Pale-Reach

A small Northern town primarily populated by Orcs, though other races are not uncommon sights. Pale-Reach is located within the northeast mountain range of the Northern provinces and acts as a hub for craftspeople and gateway to more major roads. Though Pale-Reach doesn't really have a political system, their appointed representative is Fenris Sirenko, husband of the late David of Abiel.

## History

Pale-Reach was initially founded as a permanent trading outpost between hunters, miners, and larger caravans by Kish of Abiel, a goat herder who found a large, sheltered flat in the mountains. She hoped the settlement would flourish as a fixture for the more nomadic settlements typical of the area, such as Dagger-Rock, and Galas. Other returning demographics include the many hunters of the Wounded Pass, who winter in the town as their prey hibernate.

Pale-Reach was named for it's view of the stark mountains and sheer cliff faces, reaching towards the sky and also as a metaphor for following the snow through the mountain paths.

Pale-Reach is one of the many Northern towns known to have been raided by slavers 17 years ago in 403 EY, wherein many members of the town's watch and several hunters were taken prisoner, never to return again.

## Culture

A more traditional town, as far as Northern settlements go - not that technology is shunned, just considered unreliable compared to the methods that had been passed down for years. It has been remarked that Pale-Reach is a 'dying' town, as thanks to those lost to slavers, there were few children to learn the ways of life and the town itself is growing old - maybe to one day die off completely.

Inspired by the loss of many people from not only Pale-Reach but the surrounding areas, a majority of the remaining youth in Pale-Reach learned to fight and served with the town watch, the current head of which is Iscah of David. Most members of the watch only serve part-time, many actually being artisans or herders.

The town warmly receives tourists, even though almost all who visit were intrigued by goods, trade, work, or the opportunity to see family members, as Pale-Reach is a sure stop if one wishes passage deeper into the mountains, or for directions to a nomadic settlement.

## Establishments

* Marker's - A blacksmith owned and operated by Cain of Isaac, a bitter man with the ability to make world-level knives. Previously operated by Rachel of Isaac, his retired and equally bitter mother.
* Furs, Tacks, Skins - A joint operation between the orc craftswoman Basemeth of Gomer and the dwarven hunter Leah Braun. Sells specialized leather goods and hunting and trapping equipment, but also general store items.
* The Bear's Necessities - A bar and Tavern run by Malachi of Abiel, a much more recent spot, but welcomed.
* Dark Rock Temple - A simple place of worship just on the brink of the town, originally a shallow cave, now ornately carved with six unadorned altars, so that whoever you may worship may have a place. It is said Kish of Abiel herself took shelter in this cave the day she found what would become Pale-Reach.

## Notable Inhabitants

* David of Abiel (deceased)
* The Steel Maiden

## The Battle of Pale-Reach (Beta Campaign Event Only)

As Thea Silversprout and The Steel Maiden continued their travels in the Curls of the World, they ran into a face they had hoped to never see again. Atmos Slibard. After some shenanigans involving a bat, red snapper pizza, and a toadstool sprout, the three were hurled into the Underdark's cave where the Guardians confronted them. Acknowledging the three heroes as potential threats to their schemes, the Guardians decided to break the heroes psychologically. And so they gave the heroes a choice. Their armies would attack Caledonia Bay, Winterwood, and Pale-Reach in the next few days, destroying the towns. The Guardians would allow the heroes to travel to only one of those towns to protect it and warn of the attack. The heroes delayed and panicked in their response until in a fit of exhaustion, The Steel Maiden said: "I want to go home." With that, the deal was struck and the heroes were thrown into the outskirts of Pale-Reach. After making themselves known in the town and warning Mayor Fenris Sirenko of the upcoming attack, as well as sending letters to Caledonia Bay and Winterwood to warn them as well, Thea went out to set the town's signal fires to gather the nearby towns to help defend Pale-Reach. They were immediately joined by 360 Northern Soldiers, the survivors of the 25th Regiment that had just been destroyed by a mysterious army. Acting Commander Lieutenant Gromgar Chard joined in as a key officer in preparing for the defense. Then, all in the town prepared to defend their village, digging trenches and constructing barricades. The next day, over 4200 local militias and volunteers from the nearby villages arrived. With this rag-tag bunch of troops, the heroes prepared for whatever the Underdark would throw at them.

