Elka

Overview

Elka is a small village on the outskirts of civilization. A small number of farms surround a central gathering of buildings adjacent to a gentle stream. The village was founded very recently by Serepta, so all the buildings look fresh and new.

Location and Environment

Elka is situated on a grassy plain and hugs the eastern bank of a small river. A well-worn but unpaved path leads eastward toward the nearest settlement, a crossroads-turned-village which lies just over a day's journey away and can sometimes supply specialized goods to the people of Elka when needed. On the west side of Elka's river begins the Borderwood, a large forest which divides the civilized realm of which Elka is a part from a western wasteland commonly called the Badlands. Although the depths of the Borderwood are dangerous, the forest grows thinner near Elka's portion of the river and is relatively safe for hunting and foraging for Elka's residents. To the north and south of Elka is mostly wilderness, with no roads (paved or otherwise). The terrain grows hilly in the south and wet in the north. Although there are no permanent settlements nearby in either direction, an order of druids roam the area, and nomadic peoples sometimes pass through.

People and Places

Elka is a small enough village that it is run entirely by its mayor, an orc woman named Serepta who lives and works in a modest municipal building near the town square. She is assisted in daily administrative duties by a human woman named Belva. Belva is sharp and attentive, making sure that Serepta (whom Belva idolizes) is not disturbed without good reason. The main gathering place for the town is the Smokey River Inn. It offers hot meals, good drinks, plenty of common space, and has several rooms to rent to travelers and adventurers who might pass through. The Smokey River Inn is owned and operated by a young couple (a tiefling man named Smokey and an elf woman named Bel) and assisted by their two twin children (an elf girl named Buriel and a human boy named Tarrant). A small local temple is run by Wodan, a human man who performs religious ceremonies and minor divine spellcasting for the town. Although he is an ecumenical priest of the Church of the Divine Host, he personally favors the god Bivuel. The town's tools, supplies, and other goods are supplied primarily by Dedur's General Store. The owner, an aging orc man named Dedur, runs the store himself. He does a pretty good job of keeping the most commonly needed goods in stock, but he's always willing to special-order something from a larger settlement if need be. An elf wizard named Lucretia is technically a resident of Elka, though she lives in a restored ruin that sits about a five-minute walk into the woods on the western side of the river. Lucretia is somewhat reclusive, spending much of her time researching the arcane and training her apprentice—a human woman named Ginita who lives in the old stone building with Lucretia. Ginita can provide arcane spellcasting services to the villagers (or more likely, adventurers) if the request is small, while more powerful spells are handled by Lucretia directly. Other local professionals and specialists include: