Darkwell

#### Description

With a population including a higher than average number of adventurers, Darkwell is a city where divine magic is commonplace. Those with the money can purchase potions and scrolls. At any of a number of temples, clerics can be hired to cast spells. Spells that animate the dead or create undead are a felony in Darkwell. Otherwise, the law calls for judging the effects of spells rather than the spells themselves. For example, destruction of property by way of hammer or fireball are the same crime in the eyes of Darkwell law. Spells that involve enchanting another creature to influence its actions are frowned upon but not illegal. The magistrates of Darkwell often hire mages to use detect thoughts or other useful spells to help determine their verdicts. The City Watch use necromancers and priests of Ghaji Seramithra to help defend the city and capture offenders.

In Darkwell, the magical, spiritual, and fundamental laws that dictate a soul must leave its body when slain, are changed -- or at least suspended. Hence ghosts not only walk the streets of Darkwell at night, but interact with others and objects as if normal, solid creatures, though normal they are certainly not. Some leave thin, slick trails of ectoplasm in their make, some appear gruesome, as they did in the moment of their death, and some cause small objects to fly about, uncontrolled, in their presence. The ghosts only manifest in the city proper at night and many wards and securities are taken.

#### Population

7,258: 78% Halfling, 8% Dwarf, 7% Gnome, 5% Human, 3% Other, Ghosts: 1,585 (various races, overwhelming majority are halflings.

#### Government and Laws

Darkwell is governed by a Council of five Warders. One ruler for each Ward of the City. They have established and maintained the latest version of the city’s laws, which are not particularly long or draconian, but are occasionally unique in their wording, including references to (and sometimes special exceptions for) ghosts.Order is maintained by the City Watch, a constabulary force of almost 75 Clerics of Ghaji Seramithra and Necromancers, with a rarely used emergency auxiliary force of another 400 fighters and rogues.These spellcasters are equipped with spells like web and charm person to help deal with criminals, and spells like see invisibility and detect evil to help watch for them in the first place. Likewise, even the non spellcasters are armed with potions that heal, allow them to see invisible creatures and items, or even to become invisible themselves.

#### Crime and Punishment

Crimes in Darkwell are divided into two kinds: Serious and Minor. There is no prison in Darkwell. Accused criminals are held for a trial in the jail at the Watch House in the Portal Ward. If convicted, minor criminals are fined (usually between 10 and 100 gp) or penalized in some way that seems to bestow equity on the situation.

Trials in Darkwell, particularly murder trials, are usually quick and simple, because often the deceased can be called as a witness. Magistrates do not hesitate to use spellcasters-for-hire to discern lies, detect thoughts, or use other magic if available and deemed necessary.

**Serious Crimes**

* Animating a dead body or otherwise causing the creation of an undead creature. Murder of an unwilling humanoid (not in self-defense)
* Destruction of an unwilling ghost (not in self-defense)
* Kidnapping or abduction of a humanoid Attacking a humanoid who is weaponless (not in self-defense)
* Theft involving more than 20 gp Theft of a cadaver Destruction of property involving more than 20 gp
* Creating a map of the city, or it’s streets owning a map of Darkwell of it’s surrounding area.

**Minor Crimes**

* Theft involving less than 20 gp Mutilation or harm to a cadaver
* Attacking a humanoid who possesses a weapon (not in self-defense)
* Destruction of property involving less than 20 gp
* Aiding a serious criminal or in any serious crime

**Not a Crime**

* Carrying a weapon
* Casting a spell (unless its effects accomplish any of the above listed crimes—note that dominating the mind of a person has on occasion been considered “kidnapping” by the magistrates, depending on the circumstances)
* Attacking and killing a “monster”

#### Defense

A trip to Darkwell can be a very strange experience to those who have never been there before. Although remnants of an older city wall remain, there are no real barriers keeping one out—only the thick growth of the surrounding Spirit Wood and the Cadaverous River provide any sort of perimeter. Following one of the three roads into the city, a visitor would likely notice no special qualities or auras about the area. And unless someone tells them, they’d never realize the very laws that govern reality are different here. Built in the pattern of a unknown Rune of Creation, the city streets are laid out in what seems a random direction. It is the hidden secret of the city. No maps are permitted in case there is a discovery.

