Emerton

This town in West Greenvale is famed for its Inn - the Emerald Dragon. The town itself is mid-sized, boasting just over 3,000 people. It lies between Castleton and Jerint on the edge of the Karuun Mountains. The town is unwalled, and is a rather sprawling community, trailing along the road in both directions, as well as along the road south to Count Elledar's Keep. As it lies just about two days caravan trip, or one day's brisk ride from Castleton, it is a natural stopping point for many caravans and travellers. The town proper has no caravanserai, but caravans are free to encamp west of the inn in an open field of some 20 acres, which is kept clear for that purpose. Stone hearths, a well, and other useful facilities have been constructed nearby for campers' use. Caravans and the folk traveling with them are free to camp there without fee, but individuals traveling on their own who try to avoid inn-fees by camping there must pay 3 centimes per person per night, which is collected by the town guardsmen.

The town is the Seat of County Kanass, and is ruled by Count Elledar Kanass. Elledar is a middle aged man with a sharp wit and a slow temper. The Count's manor-fort lies about three miles south of Emerton. He rules lightly but with a careful eye, and can be found holding court at his home at least one day each month. He is duty bound to raise thirty men at arms for the kingdom for thirty days each year, and thus many of his people have some form of simple weapons training. Each able-bodied man without other weapon skill must take part in four days training each year in how to use either spear, bow or sword and shield. 


Current Events:

Count Elledar is having border dispute problems with County Seawall, currently ruled by Sir Math as regent for the imprisoned Count Alharvon. This border dispute is growing worse, and the Count is spending much of his time in the south trying to keep grips on things. Banditry on the road between Jerint and Castleton is getting worse, which is leading to a crackdown on strange adventurers. Emerton is not a particularly happy place right now.

Emerton itself holds a charter of self-governance from the Count. While he is ultimately responsible for the town, it is run on a day-to-day basis by six aldermen. These men are elected by the town every nine years, and approved by the Count. In actuality the positions of Aldermen are hereditary within certain families. Each alderman is a low justice, capable of judging any low (non-death or under 50 Crown value) crime. All crimes involving over 50 crowns value of property or a death must either go before the Count or one of Greenvale's High Justices. Emerton also has the right of self-policement. This means that Count Elledar does not have to supply a guard contingent for the town, but instead the town hires a Guard Captain and 24 guardsmen, paid by the High Alderman.

Town Locations:

1. Emerald Dragon Inn: the most famous location in Emerton. This inn sports a great dragon skull mounted over the fireplace. Legend says that Prince Elox and his adventurer companions slew the Emerald Worm somewhere in the Highfang Mountains. Many of the adventure - minded young people of the town like to come here, when they can afford it, to eat and hear stories of adventure.
This is a quality Inn, with prices ranging from 2sp for a space on common room floor or stable loft to 10 crowns for use of a two room suite. Baths are 3 sp and meals from 3 to 7 sp for standard fare, and on up (as high as 5 crowns) for unusual dishes. Common ale or beer are 5 centimes a mug, to fine elven wine which can run as high as 3 crowns a glass.


The current owner/innkeeper of the Emerald Dragon is Bergen Thengelson, a retired fighter-adventurer (human L7), great-grandson of one of the adventurers who accompanied Elox. He is a cheerful but cynical man who walks with a limp and talks about his famous grandsire, Brog, at the least provocation. The other staff consist of Bergen's wife Prinna, his 4 sons, 5 daughters, and a number of local villagers. Several of these youths would easily go adventuring.

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2. Old Manor House - owned by the 1/2 elven Friedan Logarson and his wife. They have several children. They are a wealthy family (reputedly the descendants of one Logar - an adventurer thief!) who owns a great deal of land in the area. They have a history of producing adventurers. They are also related to the Count by marriage. Local gossip says that this house was once owned by Prince Elox and his friends.

3. Kehret's Temple - this prosperous temple is worshipped at by many of the townsfolk. The priest, Sorgen Laffrock, is L5 and has three lesser acolytes (L1) any one of whom might be allowed to leave to adventure under the right circumstances. There are also five lay brothers. The temple runs a small farm and owns quite a few head of cattle plus a herd of geese. This twenty or thirty acre piece of land is located to the east of Emerton by a mile or two.

