Castow

Written by Esau Dm

Castow is a large town located on the Northern Isle.
Large milk thistle patches (prickly plant which has distinctive purple flowers and white veins) surrounds the town - harvested and regrown. It daily finds that it sits in the tall shadow of the Spiral Peak.

The town is known for its heavy-handed guards - who distrust the strangers, even through there are many each week. A place of plentiful potatoes, bee hives and pumpkin crops, producing Milk Thistle Wine and NutMilk Wine, and having new technologies in development.

The Spiral Peak is easy to see from Castow - except the very peak is covered by heavy cloud, except clearing during the hours of 3 to 4 - both morning and night.

The people of Castow may have other Deities, however all of them regularly visit the six shrines places underneath Prime Road.
There are frequent religious processions, which might block streets and make travel within the large town difficult - Make a DC 10 Intelligence (Religion) check to recognize their customs and move respectfully among them. On a success, a thankful cleric casts bless on you. On a failed check, they cast bane instead (save DC 14).
The influence of Elemental Planes cannot be ignored by the town folk of Castow. It is very warm inside each one
cellar - The Plane of Wood
basement - The Plane of Water
undercroft - The Plane of Air - with funnel vents
vault - The Plane of Void
cellarage - The Plane of Fire
crawlway - The Plane of Earth


Only an hour to the South runs the Europia River, which leads to Spiral Peak - which can be seen in the distance.

Underneath the town South edge of Castow flows the Kynym River - only accessible via the Waterhouse.

To reach Wether from the North takes the best part of a day. While it takes a few days journey to either Janney to the East or Devai to the West.

Castow is a in majority a Tabaxi town - members of The Whispering Clan. Along with numerous Gnomes in residents, who are working alongside the Tabaxi in various Guilds of different types of Artificers.

WATER HOUSE

Water Well
Used to purify drinking water. Inventors looking to use water wheels to power more of the town.
Located on River Road, on the South side of town (a road that curves along above part of the bank of part of the Kynym River)

LAVENDER"S APOTHECARY

Potions / Herbalist
Sells a variety of teas, extracts, eatable options and Potions.
Inside a dome shaped building, with a grey brick chimney, is painted a pale purple colour.
SHOPKEEPER = Lavender Jones - who is half Earth Genasi and half Human - looks Human except skin is like soil and hair grows in a purple moss. Looks bulky and strong, but can be delicate with plants. Tends to wear clothes of natural materials, dyed a soft purple - mostly a loose tunic and flowing knee-lenght shorts dyed green in a grass bath.
She knows much about herbs and other plants.
Locally sells a lot of Milk Thistle, Ginger, Lavender, Aloe Vera and Lemongrass. The rest she grows for Potions.

THE OSSUARY

Graveyard
The double-doored entrance is located along Prime Road. It is decorative with runes and wards hidden within the design of ferns. A pair of gargoyles guard from a top two pillars,
While a catacomb is an underground graveyard, with graves in the floor and walls where bodies are buried, decompose or mummify. An ossuary is a room with piles of decomposed bones relocated from within the upper building - where the undertaker uses beetles to clean the skeletons. The cleaned bones are sorted and stacked in heaps.
Entrance from the Elemental Shrines connect it to the newer shaft of the Northern Silver Mine.

Show spoiler

+ Close to Castow, the stream runs through the newer mine shaft - a jump of 15ft to cross over - the heat off the water is extreme.

There is no suitable land outside of the town for burying people.
Undertaker: Dermot Gritmound - male Dwarves

THE CLOCK SHOP

Clock Seller & Repairs
The clocks, pull-along toys and wind-up toys in this shop are well crafted.
For 10sp a person can see the artificers are work.
OWNER: Beetharknee - Dragonborn female - green scales - pretty red colouring along underarms, tummy and knees.

