small table
with complimentary juice and pastries for the occupants, as well as a few
chairs when waiting for the rest of your party to arrive. The hallway
straight ahead will take you to the first floor of rooms (1A, 1B, etc),
opposing each other all the way down the hallway. At the end of the hall
is an elevator (with the words “Grebo's Raise-O-Matic Five Thousand”
elegantly written above the control mechanism), manned by a nondescript
bellhop named “Finnigan”. It is large enough for ten people, or four
people wearing full adventuring gear.
As for the rooms themselves, they are nice, but nothing to write home
about. They all have a window that looks out on the surrounding village
(the windows open to allow fresh air), covered by plain purple curtains.
There is a wash basin, and a bathtub into which you may have a bath drawn
(though it takes almost an hour to prepare). A simple mirror stands above
a basic three-drawer dresser, one of which contains a copy of the local map,
and a map of the local outlying area. For 5sp, the inn will take your armor
and weapons to the local smiths for cleaning, and return them to your room,
adding the smith's bill to your tab – so you won't have to worry yourself
with leaving the inn if you just want to kick back and relax. Check-out time
is 11 am sharp every day, and if you miss check in you will be charged
another day, no exceptions. A one-night stay at The Scrying Stick is 7sp –
clearly targeted at adventuring types with more money than bills. You can
get a discount stay at the Inn by the week, however, for only 4 gp. The one
week stay includes one complimentary visit from your choice of girl.
As for Anaphia herself, the Inn's slightly pudgy innkeeper, she is a
truthful and to-the-point person, while still polite and womanly. She is
most definitely showing her elven heritage, in her dress and mannerisms
– such as her insistance on wearing the best perfumes she can buy at all
times. Most of them smell like Violets, or Roses. She also has the odd talen
of sculpting, which she uses to make small clay figurines that are elegantly
painted, and sold at the counter like a gift shop. They are figurines of
trolls, goblins, heroes, etc. Most of them sell for about 5cp. Gerbo is known
to, at random times, purchase one or more figurines, imbue them with some
minor magic, and replace them in the case.
The Scrying Stick got its name from the method with which its site was
selected – Anaphia took a pair of dowsing rods along the road, and
purchased the lot at the point where they crossed. (There are also jokes
around about how her girls will “Scry your Stick”, but those aren't
the basis of the name.)
Anaphia, female half-elf Com4: CR 3; Size M (5 ft., 7 in. tall); HD 4d4;
hp 13; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 10; Attack +3 melee, or +2 ranged; SV Fort +1,
Ref +1, Will +1; AL N; Str 12, Dex 11, Con 11, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 11.
Languages Spoken: Common, Elven.
Skill points: Com 14
Skills and feats: Craft (Sculpting) +6, Diplomacy +2, Gather Information +2,
Hide +0, Jump +2, Listen +1, Move Silently +0, Search +1, Spellcraft +3,
Spot +1, Swim +2, Use Magic Device +1; Combat Reflexes, Skill Focus (Craft
(Sculpting)).
Possessions: Mundane items, and a lockbox full of gold pieces (16).
2.7 Hoskuld's Stablehouse
-------------------------
The stables used to be located on the north end of town, but they have
since been relocated directly across from the Scrying Stick, to make better
business. Hoskuld, the orcish owner of this establishment, settled here right
before the start of the push to the frontier; he had adventured for many years,
and simply got tired of it. He found that the rewards didn't match the risks
on the open frontier – especially not with the new cults popping up out
there, worshipping Dragons and all. Too much danger for this Orc. Besides,
he already had more money than he ever wanted or knew what to do with, and
had counted coo on countless enemies. It was a good life for a barbarian to
have led. So he settled down and started a hostler, where he is making a
happy living, occasionally lending his services to the town guard to assist
in training their militia, and helping to quell disturbances that occasionally
flux into town from the Frontier. The hostler is setup to handle as many as
ten horses in the “guest” stables, as well as an additional ten horses
that he keeps for buying/selling (and, it is rumored, eating). He also has
room enough in his stables for two full sized carriages, and keeps a wagon
for use or for loaning on a by-the-day basis.
As for Hoskuld himself, he is covered almost entirely by strange warrior
tattoos, and goes about wearing only britches and boots – never a shirt,
no matter how cold it is. His hair is tied back into one long ponytail, and
his body is entirely shaved otherwise. He is an extremely overbeating
individual, and for this reason (as if there needs to be a reason) Grebo
has officially declared him an “unwashed heathen”. This is not entirely
true – Hoskuld makes it a point to bathe at least once a year, during one
of the many occasions when he takes his horses down to the river; though it
usually consists of him diving in after some bit of live meat or an escaping
horse and becoming drenched in the process. Soap is almost never involved.
Hoskuld generally regards Grebo as little more than a large mouse which he
would gleefully crush, if it weren't for the town guard's tank of a leader,
Alexei. So they keep quiet, but it is widely known that they constantly play
pranks on one another.
Hoskuld, male orc Bbn13: CR 13; Size M (5 ft., 9 in. tall); HD 13d12; hp 90;
Init +0; Spd 40 ft.; AC 10; Attack +16/+11/+6 melee, or +13/+8/+3 ranged; SV
Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +6; AL N; Str 16, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 10.
Languages Spoken: Common, Orc.
Skill points: Bbn 48
Skills and feats: Climb +17, Handle Animal +15, Hide +0, Intimidate +11,
Listen +0, Move Silently +0, Search +3.5, Spot +0; Combat Reflexes, Endurance,
Iron Will, Self Sufficient.
Possessions: +1 Orcish Double Axe of throwing, Heward's handy haversack
2.8 Milo's Warez
----------------
Milo is another remnant of the early push to the frontier – he went
dungeoneering for a few years, and collected a few items, and generally had
a good time. But he quickly learned he could make more money if he stayed
here in the village, selling and buying (and occasionally pilfering) from
the other shopkeepers and passing merchants. So he setup shop here in an old
house, where he sells various goods to adventurers and commoners; equipment,
mostly, but some household items to the local residents. It is your standard
variety goods store. There is a sign above the counter that says “Iron
rations – It's what's for dinner”.
Milo himself is, besides being a generally roguish character, a passionate
lover of all forms of art. He collects (and compulsively steals) good artworks
whenever he finds them, and will pay exorbitant prices to add them to his
collection. Similarly, when he has art for sale in his store, he prices it
rediculously, generally so he can keep it for himself. He is also a jokester
and a prankster, often being recruited by Hoskuld to play pranks on Gerbo
for him (Hoskuld isn't terribly bright, and he knows it – nor is he
terribly stealthy). He genuinely enjoys his pranks, and has yet to be caught
for them – which is a point of pride for Milo.
Milo, male halfling Rog5: CR 5; Size S (3 ft., 3 in. tall); HD 5d6+5; hp 24;
Init +4 (+4 Dex); Spd 20 ft.; AC 15 (+4 Dex, +1 Size); Attack +4 melee, or +8
ranged; SV Fort +3, Ref +9, Will +6; AL CN; Str 10, Dex 19, Con 12, Int 18,
Wis 18, Cha 12.
Languages Spoken: Common, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Orc.
Skill points: Rog 96
Skills and feats: Bluff +9, Climb +2, Decipher Script +12, Disable Device +12,
Escape Artist +10, Gather Information +8, Hide +15, Jump +2, Listen +8, Move
Silently +11, Open Lock +12, Search +12, Sleight of Hand +12, Spot +14,
Tumble +12, Use Magic Device +8; Alertness, [Evasion], Weapon Finesse.
Possessions: 3 smokesticks, 3 vials holy water, Masterwork shortsword, 2
bottles alchemist fire, ~20 gp in a locked box hidden in his shops
2.9 Temple of the Glorious Morning
----------------------------------
The Temple of the Glorious Morning was built when the village was first
founded – when it was barely a trading post in the early days. It used to
double as the church and the guardhouse, and the old dungeons still remain
underneath the church. Outside the church, a large pool filled with holy
water is surrounded by 9 statues of heroes kneeling to drink, and standing
guard while their friends do. The statue on the west side of the pool is
knelt in prayer. The balcony over the front double doors is held up by large
pillars carved with more heroes. The double doors are waterproof, and are
nearly impossible to break down. Inside, the door is flanked by locked spiral
staircases up to the balcony, and the right side of the church has the
priest's quarters. The left side has storage space. The rooms flanking the
cathedral are old guard rooms / altar boy rooms, which still have the old
bunks and weapons racks (though the racks are now mainly empty, the weapons
moved to the new guardhouse beneath the clocktower in the center of town).
The central cathedral is large enough, with its vaulted ceilings and large
pews, to house most of the population of the village, but only about ? of
them regularly attend nowadays. The cathedral contains tapestries depicting
glorious scenes, as does the large curtain behind the altar. The secret door
to the old dungeon is behind this curtain (DC 20), though only a few citizens
still remember it, besides the priest. It is currently locked and covered
with various temple trappings. The rooms in the back of the temple are
currently undefined, probably remnants of the older, more violent traditions
at the temple.
The priest of this temple is Constantine (hm Clr Protection/War), an
older style Priest of Heironeous, who thinks there are not many situations
that cannot be resolved by destroying the evil. But he is wise, not just
some brute, and the people love him. He often allows poor families to live
in the church, same for drifters and other people down on their luck. At the
same time, he often funds expeditions into the frontier, chasing down
evil-doers and routing out nests of the horde.
Constantine will always be 5 levels above the players.
2.9.1 Old Church Dungeons
-------------------------
The old dungeons beneath the church were only built to house a small
number of people, and they weren't terribly strong. It consists of one
single room roughly dug out of the earth, supported by old, large oak wooden
framing. The ceiling is covered in a network of cables and rigging, which
all lead eventually to a series of levers on the wall. The levers are used
to raise and lower 10x10x8 ft cages into/out of holes in the floor. It
takes two men (Str DC 20) to raise a cage. The cages are where the prisoners
would be kept. There are two extra temporary cages out of the floor, in the
open space on the far right side of the room. The cages are made of wrought
iron and had strong locks on them a hundred years or so ago, but the locks
are rusted shut or eaten away by rust at this point. The stone table on the
left side of the room by the steps was originally used for extracting
information from enemy combatants, but Constantine doesn't know about this,
and if he does he won't admit it. The table slopes to the center, where
there is a small drain, for obvious purposes.
Gerbo has wanted to replace the wooden framing for a long time with stonework,
because he's afraid the church will sink in on top of the old prison –
but so far Constantine hasn't taken him up on it. The old prison will most
likely become an issue at some point, however, as it presents an obvious and
easy entry point for denizens of the underdark if they were to inadvertently
(or intentionally) burrow into it.
3. Government
-------------
The government of Hillsburrough is conventional and of a neutral nature,
which is pretty good for just about everyone. The town has an elected Mayor,
and a village council. The mayor is elected and serves for no more than two
years before the next election, but the same mayor has been in power for more
than 8 years because nobody has cared to run against him. The village council
is made up of 10 members, chosen from the various portions of the city –
there are merchants, farmers, adventuring guild representatives, and many
types of other people on the council (as well as the current head of the
town guard). Council members are selected by the mayor, unless the citizenry
objects to his selection, and serve for a period of one year as well. Here
again, the same council members have generally served and will continue to
serve, because nobody really has a problem with how they're working out.
The laws in the area are typical of midevil fantasy settings – don't
kill, steal, or rape. Most small offenses will land you in the clink for a
small time, but executions can and have been performed for serious crimes.
And given that Hillsburrough is an independent city on the Frontier, there
is no higher court to appeal to. The legal process is somewhat similar to
here in america – two lawyers jew at each other in front of a jury of 12
people, and they come back with a verdict. There are no trials without a
jury, by order of the town charter – even something as small as stealing
bread, if it goes to trial, goes to trial before a jury.
The current village council consists of the mayor, Master Gerbo, Svein,
Edward Longfingers, Gilbert and Marigold (halfling sheepherders from the
outskirts of the village), Godfred (a shipmaker that lives on the river above
town), Camelia (a halfling rabbit farmer), Balnal (a dwarven hunter who
hunts in the foothills), and Camelia and Boddyknock, human dairy farmers.
Alexei sometimes sits on the council as a representative of the City Watch,
but has no official position, and is usually only a guiding voice –
though when he speaks, it is fairly authoritative.
Mayor Hafgrim, male human Nob9: CR 8; Size M (6 ft., 2 in. tall); HD 9d8-18;
hp 28; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 11 (+1 Dex); Attack +6/+1 melee,
or +7/+2 ranged; SV Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +8; AL LG; Str 11, Dex 13, Con 6,
Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 12.
Languages Spoken: Common.
Skill points: Nob 60
Skills and feats: Diplomacy +12, Gather Information +11, Handle Animal +12,
Hide +1, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +13, Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) +11,
Listen +2, Move Silently +1, Perform (Oratory) +3, Sleight of Hand +3,
Spot +2; Leadership, Point Blank Shot, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Skill Focus
(Knowledge (Dungeoneering)), Weapon Focus (rapier).
Possessions: 12,000 gp in gear.
Gilbert, male halfling Com5: CR 4; Size S (2 ft., 10 in. tall); HD 5d4;
hp 12; Init +2 (+2 Dex); Spd 20 ft.; AC 13 (+2 Dex, +1 Size); Attack +5
melee, or +5 ranged; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +3; AL NG; Str 14, Dex 15,
Con 11, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 8.
Languages Spoken: Common, Halfling.
Skill points: Com 8
Skills and feats: Climb +4, Craft (Leatherworking) +3, Hide +6, Jump +4,
Listen +10, Move Silently +4, Spot +1; Skill Focus (Listen), Skill Focus
(Craft (Leatherworking)).
Possessions: 21 gp in gear.
Marigold, female halfling Com1: CR 1; Size S (3 ft., 0 in. tall); HD 1d4-3;
hp 1; Init +0; Spd 20 ft.; AC 11 (+1 Size); Attack -1 melee, or +1 ranged;
SV Fort -2, Ref +1, Will -1; AL NE; Str 7, Dex 11, Con 5, Int 7, Wis 7, Cha 9.
Languages Spoken: Common, Halfling.
Skill points: Com 4
Skills and feats: Climb +0, Hide +4, Jump +0, Knowledge (The Planes) +0,
Listen +0, Move Silently +2, Spot -2; Track.
Possessions: 4 gp in gear.
Godfred, male human Com2: CR 1; Size M (5 ft., 6 in. tall); HD 2d4-2; hp 5;
Init +2 (+2 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 12 (+2 Dex); Attack +3 melee, or +3 ranged;
SV Fort -1, Ref +2, Will +3; AL NG; Str 15, Dex 15, Con 9, Int 10, Wis 13,
Cha 8.
Languages Spoken: Common.
Skill points: Com 15
Skills and feats: Climb +7, Craft (Carpentry) +3, Craft (Painting) +2, Craft
(Shipmaking) +5, Hide +2, Listen +1, Move Silently +2, Spot +1; Combat
Reflexes, Iron Will.
Possessions: 10 gp in gear.
Balnal, female dwarf Com5: CR 4; Size M (3 ft., 11 in. tall); HD 5d4; hp 11;
Init +0; Spd 20 ft.; AC 10; Attack +3 melee, or +2 ranged; SV Fort +1,
Ref +1, Will +1; AL N; Str 12, Dex 11, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8.
Languages Spoken: Common, Dwarven.
Skill points: Com 16
Skills and feats: Craft (Armorsmithing) +2, Craft (Blacksmithing) +2, Craft
(Stonemasonry) +2, Craft (Trapmaking) +2, Craft (Weaponsmithing) +2, Craft
(Woodworking) +7, Hide +0, Listen +0, Move Silently +0, Open Lock +1.5,
Profession (Hunter) +8, Spot +0; Skill Focus (Profession (Hunter)), Skill
Focus (Craft (Woodworking)).
Possessions: 21 gp in gear.
Camelia, female halfling Com1: CR 1; Size S (2 ft., 9 in. tall); HD 1d4-1;
hp 3; Init +2 (+2 Dex); Spd 20 ft.; AC 13 (+2 Dex, +1 Size); Attack +1 melee,
or +3 ranged; SV Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +2; AL N; Str 11, Dex 15, Con 8,
Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 9.
Languages Spoken: Common, Gnome, Halfling.
Skill points: Com 12
Skills and feats: Climb +6, Profession (Dairy farming) +4, Craft
(Trapmaking) +5, Hide +6, Jump +2, Listen +3, Move Silently +4, Spot +1,
Swim +2; Armor Proficiency (Light).
Possessions: 4 gp in gear.
Boddynock, male gnome Com5: CR 4; Size S (3 ft., 4 in. tall); HD 5d4-10;
hp 7; Init -2 (-2 Dex); Spd 20 ft.; AC 9 (-2 Dex, +1 Size); Attack +3 melee,
or +1 ranged; SV Fort -1, Ref -1, Will +2; AL NG; Str 10, Dex 6, Con 7,
Int 7, Wis 13, Cha 9.
Languages Spoken: Common, Gnome.
Skill points: Com 8
Skills and feats: Craft (Alchemy) +0, Profession (Dairy farming) +7, Hide +2,
Listen +3, Move Silently -2, Spot +1; Skill Focus (Profession(Dairy farming)).
Possessions: 21 gp in gear.
3.1 City Guard
--------------
The town guard consists of maybe 30 people, only about 5 of which are on
duty at any given time, who are all under the direct command of Alexei “
The Tank”, the Commander of the Guard. He is an extremely strong but
intelligent and wise leader, loved by the Mayor, his Men, and the townsfolk
alike. He has amicable relations with everyone in town, which often is the
reason for Hoskuld and Grebo not getting into an all-out war over their
pranks. The rest of the guardsmen can be considered 1st level fighters.
Alexei, male human Ftr20: CR 20; Size M (5 ft., 7 in. tall); HD 20d10+80;
hp 198; Init +3 (+3 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 19 (+3 Dex, +3 armor); Attack
+26/+21/+16/+11 melee, or +23/+18/+13/+8 ranged; SV Fort +16, Ref +9, Will
+7; AL LG; Str 22, Dex 16, Con 19, Int 17, Wis 12, Cha 12.
Languages Spoken: Common, Elven, Gnome, Halfling.
Skill points: Ftr 138
Skills and feats: Climb +29, Concentration +6.5, Craft (Stonemasonry) +14,
Gather Information +2, Handle Animal +23, Hide +3, Intimidate +22, Jump +27,
Listen +3, Move Silently +3, Ride +12, Spot +3, Swim +26, Tumble +6;
Alertness, Blind-Fight, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Far Shot, Great
Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Sunder, Leadership, Point Blank Shot,
Power Attack, Quick Draw, Rapid Shot, Track, Weapon Focus (longsword),
Weapon Specialization (longsword).
Possessions: +2 Longsword of Thundering (+29/+24/+19/+15 1d8+5), +3 full plate,
+1 studded leather of sonic resistance (worn most frequently), Ring of Freedom
of Movement, Warhorse with platemail barding
Aside from the Town Guard, Hillsburrough subscribes to a Militia
system – one day a week, all able bodied men are required to gather in
town and train to fight off roving monster bands, and groups of bandits,
etc. They also train in flood response, putting out fires, etc. These events
are something the whole town get into (even Grebo and Hoskuld act peacably
during these events), and it's a big way that the town stays cohesive and
tight-knit. Strong friendships are built in the training, and as a result
the entire citizenry is able bodied and determined. This is one of the reasons
for their independence – Alexei, Grebo and Hoskuld aside, you would have
a hard time occupying Hillsburrough.
3.2 Outlying farms
------------------
The farms that lie on the north end of the village, next to the river,
grow a variety of crops – beans, leafy vegetables, nuts, some fruits, and
there are farms that raise beef, pork, poultry, and dairy. Some families run
cloth weaving, apothecary, or other oddball shops just outside of town in the
foothills or in the plains. The people of the village are, by and large,
agricultural – the majority of people don't live in the village proper,
but in the outlying farms. Hillsburrough claims the area that is in a 10 mile
radius from the center of town (the town hall with the clocktower), so a
lot of outlying farmers fall under Hillsburrough's jurisdiction.
Most of the farm houses are simple one-story homes with basic amenities
– outhouse, kitchen, fireplace, etc. A few of the outlying homes,
however – such as Mayor Hafgrim's manor home – are quite elaborate
for the simple village, two or three stories and containing a basement.
Despite the appearance of the simple folk in Hillsburrough, there is a lot
of money coming through – this is, after all, the last stop before the
frontier.