### NPCs

* Warder Largo Ghostwise is a middle aged Halfling that had died twice and return to the lands of the living. He leads the Council of Warders and is cautious and protective of his city and it’s rare secret.
* The warder of Wooden Ward is Milla Kreshton (female human), the bastard daughter of a Knight from The Hilt, who gave up her noble lineage to live and work in Darkwell. She is short, plump, and a natural leader. Milla has no obvious preference for either the living or ghostly members of her community and is considered to be the most unbiased member of the Council of Warders.
* The Warder of the Tombyards is Sara deSaville (female elf), a Guildmaster Mortician. She is sometimes mistaken for a vampire, due to her gaunt physique and pale flesh. Nevertheless, Sara is quite alive.
* Tyrus Dean (male human ghost) is the warder of Spirits Hill. He was the first living person to be made the warder of Spirits Hill, but shortly after taking office, he was killed in an accident. However, just a few days later, Tyrus returned to work as a ghost. Tall, dark, and plump, is one of the ghosts’ staunchest defenders and effective spokespersons. Spirit Hill is a quiet ward, filled with rows of narrow, stone houses, some two and even three stories tall with wood shingle roofs and shuttered windows. The hill on which it sits rises up out of the protection of the Spirit Wood that surrounds Darkwell, so the area is often buffeted by strong, unchecked gusts of wind.

### Groups and Organizations

#### Guild of Morticians

There are no funerals in Darkwell, nor is there a graveyard. Still, the city positively teems with morticians— the word simply means something a little different here. The Guild of Morticians is an extremely powerful organization uniting all the people in Darkwell who handle, preserve, dress, care for, repair, watch over, and catalog the dead bodies so prevalent in the city—all the people, that is, except for the Deathwarden dwarves (see below). Most work in the Tombyards, so that is where you can find the guild’s headquarters, the Gray House. Some members, however, work at the city’s main entrances, helping with the caravans of cadavers, and still others work at the Grand Portal, getting the Darkwalkers on their way.

#### The Half Hands

Despite the strange name, this group is actually nothing more than a thieves’ guild. It is dangerous to attempt burglary or mugging in Darkwell without first getting approval from the Half Hands—the group has laid claim to these particular activities and does not take kindly to freelancers poaching on their territory. Among local thieves, the Half Hand’s enforcers are more feared than the City Watch. Penal Varth (female halfling) is the leader of the Half Hands and does not allow her physical stature to impact her reputation for ruthlessness and cunning. Still, she has her compassionate side, as well. Penal laid down the first two most important rules adhered to by the guild: Firstly, only draw blood in self-defense; a dead mark earns nothing to steal. Secondly, never steal from a thief. These rules accomplished two things. First, they actually garnered a strange sort of public support for the Half Hands. If Half Hands thieves don’t kill, and they work to police the streets, removing thieves who are not members (and thus might be willing to kill), Darkwell as a whole becomes a safer place. Second, they encouraged the members of the guild to begin to trust, cooperate with, and even rely on one another. These rules make the guild possible. The Half Hands have a secret lair in the Undercity (see below).

#### The Mercantile League

This confederation of businessmen is sometimes seen as a rival of the Morticians’ Guild. This is really a bit of an overstatement, though. This much newer group does not have half the clout of the Morticians. Still, most of the merchants in town belong to the league. Their council is elected from their membership and meets above a shop in the Merchant Ward. The league is important because it has access to money (both in Manifest and abroad) and therefore can sometimes afford to buy influence. If the Half Hands are hitting league merchants too hard in a given month, they might hire some mercenaries or adventurers to do something about it. Since the Half Hands doesn’t want that, the mere presence of the league insures that member businesses are never hit overly hard by burglars or robbers.