The enemy army arrived at noon of the third day. Over 15,000 fierce and well organized soldiers in armour completely unfamiliar to anyone. Those without helmets had green skin, sharp faces, and random horns. They announced themselves as the Githyanki and that they would take this town as their spoil of war. The Steel Maiden, for the first time going without her full blindfold, dared them to come and take it. And so the battle began. The first Githyanki wave was made up of a vanguard of 1,000 warriors. The trenches did nothing to stop the psionic jumping powers of these warriors, but it did allow the defenders to launch two waves of arrows into the assaulting ranks, inflicting horrible losses. Still the Githyanki continued their charge, breaking onto the barricades. Thea took down a few with her crossbow, while the Steel Maiden and Atmos engaged in close combat with others. After some fierce fighting, the Githyanki vanguard was slaughtered, but not without inflicting noticeable losses onto the defenders. These foes were truly a force to fear. And it was all a test. The Githyanki captain had merely wished to see how well the defenders could hold against a small number of his force. And he was pleased with the result.

The next wave went differently. 4,000 Githyanki raiders advanced forwards but before they hit the trench, they stopped and pulled out their longbows. Unlike the regular longbows used by the defenders, these were composite bows made of horn and yew, giving them a greater range and strength. And they opened fire. While the Steel Maiden was able to protect many around her, other sectors were not so lucky and large numbers of defenders fell as arrows ripped into them. The defenders' returning fire was greatly diminished by the shock of the attack. Then the enemy charged, once again breaking onto the barricade and once again were pushed back, but not without inflicting horrific losses onto the enemy. During this part of the battle, Atmos got trapped in a closest while trying to transform into a bat and was only rescued by chance by the Steel Maiden. Many beans were used in this fight.

Atmos, while in batform, launched an aerial strike onto the Githyanki forces, creating with the beans a dozen pink yetis to attack their rear.

Then came the third wave, and once again the defenders managed to push them off but once again taking horrendous losses. At the height of the battle, the Githyanki reserves opened fire on the battle, killing hundreds of defenders and their own soldiers. During the fighting, the Steel Maiden killed the main Githyanki battle commander. Several hundred githyanki then withdrew, confusing the defenders.

The battle would wait for another day. At this point, over half the defenders had been killed in battle and nearly all were wounded.

That night, the Steel Maiden helped to heal as many of the wounded as possible. She also gathered up many Githyanki weapons and armours and began to reequip the defenders in it. She also sought to comfort Thea, who was worried sick for her family and home, which was almost certainly under attack as they spoke, and there was nothing she could do about it. Even Atmos tried to help, albeit in his own way.

At dawn of the second day of battle, the remaining 6000 Githyanki gathered on the field and began to sing and chant in their tongue, while also displaying the flayed and mutilated corpses of the 25th Regiment, all hoping to demoralize the enemy. The defenders, led by the Steel Maiden and Atmos, responded with a rousing rendition of "Drunken Sailor" to drown out the sounds. As the Githyanki charged, the reinvigorated defenders loosed three waves of arrows into the enemy ranks, winnowing them down. Yet the remaining Githyanki fought like demons and broke threw the defences regardless. Atmos threw one of his beans out, creating the Pyramid of Oasis. Although Oasis could not help directly in the fighting due to his curse, he provided Atmos with a secret weapon- the shotgun. With this, Atmos cut a bloody swath through the Githyanki. At the end of the day, 2900 defenders and the whole Githyanki force lay dead. Only 1600 defenders remained.

Before they could rest on their laurels, 20,000 more Githyanki and a red dragon burst threw the woods. Yet before they could attack, a large Northern army led by Helmut arrived and routed this new host. Helmut reported that King Agmudr Borijov had saved Winterwood but that Caledonia Bay had been completely destroyed and all but two people in the town had vanished. Not only that many feared and suspected that the 35,000 strong Githyanki host which had ravaged the North was merely a raiding army, and not a full scale invasion. With this, all looked to the future with the greatest of concerns.