Shadycreek Run
Shadycreek Run is a sovereign town, outside of the Dwendalian Empire and its law. It has historically used the Savalirwood to keep the Empire at bay. It is often spoken of as a haven for criminals, thieves, and murderers, but it is an inevitable stop for any trader wishing to make their way to Uthodurn.
The main street, Clover Street, heads north through the Clover Plaza towards North Clover. Ragged peasants with their hands extended for some sort of alms gather in the alleyways.
North Clover is built directly into the Savalirwood. This is where most of the ruling families claim their territory. In the beginning of the forest there are broken down tent cities and hovels; further into the woods the roads and alleys break down and becomes sparser. The buildings are further apart. It's less of a gridded city and more of a cluster of buildings that are generally more well made.
Demographics
Many who choose to live within Shadycreek Run do so to avoid the persecution (or prosecution) that awaits within the empire, while others have a taste for the brutal lifestyle afforded by a land of overt moral flexibility. Professions here range from artisans and artists to farmers, mercenaries, and entertainers. However, the most profitable entrepreneurs in the region are thieves, hunters, and scavengers who brave the deadly Savalirwood and the ruins of Molaesmyr. Powerful beasts yield hearty meat and furs, while recovered relics and lost magics fetch quite the price in distant markets. The struggle over these prizes often grows bloody, as the Tribes and the Greytrader Union battle to gain control of these trades, while also competing with the people of Uthodurn who wish to reclaim their heritage and lost belongings.
Government
The city has no central government or laws, so much of it is held together by a vague sense of "live and let live," broken by occasional bursts of "take what I want." If violence spirals out of control, the Grudge Gang's Taskers step in and beat everyone involved to a pulp. It's not uncommon for careless folk to wind up dead in a snow-covered alley, stripped of their goods and left to be eaten by starving dogs. Denizens of the Run learn to watch their backs and warily wield blades.
Currently, Shadycreek Run is divided between three competitive factions: the Greytrader Union, the Tribes, and the Grudge Gang.
The Greytrader Union is a faction of reformed outcasts and criminals who want to establish firm trade relationships with outside societies and help salvage Shadycreek Run by making it a safer, more functional community. The members of the union don't abide imperial rule, and they enjoy the freedom of a lawless lifestyle, but they also wish to be free of the legacy of violence for which Shadycreek Run is known. Made up of trappers, hunters, builders, and craftsmen from all walks of life, the Greytrader Union wishes to institute self-appointed marshals to keep the peace. They aim to increase the safety of civilians, turn the Run into a respectable destination for trade, and eventually diminish the influence of the Tribes and the Grudge Gang.
The Tribes are a collective of rival criminal families who ran the Run for nearly a century before they lost much of their dominance to violent infighting and internal power struggles. Comprised of the Mardoon, Uttolot, Trebain, and Jagentoth families, the Tribes work to maintain control over most of the business that transpires in the city, and conspire against each other in secret. While each family center is usually composed of relatives by blood or marriage, their employees are also considered "within the family," so long as they remain loyal. The Tribes fence stolen goods, provide vice and bawdy entertainment, and control the populace through confusion, intimidation, and fear.
The Grudge Gang is a hardened company of mercenaries who act as the muscle to enforce local interests within the Run. Founded by a band of deserters from the Dwendalian army, they've grown into a battalion of warriors loyal to coin and each other. Members of the gang will happily work for the Greytrader Union or any of the families of the Tribes, so long as their business isn't bloody enough to harm innocents or put the safety of the Run at stake. Since the other factions rely on the Grudge Gang for protection from the terrors of the Savalirwood, its members consider themselves neutral instruments in the political chess game. Some members of the gang have assigned themselves to maintain order in a land without law, calling themselves Taskers and doing their best to keep the innocent from being crushed by the city's predators. Their priorities revolve around lending their skills to whoever pays the best, maintaining livable streets, and keeping the dangers of the Savalirwood and the Dwendalian Empire out of the city.
Districts
What began as an extended string of shanties and shacks built along the southern treeline of the Savalirwood has turned into a three-mile-long, crooked main street called Clover Alley, lined with hovels, buildings, and mudholes. The neighborhoods on the southern side of the Alley, called the South Clover, are the most impoverished and least maintained areas of the city, known for extremely desperate folk and even more dangerous business. The northern side, called the North Clover, is partially built into the Savalirwood itself, and houses the wealthy and powerful denizens of the Run, including most of the families of the Tribes, who live in various mansions and small strongholds.
The western end of the Clover Alley, known as the Wickerskids, is home to the scavengers and farmers who do their best to coax the harsh lands of the cold north to produce food for the people of Shadycreek Run. The central square of Clover Alley is named Clover Plaza and marks the heart of commerce, conflict, and vice within the city. In the plaza, all factions mingle in broad daylight, disguising their hidden agendas with a bawdy and loud lifestyle of indulgence and excess. The eastern end of Clover Alley, called the Gruff Slum, houses a cluster of peasants and cutpurses who live among drug dens and pig pens.
Clover Plaza
The open area of the plaza is dotted with log benches. There is a four story tower of motley colored stones standing vigil over the area, with two balconies and the top housing the crossbow- and longbow-wielding roughnecks known as Taskers. There are a few establishments located on the plaza:- The Landlocked Lady: a very beautiful two-story brothel on the eastern side of the plaza.
- Plaza Emporium: the major general store.
- The Trench: a tavern frequented by mercenaries. It's located on the northern side of the plaza, under the shadow of Taskers Tower.
Wickerskids
The western span of Shadycreek is a ramshackle collection of agricultural buildings: sheds, warehouses, and homes that are the closest things to farmhouses, each with their own plots. The biggest is a plot to the far west known as Vile Elm's Farm, named after its owner.The Gruff Slums
Home to the poorest and most impoverished of Shadycreek, as well as a good number of pigs, the Gruff Slums live up to their name as the shanty town of Shadycreek. Residents beg for scraps off hunters and travellers to get by, and a good number are victims of drug abuse. The Greytraders Union do what they can to support, but the interference of the Tribes makes it difficult.
Population
14,770 (56% humans, 15% elves, 14% dwarves, 15% other races)
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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