town

The Village of Darion's Bridge

bf4-village • bf4-village • BF4: Raiders of Enterone

Starting the Adventure The adventure starts in the village of Darion's Bridge, which is little more than a farming community plopped down into the hilly, slightly wooded area on the road from Zannik on the coast of Lake Dyasa to Kendall Keep on the northern border. It lies along the Upper Dya River, on both sides of the eponymous bridge named in honor of a long-ago hero of the county. Darion's Bridge is at the western edge of County Kemnosen, and technically the territory west of the town's border is part of County Ecks. The local seat of government is Count Kemnosen's castle at Sevalenth. See the Wilderness section starting on page 10 for more details about the local area. The adventurers have heard of raids on the roads between the towns in the area, and have come to try to help. In particular, a bounty has been offered for the head of the chieftain of the orcish tribe which has recently entered the area; the majority of the raids have been perpetrated by bands of roving orcs believed to be under this orc leader's command. The locals believe the orc lair is in the ruins of the ancient, abandoned keep known as Grimspire, which stands on a hill just a couple of miles from town. Note that the GM may simply give the above information to the players, or may choose to roleplay them learning this information, perhaps overhearing a meeting of the town elders in the pub. The village is short on some of the items that adventurers need, including for example weapons and armor (other than bows and arrows, which are made by a local bowyer- fletcher). Items "purchased" with starting money might be gifts from older relatives who once served in the army or in some other official capacity. No wizard lives in the town, nor ever has; young magic-user characters must have learned their skills elsewhere, perhaps in Sevalenth or Zannik or even somewhere further away. Because of this, after the start of play characters may have difficulty purchasing some items that are not made or frequently needed in a small farming community. The next section entitled "The Wilderness" (starting on page 10) presents a "hexcrawl" area which includes the entire road from Dyaverk to Kendall Keep and much of the area around it. It is not intended that the new adventurers engage in the hexcrawl right away; rather, the GM should allow them to travel in relative safety to and from the ruins of Grimspire to begin with. Relative, as the GM might choose to use the Wandering Monster encounters described below during such trips, perhaps after some of the adventurers have reached 2nd level. Only after they have gained a couple of levels, acquired some magic items, and generally developed as adventurers should the player characters be encouraged to explore the wider world. Until then, the dungeons beneath Grimspire should present enough of a challenge. About the Village Darion's Bridge is small, with a population of just under two hundred people, or around forty households. The village extends on both sides of the bridge, as noted, but with the majority of the town arranged on the northeastern side. The central plaza, called "the market" by locals, is right at the northeast end of the bridge. A temple faces east on the western side of the market, just north of the bridge, and a pub and an inn stand on the opposite side facing west. The town has no public buildings (no castle, keep, garrison, or town hall); when public meetings are held, they take place either in the temple, in the pub, or out in the open space of the market if necessary. The town elders usually choose to hold their irregular meetings in the pub, discussing the town's business As this suggests, the town is indeed governed by a council of elder members of the community. Breaking with ancient Enteronean tradition, both men and women may serve as elders. Once long ago a baron ruled the area from the keep called Grimspire. When Baron Grim met a bad end at the hands of an assassin, no other noble stepped forward to take his place, and the inhabitants of Darion's Bridge were forced to come up with their own form of government. Village Key Naturally the entire town is not described here. Instead, locations important to traveling adventurers are described, along with notable NPCs that might be encountered therein. Statistics are given only for NPCs who are likely to engage in a fight, or who have class abilities useful to player characters. If statistics are needed, assume any character for which none are given is a Normal Man with Armor Class 11 armed with (at most) a dagger and having a Morale of 7. Where statistics are provided, note that they are given as the character would appear when encountered in the town. Some have better equipment listed that will be used when trouble breaks out in town.

