Maplewood

Maplewood is one of a handful of towns situated on the south end of Nexalia. It's population numbers around 3,500 and contains a variety of humans, halflings, and goblins who all live in peace together. The ratio of goblins to humans to halfling is 1:2:2.

## Geography

In this region, it's autumn all year round. The surroundings mainly contain rolling pale yellow hills, forests with vibrant orange and red maple trees, and large rivers which flow south towards the ocean. The temperature always stays within 10-15 degrees Celsius.

In Maplewood, there is a gargantuan maple tree, The Great Tree, which is situated in the centre of the town. The town itself sprawls outward from the tree like tree roots. This tree is several thousands of feet high and hundreds of feet wide. The townsfolk view it as something sacred and believe it provides magic to the region. There are decorations and gifts placed around the tree but no one is allowed to build anything on the tree.

## Town

The town is inhabited by humans, halflings, and goblins. Typical attire include warm woolly sweaters and scarves that bear the town symbol, a maple leaf. The town includes a lot of what you would expect from peaceful towns - it's got taverns, shops, a market, homes, cafes, bakeries. Most buildings are made out of wood logs gathered from the nearby Rustleaf Woods. The town has it's own dedicated guard regiment but it's mostly young folk - it's under direct leadership of the Town Master, Harold Cider, and is seen as incompetent.

### Notable buildings:

#### Town Hall

The Town Hall is situated in the centre, opposite The Great Tree. It's a two storey building with a bell tower on the top. The town is run by Harold Cider and Ulkia.

Harold is a tall slender human who wears glasses. He's blind to the troubles of the town and is entirely incompetent at his job as the Town Master. He inherited the title from his father and believes he is better than everyone else. He's a pretentious slob.

Ulkia is a wise old goblin shaman. She understands the problems of the common folk and is a kind and understanding leader. She was hired as the Assistant Town Master but does most of the work. She works selflessly and hopes for the community to grow larger. She is also capable at magic similar to what a druid would be capable of.

#### Merchant Guild

The Merchant Guild is situated in the town centre, close to The Great Tree. The Merchant Guild acts as the town's main import/export company - dealing with any warehousing, exporting of goods, supplying the town with goods imported from other cities and towns. The guild is run by Amber Smallfoot, a halfling woman who is quick to take action and tough. Amber is typically seen in her work attire, a hardhat and magic high vis jacket, and spends most of time either at work or thinking about work.

The guild imports and exports goods through the Giraffe Bus system. In this region they use giant mechanical giraffes (300 feet tall) that carry large amounts of bulk goods. It typically takes a few days to transport the goods because the Giraffe Buses are rather slow. The main interior of the buses are located in the body and are similar in look to an aircraft carrier, no seating for passengers and is mainly there for crates of goods. The pilots of the buses are located in the head, there are 2 people who pilot a giraffe at any time. The giraffes are quite controversial in the region because a lot of people view them as inefficient but the people in charge view them as cool.

#### Everfire Tavern

Everfire Tavern is located in the town centre, near The Great Tree. It's a warm homely place that serves ale, beer, and snacks. It's mostly empty during the day but once 6 o clock hits and everyone gets off work then it can get really packed. Everfire Tavern is run by a duo of halflings, Ginger and Marigold Wobbleknee. They love to gossip and always make sure that customers are satisfied with their drinks and food.

#### Goblin Village

In the nearby forest, Rustleaf Woods, is a Goblin Village which was created in recent memory. It's now used as a base of operations for scouts and lumbermen. They collect meat, berries, and wood and send caravans every few days to deliver the materials to the town. It's inhabited mostly by goblins with a handful of human and halfling scouts.

## History

Maplewood has been around for a long time. It's founders were a group of human and halfling friends. It had lived in relative peace for decades until the recent goblin invasion.

### Goblin Invasion

A planar rift from the Goblin Plane had been opened up by Ulkia in order to escape their oppressive goblin lord, Gobbo. When they arrived they decided to settle in the Rustleaf Woods. The townsfolk were annoyed because the forest was a prime location for food and building materials. A group of goblins had split from the original Goblin Village and had formed a gang, Razerteefs, and harassed and attacked Maplewood. After the gang had been wiped out and some diplomacy between Maplewood and the Goblin Village, a treaty was made and the goblins and the town live in harmony.