Town of Dralen:

Return to Harothar

 

This town has a population of approximately 2,600 dwarves, 400 humans and 100 hobbyts. The leader of the town is the human Simon Skybolt (5th level warrior), the leader of the town guard is the dwarf Thungrest (6th level fighter), and the head priest is the human Gusvern (7th level cleric).

 

The human wizard Gabrel (5th level wizard) is also a respected member of the community. The town has a large tavern (the Laughing Dryad), two inns, a dwarf blacksmith who can make masterworks arms and armor, a temple, a general store and other typical businesses.

 

 

The PCs can find almost any item from the Player’s Handbook. The temple sells potions, scrolls, and holy water. The priest will heal good characters at no cost. The town is well run and is patrolled regularly by human and dwarf forces. PCs that cause trouble will find themselves dealt with by the town’s well trained and experienced soldiers (1st-3rd level warriors). The town began as an outpost of the dwarf military, then grew into a fisherman and fur-trappers’ village and has currently grown into a town. A few minor copper strikes have been made in the region. The copper plus the rich hunting in the forests, and fishing in the narrow lake provide the town’s economic base.

 

 

The town is unwalled, and sprawls on the east bank of  the Dralenwater Lake.

 

The north end of town is slightly nearer the shore, while the south edge of town curves along the road inland. Fishing docks crowd the north west side of town, while the northeast is known as Foul End – all the town’s major industry is located here. The town exists on two levels, both following the highroad. They are inevitably known as uptown and downtown. Downtown is accessible by six separate tunnel/stairs. A large sloping tunnel at south and north ends of town joins Highroad and forms a continuous passage below. Another stair joins this passage near the center of town. Three  major side roads below each end in a stair that emerges on the surface near the edge of uptown.

 

 

Fort Ulish This fort is maintained by the dwarves of Harothar. It is a separate entity from the town, which has its own guard force.  The fort commander is Ral Shudurn Claddsprakh (6th level dwarf fighter) and the fort priest is Lorella (4th level cleric). The fort has a force of ten (human) cavalry troops (2nd level warriors) as well as twenty four (dwarven) infantry soldiers (1st-2nd level warriors). The fort operates regular patrol sweeps of the area with the infantry manning the fort and conducting foot patrols in the nearby area. In times of trouble (which is pretty much always) the fort’s patrols are supplemented by patrols from Dralen. The fort is made of wood and packed earth. The wood has been treated with a fireproof substance (the formula is from the days of the Empire). Each corner of the fort is protected by a tower. The walls have walkways with arrow slits in the walls enabling the soldiers to fire out from cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buildings in the Town:

Temple of Khuru- Aba; home to Cerwin the Sage: This small temple, located on both levels of town, consists of an upside chapel and store-rooms, a small meditation chamber with skylights, and living quarters below for the single priest who resides here. Cerwin came to Dralen about 50 years ago – he is a human – as a young man, and he is now quite old. His areas of expert study are local history and 2nd empire history; especially magic and the people who practiced it. Cerwin is a pompous old blowhard, with very fixed ideas – he believes everyone is too casual, not focused or serious enough. He lectures with great intensity, biting out his words. He loves maps and will always pull one out to show off what he knows. Frequently they are so covered in notes, lines and extraneous details as to be nearly unreadable. The PCs will have trouble getting a session with Cerwin right now – it seems he is in regular consultation with

Ral Shudern at Fort Ulish – rumor has it that they’re preparing plans to defend the town from invasion.  Cerwin knows exactly where the Prison of Zaleena lies; he tells the PCs that it is simply a short day’s travel west and south of Dralen. Indeed, he says, before Zaleena took over the mines of Malvush, she dwelled south of Dralen, not far from the Priest’s Prison, though the exact location is unknown.

 

 

The Unlikely Fortress

This mundane looking downtown building is in fact a true fortress. While the doors and windows shutters look like plain wood, they are in fact thick iron inside. The walls are especially thick stone reinforced with metal bars. Inside, there is first an entrance hall with a counter, another reinforced metal door, and also a thick wall pierced with four arrow slits. On the other side of the wall is a corridor with seats in front of the arrow slits, obviously for archers to stand and watch. All the building is likewise fortified. In the basement there is a tunnel leading into the sewers (it had been dug by thieves to rob the first proprietor). The building originally belonged to a jeweler. Then, the jeweler was robbed by daring thieves who later bought the building for their guild, as the jeweler had gone bankrupt. Most of the thieves are currently missing, and three old women inhabit the building. They of course "know nothing about anything"; use of proper magic or intimidation wouldn't reveal much more to an investigator however.

 

 

A Small Chandlery

This is small two story uptown building in good condition, used by locals for household items, tools and cheap leather goods. The owner is a stick thin older man with a large mustache and his brother. They are friendly to locals and regulars, but business like with strangers. They live above the small cramped shop, using a set of outside stairs. At dusk the two men push all the goods up against the walls, and set up tables and tap a keg. The small bar can hold only about 10-20 people, and has no advertising but word of mouth. The two men serve and talk, and the bar closes early. They have great local gossip and are generally friendly, and the bar will typically empty out and close rather than fight.