CHILDREN • 7

1. The Market building

This circular plaza is the central public space in the village. One day a week during any weather other than the coldest this area will be full of merchants and farmers selling such things as produce, smaller livestock like chickens or rabbits, food or drinks (including locally-made wine or beer), ceramic pots, leather goods, and even imported items such as spices, fabrics, and other notions. While most of these people will be locals and will thus appear more or less regularly, sometimes traveling vendors with rarer items will be found there; these individuals are unlikely to be present two weeks in a row. Besides these regular weekly events, the Market will be busy during religious festivals. In the world of Glain, the calendar consists of 364 days arranged into a repeating sequence of three months; the extra day (or two days, in a leap year) fall between the years and are called Festival. This is the largest and most important religious occasion, with observance beginning on the last day of the year and running through the first day of the new year (so three to four days total). The accepted calendar of Glain places the first day of the year as the Spring Equinox. There is a lesser but still substantial observance on the Fall Equinox as well. The Market will be full of vendors at these times, mostly selling more festive items, though the necessities will still be present (at least at the beginning of the observance). Even on "off" days, there will usually be one or two vendors in the Market during the morning hours. Such vendors might have overproduced their products, and thus be selling them cheaply; some might be travelers who arrived in town on the wrong day and set up to sell their wares anyway. Villagers will be about in the Market and on the streets from dawn until well after sunset, whether hustling from place to place on business or loitering to gossip and kill time. To save time and hassle you may wish to simply use the price lists from the Core Rules (or better, our Equipment Emporium book) as a basis for the cost of items purchased in the Market. You will need to rule on what less common items might or might not be available. Likewise, you may also want to create some interesting NPCs who are selling (or buying) items at the Market. This is an excellent way to convey adventure hooks and other lore to the players, and also help to integrate their characters into the world just a little better.

2. Temple of the Triune building

This local temple is a bit larger and fancier than the temples in the neighboring towns, as several past adventurers have made substantial bequests here. Though it has at some times in its history been the home temple of a higher-level priest, at the present time it is led by Father Bertrand, a "regular" clerical follower of the main pantheon of this part of the campaign world. Rather than worshiping just one deity, most clerics of the Triune faith are considered able to lead prayers to any of the gods of the pantheon. All know, or at least can perform with the aid of a holy book, the various rites of all those gods who most commonly accept prayers and sacrifice. Most Triune priests do have a specialty in the worship of one or more of the lesser gods of the pantheon, as well as having an affinity for one of the three greater gods: Prolethra, goddess of life, Aturahs, god of justics, or En-Teare, god of wisdom. As it happens, Father Bertrand's affinity is for Prolethra, while his specialty is Rihalla, goddess of healing and medicine. Bertrand is patient and wise, but he is also strong and resolute; he prefers never to fight, but if he must, he will. Father Bertrand, Human Cleric Level 4: AC 18, AB +2, #At 1 mace (AB +3), Dam 1d8+1, Mv 30', ML 9, XP 240 STR 14 (+1), WIS 13 (+1), CHA 16 (+2) Spells: cure light wounds x 2, hold person Equipment: chain mail +2, shield, mace, holy symbol, 1 vial of holy water Brother Filibert dresses in somber black robes at all times, for he is the local undertaker, a specialty follower of the god of death, Mors Kain. His affinity is for Aturahs. While he generally prefers not to fight, he will always raise his maul to do battle with the undead, for Mors Kain's followers consider any who die but refuse to remain in the grave as blasphemy. A room in the basement of the temple serves his needs for a preparation room. Brother Filibert, Human Cleric Level 2: AC 15, AB +1, #At 1 maul, Dam 1d10, Mv 20', ML 9, XP 25 WIS 13 (+1), CON 14 (+1) Spells: cure light wounds Equipment: chain mail, maul, holy symbol, 1 vial of holy water Sister Ingfrid is young, but affects the appearance of stern maturity; she dislikes anyone mentioning her youth. Her affinity is for En-Teare, while her specialty is Cluvia, goddess of the moon and the harvest. Sister Ingfrid, Human Cleric Level 1: AC 15, AB +1, #At 1 maul, Dam 1d10, Mv 20', ML 9, XP 25 WIS 13 (+1), CHA 13 (+1) Equipment: chain mail, maul, holy symbol, 1 vial of holy water HP

