Hearthhouse

Hearthhouses are community shelters operated by the Brethren of the Hearth, often found in the more socio-economically challenged parts of Awarth. They provide warm meals, dry bedding, and basic medical care to anyone in need, offering a rare reprieve from the city's harsh industrial decay. Hearthhouses exude a welcoming aura that contrasts sharply with Awarth's grim surroundings. However, the Brethren's generosity comes with an unspoken cost: those who seek refuge often become entangled in the faction’s web of influence.

Each Hearthhouse is a bustling hub, populated by weary laborers, displaced families, and overlooked souls. Beneath this veneer of charity lies a calculated system of recruitment and control. Recipients of aid are subtly encouraged—or outright coerced—to repay their debt through work, espionage, or loyalty to the Brethren's cause. Some become informants, others runners or smugglers; all find themselves bound to the faction’s quiet authority.

The Hearthhouses are not only shelters but strategic footholds. Their kitchens double as meeting halls, their storerooms as hideouts for contraband. Whether offering solace to the desperate or wielding leverage against the indebted, the Hearthhouses embody the Brethren's motto: "All are welcome at the Hearth." What often remains unspoken is the cost of that welcome.

Type

Shelter