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The Free Frontier is the frontier which falls just outside of the Kingdom's boundaries, whether it is North, South or East of the kingdom.

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Named for the sound the wind makes when it howls through these low
mountains, the Wailing Wall is home to such rare creatures as griffins,
banshees, and even (it is rumored) pegasi. A prominent wizard is currently
doing excavation west of the village of Banshee's Ford, in preparation for
the installation of add-ons to his (already large) tower.

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The Frontier
“The Frontier” is a blanket term for all monstrous kingdoms that lie north, south, and east of the Western Kingdom of men. When the term is used by members of the monstrous races, it is a term used to refer to the gap between the westernmost of the monstrous kingdoms, and the city of Hillsburrough – the frontier which separates the men from the monstrous. (Or, as they are known in the monstrous kingdoms, “the slaves and the masters.”)
Men of the Frontier
There are two types of demihumans that dwell on the frontier: soldiers fighting for the Western Kingdom, and pioneers. Pioneers are those who are attempting to follow behind King Braddock's army and settle the frontier, expanding the kingdoms of man and further opposing the monstrous kingdoms. This is an extremely dangerous lifestyle, and those who lead it are fittingly tough, both in body and spirit.
Average Pioneer
c1 (races will vary – but most often human)
HP 6
AC 10
ST 12, DE 10, CO 14, IN 10, WI 12, CH 10
Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +1
Init +0
BAB +1, +0 ranged
Languages: Common; 30% will know one of the following: orcish, goblinoid, elvish, dwarven, gnomish, or the language of a local pervasive monster type
Possessions: long knife, farming or other trade implements (80% of every pioneer will possess a melee or ranged weapon and ammunition), 1 sp and 1d20 cp (with an additional 1d10 sp in a hidden location in their home).
The pioneers on the frontier come from all walks of life (though many are former soldiers), and attend various things – some set up shops, some start farms, others start a smithy. But all must be acquainted with the facts of life on the frontier: disease, unnaturally bad weather conditions, and frequent monster attacks – when their nearest garrison might be 30 or more miles away.
The average pioneer's home is simple, being made of local materials. On the grasslands of the frontier, sod houses are popular (dirt is free!). In the mountains, natural shelter – caves and other such surroundings – are used when found, but otherwise, trees are felled and used to build shelter. Some nomadic tribes pitch simple leather teepees on the grass itself, so they might be moved easily when following a herd. Regardless of construction, the average pioneer's home is a one or two room structure, with just enough room to eat, and sleep in. “Living” quarters are simple; beds are straw and rope when there are beds at all. Piles of furs and other such accommodations are also common. All homes, except in extremely hot climates, have a large fireplace or common fire pit; even the ones in very hot climes usually setup a dedicated fire area outside the home. If the family owns any weapons, they will be prominently displayed in a place of pride; a common place is over the hearth, surrounding a copy of the Old Code, given down by the council of nine.
In areas where more than 3 or 4 pioneer families have assembled, they take a page from Hillsburrough's history and form small militia units for the defense of their farms. When fighting as a group in defense of their homes, such pioneers gain a +1 to all attack and damage rolls. All pioneers are strong willed, and will fight virtually until dispelled or destroyed.
Monsters of the Frontier
The Monsters of the Frontier are numerous, and of various alignments and opinions. It is not unheard of, though rare, for a group of pioneers to form a temporary alliance with a local neutral monster band (e.g. One that did not have a stake in the outcome of the Great Alliance and its war against the demihumans). This occurs when the two have a common enemy, or they are able to establish a routine for trade and profit amongst one another.
The majority of monsters roaming the frontier, however, are interested in no such pact. Those who are not directly attached to the remnants of the Great Alliance – now reforming in the East – are satellite agents for their interests, or are simply vicious beasts looking for loot or a quick meal.
In the plains between Hillsburrough and the Great Wall, Goblinoid armies roam the plains in a semi-organized fashion. They tend to avoid the armies of King Braddock, choosing instead to raid settlements and other lightly protected areas. These armies usually only number in the high double digits – sometimes a few hundred. They are generally led by an Orc or Hobgoblin of 1st to 3rd level, and consisting of about 10-100 additional monstrous humanoids, orcs, goblins, giants, ogres, etc. These armies are generally held together only by the force of their leader and his loyal soldiers; all members of these armies are constantly plotting and scheming against the leader, waiting for their chance to put themselves in power. The armies of King Braddock actively ferret out, engage, and pursue these armies – just as they would pursue an actual army of the Great Alliance.
Average Unaffiliated Monstrous Band
Leader – OrcB5, average stats, carries minor magical weapon and armor, 1 random medium magic item
Lieutenants – OrcB2, average stats, carries one random minor magical item; 1 lieutenant will be present for every 25 soldiers
Soldiers – 10d6+10 monstrous humanoids; a random mix of goblins, orcs, giants, trolls, etc. They are equipped with the standard variety of arms and armor; short and long spears, axes, and simple armors. There is a 1% chance that any given member of the army will have a random minor magical item.
The old remnants of the Great Alliance are currently rebuilding their strength far in the east, but that doesn't mean they never make an entrance or push towards the western kingdoms. Once every year or so, there will be a large army that will proceed forth from the outer edges of the monstrous kingdoms, numbering anywhere from a few hundred to a couple thousand monstrous humanoids. These armies are disciplined, strong, and vicious. The armies of King Braddock and the various demi-human nation states have thus far been able to repel these invading hordes.
Despite all this, the outlook in the western kingdoms is continually good. “As long as we keep seeing these armies”, they say, “the Great Alliance can't rebuild effectively. When they get quiet... then we might have a reason to worry.”
For statistics on armies of the Great Alliance, see the following section on the Great Alliance.

