Axebreak

"The town with everything... except those who stay."

Axebreak stands as Everwealth’s greatest timber town, a northern settlement nestled on the borders of three great landscapes, the Grandgleam, the Boulderrain Woods, and the Bog of Lies. It is a place of industry and prosperity, where the constant rhythm of axes striking wood echoes through the valley, and sawmills churn from dawn to dusk, carving the finest lumber Everwealth has to offer. The Snake-Tongue River cuts through its heart, carrying rafts of timber southward, where Axebreak’s wealth feeds the ever-growing hunger of the capital and beyond. To the outside world, Axebreak should be a utopia, a rare town with steady work, fortified walls, functioning schools, and trade that never dries up. Brigands are rare, driven away by the frequent patrols of road guards and the sheer volume of travelers moving between the capital and the Dwarflands. Predators that stalk the wilds do not breach the timber walls. The town should be safe. The town should be stable. And yet, no one stays. Axebreak’s laborers, craftsmen, and merchants come and go, their numbers replenished by fresh hands seeking fortune, trade, or opportunity, but those who arrive never linger longer than they must.
Travelers do not dally in the inns, merchants do not stop to enjoy their profits, and even the wealthiest among them never put down permanent roots. The reason? No one can say. There is no great beast lurking in the woods, no plague in the streets, no curse carved into the town’s bones. And yet, a weight lingers over the air, a quiet dread that whispers in the back of the mind, something that turns stomachs and tightens the chest. Those who pass through speak of a sensation, not a fear, not an omen, but a certainty. A prelude to calamity. The lifelong residents do not seem to notice it anymore. The laborers, the generational craftsmen, the families who have lived here for centuries, they go about their days, content, unbothered, perhaps unaware. But newcomers? They feel it immediately. They wake sweating in the night, glancing over their shoulders at nothing, moving faster than necessary to finish their work. And when they leave, they do not look back. Axebreak is a town without danger. A town without war, disease, or ruin. Still, no one dares remain longer than they must.

Demographics

With roughly 7,000 residents, Axebreak is one of Everwealth’s largest northern towns, composed mostly of Humans and Dwarfs, with a minority population of Halflings and Gnomes, particularly among the toolmakers and furniture craftsmen. However, its transient population nearly rivals its permanent one, laborers, merchants, and travelers constantly arriving and leaving, ensuring that no two seasons see the same faces.

Government

Axebreak is governed by a mayoral system, but in practice, true power lies in the hands of the Timberman’s Consortium, a guild of wealthy lumber magnates who dictate trade regulations, oversee industry, and ensure that the town remains Everwealth’s leading supplier of wood. The mayor, while officially the voice of the people, is often a mere figurehead, as decisions that affect Axebreak’s future are made behind closed doors, within the halls of the trade barons. Law enforcement is handled by a well-equipped town guard, but crime is rarely an issue, not because of strict laws, but because those who cause trouble do not linger long enough to make it a problem.

Defences

Axebreak is one of the most fortified towns in Everwealth, its position along a major trade route ensuring that guards patrol its walls and roads regularly. Bandits are rare, and large-scale raids are all but unheard of, leaving the town far safer than most.

Industry & Trade

• Timber & Lumber – Axebreak is the largest supplier of wood in Everwealth, its forests providing everything from sturdy Boulderrain hardwoods to the bog-drenched blackwood of the swamps.

• Furniture & Carpentry – With such an abundance of raw materials, the town is known for producing high-quality furniture, wagons, and wooden goods.

• Toolmaking & Cobbling – Axebreak’s economy is not just wood but what is made from it, with skilled toolmakers and cobblers ensuring that axes remain sharp and boots remain sturdy.

Axebreak’s goods flow southward along the Snake-Tongue River, feeding the demands of Everwealth’s cities. In exchange, the town imports iron, fine cloth, and rare luxuries—though such goods are rarely seen among the working class, instead hoarded by wealthy timber barons and trade lords.

Infrastructure

Axebreak is one of the few towns outside the capital with multiple schoolhouses, an abundance of well-maintained roads, and fortified defenses strong enough to repel any but the most determined of threats. Sawmills dominate the skyline, their wheels turning endlessly along the river’s edge, while workshops and smithies line the streets, their forges burning late into the night.

Districts

• The Timber Quarter – The beating heart of Axebreak, where sawmills, carpentry shops, and toolmakers ply their trade. This district is constantly alive with the sound of axes and the scent of freshly hewn wood.

• The Riverside Market – A bustling marketplace near the Snake-Tongue River, where traders buy and sell lumber, iron, and imported goods from the south. It is the most transient part of town, with faces that change by the week.

• The Old Ward – The oldest part of Axebreak, home to generational residents and those who have spent their lives working the timber yards. The buildings here are sturdy and well-kept, but something about the streets feels… still.

• The Outer Mills – A sprawling industrial zone on the town’s edge, where logs are stripped, shaped, and loaded for transport. The mills never truly rest, their work continuing long into the night.

