Geography
Surrounded by four watchtowers and a ten-foot-tall palisade of sharpened logs, Palebank is a ramshackle village locked in eternal winter. The village is made up of over a hundred cabins and shacks. It's too small to have distinct neighborhoods, so most businesses and residences were established wherever they could fit at the
Time, creating a meandering layout. Off the northern cliff, about fifteen feet down to the sand-and-snow beach, the docks hold around a dozen ships, ranging from fishing vessels to small cargo ships.
Description
Along the cold shore of the western ocean, Palebank Village marks the last elven outpost. The settlement is situated on the shore of the western ocean, just north of the
Elven Forest. The denizens of Palebank often take to ice fishing, trapping, or hunting, returning in small caravans to Nìmloth to sell their wares and restock their supplies. Territorial monsters wander close to the village, so rotating squads of
Soldiers of the Qwir are assigned to protect the people. The small docks have been recently expanded to accommodate the increased interest heading south toward
Megima through the sea.
The
Elf ranger Elro Aldataur is the appointed leader of the village. He delegates tasks to proven friends and trustworthy allies. Elro commands a small force of errant soldiers of the Qwir. Some civilians are willing to take up arms to defend the city in moments of crisis. Basic supplies can be purchased or traded at the small inns or supply shacks. There are two humble temples to
Jan'ahrem and
Selune, respectively. the
Kingdom -o Qwir governs from afar.
The people of Palebank must work together to survive in this frigid land, and there is little room in the small community to conduct any worthwhile larceny or immoral activity. What crimes do occur are born out of necessity and punished accordingly by Elro.
- Pel's Curiosity: Pelc’s Curiosities is an antique shop run by an introverted elf named Verla Pelc. Verla keeps to herself, opening her shop only when the mood strikes her. She trades any and all objects that interest her, shipping them across Toriel.
Croaker Cave
Everyone in town knows Croaker Cave. Croaker Cave gets its name from its resident giant ice frogs. Its entrance is on the shores of the ocean, due north of Palebank Village. The cave serve as a bandit outpost, as no solider patrol comes over here due to the giant ice frogs. plume of smoke can often be seen rising from the ground beyond the cave entrance, venting through a narrow natural chimney from area C6. The chimney is too small to be climbed, however, and the main cave entrance is the only entry point.
Knowing that the residents of Palebank Village avoid the cave and its dangerous frogs, It became the place of operation of local bandits, they have domesticated the giant ice frogs that make the cave their home, using them as guard animals.
The caverns and tunnels of the Croaker Cave complex are shown on map 5.9. Unless otherwise noted in an area’s description, the following features are common throughout all areas of Croaker Cave.
The Cavern ceilings are 10 feet high, with only 8 feet of clearance beneath stalactites. Climbing the rough walls of a cavern requires a successful DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check. The caverns contain no light sources, except in area C6, as the inhabitants of Croaker Cave rely on darkvision to see. Pools of murky, frigid water within the caverns are created by melting snow on the rocky ground above dripping down through the ceiling. Each pool is 10 feet deep. A creature completely submerged in a pool must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion. Creatures with resistance or immunity to cold damage automatically succeed on this saving throw. For each minute the creature spends submerged in a pool, it must repeat this saving throw, gaining another level of exhaustion on a failure.
Society
Law
The city boasts a military force. Use the Guard Arrival Times table to determine how long it takes for guards to arrive at a location after a crime or similar incident is reported.
History
Genesis
1072 AD through 1136 AD
The village is guided by Elro Aldataur, a weathered elf ranger who helped found Palebank roughly sixty years ago. Stoic and humorless, Elro showed a knack for leadership when the fledgling outpost was beset with danger on a near-constant basis. Elro earned the trust and respect of the residents, and they asked him to govern Palebank. He begrudgingly accepted, and has since overseen the expansion and protection of the village. Elro generally has sixty to ninety soldiers of the Qwir at his command.
