Willowbank Overview

## Overview

### Law and Order

> Willowbank has been a member of the Sovereign Ports of Wahra for the past 80 years and as such enjoys the protection provided by its military while still maintaining its relatively independent status. Each member of the hundred strong town guard carries a bayonet fitted musket, a saber, and wears a chain shirt emblazoned with the amber colored symbol of the town, the weeping willow tree. They also patrol up and town the roads, ensuring the safety of nearby farmland. They are led by the city Councilman Eliander Fireborn.
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> Should the need arise the town can muster five hundred citizens to defend the town should the need arise. They are armed mainly with simple polearms and wooden shields, while the more wealthy may have an old firearm.
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> From the capital of Clearharbor itself a platoon of marines are stationed in the town to watch the docks and defend the town from pirates or other sea based threats.
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### Commerce

> The town of Willowbank may be old and crusty, but due to enlivened trade routes the town is doing quite well for itself. The fishers still remain the lifeblood of the town and most of the residents call this occupation their livelihood. As a member of the Sovereign Ports there is free trade between member cities leading the fish and other farmed goods to generate a lot of wealth for the townsfolk, though they gripe that most of that goes to paying their too steep taxes. The new mine outside of town has been the source of much consternation for the entrenched families of the town. With land given to the company from the federal government the mining co and the miners themselves are seen as untrustworthy outsiders, but the miners are certain that tune will change when they strike the precious metals they are after.
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### The Docks

> The docks remain the heart of Willowbank and the large, expanding piers have large warehouses and storage facilities for the fishing and trade that happens here. The docks are rarely unguarded and walking near the more guarded facilities is considered suspicious behavior. This part of town is always considered a hotbed of rumors and gossip. If one is ever out of leads they can always find one if they spend a couple hours listening around.
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## Locations

