Post by Daryl Kong on Dec 27, 2017 13:32:12 GMT 8
N Large town
Corruption +0; Crime –1; Economy +0; Law –1; Lore +0; Society +4
Qualities insular, strategic location, tourist attraction
Disadvantage heavily taxed
Danger +5
DEMOGRAPHICS
Government council
Population 4,320 (3,167 humans, 498 dwarves, 392 half-orcs, 168 gnomes, 32 half-elves, 28 halflings, 25 elves, 10 androids)
MARKETPLACE
Base Value 2,400 gp; Purchase Limit 5,000 gp; Spellcasting 3rd
SPECIAL QUALITIES
Heavily Taxed Torch is very heavily taxed by the Technic League, and has fewer resources available than a town of its size normally has.
Torch takes its name from the violet flame that burns atop its central hill. The fires ignited spontaneously in 4602 AR, and for nearly a year they lanced into the sky, forming a purple column of fire that could be seen for miles around. At the time, the Technic League was experiencing a period of upheaval in Starfall, and its agents were unable to investigate the rumors of the column of fire to the south. By 4604, the flames had died down to a man-sized bonfire, leaving the top of the hill blasted and blackened. Several industrious locals soon discovered the flame’s heat possessed two unusual qualities—it was hot enough to smelt skymetal ores and work with difficult materials like adamantine, and the fires themselves radiated a strangely directional heat. A chunk of wood thrown a dozen feet over the fires would instantly burst into flame, yet a piece of paper set a foot from the bonfire’s edge wouldn’t even smolder. This unique combination of traits made the fire a perfect forge. After a few sudden flare-ups resulted in the tragic incineration of several smiths and their partially completed forges, the townsfolk learned how to interpret the flares and flashes that presaged such an eruption. Rather than build permanent structures around the fire, they came to rely upon portable workshops transported up the hill via wagon or carriage, so that when the fire began one of its unpredictable surges, the smiths could retreat to safety to wait for the blast of fire to recede.
In this way, Torch has sustained itself. By the time the Technic League sorted its internal politics out and sent representatives to investigate in 4612, its agents found a burgeoning village growing around the base of the hill. After a cursory examination of the fire, representatives from the Technic League met with the village’s leaders and worked out a deal—as long as Torch sent a monthly tribute of gold north to Starfall, the Technic League would not maintain an official presence in the region. In this way, the League turned what could have been competition (since at the time it still lacked the resources to effectively manage a remote site) into a source of income. Over the decades that followed, Torch grew steadily, yet has never truly prospered, because the Technic League constantly revises the amount of the tribute it requires. Frustrations with and resentments against the Technic League rightly have grown in Torch, yet the League’s been careful to never tax the town to the point of rebellion, keeping them in an uncomfortable but relatively stable place between freedom and oppression.
Locations
1. Ivens Livery Stable - Most travelers visiting town leave their mounts and pack animals in the care of Iven Lesky (male half-elf) and a young Kellid woman named Annika (female human). Together, they buy and sell horses, doing frequent business with trade caravans drawn to the town’s marketplace.
2. General Store - Torch’s general store caters to scavengers, artisans, and metalworkers first and foremost, but also carries plenty of gear sought by adventurers traveling through Numeria. The town’s unique forge attracts plenty of traders to the local marketplace, some of whom bring rare items which storeowners like Inkrit Kollisun (female human) use to stock their shelves. Most of the routine adventuring gear listed in Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Equipment can be found here, but Inkrit leaves the sale of armor and weapons to the guildhouse artisans (see area 21).
3. Silverdisk Hall - This busy gambling house features many card tables and dice games, all played with the local silverdisk currency in exchange for whatever money travelers bring with them.
4. The Marrymaid - Given the frequent influxes of fortune-seeking scavengers and merchant caravans, the Marrymaid bordello opened its doors almost as soon as Torch established a successful economy. Wrennie Dalrorn (female half-elf) oversees the entertainments inside.
5. The Copper Coin - One of the oldest taverns in Torch, the Copper Coin stands right on the western edge of town. This fixture nightspot fills up with patrons almost every evening, and it is especially popular with laborers and artisans looking to relax after a hard day’s work. Siblings Lawton (male human) and Katina Rimos (female human) run the Coin as a quality establishment with good food at reasonable prices.
6. Garrison and Armory - A crenelated 30-foot tower rises from this squat barracks housing the town’s active militia and guards. Approximately two dozen off-duty guards can be found here, with three times that number patrolling the marketplace and city streets during the day. The connecting armory holds a selection of simple arms and armor for outfitting these conscripts.
7. Olandir Estate - Serantha Olandir (female human), the charismatic, influential leader of Torch’s town council, lives in this large home.