 

 

Adventurer's Mansion

This large two-storied up and down mansion belongs to an adventuring party who is almost always absent. It contains numerous trophies, including stuffed monsters and odd weapons and armors from distant lands. Two domestics take care of the mansion in the party's absence: an old gruff dwarf with a missing arm, who had been saved from a horrible death by the proprietors, and a mute strong woman visibly native from a distant country. Both are more than simple commoners and know how to defend themselves if need be. In any case, if there is a treasure chest hidden in this mansion, they don't know about it.

 

 

The Lonely Half-Orc Blacksmith

This sturdy stone uptown house is home and forge to a female half-orc blacksmith. This strong woman is well respected by her neighbors, for she is an honest and hardworking person and has lived here since her childhood. However, men tend to avoid coming in the vicinity, and as a result her job is not flourishing. The fact is that she would like to get a husband but fails to find any despite her efforts. There is a rumor she would have raped some men unfortunate enough to encounter her at night in the streets. However, evidences of such rumors still have to be brought. Yet, if she meets with some strong adventurer, she will be explicitly enterprising. If one provides her with a suitable (and willing) husband, she would become an invaluable and loyal ally. (This woman is probably a 5th level warrior / 5th level expert, who served for a time in the city watch, but was expelled before all guards resigned).

 

 

Cloth / Tailor's Shop

The obsequious, wealthy and successful uptown shop owner seems to work fast for decent fees.  Unknown to all but his family, he employs illegal workers (or slaves), who rarely see fresh air and work night and day in his attic for a little food. What he does to keep them quiet is unknown, but it seems these workers come from a distant place where they are scared to death to return. Just behind the shop live the proprietor's wife and their five children, who also rarely leave the house.

 

Shabby Looking Taverns (there are half a dozen of these in Dralish aside from the Laughing Dryad)

This three storey house harbors a small and shabby looking tavern with low prices and mediocre beverages. There are always 1 to 3 common prostitutes who take care of their clients above, while the tavern's owner lives on the last storey. Customers mainly come from the lowest social classes, and often include a few petty thieves and the like. If some wealthy looking traveler comes here, there is a chance that a pickpocket will later follow him to cut his purse (2nd or 3rd level expert with +6 or +8 in Bluff, Hide, Move Silently, and Sleight of Hand).

 

 

Tavern Names: Little Cave Tavern, The Soldier's Door, The Mad Table, The Idiot and Thief, The Kobold's Whisper, The Loner's Cauldron, The Green Tavern.

 

 

The Good Man's Assistance Shop

This tall, narrow, one story building houses the office of a temporary employment agency, The Good Man's Assistance Shop. The steps leading up to the front door usually have between 5-8 poorly dressed, but clean, young men waiting, who offer up their services as day workers and personal assistants to anyone who shows an interest or approaches the building. The building is freshly painted, and the window looks in on a small display of a variety of tools, including shovels, picks, rope, measuring sticks, hammers, etc.

 

Upon entering the door, the first room is a simple waiting room with 4 chairs, a ledger on a stand in the corner, a door leading further into the building, and a reception window. Behind the window is a simply dressed middle aged man named Lou (a 2nd lvl fighter who doubles as the shops guard), who asks that all visitors sign in on the ledger, and ask if they are in search of employment or looking to hire someone. Regardless of the answer, he asks for a fee of 3 coppers for the shop’s assistance. Once paid, he will allow the visitors to pass through the door and enter the office.

 

In the office sits Pierre LaCorbinere, the employment agent (3rd lvl expert). Pierre will interview the visitors and either ask them to wait out front with his other clients seeking employment, or call one of the men in from out front and see if they will fit the needs of a prospective employer. Pierre is nothing more than he seems, a simple man who makes his money from finding and hiring out laborers to those in need of help. His rates for the workers vary from 3 silver/day to 3 gold/day depending on the work to be done (the more dangerous the work or travel involved, the higher the rate). He takes a 10% cut of the wages, and has access to up to 15 workers on half a days notice, and 50 workers on a full days notice.

 

 

Volker’s Leather Goods:

Volker is a noted craftsman who specializes in exotic leather products, mostly clothing. He works with animal and monster hides and pays well for them.

 

His shop is on the fringes of town, in an area of shops of similar craftsmen. There are two large tanneries, three small slaughter houses, a smokehouse and several dyers. Each of these businesses produces a unique set of foul odors that make this section of town earn its name of Foul End.

