Locksburg
Overview
Once a lively sea trade port in the inner Wizard's Bay, Locksburg has fallen to a mysterious plague in the last few months. Originally built to aid the wizards of the mysterious Wizard's Tower, Locksburg became an important maritime town for Everglen 's economy. Its central position in the country made it a perfect town for trade via the bay and roads leading to Northwind, Kengrim, and Empiredon. The town garnered plenty of visitors to see the sunken Wizard's Tower in the bay. The Wizard's Tower stopped accepting students when the plague began and has been shut down since, citing concerns of transmission from the surface. No one in Locksburg or the greater country of Everglen knows the fate of the wizards at the bottom of the bay.
Architecture
Locksburg's buildings are made to endure the brutal ice storms of the Wizard's Bay as well as the occasional flood. With the help of the once good trade economy and the wizards themselves, much of Locksburg is built quite well. Intricate stone and wooden buildings line the bay and stretch into the nearby Feywild Woods. Most homes are humble one-floor designs, but upon the highest craggy hill stands the manor of the town baron and his wife. Built by the finest elven carpenters, the baron's home stands as a symbol of hope and leadership for the citizens of Locksburg... When the baron is decent. The gold-trimmed darkwood manor currently acts as more of a symbol of fear and control than anything, as the baron has gone a bit batty in his efforts to avoid the plague.
Travelers can currently find one, perhaps two functioning taverns. The town guards work tirelessly to board up plague houses, and more and more citizens fall to the sickness every day. Hawkers and other shady salesmen have taken up residence in the once fine fishing homes to grift their miracle cures for the plague. Still, the thick paned windows and sturdy Feywild wood withstand the test of time on most of the architecture of this dying fishing town.
The Wizard's Tower
The most prestigious magical university outside of Larevin Island, the Wizard's Tower is one of the oldest human structures in Everglen. Originally built as a symbol of peace between the warring humans and elves, the Wizard's Tower has become home to any and all who can channel magic. The tower was originally in the center of Old Locksburg, but after a major magical mishap, the tower was shot into the sky before landing in Wizard's Bay. Old Locksburg (what was left of it) was abandoned, and the new town of Locksburg was built around the Wizard's Tower to assist in repairs and trade. As it happened, the new location was much better for sea trade, and its separation from the Feywilds made building accessible roads much easier. The wizards claim the tower's launch hundreds of years ago was actually all planned, as it benefited Locksburg and Everglen greatly to have the tower sunken in the bay.
Today, the tower has closed its doors entirely. No new students are allowed in, and all the current students are trapped in the tower until the plague ends. Food shipments are sent once a week, and the wizards send barrels of gold back the next day with buoyancy charms so the cargo floats to the top of the bay. The barrels appear every week with the gold, so the town believes the wizards are still alive down in the bay. Many are skeptical, though, and preach that the food shipments should end. Why aren't the wizards helping with the plague? Surely they could heal people. Why haven't they said anything for months? Many Locksburg citizens believe the wizards are the source of the plague, not the Mark. The Wizard's Tower has a well-known (and well-documented in its massive library) history of contacting the Hells and attempting to tame the magic of the devils and demons. Thus, many rumors of magical plague coming from the tower itself don't seem so far-fetched...
Locksburg after the plague
Country
Everglen
Ruler
King Heinrich Steele
Notable Features
Wizard's Tower, trading posts, and the impounded King's Fury pirate ship
The Wizard's Tower
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