Assets

Axebreak’s wealth is measured not in gold, but in timber. The town’s lumber stores are vast, housing everything from common pine to the rare and highly sought-after blackwood from the Bog of Lies. The tool forges of Axebreak produce some of the finest axes, saws, and chisels in Everwealth, sought after by woodworkers and craftsmen across the land. Shipbuilders from the southern cities pay handsomely for Axebreak’s exports, ensuring the town’s coffers remain full year after year. Yet, for all its wealth, Axebreak possesses no great luxuries, no extravagant estates or displays of excess, only the steady accumulation of raw materials and the endless labor that keeps them flowing.

Guilds and Factions

• The Timberman’s Consortium – Controls all major logging operations and trade agreements.

• The Axebreak Toolwrights – A respected guild of toolmakers, producing some of the finest saws, chisels, and axes in Everwealth.

History

Founded in 334 CA, Axebreak was established as a northern logging camp, its early settlers drawn to the rich variety of timber provided by the Grandgleam, Boulderrain Woods, and the edges of the Bog of Lies. The settlement grew rapidly, fueled by the increasing demand for high-quality wood, and within a century, it had transformed from a cluster of crude sawmills into Everwealth’s largest timber-producing town. Unlike many settlements that struggle against war, famine, or external threats, Axebreak has enjoyed an unbroken history of prosperity, its strong defenses and economic importance shielding it from most dangers. Yet, despite its unparalleled stability, it has never flourished beyond its trade, forever remaining a town of industry rather than ambition. Travelers have long whispered that Axebreak is "not meant to grow," that some unseen force keeps it rooted in place, never changing, never expanding, only enduring.

Points of interest

Axebreak is not a town of grand sights or wonders, but certain locations hold undeniable importance within its walls. The Timber Exchange, the heart of Axebreak’s economy, is a vast wood-paneled hall where lumber barons and trade lords negotiate prices, settle disputes, and oversee the never-ending flow of timber southward. The River Gate, a fortified checkpoint along the Snake-Tongue River, ensures that every log, every shipment, every boat that passes through is accounted for, keeping the town’s wealth secure. Those seeking a moment’s rest might find themselves at The Hollow Hearth Inn, Axebreak’s largest tavern, known not for its revelry but for its quiet, uneasy patrons and its reputation as a place where travelers drink in silence, leave in haste, and never rent a room for more than a night.

Tourism

Axebreak should be a place where merchants and travelers linger, where adventurers stock supplies and traders rest between journeys. And yet, no one stays longer than they must. Even those unaware of its reputation feel something is wrong, a tightening in the chest, a creeping anxiety, as though standing on the precipice of an unseen disaster. The locals, those born and raised here, seem oblivious, their lives continuing without pause. But outsiders? They leave as quickly as their business allows.

Architecture

Axebreak is rugged but well-built, its timber-framed homes and workshops standing strong against the northern winds. Smoke rises from a hundred chimneys, and the scent of fresh-cut wood and burning sawdust fills the streets.

Geography

Axebreak is positioned at the meeting point of three distinct landscapes—the Grandgleam Forest, with its towering ancient trees, the Boulderrain Woods, whose rugged terrain provides some of the strongest hardwoods in Everwealth, and the Bog of Lies, whose cursed depths yield the most uniquely colored, dense timber known to man. The Snake-Tongue River, winding its way from the north, serves as the town’s primary trade artery, allowing Axebreak to transport its goods southward with ease. The town itself is built on solid ground, but the outskirts quickly turn to mud and mist, a stark reminder of the unforgiving wilds that surround it.

Climate

Axebreak experiences cold, harsh winters and brief, mild summers, with the mist from the Bog of Lies often creeping into the streets on colder nights. Snow is common, but the constant activity of the mills and workshops keeps the town from ever feeling truly lifeless. Even in the height of summer, there is a lingering chill in the air, something that never fully fades no matter how warm the season. Rain is frequent but never torrential, with the boglands to the west ensuring that the air remains damp, the ground ever-so-slightly softened by moisture.

Natural Resources

• Grandgleam Hardwood – Known for its durability and resilience, this wood is used in everything from shipbuilding to fine furniture.

• Black Bogwood – Harvested from the outskirts of the Bog of Lies, this rare timber is dark, water-resistant, and highly valuable, often used in the construction of luxury estates and high-end weaponry.

• Mire-Iron Deposits – Occasionally unearthed near the bog’s edge, this strange metal is said to carry a unique resistance to decay, making it a sought-after material for specialized crafts.

• Shadeberries & Frostbite Root – Though not abundant, these rare plants are sometimes gathered in the fringes of the wilderness, providing small but profitable alchemical exports.

Founding Date

Founded in 334 CA, Axebreak began as a simple logging town, little more than a collection of sawmills and worker shacks meant to capitalize on the rich woodlands of the north.

Alternative Name(s)

'The Timber Gate', 'The Hollow Town', 'The Silent Weight'.

Population

Roughly 3,700

Inhabitant Demonym

"Lumberjackfolk', 'Timbermen'.

Owning Organization

The Monarchy