Olthoff

Olthoff is a small, decrepit town of ~50 people situated in a valley in The Cloud Catcher Mountains. The folks of the land spend much of their time fending off the elements and trying to survive in this cruel, cold land. The residents are able to survive by fishing the nearby lake Anera, hunting throughout the mountains, and gathering. It is known for its massive Grand Mine and role in the Golden Age of Cragwater. However, Olthoff remains now as but a remnant of its former self.

## Geography

Olthoff is located in The Cloud Catcher Mountains. It lies in a small valley containing the Lake Anera and is surrounded by mountains on all sides. Passage to Olthoff is difficult, the only route there is a road which follows a tributary of the River Nipeek, however this road is broken, and after many avalanches and rockslides is hardly even a road. A light mountainous forest surrounds Olthoff.

## Life in Olthoff

The residents of Olthoff live a difficult and rough life. Most have a daily struggle to survive and provide only for themselves and their family. Homes in Olthoff are well made and fit for weathering most storms, and fire has taken up a place as a holy idol. While life is tough, community is close, with many people taking up a position in Marsley Castle to socialize and enjoy the fire together.

Families in Olthoff are very close knit, and independent. A typical family will consist of a single or two wilders, the person who ventures out into the wilderness in order to find food and needed natural resources, and the rest of the family which will do the necessary cooking, crafting, constructing, and anything else which may be required.

Life in Olthoff is difficult and humble, yet survivable. However if issues arise, death will follow. Residents live with the understanding that if an avalanche strikes, or a gang of goblins sets up camp, families will die.

## History

Althoff was a town founded by a rich merchant by the name of Maddicus Marsley, who, during the golden age of Cragwater, offered a life full of plenty to a following of peasants from the lower class. Intent on creating an empire of mineral wealth, Maddicus single handedly funded an expedition up into the Cloud Catcher Mountains in search of wealth. He shelled out thousands of gold pieces purchasing provisions, wagons, survival equipment, prospecting tools, and much more in pursuit of his dream. Supplying all of the requirements for life out of pocket, Maddicus amassed a large amount of recruits, mostly peasants who were jumping on this opportunity for a new life. With an expedition party of 57 strong, Maddicus embarked on his adventure. Making their way through many perils, they found a small river, which bore the traces of silver. Following the river brought them to a sparkling mountain lake and a land laden with silver. Camp was made, and the hunt for silver was on. After a few days had past, a magnificent discovery was made, a massive vein of silver leading into the rock. Maddicus immediately sent for supplies, more mining tools, and more people to mine silver, and very soon Maddicus had started construction on his Grand Mine. This startling discovery made its way to Cragwater and the surrounding area, leading to a large influx of settlers in the area, and soon this mining camp became a bustling mountain town. Maddicus named the town he started Olthoff, an homage to his native town back in The Old World. Olthoff's population quickly swelled to a great 1,000 souls, and quickly kept rising. With such an influx of people, Maddicus(who was unprepared for his new silver empire) offered 2 silverpieces for every pound of silver ore that was mined out of his mine. This massive potential for income lead nearly all of the town to work in the Grand Mine, extracting thousands of pounds of ore on a daily basis. Olthoff was truly blessed with the amount of money it was making, able to sustain its population via imports alone, and exporting carts full of silver ore to the cities below almost constantly. Maddicus had made millions of goldpieces in the years that followed the founding of Olthoff, most of it had been reinvested in the industry, creating a massive entrance, funding the construction of huge underground silver vaults, creating a system of carts, purchasing horse, hiring a small militia, and anything else one could need. Competing with the plantation owners of Cragwater, Maddicus also constructed a palace of sorts for himself, hiring his people to bore into the rock of the mountains, creating a castle which would overlook the town.

Alas this time was short lived. Soon the silver in the mine became more scarce, leading much of the population to leave with the wealth they'd accumulated and move back down from the mountains. Silver was still being brought up, and with the masses of wealth he'd accumulated Maddicus was satisfied. While the amount of silver produced was never enough to rival the glory days, the town was still healthy, importing goods and exporting silver. At this point the town's population had likely dropped to around 700 people. This town continued on this way for many years, until Maddicus died of disease, leaving the town's prosperity in the hands of his son Maddicus II. Very soon after the death of Maddicus disaster struck when a worker in the mine had struck a section of stone which immediately exploded with a rush of water. Slimy, choking water quickly filled the lower sections of the mine, leaving most of the mine's most profitable areas underwater. Worse yet, miners who spent time near the water would develop pale, mucous covered skin, grow gills on their necks, and often would strike out at their fellow miners, pulling them into the disgusting waters which now inhabited the mine. Many a miner was never seen again after venturing too close to the waters. Very quickly the mines were abandoned, with miners being too scared to enter, some reporting that their friends would suddenly turn on them, attacking with pickaxes, then would make their way down into the depths on the mine, others saying that they saw massive crablike creatures lurking venturing out of the waters. Soon after the mines were boarded shut with massive wooden planks.

After the Grand Mine was shut the town's economy entirely collapsed, most of the residents had no source of income whatsoever. Maddicus II was far less giving than his father and took to stockpiling his own provisions and leaving the residents out to dry. To make matters worse the snows that year were far less forgiving. The few resources that did make their way into the town were more expensive and less plentiful than before. And an avalanche on in the mountains caused the pass to Olthoff to be blocked, locking the people of Olthoff in their cold hell. That winter most of the population of Olthoff starved or froze to death, leaving the survivors numbering around 200. The survivors had to quickly make a shift in their lifestyle, going from miners and purchasers to hunters and gatherers, living off the land. Even then every year more folk died and the population diminished, leaving Olthoff as a decrepit, quiet, crumbling, mountain town with only around 50 people still living there.

## Government

While there is little need for government in Olthoff, the power of the Marsleys still remains. They remain to keep much of their wealth(however worthless now) and are certainly the ones that are turned to when issues strike. Currently there are two Marsleys, Grunhilda Marsley, a very old woman confined to her cot, and Murmal Marsley, a 13 year old boy who tends to his mother. There are also a few honorary Marsleys who serve as wilders to the Marsley family in return for residence in the castle.

## Notable Places

* Marsley Castle- A decaying castle which serves as the home to the Marsleys, and the closest thing to an inn within Olthoff
* The Grand Mine- A massive but decaying boarded off mine, tales speak of the horrors which lie within, nobody dares enter