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1. Overview
--------
Built into a large crater in the side of one of the Eastern
Mountains. The crater is the bowl of an ancient dormant volcano,
which the Gnomes use as an infinite source of Geothermal power, and
as a natural heating source. They also use it as a resource,
occasionally tapping into a magma flow for this reason or the other.
The Engineer's Guild is tasked with the sometimes interesting task
of ensuring that the volcano stays dormant - and that if it doesn't,
then that the city has no less than one week's advance notice to
evacuate or help out.
2. People
------
The population of Breech is, for the most part - quite obviously -
Gnomes. Every Gnome here, with few exceptions, is part of one of the
ruling Clans that founded the city 75 years ago. Many gnomes that live
here are old enough to remember escaping from the Alliance; 30% of any
gnomes encountered will be more than 300 years old, and will remember
escape from the Alliance. 15% will have been of adult age at the time,
and will remember actively fighting the alliance during their escape.
(Most of these people are currently working for the Gnomish Military,
but a few are in the Engineer's Guild or the Arcanists Guild). For this
reason the people of Breech take the idea of "Country", "People", etc,
far more seriously than the human kingdom to the west. Most of the gnomes
in the city view humans as (for the most part) well intentioned, but
having excessively short life and memory spans, often leading them to make
horrible choices - possibly even repeating the past. Gnomes will generally
hold their tongues around humans, however, preferring to simply ignore them
and hope that they go away (and "don't touch anything").
The few humans who have taken up residence in Breech are generally
either political refugees from the Western Kingdom, farmers who were driven
out of their holdings in the Free Frontier by advancing Alliance armies, or
intelligent humans coming to study with the various guilds in Breech. Few
humano-centric adventuring guilds exist here, and human thieves are generally
viewed as "western barbarians" by the more sophisticated Gnomish thieves in
Breech. Still, humans are welcome; gnomes aren't as aloof as the elves. Most
humans coming here have brains, as there isn't much use for brawn here. So
humans coming into breech will have little trouble.
Elves coming into Breech are viewed with some amount of suspicion. The
Gnomes have never agreed with the elitist view that the Elves take of
themselves, or the elitism related to their elven arcane arts. The few elves
in Breech are generally members of the Arcanist Guild, and are serving at
the Academy of the Arcane Arts. Elves, however, generally don't stay long in
Breech; it's simply not their kind of place.
Breech has a strict ban on any residence by any monstrous humanoids;
this includes Goblins, Kobolds, Orcs and Half Orcs. While the gnomish clan
leaders despise the elitist attitudes of the Elves, they also distrust the
collectivist immigration policy of the Western Kingdom, where anybody who
"accepts the Lord" can immigrate from the frontier. If a monstrous humanoid
approaches a Gnomish Holding Border outpost, as long as he's peaceful,
there'll be no trouble; but he'll certainly be turned away, with instructions
to head south, and look for the nearest church, at which he may seek some sort
of western kingdom citizenship. If he is hostile, monstrous humanoids in and
around breech are dealt with decisively. "We were enslaved for millennia; we
won't have it any more. And if that means I have to blow your brains, out,
well..."
While certainly not common, Dwarves do live in Breech. The activities and
technology of the gnomes are of great interest to the dwarves of Stonehold,
and unbeknownst to those not reading over my shoulder, there are tunnels
connecting the two cities. The tunnels have existed as long as Stonehold,
and are old Underdark passageways. Dwarves patrol them along with Gnomish
Recon agents, and Dwarves will often settle in Breech as a result. Many of
the dwarves in Breech are representatives of Stonehold, or prominent Dwarvish
merchants purchasing materials and technology from the Gnomes. (It is also
not uncommon - again, unbeknownst to those not reading over my shoulder -
for gnomes to settle in Stonehold, under a strict gag order about that fact.)
For the most part, the people of Breech are, by and large, quite happy
and peaceful. But as with any gathering of peoples, there are bad elements,
criminal elements. Those residents of Breech fill the ranks on both sides,
as well as those caught in the middle. But all said and done, the people
of Breech are far more united and peaceful than those of the rest of the
Western Kingdom (except for the elves, who nobody knows what the *!@#&
they're doing).
3. Notable Persons
------------------
4. Notable Locations
--------------------
4.1 [Gnomish] Academy of the Arcane Arts [at Breech]
----------------------------------------------------
A great octagonal tower complex rising out of the center of
Breech, soaring to a height of almost 900 feet at its apex. The
single publically advertised and attendable arcane school in the
entirety of the Western Kingdoms (if the elves have such
academies, they - in their elitism - are not advertising).
It is also the headquarters of the Arcanist's Guild, and the
school is currently ran by the heads of that Guild.
4.1.1 Admission
---------------
Admission is allowed twice per year, during the
Spring and Fall equinoxes. The admission is done by test;
specifically, anyone with an intelligence of less than 12
is denied entry, period. They will be tested out on a
standardized test. After that, candidates are put through a
battery of physical tests to see if their bodies will
endure the rigors and dangers of magical training; the
specifics of this test are up to the DM, but they
generally follow the same pattern - subjecting the
candidate to severe elemental stresses, endurance tests,
etc. (Nobody can complete a 24 hour chant if they can't
stand on watch for 8 hours and function normally the next
day.) After that, they are subjected to a series of mental
tests; a series of illusions and terrors meant to test
their resolve. Any failed test will instantly disqualify a
candidate, and not even the hand of an Arcanist Senior
member can save his candidacy. Once the candidate has
passed entry exams, they are allowed entry into the
academy. Academy students, for their first four years, are
required to live on the Academy grounds with their
Arcanist mentor. They are nearly severed from contact with
the outside world, steeped in study and practice,
meditation and reflection. If they successfuly maintain
their studies for the first four years, then they will have
attained 1st level magic user, and will have placed 3d3 1st
level spells into their spellbook. After the four years
have passed, they are allowed limited contact with the
outside world, but still must live on-site with their
Arcanist mentor. In another 8 years, they will achieve 2nd
level of mastery, and may begin going on expeditions with
their Arcanist mentor or other Arcanists. Once they have
achieved their 3rd level of mastery, they are free - if
they wish - to acquire their own quarters and move out of
their Mentor's quarters. They will, however, maintain
the same mentor, regardless of their location. At the 3rd
level, the student will be assigned a student of their own
to mentor - whether they still live with their mentor or
not (naturally, the student's mentor at this time will
either inform his student that he needs to get his own
quarters, or the mentor will leave on field studies).
Admission to the academy and continued study there is
dependent upon a fee paid yearly, adjusted for the level of
study of the student. The fee is equal to 25 sp to the Nth
power, per year, where N is the level of mastery that the
student is studying. So, for 1st level, the fee is 62 gp;
but 4th level will cost 39,062 gp. That fee is *per year*.
Further, the student must maintain an active membership in
the Arcanist's Guild, which carries its own costs on top of
that. If the student is unable to pay the fees, then the
student may request that their mentor - or another Guild
member - sponsor them. When this happens, the sponsor will
agree to take on the student's debt, in exchange for the
services of the student, and forfeiture of any pay for said
services, outside of that to satisfy basic needs, until
such debt is repaid. If the student cannot attain
sponsorship from any of his peers or guild members, he may
make an appeal to the school board, consisting of the 8
school heads; if they agree with his hardship, they can
form an agreement similar to that formed between mentor and
student - but with the school as the benefactor. The
various banks in Breech also offer loan programs for the
students of the Academy, but given the nature of a bank-
being more interested in finance than the furtherance of
the science -the student's Mentor must submit the
application to the school council, and it must be approved
by the council, and the student's mentor, rather than the
student itself. The bank's terms are often even worse than
those of a mentor or the school, making this option the
least interesting of all.
4.1.2 Levels and Advancement
----------------------------
If a student relies only on book study, then it will
take 4 years (per level) to attain first level, 8 for 2nd,
16 for 3rd, 32 for 4th, 64 for 5th, 128 for 6th, 256 for
7th, 512 for 8th, and 1024 for 9th. So, to attain the 9th
level of mastery through nothing but book study, the
student would have to study for 4 + 8 + 16 + 32 + 64 + 128
+ 256 + 512 + 1024 = 2048 YEARS. This means that nobody
will ever attain the true understanding of magic necessary
to use 9th level spells just from books and study at the
Academy. Generally, once someone reaches the 4th level of
mastery, if they aren't going on expeditions already, they
will. The question of "how much XP is a year at the academy
worth?" will often come up. Specifically, here is the
chart:
Level of Years XP Per Year Magic-User
Mastery Sought To Mastery of Study Level
----------------------------------------------------------
1st 4 625 2
2nd 8 937 4
3rd 16 1875 6
4th 32 1562 8
5th 64 2500 10
6th 128 6835 13
7th 256 4394 16
8th 512 1464 18
9th 1024 732 20
For every year spent at the academy, in pursuance
of a given level of mastery, the student will be taught
- in theory and practice - a number of spells of a given
level which they can scribe into their spellbook, as shown
in the table below:
Spells Per Year
Level of By Level
Mastery 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
---------------------------------------------
1 5 - - - - - - - -
2 1 3 - - - - - - -
3 - 1 1.5 - - - - - -
4 - - - .75 - - - - -
5 - - - - .33 - - - -
6 - - - - - .20 - - -
7 - - - - - - .05 - -
8 - - - - - - - .03 -
9 - - - - - - - - .01
Fractional spells per year represent that
it will take more than one year to learn a given spell of
that school just by book learning; for example, when
pursuing the 5th level of mastery, each spell takes
(1/.33 = 3.3r) 3 years to master. At the 9th level
of mastery, it takes 100 years to master the magical
energies required to cast the Wish spell, for example.
This is another reason why most people disembark for
field studies once they reach the 3rd level of mastery,
because they can acquire spells far more quickly.
HOWEVER, note that in order to gain the spells for a given
year of study, the student must be present *for the entire
year of study*. So the student does not get automatic
spells from the academy while out on field studies.
4.2 Breech Master Pentagonal Library
------------------------------------
The single most complete library in the Kingdom. Gnomes
are known for their love of writing down whatever comes to mind,
and the Breech Master Pentagonal Library is the single largest
showcase of that. The library is built - if viewed from above -
to resemble a sort of pentagram, with five "spokes" coming out
from a central "hub". Each of the spokes houses a wing, which
will cover a specific topic (or group of related topics). The
wings are (at current - they may be rearranged, but have not
been yet):
North Wing: Agricultural and Economic texts
East Wing: Engineering, General Mathematics
Southeast Wing: Arcana, Arcane Mathematics
Southwest Wing: History and Public Records
West Wing: Fiction, Art, etc
Any texts which do not fall under those topics can be
found in the central "hub" of the library. The building itself
is a full 9 stories tall, standing almost 100 feet. Gnomish
elevators and simple staircases allow for travel between floors.
Most of the books can not be checked out due to their rare
nature, but there are few restrictions on what can be viewed and
copied.
4.3 Council Home
----------------
The Council Home is the location of the Gnomish Clan
Council, and is where they hold court. The Gnomish Clan Council
holds court once per month, lasting 14 days, with each session
per day lasting 9 hours (sometimes more if circumstances permit).
The council then takes two weeks off to "be amongst the people,
and understand their affairs far better than we possibly could,
cloistered in the lavishly decorated comfort of the Council
Home." (It is, in fact, a requirement that the Gnomish Clan
Council members - each one the head of a prominent Gnomish Clan -
hold some sort of employment outside of their council duties.)
The building is made of white marble, and is in the
Athenian style - an open building surrounded by columns,
onto which the original Clan Law, to include the Knight's Old
Code handed down by the Council of Nine, is magically carved so
that it may never be eroded and forgotten. At night it glows
with a faint white light, and those who cannot see need but
touch one of the pillars, and they will hear the law spoken
in their mind. Law and lawlessness are central issues to the
Gnomish people, as they believe that only by strict adherence to
the law - with the occasional slip by a well meaning engineer's
device - can the society remain free of corruption and tyrrany.
The Council Home is carved with various Gnomish art and sayings,
but the most prominent is carved above the main entrance. With
a sword and a scales flanking the phrase, carved in the stone
(again magically to prevent erosion), it says:
"AS ABOVE - SO BELOW"
... A reference to how the law must apply equally to
all people in Breech, whether they are a Clan leader or a
beggar in the street. Walking through the main doors
of the Council Home, you are instantly placed in the
Auditorium. Stairs lead down into an open pit in the floor,
built as an Amphiteatre, where speakers present their cases
to the court. The Council sits behind the amphitheater floor,
in a semi-closed box, facing the pit and the rest of the
seats on the other side.
The people of Breech, by and large, detest the idea of
secrets - secret societies, secret meetings, secret
organizations. For that reason, all meetings of the Council
are held open to the scrutiny of the public eye and the Breech
