Accorsa Crossroads

The old stones of the Pallastrada, worn by weather and merchant carts, run from Valedor to Csillasgrad in a meandering path along the banks of the Verseras River - called the Black Brook by locals. Near the middle of the winding path of both road and river lies a town gathered around an ancient stone bridge that arches up over the banks. The banks of the river are lined with watermill wheels and fishmonger docks. The waters are filled with fishing boats, their lanterns illuminating the underside of the stone bridge. Atop the bridge, torchlight marks the return of lumber crews crossing back from the Muldrotha Wilds on the South bank to return to the mud-stained wood and smoke-filled taverns of their home.
The Accorsa Crossroads is a rough and tumble town that marks the midpoint of the Pallastrada and the start of The Sellsword Road that leads South over the bridge into the Southmark. It is perhaps the most trafficked town in all of the Valedori Empire, though few who come here stay long. It is a town built to be passed through - with hosts of stables, cart makers, and taverns full of mercenaries for hire by merchants traveling the long roads. While most who come here move on in a few days time, there are some that get caught in the dregs of the town to become more permanent tavern fixtures in the riverside town.

WHY PEOPLE COME HERE

People don’t come to the Crossroads - they are going to another place and the Crossroads is in between. This town has a constant stream of merchants and travelers that muddy the tavern entrances and fill the stables and inns. Guildhalls of merchant guilds and the Courier’s Guild can be found at the mouth of the Accorsa Bridge, able to do their business spanning half the Imperial Fractals all from this central point. Because of this, there is always a cart or caravan already heading in any desired direction for travelers to join and work across the region is never at a shortage here.
Beyond merchants and guild craftsmen, mercenaries of Madragil's Steel and the Foefire Company can always be found in the taverns of the Crossroads. While most are for hire to caravans traveling The Sellsword Road, the nearby bandit gang activity in the Muldrotha Wilds has harried the town and the logging crews that line the South banks of the river for some time. While this can make the Crossroads even more dangerous - many in town see this as a positive, as keeping the mercenaries busy prevents them from getting restless and starting fights in the back alleys behind the taverns and inns.

PEOPLE WHO ARE FROM HERE

Those who live in Accorsa are used to the restless nature of travelers, and unanimously know that other’s business shouldn’t be minded so they do not mind yours. This makes it a town where few questions are asked, which can be at times very accommodating and at times dangerous. But most who live here know the dangers of travel, as they likely weren’t born or raised here, but settled here after taking one merchant caravan more than they could muster or finally running out of fortune in their endeavors - settling for a simpler and more sedentary life.
This simple life is not without its prosperity or comforts though - as the Accorsa Crossroads has become an important part of the trades of the region. Fishing in the Verseras River and lumber from the Muldrotha Wilds employs many in the town and is a substantial export set along the roads aboard carts already heading to greater cities nearby. Even grain from the farmlands of the Southmark makes its way to the water mills and bakeries here on the riverbank to be worked into bread - the most famous of which being the crossed buns and breaded fish, both common in the taverns and inns of Accorsa.
Despite these comforts, the town maintains a feeling of restlessness and unease that comes from hosts of strangers that constantly fill the roads and a Conte that has proven to hold little power to govern their people - often accused of being in the pockets of various Devilblood Companies or thieves guilds given the way it seems guilds and muscle rule the streets more than the local government does.

by Ignacio Bazan Lazcano

Parent Region: The Eastmark
Ruling Nation: Valedori Empire
Local Ruler: Conte Sedaris Albero
Demographics: Heavy Human and Devilblood
Points of Interest: Muldrotha Wilds, Csillasloch, Tzodero Steppe
Districts: Northbank Docks, The Water Wheels, Cedas Bridge, Stables District, The Crossroads