NorthShores

The Basics

North Shores is the largest city in the Grand Dutchy of Norlund, which is an expansive territory in the Northern Loch region. It is a deeply troubled land, being on the front lines of the assault of otherworldly creatures that have rocked the Basin since the Eye of Kaylaar fell.
Norland’s leadership still hold out hope that one day, a strong leader will emerge to unite the Realm, but that is a fading dream, and in the meanwhile, the Dutchy has more immediate and pressing concerns. Their borders are being constantly tested by marauding goblins, hobgoblins, gnolls, and often worse creatures than these. With all of the Grand Duke’s efforts focused on his northern border, many things, including maintenance of the NorthShores road that ran between North Shores and IronPort, have simply been abandoned. Now, the vast bulk of trade that occurs between Norlund and the Council lands happens via harbor galleys and across the waters of the Loch. Meanwhile, the segment of the NorthShores road that runs from Norlund and the Sister Cities (WestKeep & EastGate) has been maintained but it is not as well patrolled as the roads connecting Calimba with other cities in the Basin.
The city of North Shores shows signs of the strain that the Dutchy is under. Maintenance isn’t what it should be, leaving some of the districts in the city with a bit of a tired, ramshackle look. It is a bustling port city though, and the dangers of the north have acted as a powerful lure, drawing adventurers of all stripes and legions of Free Swords to the area, all hoping to make names for themselves. What North Shores lacks in finery, it more than makes up for in opportunity. If you’re a young, hungry adventurer, the City of North Shores is probably on your short list of places to visit, if only to buy provisions before heading into the wild country farther north. That’s really what North Shores is known for. The city is coming to be increasingly called “The Adventurer’s Waystation.” While it does boast a modest library and University, they’re not nearly as well known as the ones you’ll find in Calimba, or even the Sister Cities, but if you’re looking for news and information about the Wilds, North Shores is the place to start.

Prominent People & Places

Obviously, there are scores, if not hundreds of interesting people and places in a major city like this, but here are just a few tidbits to get your creative juices flowing.

Grand Duke Stephan Orlakis (Current Ruler)

Granted, low level characters stand little chance of an audience with the Grand Duke. The best they could likely hope for is to meet with the Herald or one of his functionaries. Even so, the Court of the Grand Duke is a lively, bustling place with more than a dozen Lords of Norlund, their attendants, courtesans, and functionaries, and it’s quite possible that even a low level group can gain the ear of one or more of these.
As to the Grand Duke himself, he is a portly, bearded man who loves to dress in flamboyant colors and all the latest finery from the Sister Cities. In better times, he was famous for holding regular, boisterous feasts for the Lords of his Realm, but as the political situation has become increasingly tenuous, his demeanor has soured, and the feasting has all but stopped. When there is a gathering of Lords, it is generally a somber affair, with the looming question of the region’s political future foremost on everyone’s minds.

Granny Abigail (Harmless Old Crone)

(because of course she is!)
Nobody knows if Abigail is the elderly woman’s real name or not, but everyone in the city knows who she is. She can generally be found by the western gate of the city at first sun, where she has a small cart, pulled by a decrepit pony. The cart is filled with apples. Granny Abigail stands at the gate and makes sure everyone who enters the city gets an apple until she runs out for the day. Then, she wanders back to wherever she came from. Where she goes, nobody knows. For an old woman, she has certainly proved a challenge to track, and many have tried!

The Headquarters of the GreyCloaks (Free Sword Company HQ)

The Grey Cloaks are a prominent, well-regarded company of Free Swords operating out of Norlund. They provide additional security for the Grand Duke as needed, often mount expeditions into the Wild Lands and are regularly used to provide stop gap defense for Norlund’s outlying towns.
If you are a Free Sword yourself, you’ll want to stop in and register your presence with them, and even if you’re not, Grey Cloak HQ is one of the best places in town to gather information and get the latest news and gossip.
The HQ is a sprawling tavern and inn called “The Blasting Cap,” apparently named after an unfortunate incident involving fireworks and grain alcohol in decades past, but in practice, few of the rooms are available to rent – mostly, they serve as barracks for the Grey Cloaks.

Stabbies! (Weapon Shop & Smithy)

In the city of North Shores, adventurers will definitely want to be sure to stop by ‘Stabbies!’ – Tal & Ezarn, the twin brothers who run the weapons shop and smithy give the outward appearance of being simpletons but are some of the finest craftsmen in the entire Basin. Their Masterwork weapons are essential for anyone wanting to create magical items, and even if you don’t, their highest quality work is on par with a magic item (DM Note: I’d give a Masterwork weapon from these two either a +1 to hit or to damage, and increase the likelihood of successfully apply permanent magic to such high quality weapons).

