Eclipse

This city is where the adventure begins. Eclipse is a merchant's paradise, as the monarchs have always had loose rules on trade. However, this has also made Eclipse a "safe port" for criminals, pirates, and warlords from outside the city-states. The city has a tendency of taking on the enemies of these people, as it is far easier for an injured city to attack another city than to locate a pirate.

## Government

Eclipse is autocratic, ruled by the Blackburn Dynasty. The Blackburns are nobles, but also own a sizable ship-building industry. Its ships are magically enchanted to weather storms, and are used for the shipping of expensive or time-sensitive freight. Their company has branches in nearly all city states. Other industries in the area have some influence in government as well, but the Blackburns keep the peace within Eclipse through the Burnwatch, a glorified city guard. The Blackburns seized power from the mage's guild about ten years ago. There was a single battle, but not much bloodshed after. The mage's guild has kept to themselves ever since.

The current head of the Blackburns is Lord Eustace Blackburn, a 46 year old human.

## Locations

### Hatchery District

This district is home to tanneries, slaughterhouses, and cattle pens- not just hatcheries. Decent businesses thrive here, but due to the smell only the poorest residents of Eclipse live here.

**3rd and Grove Street Crater:** A few months ago, an explosion on the corner of 3rd and Grove Street wiped out all the buildings and people within 3 blocks. Strange oozes have seeped into a small lake, and some will venture out to attack passerbys. A few witnesses reported seeing odd, squidlike creatures within the ooze. After a merchant died trying to rebuild their shop, Burnwatch restricted travel through this area.

**Braddock's** **Big Game Butchery:** This butcher specializes in the butchery and sale of large monsters. Hunters and adventurers can bring monster corpses to Braddock, the boisterous half-orc owner, and make a quick sale on the corpse with no hassle.

**The** **Curious Cottage:** This is an odd shop, selling the services of Isoza Niner, a gnome mathematician. This office is consulted by archmages, engineers, and inventors from around the world.

**Dark Chalice:** A popular tavern.

### Junglers' District

This district is where most 'junglers' congregate. Explorers, traveling merchants, and even a few herders and nomads from outside Eclipse thrive here. Living quarters here are better than the Hatchery District, but overpriced, as most of its residents don't stay long. This is also the smallest district in Eclipse, and the least protected by Burnwatch.

**Astrojewel Inn:** This is a medium-quality inn pretending to be a high-quality inn. (7sp/single room, 12sp/double room)

**Exiles' Inn**: This is a low-quality inn. More than a few travelers have gone missing while staying here, or wound up dead in a nearby alley. (3sp/single room, 4sp/double room, 1sp per person/common room)

**Whiteharbor Orphanage:** This orphanage was built using fire-resistant materials.

### Temple District

Another small district, this district is home to the temples of Eclipse's patron deities. There are some living quarters here as well, for the monks and priests that work here. The hospital is also located here.

**Reapers' Graveyard:** Nerull is a greater deity, but rarely worshiped by the righteous. Most cities have a few priests of Nerull to perform burial rites. Nerull is the god of death, darkness, murder, and the underworld.

**Temple of Pelor:** Pelor is a greater deity, but has the smallest following in Eclipse. He takes the form of an old man riding a Ki-rin. He is the god of the sun, light, strength, and healing. His followers maintain Eclipse's hospital.

**Temple of Sardior:** Sardior is a lesser deity, and does not have much of a following outside of Eclipse. He is a ruby dragon, master of the "gem" or neutral dragons. He is the god of night, psionics, and secrets.

**Temple of Wee Jas:** Wee Jas is a greater deity, acknowledged by many wizards and sorcerers. She takes on the appearance of a human woman. She is the goddess of magic, death, vanity, and law.

### Elven District

Although not exclusive to elves, this district was created through druidic and elven magic hundreds of years ago, as a living tree. The magic forest that makes up this district augments the barrier surrounding Eclipse. Most of its residents are low-level mages and druids. The majority of Eclipse's agriculture comes from this district. The Ilewyn family owns most of the land in this district, and uses sharecropping for the bulk of their profits. This family is the second most powerful organization in Eclipse, after the Blackburns.

**Sapphire Springs:** These are heated baths from an underground hot spring. These are expensive (15 sp/adult, 12 sp/child), but have better facilities and are less crowded.

### Merchants' District

The political and economic center of Eclipse, this district is the largest. It holds the wealthiest and the poorest of Eclipse's inhabitants. Blackburn Castle is at the center of this district.

**Bridge Street:** The main shopping street is on three levels. There's a ground level, and two elevated bridges which turn this street into a mile-long shopping mall.

**Domeforest** **Springs:** These are public baths, for an affordable price (3 sp/adult, 2 sp/child). Most residents of Eclipse take their annual bath here.

**The Gray Market:** The Gray Market is the slums of Eclipse. Burnwatch avoids the area.

## Rumors

**Elcabie:** Elcabie, a famous yet mysterious hero, is in town. He always wears dark grey full plate armor, and never takes off his helmet. There is nothing suspicous about this whatsoever.

**Trade War:** Although bandits have always raided merchants traveling between Eclipse and Augertown, over the last month attacks have picked up. Someone's been spreading rumors that these bandits are actually cultists from Augertown in disguise, out to break down the power of Eclipse's trade companies.

**The Winter Wizard:** A halfling wizard wanders the back alleys of the Merchants' District, getting into fights with vermin crawling up from the sewers and other monsters that terrorize the citizens of Eclipse. Most say this was a story started by a pirate crew to cover up destruction of a block during a fight with a rival crew. The name comes from the frost-filled streets where the wizard fought.