press. In fact, one of the reasons why the clan leaders
declared their independence from the Braddock line 75 years ago
was the increasing talk of secret meetings and societies in the
ranks.
4.4 Advanced Agricultural Growth Advancement Domes
--------------------------------------------------
In the AAGDA (pronounced simply "Ag-da" by those who
speak of them frequently), the Agriculturalist's Guild
attempts to develop methods by which:
- crops that grow well only in the foothills may
be made to grow in the mountains for additional
security of the crops
- any crop can be made to grow faster, and produce
more yield per square acre of planting
The domes stretch over an area of about 20 acres at
current, with 10 separate aquaducts feeding only this site.
At any given time there will be from 10 to 100 different
experiments taking place here, with an unknown probability of
success. Most players won't go here often.
4.5 Breech Aquifer and Aquaducts
--------------------------------
The Breech Aquifer itself is located deep under the
mountain, above Breech proper, somewhere beneath the peak
of the mountain. The various stations that make up the
Gnomish Aquafier System are lined up and down the side of
the mountain, sometimes above, and sometimes below, Breech
proper - sometimes even outside of the walls.
4.5.1 Boiling Station
---------------------
Water collects here from the aquifer, and is brought
to a boil by a combination of copper heating elements and
magical heating effects. The Boiling Station is large
enough to hold approximately 5,000 gallons of water,
and will not release to the pumping station unless the
water has reached boiling temperatures. This is both a
general sanitation concern, as well as a security concern-
Slaadi hate hot water, and they're renown for their love of
underground, cool fresh waters, like the Aquifer below
breech. The Gnomish Defense Force and Engineer's Guild
would rather not deal with the consequences if a Slaad
somehow found its way out into the Aquaduct.
Grills above the boiling station open into a network
of massive iron pipes, which open out into natural steam
vents from the underground volcanic flows. While the
steam pipes are theoretically large enough for a full sized
Orc - or even a Troll - to fit inside of and infiltrate
the Boiling Station, the intense heat of the Boiling
Station's own steam, combined with the constant - and
occasionally violent - steam release of the underground
magma flows, it is doubtful that any creature would be
able to survive the trip.
4.5.2 Pumping Station
---------------------
Water is pumped here from the boiling station, into
the aquaducts, out into the city and out to the outlying
foothills. It consists of no less than ten (and they are
often constructing more) huge pumps the size of the average
human house (each pump is approximately 60,000 cubic feet
in size, or about 100 x 50 x 10 feet tall). The pumps
are capable of moving up to 10,000 gallons of water
per hour, though they are hardly ever used to capacity.
The extra capacity was built into the pumps so that,
if Breech ever experienced flooding, the polarity on the
pumps could be reversed, and the city's excess water level
emptied out into surrounding ravines. Here, much like the
Boiling Station, there are massive iron pipes leading out
to the city and the aquaducts. It is an extremely dangerous
place, access is highly restricted, even amongst the
Engineer's Guild members who operate the location. (For
example, just because you work for the Engineer's Guild
at the Aquifer, if you work at the Boiling Station,
or the Recovery Station, you won't be granted access to
the Pumping Station).
4.5.3 Recovery Station
----------------------
Water is collected here from both rainwater sources,
street runoff, sewer return, and aquaduct return flows. The
recovery station measures the volume of water coming in -
of each variety - and ensures that contaminated ground
water (e.g. street run off and sewage) do not mix with
fresh rain water and aquaduct return flows. Contaminated
water is sent out to the Sewage Treatment Station,
and the fresh (or mostly fresh) water is sent to the
Boiling Station. The Recovery Station is also a magical
detection point; water is taken in from the various sources
and held for five minutes in large 500 gallon storage
tanks, where Detect Magic spells are cast upon it. Any
water showing traces of magical tampering is sent to the
Sewage Treatment Station instead of the Boiling Station,
regardless of its type.
4.5.4 Sewage Treatment Station
------------------------------
Contaminated water is sent here after being separated
out from fresh water at the Recovery Station. Here it goes
through a number of cleansing and preparation steps, to
include mechanical separation of waste matter, sediment
removal, chemical antibacterial and antiviral treatments,
etc. The final step of the sewage treatment station is to
undergo a final separation; non-magical water elements get
delivered directly back into the boiling station, but
any water showing magical enchantments is separated off
into a separate holding tank where the nature of the
dweomer is determined, and Dispel Magic spells used upon it
if necessary. Any water showing magical enchantments that
cannot be dispelled, is immediately dumped into one of the
various underground magma flows under the treatment
station, thus ending any threat it may pose.
4.5.5 Secondary Pumping Station
-------------------------------
Located in the foothills at the base of the mountain,
it is the job of the Secondary Pumping Station to ensure
that any and all water coming in from the aquaducts in the
foothills, and any captured mountain rainwater, is pumped
positively back up the mountain, back to the Recovery
Station. This station is almost identical to the
Pumping Station, except that its pumps are smaller and it
has less of them. Each pump here is capable of moving only
about 2,000 gallons per hour, but with more force, to
propel the water back up the mountain. There are currently
five pumps at the facility, each measuring about 30x30x10
feet.
4.6 Gnomish Military Headquarters and Command Center
----------------------------------------------------
Built in the same area of the city as the Academy of the
Arcane Arts, the compound is walled and rises approximately 120
feet above the streets (the single tallest structure in the city
next to the Academy itself). It consists of two main structures,
one for the Headquarters and another for the Command Center.
Headquarters houses the administrative and financial branches of
the Gnomish Military and Gnomish Defense Force. Its 10 story
building is full, for the most part, of offices, and the type of
people who spend their day in an office.
The second building in the pair is the Command Center,
which also houses the Gnomish Defense Force Command Center. Few
know what goes on in this 12 story building - or in its 5 level
basement.
4.6.1 Jail
----------
Also on this site is the Gnomish Clan Holdings Center
for Administrative and Military Judicial Punishment and
Executions, or "the jail" for short. The jail here is more
technological, and much more comfortable, than the one in
Throne, which is the only known jail to which it may be
readily compared. The building itself is a 4 story
building with concertina wire surrounding it,
in addition to the stone wall already surrounding the HQ/
Command Center site. Guards patrol the wire, and are
stationed on the roof, all equipped with Gnomish Light
Rifles and short swords. Escape is difficult if not
impossible. The entire site is built on top of the
mountain's own stone floor, making tunneling - again -
difficult if not impossible.
The cells are generally 10x10, have a
commode which may be flushed (rather than the simple
watered channel the ones in Throne are equipped with),
a mattress on a stone slab, a foot locker for the
holding of personal effects, a writing desk - "so that
one might study and better one's self whilst in prison,
to be a useful member of society upon one's release,
rather than yet another criminal awaiting re-entry into
a criminal world" - and, in the cases where the prisoner
is lucky enough, a reinforced glass window looking out
over various portions of the prison/city (which may or may
not be green). The rooms are also equipped with "less-than-
lethal prisoner compliance systems", which amount to a hole
in the wall through which water can be blasted at high
pressure, targeted at a troublesome prisoner, "inducing
compliance rapidly".
Those criminals unlucky enough to be assigned to a
"high risk" cell will find their stay far less enjoyable.
These prisoners are generally kept under chemical sedation
while in prison, inside their 8x8 cells with simple
stone beds - to which they may be electronically shackled.
The flushing commode has been replaced in these cells
by the simpler watered channel, "to reduce the amount of
frangible material available to a prisoner, which may be
reduced to weapon-like shards to be used against
themselves, other prisoners, or their guards". Closed-
circuit electronic/magical hybrid cameras monitor the
cells 24/7, giving the prisoners not one minute of privacy.
And if that wasn't enough, the room is equipped with not
one, but two, means of automatically doing away with a
troublesome prisoner. Inside of an armored hemisphere in
one corner of the roof rests a gnomish machine pistol on
an automated turret with a 1,000 round magical magazine
which may be controlled from the same room as the
cameras. This should be scary enough. The rooms also
have the same "less-than-lethel prisoner compliance
systems" of the simpler cells, with a rather nasty twist;
not only can they direct water into the room, but they can
also fill the room with knockout or poison gas.
Gnomish prison is not a place that anyone wants
to find themselves. The only thing that is worse than
being in a Gnomish jail, is being in Throne, with the
Church being out for your blood.
4.7 Power Generating and Recyling Station
-----------------------------------------
The PGRS is the station at which all the electrical
power is generated in Breech. The power is generated through
a collection of geothermal and biological generation methods,
to include the standard geothermal generation from magma flows,
to the production of electricity using Methane gas from
decomposing garbage as it sits in the Recycling Station,
awaiting incineration. (Sitting atop a dormant volcano, with
access to its magma flows, Breech has no problem disposing of
its garbage.) The site is a sprawling location, covering almost
150 acres of property, much of which is bare for the purpose of
separating the station from the rest of the city in case of
some sort of disaster. The power generation site is located
on the southern edge of the city just behind the walls (in case
a disaster does ever happen and a magma flow erupts from the
site, it will flow down the mountain, and not out into the
rest of the city). The plant is currently operating near
capacity, and plans are being made to expand it further, outside
the city walls, with a second site closer down towards the
foothills. The plant provides power to the entire city,
as well as the pumping station down in the foothills, and
select outposts along the mountains. Much expense is spent
policing the miles of electrical power lines stretching out into
the mountains and the foothills, against monstrous interference.
As for the location itself, it is, as has been said, ~150
acres square. The entire site is fenced off with a stone wall
and concertina wire, much as the Jail. Entry is allowed through
only one narrow gate on the eastern edge of the facility, which
is under armed guard at all times. (Guards generally carry
Short Swords and Gnomish Light Rifles with 20 rounds of
ammunition).
4.7.1 Power Generating Station
------------------------------
The facility itself is located in the center of the
150 acres, with the ground level building being only a few
thousand square feet, consisting mainly of administrative
offices. All engineering levels are below ground, closer to
the magma. The facility holds 20 geothermal power
generators, each capable of generating 120,000 killowatts
of electricity continuously. Each generator sits directly
atop a shaft that goes between 200 and 500 feet straight
down into a magma flow. There is one generator per level,
given their massive size (each generator shaft is
approximately 40 feet wide, and the generators themselves
are about 200x200x30 feet, *massive* machines). The area
around the generators is excessively hot, and excessively
tangled with a maze and mess of thick electrical wires,
carrying current out to distribution sites across the
mountains, and ultimately into gnomish holding buildings.
The entire area is plastered, quite obviously, with
signs simply illustrated. The illustration is generally of
a stick figure touching something, and exploding, or
vaporizing, or melting, or having some other similar
horrific fate visited upon them. Warnings in common,
gnomish, elven, and even in Goblin and Orcish, read:
"DANGER! EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS! INSTANT DEATH GUARANTEED!
(or your money back)"
The only other location of note on the surface here
is the Recycling Station and the Methane Power Generation
Station, located adjacent to it.
4.7.1 Recycling Station
-----------------------
A smaller facility added on to the side of the
generating facility at a later date, this facility is
located just by the gate on the inside of the walls.
It houses various holding tanks/rooms for garbage and
various substances. Once the room or tank is filled,
it is sealed, and a large rubber tube - measuring about
3 feet in diameter - is attached to the room, and to
an outlet in the wall next to it. The tube leads to
a great iron pipe that leads back to the Methane
power generation site.
The garbage substances are allowed to generate
the gas for some time before being released to the
recycling center proper. Some materials are reclaimed
and used again; such as precious metals (copper, aluminum,
etc). Some are milled up and used to produce other
materials (such as paper). Some are unusable and,
once they stop generating methane, are taken to
the "Dump Chute" - a 100 foot wide chute, leading straight
down into a series of magma flows.
4.7.2 Methane Power Generation Station
--------------------------------------
This is where the methane gas produced by
trash waiting recycling in the Recycling Station is
pumped to generate additional electricity. The
Methane Power Generation Station is responsible for
only about 8% of the power generated and used in the
kingdom, but it is an essential part of the equation
nonetheless. It consists of 2 large generators that
burn the gas to spin large motors which generate
electricity, which is fed back into the master
grid at the Power Generating Station (proper), to which
the MPGS is adjacently located.
5. Government and Politics
-----------------------
5.1 Ruling Body - Gnomish Clan Council
--------------------------------------
The Gnomish Clan Council consists of the family head of