The Crow’s Nest (Tavern/Inn)

One of the legitimate businesses run by the Dockside Bandits, the Crow’s Nest was built using the hull of a double-sized Harbor Galley. The story goes that Duke Orlakis ordered the ship to be built, and then, when it was time to pay the bill, tried to reneg on the agreed-upon price. The Docksiders were having none of that and simply kept the craft, putting it into service in their own fleet.
Not long after, the Duke decreed that it was unlawful for private citizens to sail anything larger than a standard-sized Harbor Galley (all of the double sized craft had to be registered in the name of the Duke and sail under his personal banner). In response, the Docksiders pulled it out of the water and turned it into an inn and tavern. It’s a gritty, seedy place with stout ale, cheap food and rooms generally rented by the hour. It’s also a great place to get information, or get yourself killed if you’re not extremely careful.
Located at the end of “Lawless Avenue” (named by the Docksiders, of course), it is one of the more interesting and iconic structures in the city of North Shores. The Docksiders also run a Party Barge bearing the same name (The Crow’s Nest) which only sails at night and boasts and exclusive clientele. If you’re interested in making contact with people in the underbelly of the world, you need to find a way to get an invitation to the Party Barge.

The Dockside Bandits (Crime Syndicate)

North Shores has a crime problem. Granted, it’s relatively more lawless (kind of a free-for-all) than all of the other major cities of the Realm, but the single biggest crime ring is centered in the dock district.
Shipping between North Shores and IronPort is vitally important to North Shores, since their road maintenance has been spotty, and the Dockside Bandits have taken a piece of the action for themselves.
A Rogue-heavy party will find lots of adventure and intrigue in the underbelly of the city, and a more law abiding party could quickly find themselves neck deep in trouble if they spend too much time nosing around the docks where outsiders are most definitely NOT welcome…

The University of North Shores (University)

If you’re a spellcaster, it pays to stop by the University, even if only to check in. It boasts a modest library with some 400 books, and if you are a friend of the University (DM’s discretion as to exactly what that means), spellcasters may be able to access their (limited) collection of Minor Arcana (cantrips, first and second level spells—again, DM’s discretion as to how many are here, and under what conditions one might be able to access the collection).
The University also features an extension office of the Artificer's Academy in Calimba. It's quite small, so the selection of Artificer items in NorthShores will be limited compared to what you can get in Calimba, but if you're willing to pay extra and wait a bit longer, you can get some good gear here.

Plot Threads

There’s a lot going on in North Shores (and in Norlund in general), which makes it both a great place to set an entire campaign, or to serve as an intrigue-filled side stop if you’ve decided to base the campaign elsewhere. Having convenient access to ‘Stabbies’ alone makes this a great choice as far as settings go.

• The political angle – you could build an entire campaign around answer the questions concerning the future of Norlund. Are they destined to be absorbed by one of the two larger, hungry powers near them, or will they find an “out?” The players could be instrumental in answering that question.
• What’s up with Granny? While answering this question may not be worthy of an entire campaign, the mystery surrounding ‘Granny’ could easily be a multi-session adventure if you wanted it to be. And hey, who knows? Maybe she really is just a harmless old crone….but you’re not buying that, are you?
• Helping the University of North Shores gain prominence – Again, depending on the kind of game you want to run, you could easily build an entire campaign around this. The party could find themselves based in the dormitories of the University and help them acquire relics and historical artifacts, books for their library, expand their collection of Minor Arcana, etc. It would be easy, even for lower level characters, to gain positions of prominence in such a setting, and they’d have easy access to training.
• Adventures with the GreyCloaks – Hell, the party might even join the GreyCloaks and become cloak-wearing members themselves. The Blasting Cap would certainly make an excellent base of operations for the group and they’d have access to resources and rumors that would be difficult to come by anywhere else.
• The Dockside Bandits – Here, a gritty campaign could see the party joining the Syndicate, or, on the flip side, a long-running adventure (and perhaps even an entire campaign) could be centered around taking power from them. Note that one possible way to do that would be to somehow reopen the road between North Shores and IronPort, which wouldn’t involve taking the Syndicate on directly, but which would certainly draw their ire.
• Finally, I recently acquired the Goodman Games’ super deluxe, hardbound edition of “Into the Borderlands.” If I was going to set that module anywhere in the Basin, I’d set it in northern Norlund, right on the border of the Wild Lands, which would make an excellent beginning to a classic campaign…

Type

Capital

Population

29,715

Has University
Library Size
~400 Books
Held By
Norlund

The Basin, Main Campaign Map

Open full size

The main campaign map for any game run in the Candle'Bre Basin.

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Goods Availability

• Food and Lodging
• All Mercantile Goods
• Apothecary
• All Weapons
• All Armor Types
• Poisons
• Special Orders
• Masterwork Items

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Available to Characters w/Connections

(University Students/Graduates, Personal Invites, etc.) In Mischief Alley Etc.

• Quick Potions
• Some Magic Items
• Some Artificer Creations
• Spell Book Access

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Prices

Standard List
(Masterwork and Specialty Orders have a premium set by the DM)
Magic items cost 10% more here