Stonewatch
Whether by caravan or foot, alone or in company, you set out westward with dreams of a better life on the frontier. Taking Lathander’s Belt west, the stone highway and artery of Irenthia eventually gives way to dirt trails at the foot of the Great Divide. You snake your way through cascading foothills, and slalom between mighty peaks. Unforgiving, jagged trails tax you while chilled nights in thin mountain air keep you restless. Was this really the right decision? You play with the idea of turning back while you still can, but perseverance or stubbornness, or some combination of both sustain you through grueling travel.
Right when you need it most, you crest over a ridge and see a sliver of prairie land through the trees. Down a valley far off in the distance a beacon of green livens your step. The first sign of your journey’s end in a sore-ridden week. The trail wraps around a crystalline, snowmelt lake that kisses the top of a cliff and spills over into Elsir's Vale. At the cliff’s edge, the full breadth of the vale can be appreciated. Meandering rivers dart in and out of woodland. Brown specs of civilization pepper the landscape. Snowy mountain tops dust the westward horizon at the very edge of your sight. Just a few miles off, nestled against the mountain you stand on, between two converging gorges, lies your destination - Stonewatch.
The trail leads to a series of switchbacks descending the cliff face. Water from the mountain lake plunges into a dive pool far below you, spraying you in a fine mist. From the base of the cliff it is but a short jaunt to the outskirts of Stonewatch.
Your descent to the city’s eastern gatehouse is riddled with cottages and small family stores. People can be seen completing the daily chores of life. Children dart from house to house trailing you for a time until they tear from their pursuit to return home. Looking across the mountainside much of the same can be seen into the distance. From these buildings footpaths are worn into the earth like capillaries, all converging towards the gatehouse.
Upon approach, it can be seen that the octagonal ramparts of Stonewatch are practical. They stand twenty feet tall and evoke a sense of stability, but pale in comparison to the eloquent curtain walls back east.
Your forward progress is halted as you come to the end of a line that starts at the courtyard in front of the gatehouse. There, a few citizens appear to be handing newcomers paper and quill, and asking questions before entrance into the city. Exhausted and hungry, your patience wears thin. While waiting you notice a figure leaning up against the gateway resting in its shadow. Their dark leathers camouflaging them well. Their silent unwavering presence is unnerving. You tap your fingers impatiently.
“Next! Yes, you there. Come forth!” a thin, pasty man beckons to you.
Upon approach he thrusts a questionnaire at you and follows up swiftly with a freshly inked quill.
“Please fill out this inquiry. Name, race, gender, reason for travel to Elsir's Vale; the barebones for organizing a mass migration of people. You know, dozens of new faces show up daily. All have to pass through these gates,” he boasts proudly. “This city is the crowning achievement of the frontier! A sign of progress I tell ya!”
As he rambles on, you fill out the survey relaying that you come to Stonewatch for mercenary work and adventure, and then hand back the paper.
“Hmmm,” he arches a brow curiously. “Well, truly, I wish you the best of luck! But, he will need to speak with you.”
He turns abruptly to a nearby table with several boxes on it and files your survey away with the others. Before leaving you to tend to another traveler, he gestures to the figure under the gatehouse and your heart drops.
The figure leisurely walks over without a sound. As they enter the sunlight you begin to make out more detail. He is human male with charcoal hair and a stubble beard. One side of his face is marred by a deep clawmark scar. An eyepatch covers the eye on the same side. A faded, olive cloak wraps around his collarbone and billows from his broad shoulders. He never takes his good eye off of you while approaching.
“If Lionel here called me over it means only one thing,” his voice low and about as smooth as his face, “you want to be an adventurer.” An awkward silence fills the space between you two. “Are you sure this is what you want? It won't be the cushy life you had back east. People die out here!”
You take a second to let his words sink in. You hadn’t come this far to turn back now. So, you nod yes. For a moment the man gets a sad look in his eyes before locking back onto you.
“What is your name then?”
You begin to reply but he cuts you off.
“I think you meant to say fresh meat. Isn’t that right fresh meat?”
Swallowing your pride you nod in acknowledgement.
“You can call me Head Watcher Marthrom. It’s my job to weed out the weak before joining us at the Mercs-hall. Last thing we need is deadweight getting us killed out in the field. No one goes on an expedition outside the vale without the Three knowing, and the Three only send those they can trust. They trust my judgement. So, it’s my judgement you need to pass. Now, before I give you your first job, take this,” he plucks a simplistic wooden totem of an animal off a charm bracelet and holds it out in front of you. “Only use this in a life or death situation. It has one use and one use only. Crush it in a place of darkness and I can come to your aid. I don’t want you getting killed out there. I’m just here to put you through the paces. Got it?”
You nod in acknowledgement as he places the totem in your hand.
“And for fuck sake don’t lose it! Now get some rest. You look like shit.”
Layout
Stonewatch is split into three districts each with their own aesthetic and purpose.Hightown
The Rut
- Mercs-hall
- Comfortable Housing
- Modest Housing
- Dwarelson Bros. Mint
- Dwarelson Bros. Bullion & Ingot Depot
- Hustled Hoof
- Bob's BoBs
Lowtown
- The Ice Box
- Poor Housing
- Squalid Housing
- Dwarelson Bros. Ore Mill (water powered)
- Dwarelson Bros. Refinery
Government
Stonewatch is loosely run by The Erathian Concord.
Defences
- The Great Watchtower of Stonewatch
- 20 ft. stone curtain walls with ramparts.
- 3 main gates with gatehouses; one from the eastern approach, one from the northwest, and another from the southwest.
Infrastructure
- Public water and sanitation achieved through aqueducts, water towers, bathhouses, latrines and sewers.
- River Run Highway
- River Run Overpass
Geography
Stonewatch is built on a river fork formed by the Tentan River and the Northern Tentan Tributary. The gorges carved out by these rivers act as a natural defense. Built into the side of a mountain, Stonewatch has a slanted topography. High ground in the east low ground in the west.
Type
City
Population
~ 5000
Location under
Included Locations
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