1. **Residential:**
	1. **Eliander's Home (4)**: Tucked at the edge of town, the Councilman's home overlooks the sea. The home boasts the largest library in town that Eliander has opened up to the party.
	2. **Keledek's Tower (6)**: A sturdy three story tower is home to the town's wizard and sage where spellcasting services and other spell components can be solicited.
	3. **Primewater Mansion (16)**: A large mansion right on the docks where Gellan leans out to shout orders or answer questions directly for his captains and crews. It holds a grand enteryway and feast hall where Gellan hosts an extravagant party at least once a week.
	4. **Oweland House (19)**: This sprawling mansion has been in the Oweland family for generations. Each head of the family has added to the complex with their own wings, each in their own personal style. This cobbled together Frankenstein of a house takes on fishers who have fallen on hard times. There is also a labyrinthine structure beneath the house where generations ago Owelands smuggled goods into town.
	5. **Solmor Manor (20)**: This modest, but impressive complex is made up by several structures. Ander's home is the grandest of the bunch, while the other smaller ones house servants, employee's of the trading fleet, and storage for expensive goods.
	6. **Willowbank Cemetery (27)**: The well-kept graveyard is a place where folks in town can lay their loved ones to rest or memorialize those lost at sea. It is also the home to Krag and his library.
2. **Businesses:**
	1. **Willowbank Anvil (17)**: A forge with a single anvil and a backorder a mile long Mafera, the town blacksmith, makes hooks, nails, harpoons, and other fishing gear all day.
	2. **Mining Company HQ (5)**: Where Councilwoman Manistrad Copperlocks works out of the former noble family's house.
	3. **Green Market (9)**: A strip of land where fish, salt, adventuring gear, and livestock and mounts can be purchased.
	4. **Weekly Market (15)**: This large market square is where traders come once a week from all over the area selling both common and rare goods of all sorts.
	5. **Fishmongers' Plants (18)**: The large fish-processing buildings in this area are busy night and day, with workers salting or brining the daily catch.
	6. **Mariners' Guildhall (21)**: A bunkhouse and galley for sailors passing through. Sea captains in search of sailors stop here for their crew and where interesting info can be found.
	7. **The Carpenter's Guildhall (23)**: Run by a snobby gnome named Jilar who takes her work very seriously. She builds houses, repairs docks, assembling fishing barrels, and so much more.
3. **Government Buildings:**
	1. **Barracks and Jail (2)**: A well up-kept jail where prisoners with sentences of up to a year are held. At anytime there are about 10 guards stationed in the barracks, watching the jail. The jailhouse even has a specialized cell warded against spellcasters where mages are kept.
	2. **Town Watchtower (12)**: The 60 foot tower is the armory and base of operations for the town guard and marines. Eliander spends most days here as captain of the guard.
	3. **City Hall (14)**: This large brick building contains the offices of the town council and the hall where townwide meetings are held. There is a small tower above the building where a horn is blown to announce the beginning of a meeting or significant event.
4. **Religious Buildings:**
	1. **Temple of Procan (26)**: Every morning the temple's services are well attended by fishers before they go out to sea. The priest Wellgar offers divine spell components here as well as his spellcasting services.
	2. **Sea Grove of the World Serpent (29)**: Open to the air and set in a grove near town. The area is a home for local druids, rangers, gulls, raptors, serpents, swamp folk, and followers of the World Serpent. The grove is tended by Berthal the Councilwoman and member of the Albatross Conservancy. A far-reaching group of folks, dedicated to protecting the natural world from supernatural threats.
	3. **Standing Stones (30)**: The enormous runestones sheltering the town from the harsh waves of the sea. They are said to be former giants that the hero god Procan petrified when he liberated the town during the age of divinity. The cliffs overlooking the runestones have benches and a pavilion and are often used as a non-denominational prayer and meditation area for the town.
5. **Bars:**
	1. **The Wicker Goat (3)**: The oldest tavern in town. The inn is owned by a retired member of the Wharanese military, and is often frequented by miners and members of the town guard.
	2. **Empty Net (8)**: Supported by stilts driven into the harbor water, this rickety building is a haven for smugglers, thugs, mercs, and even pirates and assassins. The owner, Kreb, takes coin from everyone and asks no questions. If you make trouble, they throw you over the rails into the smelly harbor.
	3. **The Snapping Line (13)**: This popular inn is built from the planks and hulls of decommissioned fishing ships, with delightful nautical decor. Sailors and fishers gather here to drink and swap stories deep into the night. The bar also offers a local specialty claw wine, a spirit made from lobster meat and potatoes.
	4. **The Ravenraptor (28)**: The old inn that was on its last legs before Olhana struck up a contract with the owner Damien, to be a hub for an up and coming mercenary company. Its recently repainted sign depicts a black feathered microraptor, a common dinosaur in the area, in mid run.
6. **Places of Significance:**
	1. **Sharkfin Bridge (10)**: This bridge links the two parts of town divided by the river. It has interesting shops and homes running along its length and the road through the center is wide enough for two carts to comfortably pass by. Elves and other fey folk experience a vaguely nauseous feeling when they cross the bridge.
	2. **Crabbers' Cove (24)**: East of the docks there are a handful of buildings that have long been abandoned by the people in town. Since then, thousands of crabs have made the tiny district their home. Crabbers in town are superstitious about the area and more than once has a fisher wandered into the clacking darkness, never to be seen again.
	3. **The Leap (25)**: An outcropping of rock 100 feet above water. Several stone benches stand near this precipice and the area is popular for cliff divers as the water is free from rocks and there are remarkable shallow caves at the waterline for the daring and bold. The swim back to shore is relatively short and the rocks surrounding town shelter the area from strong currents and the wind.

