Stillwater

## The City of Scars

      The city of Stillwater was a shanty town that transformed into a place of trade, culture and entertainment.

Many of the city's population are rogues, mercenaries and pirates; some turn to even noble causes such as stealing from the rich. Others are run of the mill citizens; the rich, the poor, and the middle-class. There is no separation of different social or economical classes, at least not in the residential sense. There is, however, a market district that sells goods from all across the world.

It's laws are loose compared to that of Mor; as gambling, fighting and general public indecency are all legal. However, the worse crimes such as murder and theft are not tolerated within the city walls.

## History

The city may be prospering now, but it has a bloody history to it. The town was founded roughly 300-400 years ago by unknown pilgrims; it was originally a simple fishing town before it was taken by pirates. For centuries it was a city of crime and ill repute; it's only ruler would be a pirate of the most fearsome experience.

Many who lived in the city and were not pirates were shunned and treated with absolute disrespect; they attempted to rebel against the criminals running the town. A rough total of 90 or so rebellions took place; there were few years since the founding of the town where there was no infighting. The city was in constant war with itself.

Until, about 80 years ago, a pirate Captain by the name of Kiel Charles succeeded in taking command of the city and changed the government to rule by Lord and/or Ladyship. He elected himself and his heirs to rule the city; there were no protests as his men would kill any who speak up against it. His family rebuilt the city be force; manually moving people into homes and opening up shops. However, there was still fighting and conflict within the city itself; combat was frequent, and raiders and bandits took the opportunity to occasionally raid small parts of the city. Trade still happened and it was relatively save for travellers, but behind closed doors the city remained in unrest.

The conflict did not truly finish until about 1 year ago; when the current Lord of Stillwater, Vernon Charles, took up the mantle from his father whom had died under mysterious circumstances. With his new seat of power he stated the ruling of Stillwater should be split by a council; the council itself would be quite large, however he retained an inner circle for his most important advisors. He stated that the inner circle should be close, it should consist of people who know eachother well and have known one another for years.

The city remained the scars from the past, both metaphorically and literally. Few of the adults in Stillwater have no wounds; thus the city earning it's nickname as the city of scars.

## The Inner Circle

### **Lord Vernon Charles of Stillwater**

*"The head of state, no changes are made in the city without his approval. He was once the First mate of the Tempest, and he rose to power after his father died under mysterious circumstances. We respect him an appreciate this efforts to make this city more than reasonable."* - owner of the Singing Swan tavern

Vernon Andrew Charles was born during a short rebellion 45 years ago; he's never known true peace, and yet he preaches about it so well. He spent his whole life in Stillwater and has always wished to change it; to live in a city that he doesn't hate.

He spends most of his days in his Keep, organising the city from behind a desk, occasionally he goes out to help with construction. That being said he is known to be capable, especially as a former pirate. He's strong and determined; which are necessary attributes for his job.

His scars were received from shielding his mother from a warg attack on the outskirts of the city. He's said to be blind in that eye, but it remains intact.

### **Captain Annie of the Tempest**

*"Aye, she's master of trade in Stillwater. With help from a small team, that halfling runs the docks and trade routes of Stillwater. She's ferocious and unpredictable, I'd watch out if I were you."* - a tavern patron

Captain of the ship, the Tempest, Annie is a shining beacon of an example for pirates who turn to noble causes. She's rarely on land, checking in only a month or two to make sure everything is going smoothly. As Vernon's closest friend, she was the first person to join the council and the one he trusts the most.

She found Vernon after he was kicked out of a bar after a pretty nasty fight; Annie took one look at him and asked Vernon to join the crew.

She got her scar after a scuffle with a kraken.

### **Nyvorlas Nightsong**

*"I once forgot how to say the term 'unnecessarily flamaboyant' in elven so I showed them a picture of nyvorlas and they understood"* - Captain Annie

The arcane advisor and historian. The second newest member of the circle; he is a bard first, scholar second. He joined after receiving an offer from Vernon's father (thanks to a good word from Annie and Vernon himself) and he became one of the more respectable individuals whom reside in the keep. After Vernon became in charge he was requested to join the circle, still with is role of arcane advisor, the next time he was in Stillwater.

Many rumour he's involved with Lord Vernon romatically; however only close friends and allies know the truth. Nyvorlas frequently leaves Stillwater to help his friends out on adventures; he is known to be a talented and capable man, and is highly respected in the city. He got his burn scar from combat with an acidic monster and his small cut from a bar fight which he promptly lost.

### **Lady Demainia**

*"She once looked at me wit' a glare, and aye nearly shat meself."* - a drunk off-duty sailor

The interrogator and lawmaster. An older woman, she's known to be mysterious and dangerous in many ways. As such she's the best at keeping things in check. Her job mostly involves interrogation, intimidating spies and enemies into giving up information. She's not the warmest lady, and is thus treated with caution.

The origins of her scars are unknown.

### **General Derek Stormstone**

*"I want to kill him"*- Anonymous

General of Stillwaters forces and first mate on the Tempest
A half orc of little to no renown until he was hired by Vernon; he holds a legendary ferocity towards the undead, which frequently plagues the surrounding islands. Thus he is often on the Tempest with Captain Annie. Little is known of him or his past; but he does such an excellent job that many simply look past it.

Since he travels on the tempest; his contribution is merely monthly checkups or for an emergency.

He claims to have received his scars from tavern brawls and pirate scuffles.

### **Ambassador Emmald Sadrin**

*"She's beautiful, but don't let your guard down. She can be as poisonous as a snake"*- A Stillwater midwife

The ambassador of Stillwater. Tieflings are rare in the city, but the people have no issues with Emmald. She can be kind when need be and ruthless when necessary; she was friends with Vernon long before he was Lord of Stillwater, and is treated with respect by the residents.

She has no physical scars; but had her mind broken for years before going to therapy.

### **Anderson Hilltop**

*"Bloody bastard stole my fucking wife"* - A very angry recently divorced husband

The spymaster. An old friend of Nyvorlas and the newest member of Stillwater; he is considered shady, charming and an overall prick (in a lovable way). He has fantastic organisation skills and is as silent as a mouse. Once a ruthless cut-throat, he was recognised by Nyvorlas the night before his banishment. The bard vouched for the half elf, and was not only released; but welcomed into the inner circle.

He's frequently travelling, searching for information or snuffing out enemies of the Stillwater council.

It's believed he has no scars, not physical nor mental. And is thus considered a rare blessing in the council.

## Trivia

* It was not supposed to have the same name as Stilwater from Saints Row, but it's too late now
* Vernon's father did have a name but I've forgotten what it was and at this point I'm too afraid to come up with anything else because I might find the name again
* Stillwater is slowly turning into D&D Vegas but like shit Vegas
* Anderson was going to be a backup character, but i thought that maybe i don't want to play as another elven snarky asshole
* The whole thing about the scars was on the fly; i just like drawing scars and the i realised maybe i should come up with a reason
* Emmald was also a rejected backup character; i don't want to draw horns to often as they can get quite tedious. But I love tieflings so an npc will have to do
* Any adventurer that has gained Vernon's trust is considered semi-members of the council; they don't get a say in much or anything for that matter, but they do get a discount at taverns
* 3 of the 7 members of the inner circle are alcoholics (Vernon, Annie, Anderson)
* There's a festival every month in Stillwater to gain morale, it works surprisingly well

## Notable Locations

* The Half Mast. A dockside bar catering to all sorts, owned by One-eyed Willie. A tunnel in the basement was recently collapsed.
* The Singing Swan. A tavern/inn by the docks; owned by Theresa Averus. A very rowdy place often filled with music or fighting