The City of Cerilon
The Basics
Cerilon is one of two great cities of the north (the other being Parthia), and is the center of the Fury Family’s power. The Furies hold sway over an impressive territory that covers the former provinces of Cerilon, Parthaway, Trentare (home of the Free Folk), Hlo’Haas, which as liberated from the Order of the Pine Cross when the Furies finally broke their power, and the tiny, isolated former Province of Brom, which is home to the finest healers in the whole of the Realm. Cerilon formerly held some 25,000 souls but when the city of Parthia was overrun by the dead in a plot orchestrated by the Order of the Pine Cross, many of Parthia’s residents fled to Cerilon seeking safety. The city was recaptured and the undead hunted down and eradicated, but to this day, the population of Parthia has not recovered, with many residents being perfectly happy to remain in Cerilon, which is now bursting at the seams with people. Northern cities are seldom given the credit they’re due. The North is colder than the sunny Loch lands, and the plains are windswept and harsh. Northern food is seen as being as simple and as bland as the people who choose to call the region home. While it’s true that the cities of the North lack some of the fineries found in the Loch region, they are nonetheless impressive in their way, and the Furies have a long tradition of being deft organizers and able administrators. They run a surprisingly tight ship, and their cities reflect that. Even though the famed Black Watch is gone, many of their hallmarks remain in Cerilon, which once played home to the hub of Black Watch activities, and the Furies are relentless in their efforts to keep crime and the endless legions of foul creatures seeking to encroach on their territory at bay. In this, they are mostly successful, although the western reaches of their territory are relatively more dangerous than the rest. As for Cerilon itself, the city boasts a modest library (some 100 books), housed in Fury Keep, and an equally modest museum, mostly dedicated to the remembrance of the Black Watch, but while cultural amenities may be few, you’ll find neatly organized rows of well-kept, fully-stocked shops and a clean, organized city whose keepers seem to genuinely care about justice and the Old Code. The people of the North are a hard and hardy lot, but once you come to know them, venturing into Cerilon will find you among steadfast and loyal friends and in an area of relative safety. The Northern Lands are brimming with adventure and possibilities, and Cerilon would make an excellent base of operations to proceed from, especially if one was interested in the notion of one day resurrecting the Black Watch and all that it represented in the Realm.
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.Lord Tomin, Master of Scouts
While it’s’ highly unlikely that a low-level group would ever get anywhere close to actually meeting the Lords of the North, they are somewhat more likely to gain an audience with the Master of Scouts. Low-level adventurers are often hired for such purposes and given the dangers that the northerners face, there’s always a demand for “scouting,” which, the way the Furies do it, as often as not involves charging headlong into danger. Tomin is a no-nonsense taskmaster; harsh but fair. While you certainly won’t be coddled, he’ll see to it that you are well provisioned and taken care of.Baravaldius Grimp (proprietor, Cerilon Mercantile)
While there are a number of merchants plying their trade in the greatest city of the north, Cerilon Mercantile is the largest and most respected. Baravaldius has contacts in both the Dwarven lands and in Trentare and can often get things on special order that most other shops can’t manage. If you go anywhere else, you’ll be able to find the basics, but again, fineries are rare in the north. Baravaldius can usually get what you’re looking for though. Fair warning though: Baravaldius isn’t big on haggling! He has what you need, but you’ll pay a premium for it (usually about 20%, on top of the 15-20% premium on goods in the north generally).Caius Valdrossa (Proprietor: The Target Practice Saloon)
Caius runs the Target Practice which, as the name suggests, is a surprisingly lawless saloon on the outskirts of Cerilon. The Fury Lords were once asked why they tolerated such a place in their otherwise well-ordered city. The reply was a surprising one and went something like this:“By allowing this outlet, we know where most of the troublemakers are apt to be found. And if they’re not there, then someone who is there will know. It gives them a chance to blow off steam so that their antics don’t carry over into the street, and if they threaten to, well…we are always watching.”What makes it such a unique fixture is that by decree of Duke Stephen, who allowed the place to be built, rank and title cease to matter the moment you walk through the door. It is a no-man’s land. If you’ve ever wanted to insult one of the Northern Lords to their faces, you may find yourself with that opportunity, for many of them do indeed frequent the place. Just be prepared to be planted on your ass for the pleasure of doing so. Caius doesn’t believe for a second that the decree would hold if one of the Lords was ever to be seriously injured, so he takes great pains when a fight breaks out between a Lord and anyone else in the establishment that things don’t get too far out of hand. He’s very wise like that. He’s also the leader of the small, low-key thieves’ guild in Cerilon and runs his crew much like the Furies run their province. He understands that the Furies will tolerate only so much skimming and that they expect something in return. In particular, they expect the wheels of progress to remain greased and turning smoothly. If they’re not, Caius has a problem. So he keeps things running smoothly and takes a modest cut for himself. The Furies may not love it, but he’s good at what he does, so they tolerate it. They have been known to go too far on occasion. Not long after the Pine Cross were decisively defeated on the field of battle, Caius arranged for a trio of prisoners of war to be rerouted to the saloon where the drunken patrons got out of hand and literally started using them for target practice. That didn’t end well, and Caius spent some time in jail, was branded with the mark of a sadist, and paid a hefty fine for his ‘shenanigans’ (the Constable’s word). Had any of the men actually died, he likely would have lost his head for it.
