Solinburg - City and Environs

[Emiricol]

Solinburg is the second-largest city in Mittendien. Much of its economy is built on fishing on Lake Valdorane, and trade coming across the lake bound for Dumeldein must pass through Solinburg. This, combined with the fertile lands of the kingdom interior, makes it a large and liberal city, at least relative to the rest of the kingdom. Any race is tolerated, at least in the nicer quarters of the city; unfortunately, the poorer districts are prone to xenophobia and rascism.

General map of region: http://www.geocities.com/thoradur/maps.html

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Places of Business

• The Silver Fin Tavern - A slightly seedy bar in the docks area
• The Happy Unicorn - A large yet cozy inn and tavern in the middle income area of the city
• Sigurd's Exports and Moneychanging - A moderately successful merchant and moneychanger
• Randall's Alchemy - Possibly the best alchemy supply store in the city

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Major NPCs

• Sage Reginald Cooper - A sage and wizard
• Lord Walden - A high ranking noble of the city
• Lillian Lifebreath - Ward of Solinburg Refuge

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Organizations

• The Refuge - Both an area of Solinburg and a group of Gnomes who work to ensure the safety and well-being of all Gnomes in the city.

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[Emiricol]

3.0 rules used (generator)

Sage Reginald Cooper, male human Wiz5: CR 5; Size M (6 ft., 0 in. tall); HD 5d4; hp 17; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 11 (+1 Dex); Attack +1 melee, or +3 ranged; SV Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +4; AL NE; Str 9, Dex 13, Con 11, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 10.

Languages Spoken: Abyssal, Mittendeinish, Trade Speak.

Skills and feats: Bluff +4, Craft +9, Handle animal +4, Hide +4, Knowledge +9, Listen +0, Move silently +1, Spot +0, Tumble +1; Extend spell, Heighten spell, Quicken spell, [Scribe scroll], Toughness.

Possessions: 4,300 gp in gear.

Wizard Spells Known (4/4/2/1): 0th -- Arcane Mark, Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Disrupt Undead, Flare, Ghost Sound, Light, Mage Hand, Mending, Open/Close, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost, Read Magic, Resistance. 1st -- Identify, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Ray of Enfeeblement, Sleep, Spider Climb. 2nd -- Blur, Ghoul Touch, Invisibility, Melf's Acid Arrow, Mirror Image. 3rd -- Haste, Slow.

Reginald was the latest victim of the Betrayer's Blade. He is currently being held, probably for the rest of his life, in the dungeons of the Walden noble mercantile family in Solinburg. Presumably, he no longer has the blade in his possession.

 

[Emiricol]

The Silver Fin Tavern, Solinburg

In the midst of busy docks district of Mittendien's second-largest city, the Silver Fin Tavern lives up to its surroundings. People of all sorts come and go as they please, and all are treated equally. The only ones that are frowned upon are the city guards, but as long as they keep things quiet, even they are served.

The half-elf owner, Adam Burton, shows very little of his elven heritage. He is not afraid to break up a fight and direct the participants outside lest they have to pay for damages. His human wife runs the kitchen, and his daughter helps serve. His son helps keep the customers in line, and most regulars know that any assault on the serving wench's honor will be met harshly.

The food is passable, with most dishes involving fresh fish from the lake, or hunted game. Adam carries a full range of Mittendien and Thoradur ales and wines, as well as some expensive imports.

((Courtesy of Memnus))

 

[Emiricol]

Randall's Alchemy

Randall's alchemy is a supply store for the most part - they sell the equipment and ingredients necessary for any common alchemy purposes and many less common ones. His supply is possibly the best in Solinburg.

He maintains a small selection of pre-crafted alchemical products (per the PHB equipment list) as well (1-10 of each at any given time).

Randall, the store's proprietor, is a shady character known to play all sides of the fence in any issue, interested only in profit. As he doesn't cross the guild (ever!) and pays a healthy protection fee, he is effectively safe from minor retributions. This has made him somewhat brazen.

It is rumored that he also deals in the black market for poisons, drugs, and less socially-acceptable arcane spell components, or at least coordinates some traffic in these goods.

 

[Emiricol]

Walden Family

The Waldens are a noble family of eastern Mittendein. After a vendetta killed many of their members, the family's fortunes are waning, though in Solinburg they remain a dominant faction. Based out of Walden Manor, Lord Walden supervises his family's merchant operations, which stretch across the great Lake Valdoran as well as throughout the eastern reaches of Mittendein.

Lord Walden - Head of the family, living in Walden Manor in Solinburg.
Brenheim Walden - heir and last surviving member of the Marzen faction of the family, he stayed with Lord Walden for safety while the family was being killed one by one. His survival has helped ensure that the family may yet rebound from its recent setbacks.

 

[Emiricol]

Sigurd Brewer

A relatively successful merchant and moneychanger. His offices are a well-guarded building in a middle-income neighborhood.

