Place: Southwold

History

Southwold was a simple town on the outskirts of the Human nation. Located near the eastern edge of the Roscoe forest, it was largely a lumber town, housing a lumber mill that processed logs cut in the forest. The town was also used as a staging area for hunting parties heading into the southern wilds, and for parties seeking valuable resources in abandoned outposts and castles, particularly a keep called Tolling that had stockpiles of useful ores not found in the Bay and an extensive library including many magical texts. This quiet but productive town, however, had a change of fate 12 years ago. During the months of Yule in 135 YotF, two hostile tribes of varkers were encountered in the area, the Coppercross and Brokenbow. After several hunters failed to return, and a supply wagon coming from Tolling was attacked, the Ritter asked the Baron to do something about this new threat. First a small scouting party was sent out to investigate the matter; only 2 of the 7 returned.

They brought news that the two tribes seemed to be working together; the taller Coppercross tribe appeared to be in control and many of their warriors seemed to wield some magic and were called witches, while the Brokenbow varkers were more typical of the race, wielding simple clubs and slings. There were also several unknown creatures, believed to be varkers but unusually massive, larger even than uruks. All three types had jet-black fur. To make matters worse, the varkers had taken up residence in Tolling Keep and were massing for a battle. The Baron of the time, Fallas Coel, rightly recognized that the Coppercross and Brokenbow tribes were preparing to raid or even invade the civilized lands of the Human nation. He organized a company of militiamen, almost 200 strong, to make a pre-emptive strike. Baron Fallas led this company himself as they made for Tolling, but they were ambushed on the way, and forced to fall back. Fallas was injured in the ambush, and he ordered his men to retreat without him. Dutifully, the soldiers made their way back to Southwold, where Fallas’ son Ebraen had organized additional troops in defence of the nation.

The varkers made their inevitable strike on Southwold during Little Noer of that year, but arrived in unexpected numbers; the human defenders were outnumbered 3 to 1. Fallas, however, had not been killed but only captured, and he had used his time in captivity productively. He had learned that the hulking varkers were cross-breeds between the two tribes, and were part of the glue holding them together; there was some strife between the tribes and the diminutive Brokenbow were resentful of the Coppercross for luring them into a lopsided arrangement. He was able to convince some of the dim-witted hulks that the Coppercross tribe cared nothing for them except as slaves, and that they should aid their Brokenbow brethren in rebellion. And so it happened that during the Battle of Southwold, the two tribes turned on one another, allowing many of the humans to escape the battle relatively unscathed. They had, however, lost the town and the ancient sawmill that rested there, and Fallas Coel was killed in the battle by Coppercross witches for aiding the rebellion.

What is there? Who is there?

The most notable thing in the town is the sawmill. It is not wind, water, or steam powered, but instead is of ancient design, similar to the Great Well in Audlem. It seems to function through some sort of magic, but how exactly is unknown. The rest of the town has fallen into disrepair in the past decade, and the road passing through Southwold from Grovel to Illsop is now known as the Ruined Road (see map). Also of note is the kirkhall, one of the few buildings maintained by the varkers, which they have turned into a shrine to Fallas Coel, seeing him as something of a saviour for his role in freeing them from the Coppercross. The Baron’s remains and possessions are housed here, and many of the varkers have taken to carrying saeges like those carried in Butter Bay as a sign of reverence to Fallas.

Because of the half-breed hulks’ support of the Brokenbow they were able to win the battle and drive the enemy out of Southwold; the Coppercross retreated to Tolling Keep. The two tribes have been in a state of constant conflict ever since, with battles and raids on both sides and the border between them always shifting. The Coppercross witches have repeatedly led strikes on Southwold itself, trying to seize the magical mill and learn its secrets. The most learned of the Brokenbow have in turn been studying the mill, wishing to use its power to destroy or enslave the Coppercross once and for all. If you were trying to sneak into the town, you would have to deal with regular patrols of the half-breeds on the outskirts, and heavy occupation by regular Brokenbow in the village’s interior.

