Gardenburrow
Forest adventurer? Your home town is GARDENBURROW
In the far west, the elven forest town of Gardenburrow serves as a waypost for the borders of Thryn. The town itself is on a small rise, with wooden fortifi cations, and a great central oak tree that serves as the town square. As stewards of the vast bogs and forests here, the town is always busy with travelers, horticulturists, druid-kind, game hunters, forest foragers, and those heading to the dwarven lands of Ullur’s Teeth. In recent years, a shadow has been spreading through the Oakenwood. Crops are failing, elder trees are withering away. Frogman defectors, venturing here from the marshes, believe the problem demands a new alliance. Can the heroes make friends of the cruel frog-kin and heal the forest? A council is called in the town longhouse. Something must be done.
Alderman Wallabytarnwhatwallaby: The Alderman here is called Wallaby for short. He is a proudfoot scholar, almost two centuries old, and a lover of festivals. He relies on good counsel from many townsfolk. Local envoys and lords are widely known to adore the old fellow, coming from far and wide to offer gifts on his birthday.
The Suede & Saddle: Gardenburrow features a women’s social club for food, drink, and reprieve. Any female character may stay here free, gathering information or restocking basic supplies at no charge. The only male allowed in these walls is a bumbling cook named Scooby.
Selene: An elder hunter and forest warden, Selene is widely known as the oldest elf in this region. She was making camp here before there was a town at all, and knows every nook and cranny of the Oakenwood and beyond. She is a descendent of the third royal line of Thryn, enjoying all the privileges of a Baroness but choosing a humble life. Selene will only become available to players for high-level or high-stakes endeavors, focusing her skills on saving the world, defeating titans, or undoing sinister schemes beyond Gardenburrow’s borders.
Rivergate
Mountains and mischief? Your hometown is RIVERGATE
Wealthy families have called this port city home for generations. The lucrative gem trade has earned Rivergate its fortune, so alliances with the Stormkeeper dwarves are ever-strong. Recent conscriptions of dwarves to Runnminir have diminished earnings from the mines greatly, earning the ire of the Walcrests and other ruling families here.
In recent days, adventurers have found abundant work scouting and serving as messengers for various groups moving to fi ll the vacuum in the mining trade.
Against this busy backdrop, a new threat has made the roads deadly, even by day. Mysterious archers have been harassing travelers and residents alike, leaving none alive to identify them. A murmur of fear is spreading…
Lady Walcrest: The most widely respected figure in Rivergate is a venerable Baroness: heir to the Walcrest empire, Lady Ezmerelda Walcrest. Well into her 70s, she has seen and survived it all, but held true to the old alliances and standards of the town. All city policy is approved and executed by her and her council of advisors.
The Frothy Mare: One of the most famous (or infamous) taverns in the realm calls Rivergate home: The Frothy Mare. This chaotic, multi-level inn, eatery and house of revelry serves as a meeting point for all kinds of river folk, known for its cheese-sausages and dwarven ale by the gallon. The lead barkeep is a red-mustached stout fellow called Barmm.
Thenneport Docks: The complex of piers, moorings and cranes in Rivergate is a wonder of The North Holds. All manner of barges, fi shing boats and rivercraft gather here to load and unload cargo, conscript crew, and arrange expeditions to every corner of the world. So much wealth moves through these ports, there is an abundance of ‘red cloak’ guards present at all times. These city soldiers sport 10-foot spears, and they are some of the finest fighters in The Holds.
Slimshire
Dangerous deserts? Your hometown is SLIMSHIRE
This remote town was once a mere wide spot in the road to Hakburg. Since the arrival of its unlikely benefactor, Lord Pickins, after the Bloodwing War, the town has seen a veritable golden age. This has been bolstered by a rock solid relationship with the ever-growing Holy Order.
As Slimshire has reached the apogee of its prosperity though, a dark force has emboldened goblins from the Shadow Glades and orc raiders from the remnants of Dalric’s Wall. To make things worse, Lord Pickins has been seen less and less of late, cloistered with his ailing daughter Kay, who, according to rumor, has been affl icted with a vampiric sickness.
A new alliance with the folk of Cloudtop has made adventuring a lucrative trade, even calling up Proudfoot riders from the frontier of Hakburg.
Dunsel & the Kid: Operating from a blacksmith-and-mercantile in town called ‘Haldur’s Goods,’ Dunsel is a stout folk merchant, beer expert, and journeyman smith. His ever-present sidekick is a fearless boy known simply as The Kid. These two have their ear to most of the goings-on in town, and the growing military challenges at hand.
The Bee Spoke: The oldest tavern in town was recently damaged by a collapse and fi re during an orc incursion. Its owner, Bespo Kerat, was killed in the blaze. Now his daughter Revelle has disappeared. The calamity of the Bee Spoke has rallied folk to fi ght back against the orcs, no matter what the cost. So, reconstruction has begun.
The Eye in the Well: As Slimshire faces the challenges of a full-fl edged city, darkness has entered the dreams of its people. The dream is always the same: descending into a pit of wet stone, beyond the lightless water, deeper, darker, until a single yellowish eye opens in the murk. The dread of this dream-intrusion is slowly growing in Slimshire, but its nature, origin, and solution are completely unknown. Some doomsayers claim the goblinorc alliance and the eye are somehow connected…