4. Elanora's Temple - this little temple is a mainstay of the community. The elderly priestess, Lady Briar, is L7 and her handmaid is L5. About 9-10 laysisters tend the herb garden and care for the locals who come for healing. The sisters also have three or four orphans in their care. At least one of these children may have a calling as an adventuring priest or priestess. The temple also owns a small fruit orchard and makes a fine fruit brandy which is sold locally. The graveyard behind the temple is used by both priests of Elanora and Kehret. Small chapels to all the gods are set in the interior of the worship hall.

5. Inn - the Pouting Lady - cheaper and less appealing than the Dragon, the local wenches use this inn. Rooms 5-15 sp, floor 1-3 sp.

6. Tavern - the Singing Frog - best tavern, quiet unless a minstrel is here. Run by the local Hobbyt family, the Tuckers. This family is dominated by the matriarch, an elderly widow named Rose who has at least eleven children and over fifty grandchildren, many of whom still reside in Emerton. Her great grandchildren number over 200 across Greenvale. Her husband, Tuck, was a vagabond who disappeared some forty years ago and has not been seen since!


7. Tavern - Pelter's House - sleazy cheap and noisy, the thief/youth's hangout (for those who cannot afford the ED). The Red Feather Guild members prefer to conduct their business in the back room of this tavern.


8. Tavern - Red Flanagan's - good quality but overpriced. This tavern is actually a front for the Old Guild. There is a low-key dispute running all over town between the two guilds. Emerton is one of the few towns where they actually both have active guild houses. At this time, they are both becoming suspicious of the bandit-work going on, believing that the other guild must be responsible. Neither realizes at this time that the bandits are outsiders, paid by Sir Math to cause trouble in Kanass.


9. Tavern - the Weasel and Hen - local favorite among upper-class residents (the older ones anyway).


10. Tavern - the Mousehole - a lunching spot that caters mostly to women, it is plain but not unpolished.


11. Town Guard house - Sergeant L2 and 7 men L1 can be found here at all times. The Day Sergeant (sunrise to midafternoon) is named Micah Nosebottle. There are 24 total guardsmen, including the 3 Sergeants. The Captain of the Town Guard is Evrard Kanass, a cousin of Count Elledar. He is a drunkard and can most afternoons be found at either the Emerald Dragon Inn or the Pouting Lady. Micah does most of the real work of managing the guard. The evening Sergeant is named Robard Longlegs (afternoon til midnight), and the early watch (midnight to sunrise) Sergeant is Theodoric the bald. Robard is a cousin of Micah's, and while he isn't clever, he works hard and his men respect him. He takes any violence as a personal insult, and is particularly offended by the thought of harm coming to a woman. Theodoric is an older man, retired from the Guard. He is short-spoken and calm. His steadiness in the early morning hours is a necessity. Much of his work is against thieves and fires.


12. Pottery - owned by a measly little man who sometimes boasts that his great uncle once killed a black pudding with a spell!


13. Blacksmith - superb quality and prices to match. He stays very busy with commission work from the Count.


14. Blacksmith - 


15. Grocer - 


16. Grocer


17. Grocer/Rope-seller


18. Chandler - makes fine candles, particularly herb-scented ones to drive away vermin.


19. Chandler/lamp maker

20. Leather worker

21. Boot-maker

22. Shoe maker

23. Bowyer-fletcher

24. Finesmith - mostly pewter but occasional silver

25. Wainwright

26. Seamstress - this woman is truly a gifted designer and all her clothes are of the very best quality, and her prices are only average.