3. Troll Bridge (Pub) building

A joint venture between three former adventurers whose careers were cut short by their lack of motivation, the Troll Bridge is Darion’s Bridge’s main gathering place. Its name originates from a legend often recounted by the village elders; it is said that before the bridge was built, a much more rudimentary one existed and was guarded by a troll that demanded payment for crossing when it didn’t outright kill the unfortunate travelers. The pub is quite large, being composed of two different buildings; one is the original building while the other one is an annex built a few years later to accommodate more customers and hold a kitchen. A small yard enclosed by a stone wall at the back allows pub-goers to leave their horses while they enjoy the great variety of wines, ales, and spirits the pub offers. In terms of decoration, the pub is rather plain, the furnishing being mostly composed of wooden tables and chairs. A large counter near the kitchen is also surrounded by high stools. Several hunting trophies (mounted animal heads) and tapestries decorate the main area, but the most striking decoration is the mummified head of a troll hanging on the wall behind the counter. Unbeknownst to most, it is actually the head of an ogre. Ronahan Grifs, Cook: In his mid-forties, Ronahan is the one in charge of cooking. He is grumpy and rarely interacts with clients; if insulted, he will probably fight. Ronahan Grifs, Human Fighter 1: AC 10, AB +1, #At 1 shortsword, Dam 1d6, Mv 40', ML 8, XP 25 INT 14 (+1), WIS 6 (-1), DEX 8 (-1), CON 15 (+1) Equipment: plate mail, shield, longsword, shortsword HP Shenolas Vistanir, Manager: An immigrant from Nisenria, Shenolas is the friendliest of her party. She is a tall, olive-skinned, dark-haired woman of striking appearance. She mostly tends tables and greets customers, and loves to talk to travelers, hoping for gossip from more civilized areas. Shenolas Vistanir, Human Thief 1: AC 14, AB +1, #At 1 dagger, Dam 1d4, Mv 30', ML 9, XP 25 WIS 14 (+1), DEX 13 (+1), CON 14 (+1) Equipment: leather armor, longsword, dagger HP Bolzog Arobar, Bartender: Bolzog is a dwarf with an acute sense of taste and a fine connoisseur of beverages of all sorts. He will be in charge of pouring drinks behind the counter, standing on a bench to appear taller. Bolzog Arobar: Dwarven Fighter 1: AC 18, AB +1, #At 1 shortsword, Dam 1d8, Mv 20', ML 9, XP 25 INT 13 (+1) Equipment: plate mail, shield, battle axe, shortsword HP

4. Lucas' Rest (Inn) building

This peculiar inn was built around 100 years ago to honor Lucas Bromild, a local adventurer and folk-hero. A massive ornate stone coffin sits in the middle of the main area, covered with candles and surrounded by tables. It features detailed engravings of Lucas’ exploits, as well as a faithful portrait of the man before his passing. On his death bed, the adventurer demanded not be buried, but rather exposed where his loved ones lived. This inn was property of one of his cousins, who chose to honor his request by entombing him in the main area of his establishment. Nowadays, Lucas’ Rest is kept by Godris, the adventurer’s great-grandson. The coffin remains, almost venerated, at the center of the main area; desecrating or otherwise disrespecting it constitutes a great offense to the eyes of the inn’s staff but also to everyone else in Darion’s Bridge. It is said that Lucas’ soul guards and protect travelers that lodge here. The building is not large, but it is the second tallest building in town (after the Temple of the Triune), featuring three floors, as well a large cellar below. The ground floor has a main area filled with tables where daily breakfast is served to patrons. On the first floor, two large rooms offer shared accommodation for up to twelve clients for a price of 5 sp per night. The second floor provides four individual rooms with two beds each at a cost of 1 gp per night. On the last floor are two small suites which can be rented for 3 gp per night. All stays include breakfast. Contiguous stables provide accommodation for up to eight horses for a fee of 5 sp per night. If the players want to discuss delicate matters, a small private salon is available for a price of 1 sp per hour. It has a fireplace, two couches, and a gambling table. Most of the clientele consists of merchants and visiting relatives of Darion’s Bridgers. The inn is known to be clean and quiet. Since the Troll Bridge offers far better food and drinks, Godris will often redirect customers to the pub for meals other than breakfast. To run his establishment, Godris relies on his wife, Boromia, and his twin teenage daughters, Liriane and Viviane. They all live in a house not far from Peel and Sons.

5. Peel and Sons General Merchandise building

Amos Peel and his sons Albert and Andrew operate this store, where items on the standard equipment list can be purchased for the listed prices. Some items may be hard to find; if the GM thinks an item is unlikely to be useful in a farming community, players will find at most 1d4 in stock just 20% of the time. Except for daggers (normal, not silver), weapons are not available here, and holy symbols are also unavailable at the store.

6. Caleb Tarikson, Blacksmith building