Dunn's Peak
Breaking the endless green of the Hoornwoods is the lonely shape of Dunn's Peak, a squat, stone grey vulcano with only a few thin wisps of smoke from it's top.
But this is not a sign of lava ozing out of the top, for the volcano is long dead, just like its siblings all across the
The Tremont plateau.
Instead, beyond the edge of the caldera lies a small town, surrounded by farmland and protected by the careful eyes of watchtowers on the mountain slopes.
Demographics
70% Human, 20% Halflings, 10% Other (Dwarfes, Elves, Thieflings)
Government
Officially leadership of the town and it´s peoples fall to the Marquis of the Hornwoods, the ruling noble of Dunn´s Peak and the surrounding territory. The day to day governance is however delegated to a council of respected and influential individuals, commonly the High Priest, the Guildmaster and the Captain of the Watch, with the Marquis advisor and the Master of the Hunt having informal positions on the council.
Industry & Trade
Dunn's Peak survives mostly on trade with airships and caravans that take the shortcut across the Tremont Plateau, serving as a waystation where weary travelers can stop to rest and refill their supplies.
In some ways, the town is still home to many prospector's, but now a days the explorers who venture out from the safety of the caldera are more likely to be adventurers and researchers than gold miners.
Infrastructure
Being located on the top of a mountain with little to no opportunity to settle the surrounding forest, the people of Dun´s Peak have limited resources to work with and such have not grown much in the last century. Functioning mostly as a outpost and rest stop for airships crossing the Tremont plateau Dun´s Peak have little industry to speak of, but does sport a small airfield and repair yard.
The small town center is packed hard with building close to each other and few roads wide enough for anything bigger than a hand drawn cart, all to make the most of the limited space that the volcanoes caldera provide. Hence much of the land between the caldera walls and the town proper is given up to farmland.
The last piece of civilization before leaving the town of Dunn´s Peak are the fifteen watchtowers than crest the edge of the caldera, keeping constant watch on the forest below.
History
Dunn´s Peak was founded circa 1633 during the Tremont Gold rush by prospector Dunncan Driespear. Story goes that Dunncan was one of the first to find gold in the Hoornwoods and realized that he could use the money he found to finance a more permanent source of revenue that would outlast the gold rush. With this goal in mind he built a simple outpost at the top of a long dead volcano, high above the dangers of the forest and easily seen for miles around.
His outpost that started out as a inn with a small farm and some hovels soon grew into a proper town, and within a few years Dunn´s Peak had its name. The town continued to grow during the rush, at one point risking a conflict with the Marquis of the Hornwoods over who actually owned the land the town occupied.
For years the Marquis of the Hoornwoods had been a honorary title, holding little actual power and not requiring the noble in question to have ever even been to the Hoornwoods, or the Tremont plateau for that matter.
The dispute was eventually settled with the Marquis winning the rights to the land on the condition that the town would hold council on important matters, and that Dunncan would have a permanent seat on said council.
Eventually Dunncan Driespear passed away of old age and the Marquis Illiona Alderberry took permanent residency in Dunn´s Peak, building a modest residence and beginning the process of turning this lawless prospector town into a beacon of civilization.
Geography
The volcano of Dunn´s Peak is a comparatively low mountain, but on the relatively flat Tremont plateau it stands out like a beacon in a ocean of green. The slopes of the mountain gradually grow to step incline, to a point where trees have trubbel growing and the top half of the volcano is simply grayish black stone and a few shrubs.
At the summit sits a large, flat caldera with a high ridge line ringing the crater floor. Inside the crater are farmlands and a small town center, as well as a rudimentary airfield.
From the top of the ridge one can see for hundreds of miles in every direction, with Lake Eirie to the North-East and Dunn´s Peaks sister volcanoes to the North and East respectively.
Alternative Name(s)
Dunntown, Devil's Horn
Type
Town
Population
3600
Inhabitant Demonym
Duniard
Location under
Owner/Ruler