each large gnomish clan. The "large" gnomish clans are the ones
that :
- Originally escaped Alliance enslavement
- Have ammassed considerable wealth, and therefore are
in a position to help (or hurt) the gnomish
holdings with their actions
- Have ammassed a large extended family size (500+) but
are not extremely wealthy
In this way, almost every segment of the population of
Breech is represented - with the notable exception of those
*who are not gnomish*. Non-gnomes can *not* sit on the
council, by its very design. This issue has only been briefly
discussed by councilmen, outside the Council Home, before.
It cannot currently be concieved why a non-gnome would want
to sit on the council; outside of influence from the Western
Kingdom's Royal Trading Company, that is. And the fairly simple
tactic of refusing non-gnomes on the council makes that easy (as
the Royal Trading Company's distrust of gnomes is well known).
Currently, there are 7 clan leaders sitting on the
Council. Presence on the Council is not voluntary; if a clan
falls within the designations above, their leaders are required
by law to be present at all council hearings to speak for their
people. It is also Gnomish law that presence on the council will
provide the person with no special powers or priveleges beyond
their normal status as clan leaders; by law, no single member of
the council has legal power. Rather, the council - acting in
majority - have the power to create, repeal, modify laws, and
manage the finances of the Gnomish Holdings at large. This policy
was created to help curb additional abuses of power seen in the
Western Kingdom at the time of the Clan Leaders' separation.
5.2 Police and Military
-----------------------
The Gnomish Military is designed around the essential
feudal system with some differences. Each Clan maintains its
own fighting force, much the way British lords did in the
olden days. Each clan is required to outfit its army on its
own, but they can petition the Council for additional funding
from the nation's coffers if necessary. When operating,
each clan's unit is under the specific command of that clan.
Therefore, unity of purpose in the Gnomish Holdings is of
ultimate importance; if they saw fit, a clan could take its army
and go home, since they do not take orders from some detached
government entity, but rather from senior clan members to whom
they are directly related.
5.2.1 Gnomish Defense Force
---------------------------
The Gnomish Defense Force is the domestic branch of
the Gnomish Military, tasked with defending Breech and the
outlying foothills. The GDF does not - in general - have
the advanced weaponry, training, and support networks that
the Gnomish Military proper does. The GDF generally
operates in pairs of 2, patrolling the streets. GDF agents
are, in general, armed with short sword and billy club,
short spear and billy club, or light crossbow and billy
club. It is not common to see GDF members operating in
teams of more than 4, and that is only in high crime
areas. The GDF does, however, have a few big guns -
specifically, they have the Machiners. (See new monster,
"The Machiner".) The GDF has a force of 10 Machiners
in reserve. They rarely operate at all, and when they
do, it's generally a terrifying thing to watch.
The Gnomihs Defense Force is the only branch of the
Gnomish Military that breaks free from the clan system;
the Council agreed early on that, in order to provide for
efficient security at home, the safety of the city at large
must take precedence over individual clan interests.
Therefore, a separate command was created - the GDF - and
troops are donated to the GDF in equal number by all clans
(to prevent one clan having an excess of troops in the GDF,
and attempting to stage a coup). The troops in the GDF
are commanded by GDF leaders, and from the council - in
majority - above them.
5.2.2 Gnomish Military Proper
-----------------------------
Generally speaking, the gnomish military is too busy
on the frontier - and other places - to be bothered with
policing Breech itself, and prefer to leave that to the
Gnomish Defense Force. That, however, shouldn't be taken to
believe that the gnomish military never operates
domestically - just that it's extremely rare.
The Gnomish Military headquarters, however, is here
in Breech, as well as the Gnomish Command Center. (Head-
quarters is the administrative branch of command, while the
GCC is the active branch that actually controls troops in
the field). For this reason, there is - in reserve and
on standby - one company of Gnomish Reconnaisance
operatives in Breech (about 200 men), under the direct
command of the GCC. They are only given out to the GDF in
*extremely* dire circumstances; they generally are kept to
protect the Military HQ and the GCC itself in case of
attack. The only activity that the gnomish recon here
in Breech actively engage in on a routine basis is the
patrol and policing of the magma flows (yes, magma flows)
beneath the city to ensure that they are not somehow
being magically penetrated by denizens of the underdark.
The same applies to the various caverns underneath
and around Breech. Naturally, "GCC Duty" for gnomish
recon is not sneezed at - not just anybody has the big
iron balls to go patrolling a magma flow.
6. Economy
----------
Breech has an economy that could be labeled as "sufficient".
There are a few wealthy people in Breech, but for the most part,
everyone is "comfortable". There are various programs ran by the Clan
Council to provide low cost health care, copyright and trademark
protection of valuable assets and products, and all the economic
trappings expected of a high technology / high magic society; yes,
including crooked banks.
6.1 Agriculture in Breech
-------------------------
Little Agricultural activities are performed in Breech
proper outside of the Domes. The city has no soil to speak of,
making agriculture mostly impossible. What little agriculture is
done in breech revolves around research and the herding of
mountain goats/sheep for food stuffs, wool, horn, etc.
6.2 Imports and Exports
-----------------------
The single biggest export of Breech is gnomish weaponry
and engineering devices to Stonehold. They trade with Stonehold
far more than they do with any other nation, and are the only
nation with which Stonehold will trade. Medicines and various
technology are exported to wealthy people and governments in the
Western Kingdom, mostly King Braddock in Throne, and those in
Mast. Beyond that, information and personnel are the largest
export from Breech. Many troops leave from here to join up,
under Clan leadership, with various Western Kingdom armies on
the Frontier. Gnomish Engineers often leave and hire out in the
larger cities of the Western Kingdom, and sometimes work pro-bono
in smaller villages throughout the Kingdom. Gnomish Arcanists
will sometimes - though rarely - be invited to come and visit
with the Elven Archmages in the Elven Protectorate.
The other lesser known exports of Breech are the precious
stones and metals turned up by Dwarves using Gnomish mining
techniques. The dwarves are able to mine so quickly using gnomish
engineering, that the Gnomes worked out an agreement; the Dwarves
purchase gnomish mining equipment at a reduced price in return
for a small cut of whatever is produced from the mines. (This
allows dwarven miners who are down on their luck to purchase
equipment, get back on their feet, and provide additional
continuing revenue to Breech all at the same time. It's a win-win
situation.) Most of the results of this agreement are used here
by the various Guilds, but many of them are exported down towards
Mast and Throne for a hefty profit.
6.3 Domestic Markets in Breech
------------------------------
Breech doesn't have markets like most people think of them;
gone is the Bazaar of Mast. Most needs are filled by a few large
"shopping centers" where a single merchant guild member will
contract the service of various artisans to work and stock the
various "departments" of their stores with the goods they need.
Food is bought in bulk from the farmers in the foothills, and
some in the free frontier, and presented in the "grocery"
department of these stores. Some food is even magically preserved
and smuggled through customs in the Western Kingdom to provide
fresh seafood in Breech, to those willing to pay for it. Many
of these "shopping centers" are open 24 hours per day, seven
days per week, providing a continuously operating economy.
6.4 Currency and Banking in Breech
----------------------------------
The standard currency of Breech, and the entire Gnomish
Holdings, is the standard Gold Piece. On one side, it is graven
with the seal of the Western Kingdom; on the other, the seal of
the Clan Council. "Thus shall it always be recognised, by all
who do business with us, that we are eternally connected to, and
hold respect for, our brethren in the West; while also displaying
obviously and proudly that the Gnomish Holdings are a free and
sovereign entity." The currency of the Western Kingdom proper is
also accepted, but the use of Breech currency is encouraged by
those who intend to reside here long.
The Banking system in breech is above and beyond anything
in the Western Kingdom, and would make the bankers in Throne and
Mast wet their pants. There are 2 or 3 large banks in Breech,
each having large gnomish safes inside. All the banks in the city
are electronically connected, and many of the "shopping centers"
are electronically connected to the banks (which often own the
centers...) in turn. Often money changes hands in Breech without
any coin or chits being present; many locations have small
plates on which a customer can reference their bank account
and transfer money into the account of the shopping center, thus
reducing the amount of cash actually carried on a person. Most
residents of Breech - specifically the more wealthy ones - have
welcomed this system, while many others - Dwarves and low income
gnomish clans specifically - have rejected the system and
refuse to work within it, instead opening traditional banks and
spending money in traditional ways. Even in Breech, and even in
the financial sector, there is still often a divide drawn - when
everyone begins to ponder just how much technology is too much.
7. Notable Non-Government Bodies
--------------------------------
7.1 Thieve's Guilds
-------------------
7.1.1 Gnomish Guild
-----------------
The Gnomish Guild in Breech is part thieves guild,
part separatist organization. They maintain a firm stance
that non-gnomish thieves should not be allowed to operate
inside of Breech, and that when caught they should be dealt
with swiftly - before the law has a chance to swoop in and
save their sorry hides. Non-gnomish thieves don't have the
finesse of a gnomish thief, they don't understand the
technology, and they don't understand the risks inherent
in the city's operations. They just wind up using the same
tactics that work back home where torches and swords are
your biggest problems, and most locks can be defeated with
simple picks, or a prybar. All they do is bring down the
heat on the Gnomish thieves when their idiocy gets them
caught. When the Gnomish Guild catches a non-gnomish thief
operating in the city, they send a simple warning - a
rat skewered on a long knife, delivered in a black box.
"Get out" is the meaning of the warning. If they don't
clear out within a week, the Guild will generally eliminate
them by whatever means are expedient.
Aside from their separatist leanings, the Gnomish
Guild is extremely efficient and is highly wanted by the
Gnomish Defense Force. They live amongst and apart from the
people, using the shadows of the city, the technology and
the magic, to make off with the most choice valuables.
Purses of coin and a rare vase are above the Gnomish Guild
thief; magic items, engineering plans, equipment, all these
are their aims. They will use their catch for their own
ends, or sell it to the highest bidder on open markets.
But even the Gnomish Guild, consisting of some very old
Gnomish Thieves, understands the nature of the situation
at large; anyone caught dealing with monstrous races
is dealt with decisively. Stealing from your neighbors
is one thing, but giving your neighbor's enemy a weapon
against them, is entirely another. The Gnomish Guild has
a strict honor code to which they adhere, despite their
roguish appearance outside. In fact, many Gnomish Thieve's
Guild members are ex-gnomish Recon operatives who decided
this life was much more exciting than going straight.
Much to the surprise of most players, the alignment of the
average thief in the Gnomish Guild is Lawful Neutral.
7.1.2 Other Guilds
------------------
Other guilds will pop up from time to time,
consisting mostly of non-gnomish thieves, due to the
Gnomish guild's separatist leanings. Occasionally there
will be a gnome amongst them; sometimes they are genuinely
interested in working with the others, often times they are
a plant sent there by the Gnomish Guild to bring this new
upstart "mongreloid" guild down from the inside. Non-
gnomish guilds don't generally last more than a year,
and even then they generally aren't all that successful.
7.2 Arcanist Guild
------------------
Not much is known about the Arcanist Guild, other than
that they run the Academy of the Arcane Arts. They're not a
secret society per-se, but most people simply don't have an
interest in what they do. And besides, most of what they do
pertains to arcane research, which is - by necessity - secret.
For the most part, the hierarchy and operations of the Arcanist
Guild is the hierarchy and operations of the Academy.
7.3 Engineering Guild
---------------------
The Engineering Guild serves an obvious purpose; it
provides support to engineering workers in Breech, as well as
providing uniform testing and certification criteria for various
occupations. It also provides legal support to any engineer whose
trademark gnomish careless zeal has resulted in some form of
accident or other legal liability. The Engineering Guild is a
perfectly respectable organization, whose headquarters are
located just outside the Aquifer Pumping Station.
7.4 Merchant's Guild
--------------------
The Merchant's Guild is actually populated, mostly, by
bankers. It is not so much a guild, as a lobbying entity; those
in it have money, and firmly believe that the council should be
doing more for them, to ensure that they get more money.
7.5 Argicultural Guild
-------------------------
The Agricultural Guild is composed entirely of
agriculturalists from the surrounding foothills and countryside,
and is both a lobbying entity and a guild. The agricultural guild
runs its own bank, the First Farmer's Bank of Breech, with
offices scattered across the countryside to assist village
farmers who are having difficulties. It also works to ensure
that those members of the Council who are not actively engaged
in agriculture, are certain of how important agriculture is,
and that they do not rule against agriculture in their court
proceedings. The Agricultural Guild also runs experiments at
the Domes with the cooperation of the Engineers Guild.