Sigurd is usually found sitting at a vast, expensive table of wood some might recognize as being from Lorlynia. He is moderately tall, but heavily muscled. He has the form of a man who made his money by hard work, and only a bit of softness has so far crept into his features, mostly around the cheeks.

 

[Emiricol]

The Happy Unicorn

The Happy Unicorn is a large but cozy tavern and inn in the upper middle class area of Solinburg. Known for its cheerful and discrete staff, adventurers often stay in one of the Happy Unicorn's many rooms and suites while in town.

In the Tavern area there is a stage, and the bartender often trades travelling bards food, drink and a room in exchange for a night of music and storytelling for the benefit of his patrons.

 

[Memnus]

High-level NPC: Dreamwalker

Lillian Lifebreath, Mardnab, Ward of the Solinburg Refuge

Mardnab was born as a slave in Ulruz, but her family escaped when she was 20. They fought with the resistance for another two decades, then finally fled the country to Mittendien. Her parents left Mardnab in good care, then returned to the fight. Mardnab was taken in by the newly-formed Refuge in Solinburg, and apprenticed as a bard and healer under the name Lillian Lifebreath. Eventually she learned the craft of the Dreamwalker, and when the Refuge's old Ward retired in 43 A.K., Mardnab took over at the age of 70. Now going on middle age, Mardnab is kindly and beautiful, and considers every gnome in or near the city to be in her care, so long as they don't show themselves undeserving of it. She keeps vigil over the Ward and the city both night and day, and has a wide network of contacts both in arcane communities and the well-hidden criminal underbelly.

Her brown hair is turning silver at the temples, and she wears it short and free, or for special occasions she'll color it some strikingly bright hue with a simple cantrip. Her eyes are a deep royal blue, and she wears a pair of lenses over her eyes, held in place by a simple and elegant wire frame. In public, she wears older, beat-up clothing, blending in seamlessly with crowds. She speaks whatever language is best suited to her audience: Gnomish among her kin, Mittendienish or Thusesti for others, or Tradespeak, in which she can affect a Mittendien, Thoradur, Lorlynia, Cryndon, or Ulruz accent.

Mardnab may be encountered on the streets of Solinburg, on her way to or from meeting someone; she may even have a message for a gnome in the party. She can also be found at the Ward, doing resistance business or singing. The Ward is an uncomfortable place for anyone taller than a gnome, though, and outsiders are not generally welcome unless brought in as a trusted friend. If given a good reason, Mardnab will also offer her spellcasting to aid a gnome PC with Scrying, Identify, or similar, charging only the cost of material components. She uses dimension door or her wand of invisibility to avoid fighting when she can; if she has to, she uses spells and her bag of tricks to break up and distract opponents, trying to keep out of melee range and attack with her +1 returning dagger. She keeps the dagger in a concealed sheath on her left bicep; it is the only weapon she keeps on her person.

Female gnome, NG
Bard 8, Dreamwalker 5
Hit dice: 13d6+13 (59 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 feet (run 100 feet)
Armor class: 20 (+1 size, +2 dex, +5 armor, +2 deflection)
Base attack/grapple: +8/+4
Attack: Dagger +10 melee (1d3+1), or thrown dagger +12 (1d3+1)
Full attack: Dagger +10/+5 (1d3+1), or thrown dagger +12 (1d3+1)
Abilities: Speak with animals 1/day (burrowing mammals only); dancing lights 1/day; ghost sound 1/day; prestidigitation 1/day; bardic knowledge +10; bardic music 8/day (countersong, fascinate, inspire courage, inspire competence, or suggestion); dreamsight (DC 19); dreamspeech; walk in dreams; dreamwhisper (DC 19)
Saves: Fort +4, Will +12 (+14 vs. illusion), Reflex +10
Abilities: Str 11, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 17
Skills: Bluff +14, Concentration +12, Decipher Script +13, Diplomacy +20, Forgery +13, Gather Information +14, Knowledge (planes) +7, Perform +14, Sense Motive +13, Spellcraft +18
Feats: Spell Focus (Divination), Combat Casting, Brew Potion, Run, Negotiator, Eschew Components
Languages spoken: Tradespeak (many accents, see above), Gnomish, Thusesti, Mittendienish
Spells per day: Bard, caster level 12, 3/4/4/4/2 (10% arcane spell failure chance)
Spells known: 6/4/4/4/3
Level 0 (DC 13, *14): daze, know direction*, mage hand, mending, message, read magic.
Level 1 (DC 14, *15): alarm, cure light wounds, identify*, ventriloquism*.
Level 2 (DC 15, *16): cure moderate wounds, dettect thoughts*, hypnotic pattern*, suggestion.
Level 3 (DC 16, *17): charm monster, cure serious wounds, illusory script*, scrying*.
Level 4 (DC 17, *18): cure critical wounds, dimension door, shadow conjuration*.
Equipment: leather armor +3, returning dagger +1, ring of protection +2, wand of invisibility (30 charges left), bag of tricks (tan)