Briskridge

**Briskridge** is a village in Nick's Campaign. It is a small town located south a ways of the Thundercron Mountains, surrounded by fields and a large forest. It has a bit of a reputation for being the gathering point of questionable characters and goings-on, but is, for the most part, a simple town with simple folk, most of which work in farming or construction or are travelers.

In 4950 PC, a group of individual folks met up with each other and formed an adventuring party. Name still pending.

## Layout

The town is somewhat split into loose quadrants by two cobblestone roads that pass through town: the North Road, which runs north and south, and the Oak Road, which runs east and west. All other "streets" in Briskridge are simply the paths of flattened dirt most commonly used by citizens.

There is an announcement board posting, mostly filled with local news and offerings of various jobs.

## Inhabitants

Briskridge is home to mainly humans with some dwarves and halflings mixed in. It has a total population of about 820 permanent citizens. One may see examples of other races, but chances are they are most likely passing through.

 **Robin** | Human | Owner of The Happy Wyvern tavern.

## Points of Interest

### **Blackstone Blunts & Blades**

Located near the center of town, **Blackstone Blunts & Blades** is a blacksmith shop owned and operated by Ivan Blackstone, as well as serving as the dwarf's home. It is here where he forges weapons and armor made of metal.

#### Layout

Made of brick and wood, the front porch leads into a small foyer area with a few chairs and a front desk. The foyer leads to three areas: the forge, where metalworking takes place and sellable items are displayed; the upstairs, where Ivan's residence is; and the back door.

While the party fought a gang of doppelgangers in the foyer, a large hole was blasted in the wall. The next day, this was partially covered by a small stack of crates and barrels as a makeshift wall.

#### History

Who the party thought to be Ivan Blackstone summoned the party where he explains that his mission for them was to find and rescue his daughter Rose. After the party returned, having no luck in their task, Ivan's unusually nervous behavior led the party to question him. Ivan revealed himself to be a doppelganger, while a few more dropped from nearby.

During the ensuing fight, Cob released a *Fireball* that incinerated a good chunk of the monsters. Thankfully, the building itself did not catch on fire due to an earlier casting of *Tidal Wave* by Yuri, but it did blast a large hole in the wall. After the fight, the party found the real Ivan Blackstone emerging from the basement, covered in bruises and lacerations and walking with a slight limp. He thanked the party for allowing him to escape and waved off two sellsword guards that were alerted by the commotion.

The party returned the next day, where they talked with the dwarf. Ivan explained how he had been kept imprisoned in his own basement by a group of robed men led by a priest, and led the party downstairs to said basement, where one of the doppelgangers from the previous night had managed to survive the battle. It was killed after a brief interrogation.

### **The Happy Wyvern**

Located near the south end of town, **The Happy Wyvern** is a tavern owned and operated by a middle-aged human named Robin. It is known for its acceptance from folks of all walks of life, legal and illegal, and is such occasionally used by people to discreetly discuss illegal activities. It is also known throughout Briskridge and surrounding areas for its "specialty drinks", most of which are of the bartender's own tried-and-tested designs.

#### Layout

The tavern itself is made of mostly dark oak wood. The inside has chandeliers but is mostly lit by natural light let in through windows. There are plenty of wooden chairs and tables and a bar that lines most of the width of the bar. Behind it are stacks of shelves with bottles in them, in the center of which is a chalkboard with the menu.

#### History

The tavern is where everyone in the original roster of the party met up, having been summoned by Ivan Blackstone for a job. The dwarf mentioned that he had left relevant supplies at home, and requested the party find him at his house later that afternoon. After leaving, the party talked and tried out a few of the specialty drinks.

Later that week, the three remaining party members returned to the tavern to see Sir Bones in a brawl against a group of rowdy drunkards. After defeating them, Sir Bones and his traveling companion Yuri agreed to join the party.

### **Inn**

Located in the eastern part of town, his unnamed **inn** is apparently the only inn in town. The party stayed here for a couple nights. One morning after waking up, they found Alirion's bed mysteriously empty, so they set out in search of him.

### **Town Hall**

Located slightly off-center in the central part of town, the **town hall** is where important meetings held by civilians of Briskridge take place and important matters are discussed. While cultists worshipping the Yuan-ti have seemingly taken hold of the town, it is revealed that the town hall is where their operations are led.

#### Layout

The town hall is a wooden building with two stories, large in comparison to nearby buildings. On the bottom floor is a large meeting area, with rows of chairs and a small altar. Next to this is a foyer with chairs, tables, and a fireplace, as well as a front desk in the back near a closet. On the top floor is a collection of bedrooms that were being inhabited by enemy sellswords and cultists.

#### History

While interrogating a doppelganger, it mentions that Briskridge's town hall is where the Yuan-ti cult has been operating. Waiting until night, the party sneaks into the alleyway behind the building and climbs onto the roof. Entering the foyer through the chimney, the party kills the sellswords stationed there and tricks outside guards that everything is fine. The party investigates the rest of the foyer area, where they discover a set of animated armor in the party that they befriended.

Heading upstairs, the party clears out more guards and cultists, as well as flying snakes, room by room, until they eventually find themselves facing a katana-wielding woman in a crimson blindfold surrounded by more followers. Yuri cast *Heat Metal* on her katana, forcing her to drop it. Apparently not expecting this, the woman retreated and jumped through a nearby window while the party made relatively quick work of the remaining cult loyalties.

## History

**Work in progress.**

After returning from a mission that turned out to be a wild goose chase, the party discovered that Briskridge was apparently under the hold of cultists worshipping the Yuan-ti. They infiltrated the town hall and set to work.

During this time, Cob started his corn cartel by hiring a farmer to grow nothing but corn, reimbursing him for any lost profits through sheer payment.