Asuroc Hollow

**Asuroc Hollow**

Corruption: +0, Crime: +3, Economy: +4, Law: +2, Lore: +3, Society: +1

CG Large City (Southern Region)

**Qualities** Broad-Minded, Darkvision, Magically Attuned, Timid Citizens, Tourist Attraction

**Government** Magical

**Population** 15,000 (7000 Aasimar, 4000 humans, 3000 elves, 1000 other)

**Notable NPCs**

Cormacine Burgess (CG Aasimar Wizard 15/Archwizard 6)

Gilliana Fisherdawn (LG Aasimar Paladin 10/Justicar of Connela 6)

Guinivere Gaunt (N Human Soul Weaver (Dual Channeler) 14)

Kay Cooper (CN Elf Rogue 8)

**Marketplace**

**Base Value** 11,200 gp; **Purchase Limit** 70,000 gp; **Spellcasting** 9th/10th (If using Epic rules)
**Minor Items** 5d4 items; **Medium Items** 4d4 items; **Major Items** 3d4 items

Asuroc Hollow is one of the more... *colorful* locations in the
South, in every sense of the phrase. Nobody's entirely sure why, but the
 entire city has an abnormally high birthrate of Aasimar (and more than a
 few families have traveled there to give birth hoping the heavens would
 bless their child). Scholars suspect it has something to do with the
abnormally high amount of magic in the city, which is given off by a
massive crystal that floats above the center of town.

The city is ruled by Cormacine Burgess, an Aasimar Archwizard (a prestige class by Frog God Games, in *Rappan Athuk*)
 who brought the city's magical crystal to it and has overseen its
growth for more than 200 years. While she's usually found locked up in
her tower (actually a demiplane - the imposing stone structure is just
for show), she comes out once a week to take care of governmental
matters and ensure that the city is continuing to run properly. She's
somewhat lax with actual enforcement until and unless someone challenges
 her directly - she's more than willing to demonstrate *why* she's
one of the most powerful wizards in the world. Her lack of immediate
oversight had lead to a fair bit of petty crime within the city, but
there's no significant corruption among city officials - none of them
want to anger her. Cormacine sells arcane magic up to 9th level (and
some whisper that she's capable of even more powerful magic, but if she
is, she's never shown it in public).

Cormacine is one of the two reasons why New Ganterton - an enormous
metropolis that honestly isn't so far away - hasn't been able to spread
its influence past Asuroc Hollow. While its rulers would dearly love to
eliminate her, they've grudgingly realized that such a thing would *not* be easy, and could provoke the Archwizard into launching an all-out war.

The other reason for Asuroc Hollow's independence is Gilliana Fisherdawn. Forty years ago, Gilliana was the only surviving member of a
 raid by some of New Ganterton's military forces, attacking a convoy
trying to bring relief supplies to an area devastated by war. Gilliana
grabbed a rapier from the rubble and trained for ten years, determined
to see that justice would be done... and at the end of that period, she
tracked down the group that had slaughtered her family, fought them one
by one... and didn't kill a single one of them. As she noted, revenge
only begot revenge - they weren't simply criminals, they were husbands
and fathers, with families who cared about them, and killing them
wouldn't bring her family back. This act was what truly got the
attention of Connela, the Charred Inquisitor, who watched over Gilliana
for a time before accepting her as a Justicar (a prestige class for the
most truly dedicated Paladins, as *Justicar of Muir* from Frog God Games' *The Slumbering Tsar Saga*). Her rapier is rumored to be capable of slaying demons with a single thrust, and there's probably some truth to that...

As a center of magical lore and learning, Asuroc Hollow attracts
casters of all types from across the land, and is home to a number of
large magical universities. Many of the graduates of these schools stay
in town, helping to further the spread of magical lore and using their
skills to craft the unusually high number of magical items available for
 sale within the city's walls.