Missfits of Paleblank
15th Ivanneth 1136 AD
On the 15th of Ivanneth, a strange group of misfits found themselves in the humble village of Paleblank, during the
Hanged-Vanu Day festival. Some of the group hailed from the region, while others were escaping the tension brewing between the northern part of Tana’s Empire and the rest of the empire. Regardless of their reasons, they all found themselves in this small village at the perfect time to enjoy its annual festival.
The group was composed of six very different individuals:
- Seb, a birdfolk of mixed heritage—Aarakocra and Luma—who leaned more toward the latter in both appearance and martial prowess.
- Kate, a Tiefling who had made a pact with a dark entity to learn forbidden magics, carrying a shadow tome to mark the spells she had learned.
- Aldruim, a High Half-Elf with a sharp wit and an even sharper magical aptitude, whose arrogance was matched only by his abilities.
- Annoushka, a Wood Elf, who had bound himself to devilish forces, her demeanor cold and calculating.
- Sinjox, a Hadozee who had once fought in Megima as a soldier but had since abandoned that violent life.
- Efrim, a Shifter whose dexterity with her hands was rivaled only by her love for other people’s gold.
The festival was a huge event for the small town, and the group spent their time enjoying the festivities, whether by listening to the bards, flirting with the locals, or relieving the citizens of their coin purses.
Amid the chaos of the festival, a half-elf named Presto shouted from his stall, offering free samples of his grand potions. After a quick demonstration of strength, wherein a simple commoner easily defeated a local catcher in the mud pit, the crowd surged toward Presto in search of their own taste of glory and power.
Some of the adventurers, including Sinjox and Aldruim, tasted the potions, feeling the immediate rush of enhanced strength, intelligence, and charisma. But the effects were not as benign as they appeared. The man who had previously tossed the fighter into the pit began to transform into a hulking beast, much to Presto’s alarm.
Recognizing the adventurers’ abilities, Presto begged for their help, explaining that the transformation was abnormal and asking them to help him stop the growing chaos.
The party quickly realized the secondary effects of the potions. The beast-like man was only the beginning, as more villagers began to turn into monstrous forms. The adventurers battled the creature, though their methods were brutal, ultimately killing the man. Presto was stunned by the group's brutality but had no time to mourn as more villagers started to change into monsters, fueled by the potion’s curse.
Presto, not understanding why this was happening, suggested that they head to his lab to search for a solution in his notes. The group, after a brief discussion about a reward, agreed to escort him.
When they arrived at Presto’s lab, they were shocked to find it ransacked, clearly by someone with intent. Presto was particularly concerned for his associate, Hold Hammerhearth, a
Dwarf who had stayed behind to prepare the next batch of potions. Amid the wreckage, the group discovered a note—a letter from a local printshop, apologizing for the late delivery of posters for Hold's new venture: a potion reversal and hat shop.
The group quickly pieced together that Hold might not be the trustworthy associate Presto thought he was, and they decided to track him down.
Seb, using his ability to fly, was able to find Hold, and the group gave chase. Hold fled into the underground river, which served as a waste-disposal system for the town. During the pursuit, he tossed a fireball potion behind him, buying enough time to escape into a hidden lab.
The adventurers followed, and just as Aldruim managed to stop Hold momentarily, he broke free and consumed several potions of strength and enlargement, transforming into a massive monster. He began throwing barrels of strange potions at the party, and a chaotic battle ensued. Despite their best efforts, the group was outmatched, and the fight took a heavy toll on them. Aldruim lost an eye, and everyone was left severely injured.
Finally, Presto arrived, having followed them to confront Hold. But he was too late—he found the wreckage, the bruised adventurers, and the dead body of Hold. Grief-stricken by the events, Presto nonetheless began brewing potions of greater restoration to cure the affected citizens of Paleblank. He thanked the party for their help, albeit with a heavy heart, and promised to assist them further if they ever needed him.
After the dust settled, Efrim and Seb decided to part ways, continuing on their own paths, while the others remained as a group, their bonds forged through blood and
Magic.
Comments