POCKETS & PUDDLES

Magic Items
A pretty store front, with hanging crystals, twinkling lights, green leavy plants, and colourful candles on tiered stands. Inside smells of sandalwood. The dim lighting and tribal music give it an eerie feel. The places sells all sorts of magic items and low magic store. Shopkeeper = Sweetpea - female Tabaxi - gentle, calm voice - motley grey furr

THE BACK SHELF

Pawnshop / Blackmarket
Next to a thin alleyway is a green door with a hanging chain connected to a brass bell. In the windows is travel bags, a display of hip flasks, and three strange looking wooden masks. It is a long narrow building, with numerous items. The store is a pawnshop for those needing quick coin, as well as a place the will acquire 'questionable' items. Owner: Wallace Muskrat "Rat" - Human male - cheeky, with dark sense of humour - willing to hustle - scruffy and loud - black beard and hair - pale skin (seen no sun) - smells of coffee and tobacco

BERRILOUS TATTOOS

Tattooist
Tattooist = Jayne Smith "Berry"
* studied art in Farr City.
* arms and legs covered in tattoos - where she can reach to do her own - wears razorback singlet tops to show off tattoos

Show spoiler

* Rooms with Melic (Purple female Tielfing with small pointed horns showing through blonde cropped hair) - bartender at The Black Cat

* wears red boots and raspberry hat

The Frayed Mart

General Goods / Book Seller
Owner: Ryley Beetle - Female Human
The street outside is filled with the smell of damp earth.
The general store is a log building, with a reinforced wooden door and a large storage attic. It contains a large bookshelf filled with fiction books, and towards the back of the store a decommissioned carriage serves as shelving for goods.

SUGER DONUTS

Bakery
This Bakery on is located halfway along West Street. Has many varieties of tasty donuts.
BAKER = Halfling - Sal Lightfoot (Salminta) and elderly mother Jeikia

THE SHARP MAUL

Blacksmith
Owner: Rosalind Glorystone - female Dwarves - pride in self - focused on fitness and quality of her work - athletic, Optimist, Logical, Gifted - Rhymes when ever possible
The blacksmith is a large brick single storey building, with a tanned wooden roof and overgrown hedges. Inside is a set of silver coin scales and a large horned anvil.

Specials
Mariner's Armour (1,379 gp)
Sword of Sharpness (1,591 gp)
Sword of Vengeance (1,439 gp)

THE FEATHERED CABIN

Inn
Small inn located on North Street, next to the Sheriff's Office (next to the Northern gate).
Accommodations:

THE BLACK CAT

Drinking Tavern
The busy tavern is a timber and brick tower, with a gray shingled roof and vines covering the walls and roof. It contains a beautiful oak countertop and a small stage for performers.
Regulars = Berry (Tattooist Tom Hard; Dick Channing; Harry Balls; Sammi Pines, Trevor Muller; Tommy Hiddlingson

SPECIALS:
Pumpkin and Cumin Cake with Scalloped Potatoes, and a Glass of Vodka (5sp)
Chicken with roast pumpkin and potatoes, and a Glass of Milk Thistle Wine (4sp)
Turnip Soup with Cheesy Fries, and a Coffee (5sp)
Ice Cream and Sweet Pumpkin pie (3sp)

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MILK THISTLE WINE BREWERY

Brewery

Produces Milk Thistle Wine. Also, creates NutMilk Wine - favourite of Tabaxi people.
Pumping warm water up from the underground Kynym River - brews the milk thistles into a milky wine.

OWNERS:

* Armmun Wildfall: a half Dwarves - halfTabaxi with black long fur instead of hair (60% ownership);
* Jacqueline "Jackie" Colgan - tall red haired Human; with Dwarves ancestory, wears bold black round glasses. Strong and bold - who lives in Farr City (40% ownership).
Little is known about Jackie by the locals of Castow.

SPECIAL RELATIONSHIPS

*The local tavern The Black Cat ;
* Dry Jack's Bar in The Rookery ward of Farr City;
* The brewery attached to The Pickled Cat Tavern in Odd. This brewery makes ginger beer (alcoholic and non) as well as raspberry wine and thistle cider.

Government

It is governed by a consortium of Guild-Masters - face on which is known as The Grand Scribe - Willia Moonface (Tabaxi - female - dark grey fur except on face and three paws - face colouring is soft white, circular - grew up in both Castow and Janney after parents separated )

Defences

The town is surrounded by 5ft metal wall with 4 steam-powered gates.

The sheriff is Drum Beat (Drum - blind mother named him), and their Deputy is a Gnome Annica Sweetpea.

History

1177AG: Castow was first built.

1389AG: mine shaft of the Northern Silver Mine reaches Castow.

TRAVEL

* to Wether = 6.5 hours
* to Devai = 10 hours
* to Janney = 12.5 hours
* to Europia River = 1 hour
* to Spiral Peak = 3.5 hours
* to Stony = 21 hours

Founding Date

1177AG

Type

Large town

Population

4,250 approx.

Inhabitant Demonym

mainly Tabaxi, Dwarves and Gnomes

Location under

Northern Isle