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About 75 years ago, the gnomish clan heads set out to take strategic
positions in the northeastern foothills and rocky outcroppings of the
Eastern Mountains and the Dragonspine. Once there, they quickly - and
unsurprisingly, to most who followed politics - announced a sovereign
Gnomish nation, while recognising its eternal and unseverable ties with
the Church and the rest of the Western Kingdom. There was little resistance
to the idea, as the two nations have - for as long as they've existed -
freely traded troops, technology, and information. Gnomish recon troops
and cannon crews, for example, regularly go into battle alingside Royal
Cavalary units. Gnomish engineers are routinely found working in Throne,
passing on gnomish tech to humans (who sometimes refine it, but usually
just abuse it). The clan leaders of the gnomish holdings also claim to
have opened communications with the dwarves of stonehold, and trade with
them on a limited basis. Attempts to communicate with Stonehold through
the clan leaders, however, have failed. Their capitol city, Breech, is
the largest of only a few gnomish cities in the holdings. It lies on top
of an ancient inactive volcano, and entrances to the underdark. Citizens
of the western kingdom are allowed to come and go as they please, but
half-orcs and elvish types are held in some suspicion.

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The northern frontier is largely and wildly unknown and unmapped, even moreso than the eastern frontier. The prevalence of strange creatures, wild magic areas, and strange indigineous religions have made exploration and relations difficult to impossible. Good maps simply don't exist. Pure indian country.

