Crooksbarrow

The town of **Crooksbarrow** is a somewhat large fishing town nestled between the trees of Ghast Grove and Lake Skiri. It rests on the edges of the Battlefield, though it's occasionally claimed by the Cabal of the Brass Arrow as part of the Badlands. Being in a strategic position close to all three of the northernmost countries of Halintar, it's become a melting pot with many different ideals and people dwelling inside of it.

Despite it's importance, the place seems run-down at face value. It's a generally rugged, grimy place plagued by Sweetfish bandits and other petty crime. A canopy of dark, twisted trees blots out most sunlight, and there seems to be a perpetual thin layer of fog blanketing the ground of the whole area. Stone tiles, cracked and work from heavy foot traffic, pave the winding streets. Overall Crooksbarrow seems far from friendly... but thanks to it's position it's remained an essential rest stop for travelers for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

## Etymology

Though it's unknown who the original settlers of Crooksbarrow were or who they were truly aligned to, it's believed that the original name of the town was two separate words- Crook's Barrow.

As a "barrow" is often used to refer to a burial ground or tomb, the "crook" can imply one of two things: either the town is a burial ground for criminals, where they find swift end; or it's a place for thieves to "bury" themselves for a while, hiding away until it's safe to move on. Depending on who you ask, the proper answer can vary, but most outsiders who know the town defer to the latter.

## History

Due to wear and tear from frequent visits from Sweetfish gangs, floods, and other catastrophes, no one is quite sure how old Crooksbarrow really is. It's functioned as a known rest stop for dragons and travelers (and criminals) migrating between the northernmost three countries of Halintar for centuries. The Second Church of Pyx (built after the First one burned down) is at least 1,000 years old based on its archives, though no one is sure how long the first one had been around.

Some time before Crooksbarrow was formed, some sort of catastrophic event occurred in the area, resulting in the distortion of the plant life in the area. Though it grows as any other, non-sentient plant life here seems to grow with a darkened color, with jagged bodies and branches and a lack of many leaves/flowers/etc. Even older dragons report that the place has been like this for as long as they'd remembered, dating the event back to around the time of the Insurrection.

## Government

The government of Crooksbarrow is very uninvolved in the community, often only coming into play when rewarding people for dealing with overly rampant criminal activity or civilian disputes gone too far. They have a mayor and small cabinet of advisors, as well as a sparse town guard, which usually just collect taxes to distribute to themselves and to dragons traveling through the area. They often spend all their time in the Tall building

## Defenses

As the town is frequented by raiders, especially those of the Sweetfish variety, defenses are often shabby and hastily put-together. Residents usually either take defending into their own hands or rely on particularly powerful travelers to aid them, instating patrols and fortifying however they can when they catch wind of plans for future raids.

## Society

Being within such close proximity to both the High North and the Northeastern Badlands, as well as the Colossal Covert and the Tzuu River, many different kinds of people gather here. Humans and Plantfolk are the most common long-term residents, though visiting Plantfolk report feeling sluggish here thanks to the unique properties that distort the non-sentient plant life here.

Sweetfish are also commonly seen, though usually only near the docks as they can't procure methods of land travel in the same way that the sea Merfolk can. Some are friendly traders, though there are gangs of hostile fish that often threaten and directly attack Crooksbarrow itself.

The aforementioned travelers that pass through frequently can vary quite a bit. Merfolk researchers from the Wizards of the Coast often swim downstream. Sand Elf exiles pass through, either looking to go downriver or westwards. Members of the Crusaders also frequent the territory, usually with Silver Dragons in tow- oftentimes these travelers are troops of Silver Striders or Citadel representatives heading towards the Badlands, though sometimes they come to replenish the local church and provide aid to the needy in the area.

### *Religion*

Worship of both Dinante and Paradoxie are quite common here, though usually more casually- people here tend to prioritize self-preservation over religious practices. Humble services for both religions are usually held in the homes of more prosperous residents, with no major buildings dedicated to it.

There's also a following for Ester Pyx, as assumed by the Second Church of Pyx established in the town square. However, this church serves more as a safe base for Crusaders crossing through to the Badlands than as an actual place to promote the religion, though they try. The church often has to fend off vandals and thieves from their property who don't look too keenly on the evangelism. However, the support of Pyx's troops in terms of supplies is valuable enough to the town that they keep the harassment down to petty crime instead of attempting to remove them altogether.

## Trade and Business

Not only is Crooksbarrow a fishing town, but it's location is highly strategic. Being in (debatably) neutral territory, and alongside a major waterway connected to the High North, you can easily reach either of the two countries by passing through here. This leads to many travelers passing through, generating revenue when they come to stay at the inn or to purchase a meal at the fish market.