27. Seamstress/Weaver - she is mainly a weaver but will do some simple garment making.

28. Spinner/Dyer - this shop and the alley behind it stink of urine, fuller's earth and other chemical odors.

29. Lace-maker - she has a son who longs to become an adventuring warrior

30. Fishmonger - sells eels and other local riverfish

31. Fishmonger - deals with both local and imported smoked or salted product

32. Smoke-house/meatseller

33. Baker - sells oven space a copper centime a tray to the locals who don't have the convenience of their own home oven

34. Baker - his three children all dream of running off to become heroes.

35. Baker - travel rations for the road

36. Pastry-maker

37. Stables - a place to house your steed, lease a mount for a journey, or even buy a likely horse. The owner is honest to a fault, but at least one of his employees is expert at passing off a lame nag as a fine-quality mount.

38. Stables - a slightly less affluent place, they rarely sell horses, but have space for stabling available.

39. Oil-seller - also deals in wicks, blocks of paraffin, oil lamps, and torches.

40. Butcher

41. Butcher

42. Butcher

43. Furniture Mender

44. Cabinet Maker

45. Artist/Painter/Signmaker - he turns his hand to many crafts when portraits are not in demand.

46. Apothecary-dentist. She buys many of her herbs from the priestesses of Elanora, but is also an herbalist in her own right. She has two children who love tales of adventure and daring.

47. Hedge-wizard - Harrla is an older woman, now widowed, who casts cantrips of most types for between 1cp and 5 sp depending on the desired result. She can also cast a few household spells and Sleep (L2). She has a granddaughter, age 16 or so, who is her apprentice. 


48. House and offices of the Horse-ranch owned by the Myrle family. The seven Myrle brothers own a large tract of land south-east of Emerton where they have a horse-breeding farm of high repute. Here in Emerton proper they keep up to a dozen mounts waiting for sale. Each quarter they take horses to Castleton, Marig or other towns holding major fairs. However, they are always willing to sell to individuals locally. Prices are high, but quality and training are very good to superb. Note that the Myrles also breed Vor, the giant six-legged draft animals of Vishteer. They will have between one and three of these animals available at any time.

49. This house is reputed to belong to an elderly half-elven mage by name of Hellbyrn, but the mage is apparently never home. No one ever comes or goes, and no servants live or work there. However, occasionally lights are seen in the windows, and theives have never broken into the house (to anyone's knowledge), so people generally assume it is unchancy to approach and leave it alone.

50. Moneychanger: Erryn Halfsted is a brisk no-nonsense kind of man, who keeps a pair of guards in his place of business, and does quite a lot of business at that. He exchanges coins, makes small loans, writes and redeems letters of credit, and also acts somewhat as a notary public, putting his stamp on legal documents affirming that both parties are known by him to be whom they claim to be.

Near Emerton:

There are a number of interesting geographical features in the area. They include the following:

The Sevencaves: These are a series of smallish caves that lie about a half mile from the north edge of town. A stream cuts through them, providing a fresh supply of water and fish. The townsfolk have stoned up two secondary entrances to the caves, and use them as a storage place for excess foodstuffs and supplies of a durable nature. No guard is kept, but the doors to the cave are securely locked, and the keys are kept by Lady Briar, Sorgen Laffrok and the Count. Sevencaves is both a store-room and a place of retreat in times of danger for the town. About 100 people could easily stay there for a week or more, or three times that number for a day or two.

Rose Hill: To the west of town, north of the Highroad, there is a steep, narrow hill. Atop this hill rose briars grow thick and wild. Some effort has been made to transplant these bushes but has never been successful. These briars are very thick, grow more than 10 feet high, and blossom from early spring to the first heavy freeze of winter. Even in winter they are impossible to penetrate. The patch of briars is about 200' across. Some say that there must be something hidden within them, or that they grow by magic. There are even rumors that somewhere inside the mound of briars lies an enchanted castle.

Old Castle: Count Elledar's castle is not the only one near Emerton. Another, very old and ruined castle lies nearby, about a mile and a half north-west. It is nothing more than a few walls waist to shoulder high, and one bit of tower that stands man-high but has no top. It has occasionally been a bandit hideout, but never for very long. There are occasional stories of people hearing mysterious voices or lights among the ruins, but as nothing has ever been found, nor anyone ever harmed by anything in the vicinity, no one takes those stories seriously.