 

The shop itself is a two-story building made of sturdy local logs, as are most of the buildings in town that are above ground; about 1/3 of the town is entirely below ground, and many buildings are merely stair-wells that descend to larger facilities below. Volker’s shop consists of three rooms below, and three above. A small showroom at the front boasts three cabinets with glass fronts holding high quality merchandise – a dwarf-length cloak lined with bearskin, a pair of black boots with a strange reptilian hide (wyvern), and a suit of fine leather armor studded and chased in silver. Three chairs and a plain counter finish the room’s furnishings. This room is quite finely furnished with carpets on the floors and glass windows.

 

Office; desk, three chairs. Account books; reveal that Volker paid at least 1,000 sp several times in the last six months to various collectors, and also paid out smaller amounts on a nearly daily basis to local slaughterers, huntsmen, etc… The window here is glass, but the floor is bare and the furnishings simple.

 

The shop makes good money, but not enough to support Volker’s rather lavish lifestyle. Four times recently he has recorded income from “Lord B’s man”. There is no record of what was sold, nor who Lord B. might be. The sums exceed 2,500 sp each time.

 

Workroom: crowded, messy. Tools strewn everywhere. Signs of Volker’s two apprentices and journeyman abound. They’re currently working on a set of wyvernhide gauntlets (to match the boots), a trio of tooled belts, and a cloak of some rich dark red leather. Dye pots, tools and scrap materials are piled everywhere. The room has a sharp, sour smell from the chemicals, and a sweetish odor from numerous lamps holding scented oil. Storage shelves hold rolls of tanned, uncut hides and pelts.

 

Out back; the shop boasts a back yard where sheds cover tanning tanks and there is a privy. The smell here is very strong – anyone not used to the odor must make  DC 10 Fort save or flee with streaming eyes and racking cough.

 

Volker’s living quarters are reached by the spiral stairs in his workroom. These rooms are remarkably fine given the simplicity of the shop below. The floors are polished, covered in rich wool rugs, the walls are finished with stucco and hung with tapestries. Heavy draperies flank windows with real glass. There are simple cooking facilities, but it looks as if Volker dines out most of the time. A worktable and a second desk similar to those below are present. There is no further information about Volker’s financial partner, Lord B.

 

The worktable holds only a partly-made pair of remarkably fine leather gloves. Books on a shelf above it are anatomical references to human, dwarf and elf physiology.

 

Hidden under the worktable in Volker’s workroom is a trap door. It enters the small basement where Volker does his secret work; making dwarfskin cloaks, belts and vests. These items are in high demand in the north, where the humanoids wear them as trophies and they are used to make stoneskin protective devices. Volker also packs up the bones left by his ochre jelly (it lives in a reservoir under the table) and sends them north to be made into skeletal warriors.

 

The ochre jelly is kept contained by a strong oil that Volker wears on his workboots (note that there is a bucket of the stuff at the bottom of the stairs, and beside the bucket is Volker’s footwear – a pair of heavy black leather overboots.

 

Volker ships his illegal goods north two or three times a year – in spring as soon as roads are clear, in midsummer and in the autumn before the first snows render travel impossible. He sends a wagon east out of town with two guards, who promptly leave the road and go north with the goods. They’re met a few miles north by hobgoblins who take the goods and pay the men. Volker receives the bulk of his money separately, disguised as sales of expensive leathergoods.

 

 

 

Plot Hooks:

PCs are followed by a hobytlan boy of about 9 years; his name (he won’t share it but others around town will) is Hammy Beetleroot. He’s homeless (his family disappeared one day last winter from their farm just north of town and Hammy’s been on the streets ever since). Hammy will follow the PCs, stare at them, try to get close enough to steal from them, etc… If caught and questioned he simply says “I’m hungry!” If offered a job, he’ll seem to accept and attempt to flee at first opportunity. Hammy knows all the hideouts and alleys in town like the back of his hand. Hammy appears shortly after the PCs leave Fort Ulish to wander around town.

 

As PCs arrive in town, they “check in” at Fort Ulish. While there, they see a scruffy, middle-aged dwarf come stomping out of the commander’s office (Ral Shudurn Claddsprakh), muttering to himself “Nobody believes me. Craddock is dead.” He’ll flash the PCs a grim look, shake his head and mutter more loudly but not directly to a PC “Strangers should watch out. People disappear in this town.” He then leaves, still muttering grimly.

 

If asked, the lieutenant who takes their “check-in” dismisses the strange dwarf, saying “Ah, Tavak’s a strange and sad case. He claims his brother has been kidnapped by evil humans – when everyone knows that Craddock is just off in the woods somewhere again. He’ll turn up in another week or two!”

 

Tavak will turn up at whatever Tavern the PCs select as their drinking hole – he doesn’t seem to have followed them – they just picked his place. If talked to, he’s very worried about his brother; he claims that while Craddock is odd and likes to go on hikes, he’s never been gone this long. And he left without telling his brother he was going, which is very odd. Tavak is a loner (for a dwarf), preferring to drink quietly in a corner and not join in the typical storytelling and singing. He mutters when he speaks, keeping his head low.