8. Otterbie Manor - One of the original founding families of Torch owns this expensive manor.
9. Weeping Pond - This placid-looking pond is set off from the surrounding area by a crescent-shaped escarpment. No vegetation grows on the banks of this pond, and the waters carry a bitter stink of sulfur and other chemicals, enough to make the eyes water after spending too much time on the shore. The pond is fed by an underwater spring from under Black Hill, but no fish live in these waters, for the pond is tainted by runoff from the buried ship under Black Hill. Until recently, the foulness of the water has prevented anyone from discovering that the underwater spring leads into a series of caves under Black Hill. A shallow stream runs southeast of the pond and finally empties into Crowfeather Lake.
10. Crowfeather Palace - The contaminated waters running from the Weeping Pond collect in Crowfeather Lake. Here the taint diffuses to the point where the water becomes drinkable, though it retains a brackish aftertaste. Until recently, long exposure to the water could still cause birth defects and strange afflictions, but since the creation of the strange-looking building here, these effects have been all but eradicated. Called Crowfeather Palace because of its proximity to the lake and its almost miniaturized palatial facade, the building is the brainchild of Khonnir Baine. With the aid of the local priesthood of Brigh, Khonnir built this facility to help purify the waters of Crowfeather Lake.
11. Market Square - The southern shore of Crowfeather Lake is the location of Torch’s largest marketplace. This location draws nearly as much attention and tourism as does the flame, for it’s here that the town’s skilled artisans put their wares on display.
12. Foundry Tavern - One of the more popular hangouts in Torch, the Foundry Tavern is aptly named. Its owner, Khonnir Baine, makes frequent appearances to demonstrate new inventions here—whether mechanical or magical. The tavern itself is always packed, and Khonnir rents out space in his neighboring foundry for visiting smiths and metalworkers to use.
13. Tempting Tonics - This building is home to Jhestine Imierin (female half-elf), the town’s apothecary and healer.
14. Seven Tears Farms - Fertile fields and orchards line the stream near the southern side of town here. The produce grown here feeds most of Torch, thanks to the owner of the farms, a matronly woman named Celda Veed (female human).
15. Town Hall - One of the grander buildings in Torch, the town hall doubles as a second garrison and lookout tower watching over the eastern roads. Council meetings take place in the hall every week on Oathday, but the hall sees frequent use for social gatherings as well, including many dances held in the neighboring square.
16. Chapel of the Wanderer - A somber man named Mylan Radli (male human) conducts funerals and looks after the town’s cemetery.
17. Temple of Brigh - Bronze wind chimes and clockwork statues decorate the domed portico of this compound dedicated to the goddess of invention. The oldest faith in Torch, Brigh’s temple sees regular worship from many of the town’s citizens, and also includes a meticulously organized workshop managed by the town’s religious leader, Joram Kyte.
18. Evercandle Inn - Soceal Murgrave (old female human) serves as the inn’s proprietor, aided by her ever-present attendant Erlmon Reverstoudt (middle-aged male human).
19. Boarding House - The nine buildings surrounding this small park provide temporary housing for larger parties not wishing to stay at the more expensive inns in town. They see frequent use during the warmer seasons when their owner, Agren Maust (male human), rents out rooms to scavengers, adventurers, and merchants seeking to do business in Torch for weeks at a time.
20. Warehouse District - The majority of the buildings in the northeast portion of town act as storehouses for trade goods designed by the town’s artisans.
21. Torch Guildhouse - This large building is home to the guild of metallurgists and artisans established by Councilor Bazlundi Otterbie (female human). The guild was founded to support craftspeople in the skymetal trade, and the experts under its banner include several skilled armorers, blacksmiths, and weaponsmiths.
22. Dolgas Foundry - The sounds of ringing hammers and dwarven songs frequently rise from this busy foundry, which is owned and operated by Councilor Dolga Feddert (old female dwarf) and her team of veteran crafters.
23. Junkyard - Unprofitable components and debris smelted for skymetal invariably find their way to Torch’s junkyard on the east side of town. An eerie bleachling gnome named Garritt Burrwaddle (middle-aged male gnome) received the honorary title of Junkmaster after several decades of obsessively collecting and cataloging the items left here. Aside from hauling away junk no one wants, he provides an invaluable service to those searching for spare parts among the debris in his care.
24. Black Hill - Easily the most recognizable landmark in Torch, this bald escarpment rises at a steep slope in the middle of town. The four specially-designed adamantine carts used to ferry ore to and from the fire now stand a short distance down the hill near the Black Hill Craneworks—a building run by Smeltrunner Oskah Unteret (female half-orc). She coordinates access to the flame and ensures merchants pay the appropriate tribute to the town’s treasury.