Constable Elliot (Eli) Wharton (Constable of Cerilon)
Constable Wharton is one of the most highly visible people in the whole of the city. Nearly everyone knows who he is. With shaggy grey hair and a giant mustache, he is admittedly hard to miss. The Constable has the thankless job of locking up Cerilon’s criminals until they stand trial and face the judgement of the Furies. One would think that a man in such a position would be almost universally despised and resented. Mostly owing to his gentle nature, which is one part kind and one part gruff but always fair, he is beloved by nearly everyone. Even the small, low-key thieves guild (“Scouts” as the Furies like to call them) respect the man.Drippy Gimple (Stray)
The Furies are known to employ trained War Mastiffs for use in battle. These are glorious force multipliers and their Hounds are greatly feared on the field of battle. Most of the Mastiffs take to the training well, but a few do not. Drippy Gimple was one of these. He was deemed utterly untrainable and worse, he was constantly escaping. Caius Valdrossa once commented that the dog had such a knack for escaping and sundering locks that he’d love to add the dog to his crew, but, the dog seems to have other plans. After escaping the clutches of the Animal Trainers more than a dozen times, the Furies simply gave up and let the dog wander. He’s a fixture in and around town, showing up unexpectedly for a head scratch or a free meal, then vanishing again when it suits him. At least some of his military training stayed with him though. On more than one occasion, the Town Watch has responded to reports of a crime in progress, only to arrive and find the criminal weeping and bloody, having been savaged by a ferocious dog. Drippy (so named because apparently, he loves to swim) walks with an odd limp and is getting on in years now, but is a beloved bit of local color in Cerilon.Duke Lorca Fury (High Lord of the Furies)
The passing of Duke Stephen and his brother Lord Michael Fury were dark days indeed, but the Furies and the people they lead are a stoic lot, and Duke Lorca, the eldest son of Stephen, took the reins of power upon his father’s death. He is an able administrator, but also more pragmatic than his father, who believed until his dying day that the Basin would one day be reunited. It was Lorca who disbanded the Knights of the Black Watch and gave up on that dream, a move which is still surrounded in controversy to this very day. Lorca is, by all accounts, a friendly and gregarious leader, but he is seldom seen by his subjects except for from afar, and only the most powerful adventurers and emissaries get a face to face meeting with the Duke. If you want one, it’s going to take time and trust.Fury Keep (Keep)
Located in the center of Cerilon, Fury Keep (or simply ‘The Keep’ is the seat of the Furies’ Power. It houses both the family’s small library and the museum dedicated to the memory of the Knights of the Black Watch. Gaining access to the Keep is a fairly simple matter. Gaining access to anything other than the museum is a bit trickier, but with patience, can be accomplished, and if you bring a new book with you, your odds go up considerably. Although the library is quite modest, the Furies are always interested in expanding their collection.Plot Threads
The North has a lot to offer in terms of campaign material. In no particular order:- Scouting for the Furies – this is something that can lead to no end of adventure and trouble, and it puts you on the path to make friends with the Northern Lords. Those are powerful allies to have.
- Joining the Bordermen – If you’d rather not work with the Furies directly, the Bordermen are always looking for new blood, and they almost always need “scouts.” With Trentare serving as your base of operations, the sky’s pretty much the limit.
- Orcish Hordes – This could be the start of a classic D&D campaign. What is more iconic than giving battle to raging hordes of Orcs?
- The Haaradis – Shifty and sneaky, hellbent on ruling over the Basin and willing to resort to Dark Magic to do it? Putting an end to their machinations encompasses pretty much everything one would need to develop a long-running campaign.
- Brom – Since the Gates of Brom have been reached once more, what remains is to breach them and begin exploring the remains of the Province. See the entry on Brom for details.
- StroudHaven – The great forest was home to the Order of the Pine Cross and is no doubt where their remnants fled after being defeated on the field of battle. It is quite possibly the most dangerous location in the whole of the Basin, and it’s conveniently located next to Fury lands. A thorough exploration of Stroudhaven could take a lifetime.
- Dwarven ties and bonds. Using the Fury lands as a base, one could also easily slant the campaign toward the Dwarven lands, if desired (see the entry on the North Spur for more details).
- Bringing back the Black Watch – What if the Duke of Cerilon could be convinced to change his opinion regarding the disbanding? What if the Knights of the Watch really could be revived?
- Re-uniting the Basin – Given Fury ties with the Holy Church and their alliance with the Dwarves, they are well-positioned to reunite the Basin under a single banner. There would be daunting challenges, to be sure, but if anyone could do it, a group of adventurers under the banner of the Furies would be the likeliest choice…
Type
Capital
Population
32,611
~100 Books
Held By
The Furies
Goods Availability
- Food and Lodging
- All Mercantile Goods
- Apothecary
- All Weapons
- All Armor Types
- Special Orders
- Masterwork Items
Available to Characters w/Connections
(Scouts, Bordermen, personal connections etc.)- Quick Potions
- Spell Book Access
- Poisons
Prices
20% premium in the North
(Masterwork and Specialty Orders have additional premiums set by the DM)
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