Money mainly comes in from these travelers, from the fishing industry, and from ferries that people come to ride down the river.

## Layout

The two main points of interest here are the town square in the center of town, and the docks alongside the river.

### *Town Square*

Despite being at the center of town, the town square isn't as populous as you may think. It's primary residents are the Tall Building and the Second Church of Pyx, both rather unpopular groups within town. Businesses actually tend to settle closer to the docks, to be convenient for the fishermen who make up most of the populace.

#### **The Second Church of Pyx**

The local church of Ester Pyx is run by a humble crew of three people, despite the grandiose construction of the church itself. It's big enough that two dragons could land near it- one on the roof, the other on a platform built in front of the entrance.

Two dedicated priests as well as a gem-loving paladin by the name of Rick run the place. Though they attempt to evangelize the town from time to time, usually their days are spent chasing off plucky kids attempting to vandalize the place.

#### **The Tall Building**

This building is the official government building of the town. Given that the government is rather uninvolved, as mentioned earlier, government officials tend to keep to themselves, staying in the building for days at a time. It sits directly across the plaza from the Church of Pyx.

### *Docks*

Unlike the square, the docks are the most popular point in town. Those who choose to stay here typically work as fishermen, while those who are passing through often require the service of the boats to move south faster. A slew of businesses set up shop here, including an inn, a smithy, a (now defunct) apothecary, and a wide array of fish markets and restaurants.

The docks also usually house about a dozen or so ships of various shapes and sizes. However, an attack around the end of the Silver Solstice 905 from the local Sweetfish gangs led to many of the ships being destroyed, crippling the town's fishing industry and ability to travel downstream.

#### **The Slimy Toad**

This is the only inn in town, having outlasted any and all competitors thanks to the efforts of the barkeep Dandy Spaceton. It would have fallen as all the inns before it had, but Dandy was able to train under the human who owned it originally, preserving the art of it's custom brew.

Staying the night is 1 sp/night, and most meals are around 2-5 copper.

#### **Geb and Jen's Weapons**

Geb and Jen’s Weapons is a pristine weapon shop run by a young, feeble halfling named Geb and a large thicc human woman named Jen. Renowned for his skyrocketed prices and tough bargaining, those who can wriggle through his high standards can actually get some good deals.

#### **The Apothecary** *(defunct)*

A simple apothecary shop run by the now-deceased Plantfolk Andromeda. It was a tiny but well-liked shop, being run from underneath one of the many seafood restaurants in the area. She didn't make much, but her charm attracted customers (and potential suitors) to the simple shop. To many visitors' surprise, the formulas sold were much more medical in application than simple perfumes. Her shop had been established only for about a year or so before her demise, during which local Plantfolk had been going missing at increasing rates.

## Population

### *People of Note*

#### **Dandy Spaceton**

A Plantfolk with a dandelion-like face. He owns and operates the ***Slimy Toad***, brewing special ale with a methodology taught to him by the previous owner of the inn. He's a serious advocate for Plantfolk rights- and thanks to his activism, treatment of Plantfolk here has improved to the point of barely being able to see how they're treated differently. However, he remains ever-vigilant, pointing out discrepancies to the point of annoyance and eye-rolling for many of his customers.

#### **Andromeda** *(deceased)*

A (now deceased) Plantfolk with a pleasant, tulip-like face and stereotypically attractive-to-a-normal-humanoid hourglass figure. She ran the local apothecary, having set up shop for about a year before she perished.

#### **Houston**

An absolutely massive Sweetfish and leader of a gang across the lake from Crooksbarrow. He moved upstream recently due to salinity rising in the deep south, and works simply for the largest coin offered to him. He was responsible for the destruction of the ships around the end of the Silver Solstice 905. After some discussion, he realized the error of his ways and formally apologized to the people of Crooksbarrow.

## Organizations

**The Crusaders of the Sterling Serpent** are semi-frequent visitors thanks to the church that's been established here.

**The Cabal of the Brass Arrow** also stops by from time to time, though some residents aren't big fans of their attempts to claim the town as part of the Badlands.

## Gallery

Jen and Geb, the married couple behind Jen and Gebs
## Trivia

* Crooksbarrow is where the party of the current main campaign encountered their first official "dungeon", Andromeda's Lair.
	+ During this expedition into the lair, Kris Nifeton was able to defeat Sarnai and Zor in combat, kidnapping Zor and stealing Andromeda's ship and fleeing down the Tzuu River