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The southern desert was given the name of the Southern Barbaric Desert by its northern neighbors, the demi-human Kingdom. However, to its residents, it is no more barbaric than the Kingdom. Populated mainly by a mix of monstrous races such as Giants and Ogres, Djinni and Efreeti are also known to roam the sands, as well as many other variety of creatures. Some demi-humans have taken up residence in the desert over the years, which have given rise to the Cloaked Bands, deadly humanoid raiders who attack southern settlements from the sands, and then fade back into the desert from which they came. The Long Watch, emplaced some 50 years ago, has severely reduced their ability to strike into the heartland.

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Arc River
This river flows out of the crater lake on the eastern mountains,
flowing east and west. It carries ships between the coast and the
mountains, and it carries vital fresh water to settlements on the
frontier.

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Northern Forests - Civil Wood
Home to elves and forest gnomes, a thick wood that humans
generally don't enter. Powerful magics and strange construction confuse
non-gnomes and non-elves, who promptly leave in most cases. For the
creatures who live here, however, it is peaceful, quiet, and utterly
civil. For more information on this area, see the area on the “Elven
Protectorate” political area.

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Coral City
Coral City sits at the southern end of the Arc River's western
delta, directly on the ocean on the whale coast. Coral City is the
largest city in the kingdom next to Throne (though Mast is definitely
the much more recognised city). Coral City is home not only to the
Royal Navy Headquarters, but also to a booming manufacturing sector.
Coral City is also known for its extensive civilian waterborne
industries, to include whaling, saltwater fishing, and others. The
Coral City Shipyards, alone, between the royal navy and the civilian
shipmakers, employ almost 15,000 personnel at their sprawling facility
just south of the Docks. The Royal Navy itself maintains an armada of
20 war ships, and 40 transport ships, here in the bay south of Coral
City, as well as the docks proper. Coral City is, also, largely
unaffected by the Royal Trading Company's corruption. The city, being
the only city on the coast to the south of Throne and north of the
southern border, is under military law. Therefore, the commanding
officer of the Royal Navy is also the commanding officer of the local
garrisons. And on top of that, the Royal Navy just happens to be
commanded by Crown Prince Archibald Braddock - the King's younger
brother, and a decided enemy of government corruption and the Royal
Trading Company itself. The Prince's loyalty to his brother, and his
country, are unfailing - but he is in constant disputes with his
brother over his involvement with the Trading Company.
Coral City's industrial sector consists, mostly, of shipbuilders,
textile manufacturers, and horse ranches. Much of the Royal Cavalry's
horses are born and trained in facilities locate inside, or just
outside of, Coral City. Much of the cloth that is sold in the kingdom
is spun or loomed in Coral City (the only supplier bigger than Coral
City is Mast, because it's closer to the foothills where wool is
shorn). The ships built in Coral City are made from woods harvested to
the south, around the gnollwood (a dangerous but profitable business -
the Gnollwood is home to some very prize varieties of wood), or floated
south down the Arc Delta from just south of the Elven Protectorate. And
then, of course, there is the useful and lucrative Whaling industry in
Coral City; Coral City is the nation's single largest provider of
animal fats and oils, whether for cooking, lighting, or lubrication.
Coral City also does not have the large and diverse bazaar that
Mast hosts, not being as central a point. However Coral City is the
launching point for all expeditions into parts unknown. Many
Adventurers come to Coral City clutching some ancient map, charter a
ship, and head off - some are never seen again, some return with booty
from some ancient island, others return empty handed and destitute. But
regardless, Coral City is every bit as much a hub for adventurers as
Mast, and therefore its marketplace - while smaller than Mast - is no
less diverse.
Coral City does, however, have a booming agricultural industry,
and is the breadbasket of much of the Kingdom. Not counting the seafood
brought in by its commercial fishermen, farmers around Coral City
produce a full 35% of the foodstuffs sold in the kingdom, as well as
those sent to the Army. The Arc River Delta provides many miles for
rice farmers to place down paddies, and the verdant fields along the
coast to the south provide mediterranean growing conditions for a
variety of fruits. The plains that are inland, just before the land
turns to scrub, are quite healthy.
Coral City is also the embarkation/disembarkation point for
troops heading to and from the Long Watch and South Tower, if they are
coming from Throne or Northgate (as transfers often do). The Arc
River's western delta makes movements of troop columns through it
almost impossible, so they are often moved by ships by the Royal Navy,
making - again - Coral City a very important hub for military movements
inside the kingdom.

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Crater Lake
A large, ~220 square mile lake formed in the giant crater in the
eastern mountains. It feeds the Arc River, and the highest point, where
the Arc flows down the other side of the mountain.

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Dragonspine Mountains
The Dragonspine mountains are named because when viewed from
North Gate, it looks like the back of a dragon viewed while it sleeps.
And the name is also given because these mountains were a hotbed of
dragon activity before many years before the Council of Nine routed all
of the evil draconic activity. Now, dragons are rumored to be returning
(from where, who knows), and it is unknown if they are good or evil.

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Eastern Mountains
Known as the "Waterwall Mountains" by the non-demihumans, these
form the boundary between the Western Kingdom and the Frontier. The
foothills below the mountains, particularly the area east of
Hillsburrough between the North and South forks of the Eastern Arc
River, have already seen many large battles between expanding
demihumans and monstrous bands - even a few armies claiming that they
were sent by the Great Alliance (thought broken up 300 years ago by the
Council of Nine).
The Eastern mountains still really aren't safe, despite all the
traffic they see. In addition to the bandits that haunt the lonelier
corridors of the Frontier Road, there are all manner of known and
unknown monsters that lurk in the higher portions of the Eastern
Mountains. White Worms, Frost giants, and Drow all haunt the mountains.
Rumors of dungeons and evil castles popping up across the mountains are
increasingly common, and the nature of the mountains - with their high
peaks, steep slopes, and few navigable passes - make these rumors
difficult to investigate, let alone confirm or squash.
Regardless of any of this, the Eastern Mountains are definitely
proving to be the passport to the future of the Kingdom, for better or
worse.

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Frontier road
The road leading across the mountains and into the frontier.