Geography

Entering the town on the ruined road, you would first pass through a number of small dwellings that the varkers have let fall to ruin. In the core of Southwold are four major buildings, the kirkhall, the mill, a two-storey tenement, and the town’s inn. The mill is much the same as it always was; ancient design made of unmarked charcoal-coloured stone, the design is quite unlike the other buildings, calling out its origins. As mentioned earlier, the kirkhall has been turned into a sort of shrine to Fallas Coel. The inn was heavily damaged in the battle, but the varkers have since repaired it and their leader in the town resides there, using it as his command post; the faded sign reading “The Lost Retreat” still hangs over the shattered front window. The tenement is the only building left that is still used for its original purpose. The majority of the varkers who live in Southwold occupy rooms in the tenement, which comfortably houses about sixty, but the varkers have crammed in eighty or more. A rough trail leads south toward the other Brokenbow camps and the Coppercross stronghold at Tolling.

Adventure Hooks

The former residents of Southwold had to leave much behind in the evacuation, and many militiamen were killed in the battle. Families seeking lost heirlooms, such as the saege knives of those killed, might be willing to pay a hefty reward for the return of those items. The request could even come from Baron Ebraen himself, seeking his fallen father’s saege or signet ring, or even just a part of the body for proper burial.

It might be possible to negotiate with the varkers of Southwold. If your adventurers could offer them insights into the workings of the mill, they may be willing to aid the party, especially if the party’s aims involve taking action against the Coppercross. Your adventurers may be after a specific tome in the library of Tolling, and the books there could lead to a greater understanding of the mill or the Great Well.

Friday: The Alfar Race

Threat: Varkers

A number of outside forces threaten the security of the Bay, but by far the most well known of these are the ubiquitous varkers.

What is a Varker?

Varkers are a race of thinking beings, like humans and the other races of the Bay. However, unlike the races of the Bay varkers are generally uncivilized. Instead of living in organized towns and villages, varkers live in tiny groups, called bands, in the wilderness. Each band is part of a larger tribe that occupies a region.

In appearance, varkers from different tribes can vary wildly. They tend to be shorter than humans, more on the size scale of hodekin, but some tribes are exceptions. Varkers, especially the local Redfeather tribe, are often described as rat-like in appearance, with elongated snouts and long hairless tails. Redfeather varkers are lightly furred across their whole bodies, and their fur ranges from bright oranges to deep rich auburns. In general you can think of a varker as being like an anthropomorphized rat, mouse, or other rodent.

You can treat Redfeather varkers as a baseline; some tribes tend to be taller than Redfeathers, others somewhat smaller; some have radically different hair colour; much more hair, or much less; some have no tails, or differently shaped tails; some are heavyset and bulky, others slender and lithe. Each tribe is different, and mixture between tribes happens fairly seldom.

What are Varkers like?

The primary thing to know about varkers is that they respect strength. A varker doesn’t fight you because he hates you, but rather either because he sees you as a threat that has to be put down, or because you have something he wants. For a varker strength is everything, and if you have the strength to take something from someone else, then you have earned the right to possess it. Varkers will generally decline negotiations, but they can be reasonable and a show of force will be respected and might lead them to back down.

In general, varkers want the same things as other races: they want to keep their family, band, and tribe protected and safe, and they want to provide for their own as well. Sometimes, if supplies are tight, providing for their own means taking what they need from someone else such as another tribe or the people of the Bay. The fact that needs to be remembered is that varkers are not any more evil that humans, they simply have a different worldview that is sometimes at odds with that of civilized people.

Varker Society

Each tribe is a distinct entity and a varker doesn’t usually show any more affinity for a member of a different tribe than he would for a human, uruk, or alfar. That said, there are rare occasions when tribes will work together if they all stand to gain from it, but these arrangements are always short-lived and usually end with one tribe betraying the other.

Leadership among varkers is, perhaps unsurprisingly, based on strength. A varker will declare himself Ri of the band, and gains the position if none oppose him. If he does face opposition, the matter is solved with simple combat. Nearly all disputes among varkers are solved in this manner; they do not usually fight to the death, instead the weaker individual usually concedes defeat and the stronger is considered the winner of the argument. While each band is led by a Ri, there is also a higher position called an Ardri who leads the tribe as a whole.

Using Varkers in Play

Many different monsters can be used to represent varkers, and you may want to represent different tribes with different races. The best race to use for the Redfeather varkers would be kobolds, as their abilities agree with the baseline rat-like nature. Other monsters that can be used for varkers include goblins, orcs, lizardfolk, gnolls, minotaurs. and anything else you might think appropriate. Don’t be afraid to re-skin more exotic creatures into varkers as well, especially for a champion, Ri, or Ardri.

Monday: The Hodekin Race