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Southern Forests - Gnollwood
Home of the only remaining monstrous band in the interior of the
western kingdom. Despite repeated attempts to route them, the band of
rogue gnolls, orcs, and ogres continues to evade all capture. Midland
is constantly dealing with raids as a result. It is expected that there
are hidden caves leading to the Underdark, in which the rebels are
hiding. There are currently rumors of the Gnomish Holdings contributing
a few squads of gnomish recon operatives to help route them.

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Hellsmouth keep
Guarding the valley through which the north fork of the Wayward
River flows, stationed directly behind the waterfall at the fall line,
Hellsmouth Keep is a mighty fortress that has expelled every assault in
its 150 years. Hellsmouth Keep garrisons some 1,000 men in the keep
proper and in outposts across the valley and lower mountains.

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The village of Kingsford sits on the spot where the Council of Nine,
leading the slaves to freedom, came out of the mountains and crossed the
Wayward River. The spot was later settled as a village (only 20 or 30 years
ago), because of the great amount of Salmon that come up-stream to spawn.
The village is a loose confederation of 6 families, all working together to
eek out a good life here, relatively safe from the dangerous frontier, and
the prying eyes of the King.
1. The MacGregor house. The MacGregors are fishermen and boatmen. They earn
their keep by catching and selling salmon to the other families, as well as
various oils, tinctures, etc made from other aquatic creatures and
substances.Thomas is the oldest at 60, with his wife Alia; their son,
Marcus and his wife Deborah run the business, with the help of their four
sons; Joseph, Ryan, James and Thomas II (the eldest).
2. The Owen place. The Owens are a pack of 3 brothers who settled here with
their wives and children. Jeffrey and his wife Christine run a blacksmith
shop, making various useful and decorative items. Though Jeffrey
desperately wants children, Christine is (sadly) barren. Rouan and his wife
Trista herd sheep and goats above the village, with their daughter Melissa.
David and Rebbecca run a cobbler/tailor shop, making various fabric and
leather items. Their son Randall just turned four.
3.Throughgood Church. The home of Graham and his father Samuel Through good,
along with Graham's two younger siblings Diana and Athena. His older
brother Robert is in the army, serving over the mountains past
Hillsburrough. Samuel is the town's resident priest and doctor, holding
sermons on the front lawn of his home. His wife and the mother of the
children, Gwendolyn, passed away some years ago of a consumption.
4. The Morgan farm. The Morgans are a family of farmers.On their land they
raise grain, beans, fruit, vegetables, etc. They also help Samuel
Throughgood maintain his herb garden. Thadius, the father, is ailing and in
his 70s. His wife Adria is not much better. Their daughter Brianna and her
husband Shamas work the farm with their three children; Billy, Connor, and
Pamela.
5. Strongheart keep. The house of the Strongheart family is named such
because it also serves as the jail - since the Stronghearts are the
village's protectors. The father, Alan, is the oldest at 55. His three
sons, Alex, Jordan, and Herbert work under his command as the town guard.
His two daughters, Eileen and Elena, serve as jail guards mostly (and
since there is hardly ever anything more than a drunkard in the jail, they
have a pretty easy job).
6. Magistrate's house and court. Sent here by King Braddock, Judge
Rothschild sees his assignment as a punishment (and it is). He and his wife
constantly petition the king for a reassignment to a new location,
somewhere far away from this backwater berg. They are always turned down,
however, since Judge Rothschild had an affair with the Royal Trading
Company manager's mistress, and the manager of said company pushes the king
as hard as possible to make the Judge suffer. So he, his wife Suzanna (who
is such a blatant harlot and drunk that she is his wife only in name), with
their 4 children Ralph, Jimbo (the slow one), Lisa and Nelson. They also
own the village's only horse, "Horse". That's what they get for letting
Jimbo name the horse.

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Mast
Mast is the hub of the kingdom, even though it is not the
capitol. It sits centrally between all important cities and
strongholds, and it is placed centrally on the river, so that it can
catch ships incoming from the whale coast and outgoing to the eastern
mountains. Mast is the largest city in the kingdom, due to the economic
influence, but it is not the grandest (mainly because Throne won't let
that happen).
The Royal Trading Company's headquarters is here in Mast, though
most of the high-ranking officials inside the Company reside – and
operate out of – Throne, where they can more easily influence the
corrupt and greedy King Braddock. Regardless, here in Mast, the Royal
Trading Company flexes a lot of muscle. They exert control over the
Navy that is quartered here, as well as the local thieves guilds. The
only thing that keeps the Royal Trading Company even remotely in check
in Mast is the fact that the commander of the local garrison, Lord
Reinhardt, an old soldier and cavalry man, is firmly set against the
control of the Company in the area, and he is openly opposing their
activities – both in, and outside, of his official duties with the
Garrison and the Courts.
Mast is also a major location on the tournament circuit in the
Western Kingdom; every spring, they host a joust and tournament in
front of the fortress gates. The prizes range from a set of custom
sword and armor, to a piece of land in the outlying areas, etc.
Being a center for commerce and travel, Mast is a huge hotbed of
thief activity. There are no less than ten local thieves guilds, some
of them having a mafia-like central authority derived from their
bloodline or point of origin; others are cutthroat bands, some are
religiously oriented or focused on a given sub-race (much akin to the
Aryan Nation). But none are to be trifled with; they are all extremely
dangerous – even if only when provoked, most are easily provoked.
Alliances between them are frequent, but fragile, and generally short-
lasting. The only constant among them, generally, is their ties to the
Royal Trading Company. The Trading company will use the local crime
groups to enforce their will without dirtying their hands officially;
everything from the looting of navy ships, to the assassination of
troublesome local officials, are handled by crime groups who are
unaware of their puppeteer status underneath the Royal Trading Company.
As for the people of Mast itself, Mast is one of the most
racially diverse cities in the kingdom, if not the most. People from
all locations and walks of life are drawn here; and half the time,
those who come here looking for money and a better life, stay here.
Despite the large number of crime groups, and the corrupt nature of the
Trading Company who controls most of the town, the people of Mast have
a generally peaceful existence. Lord Reinhardt and his men do a good
job of keeping everything under control, while the Trading Company
ensures that most Mast residents' biggest worry is the amount of tax
they pay on a loaf of bread at the baker's shop.
Mast is host to the biggest open bazaar in the kingdom, situated
almost directly next to the docs. The saying in Mast is, “If you can't
buy it at the bazaar, a god-fearing man doesn't need it.” And, for the
most part, that's the truth. Seafood peddlers pull their boats directly
into the wharf, and some sell straight off the boat. It is similar for
all merchants.

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Midland
Midland was originally a trading post between Coral City and Old
Irongate, and the Gnollwood threatens to keep it from growing any
larger if these raids don't stop. The garrison at South Tower has sent
a detachment of some 200 men to the town to help keep order; so far
it's working. So far.

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North Gate
North Gate Castle is the keep that separates the Northern
Frontier from the rest of the kingdom. Some 50 miles of wall – butting
against the sea on one side and the dragonspine on the other - and the
large castle itself, keeps that border sealed. So far, none have dared
assail the tall walls and large 3,000 man garrison - but nobody's
letting their guards down. Especially not with stories of dragons
taking up residence in the Dragon's Spine, as it was in years long
past.

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Old Irongate
This is an old keep that used to guard the main pass to the
frontier - it still has the old road that, now, leads to nothing but a
few very ruined and run down villages, and the old crossing on the
south fork of the eastern Arc. When earthquakes closed the pass, the
residents either left Irongate and went home, or stayed to guard the
keep, and starved. It is now standing in ruin, and rumored to be
populated with all manner of demon, devil, and monster.

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Originally settled by humans and demihumans fleeing the Great
Alliance. The eastern mountains keep them safe from the eastern
frontier and its denizens. Known as the "False Kingdom of Slaves" by
the monstrous races, the kingdom is still very young, as evidenced by
its rather haphazard road system, and the fact that King Braddock is
attempting to expand east while still fighting elusive rebels in his
own Southern Forests. But regardless, this upstart kingdom (the first
unified demihuman kingdom ever to exist in known history) is proving
formidable, which means it is the declared enemy of 99% of the
established world (which used to keep the demihumans quite unhappily
enslaved).

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South Tower
Home to a garrison of some 2,000 men, this is the foremost
defensive position on the southern border, next to Hellsmouth keep. The
actual tower is the smallest part of the structure, which is made up of
no less than two or three full sized forts for all the men and their
equipment (as well as refugees from the surrounding countryside).

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Stonehold
An old Dwarven city, Stonehold was here before even the Alliance.
They have existed without interference from the outside world for
centuries, and have made a strong alliance with the Kingdom if for no
other reason than it suddenly found itself within the Kingdom's borders
one day, and they don't show any signs of leaving. However, for the
most part, Stonehold is left alone and traded with as a sovereign
entity - when they open their doors. But since the founding of the
Western Kingdom (officially at Throne), the doors have come open only
once, and that was for an envoy from the Church to enter and speak to
the dwarvish king. Since then, the only nation who claims to have
regular contact with those inside of stonehold are the gnomes in
Breech. For more information, see the section on the “Dwarvish Clans”
political area.

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The long watch
A series of guard posts across the southern border. Covering
about 150 miles, the posts are one mile apart, and each have two men in
a small camouflaged guard shack. Equipped with spyglasses and sounding
horns, they can signal the approach of incoming Alliance armies almost
a full 2 days before they arrive, given that they look out on about 100
miles of scrub plains and desert before losing visibility.

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Throne
The crown jewel of the Kingdom, Throne is the city that is the
biggest accomplishment of the demi-human kingdom in its short 250 year
lifespan. Its paved and lit streets, its plumbing and sewer system, its
mass transit and its rampantly out of control caste system set the
stage for what King Braddock wants the Kingdom to become. Rich,
Technologically adept, and horribly corrupt. And if it weren't for the
Church (which is headquartered in Throne), and the system left in place
by the Council of Nine, he would've already had his way by now.

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Western Swamps
At the mouth of the delta to the Arc River, these swamps are home
to all manner of beasts and odd races. Aquatic elves often surface
here, having come up the freshwater river.

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Whale Coast
This coast is known for its large population of whales, and the
large amount of income that comes into Coral City from whaling.