## Key NPCs

### Mercenary Company

#### Adventurers

* **Alvok**: A kobold beastmaster ranger. Now Alvok is an adult! After all he is 7 years old! Alvok has grown up with and just recently nursed back to health his closest friend and confidant, the pterodactyl he calls Krunch. He ran with mercenary companies the past year since he reached adulthood and tears across a battlefield astride Krunch with scimitars raised.
* **\*Bird Noise\***: A kenku rouge. A proud 9 year old raven-folk, almost a man grown! \*Bird noise\* speaks in mimicry using a myriad of voices he can replicate the party members' voices perfectly. He came to Willowbank with Shaw and when asked about his past he relates growing up as an urchin in Clearharbor, the capital of Wahra. The village where he was from was destroyed when he was 4, leaving the child to stow away on a ship. Absolutely loves theater, especially "who done it?" mysteries.
* **Bruno**: A minotaur valor bard. Coming from a family of poor minstrels far to the south, Bruno fell in love with a noble by the name of Isabella. The pair struck up a secret romance that burned with the passion of 1000 suns. However her father disapproved of this boy and like any reasonable dad had Bruno expelled from the country. He is now trying to prove himself as a famous adventurer while he longs for his lady love.
* **Kukana**: A high elven monk and cleric of Hoku. She comes from a noble family descended from the famous twin elven deities. She was raised in a secluded monastery with her twin brother where she spent her first century studying religion, history, spellcasting, combat, and survival. She was then sent west while her brother was sent east to seek out an adventurer's destiny.
* **Sofia**: A rock gnome fighter. A former marine in the Whara military she elected to join the mercenary company citing a former obligation to Olhana.

#### Other Allies

* **Olhana**: A half-elf retired adventurer. Olhana put together the mercenary company looking for people that were down on their luck looking for work adventuring. Her past is fairly shrouded, she doesn't talk much about her career. She is a fan of tea, handsome silver foxes, and strategy board games.

* **Wolfgang**: A goblin doctor and surgeon, Wolfgang has a domesticated badger tortoise Yams that he uses to gather herbs for his potions. He can provide healing potions for the party at half their normal price.
* **Ned Shankshaft**: A human former pirate and spy. You rescued him from a life of crime and an early death with a well placed charm spell. You sent him to Willowbank where he spoke with Olhana who encouraged him to turn his life around and work with them. He is more charismatic than he is a fighter and once he cleaned himself up he actually can be rather eloquent.

### People Around Town

* **Damien**: The owner of the Ravenraptor. An egg shaped man with a large handlebar mustache. He loves to cook and always has hot food ready when you return from a mission.
* **Skerrin Wavechaser**: The tall, lean, quiet, really quiet butler of Anders Solmor. When the young master Solmor's mother tragically passed Skerrin raised the young shipping inheritor into the man he is today.
* **Krag**: The town gravedigger and loremaster. An orc man who takes his work seriously, both providing a clean yard for townsfolk to lay their loved ones to rest and categorizing and storing the history of the town and the area for posterity.
* **Mafera**: The town blacksmith who mostly crafts and forges bulk gear for fishers, but also manufactures weapons (bayonets and sabers) for the town guard.
* **Wellgar Brinehanded**: aasimar town priest and storm sorcerer of the deity Procan. Holds daily services at dawn, blessing the sailors before they brave the high seas.
* **Keledek the Unspoken**: The town wizard. A human man standing almost 7 feet tall. A striking figure who can be spotted by his red silk turban when he in out about town.

### Roamers In the Greater Area

* **Oceanus**: A sea elf scout. Lived formerly in a monarchy that was destroyed when their queen was killed and an overnight coup wiped the city. Now lives a small clan of survivors searching for a home.
* **Bady**: A brilliant, prismatic couatl (a divine serpent bird). They have lived for many millennia and refers to multiple of the hero gods as "close friends." They fly around the island searching for evil doers to fight and heroes to befriend.

### City Council

* Traditionalists
	+ **Eda Oweland**: An older human woman and the senior member of the town council. She has been elected to town council five times and lived in Willowbank all her life. She is gruff and pragmatic and her sun-spotted face and rope-calloused hands bear the marks of one who has spent their life outside. She swears like a sailor and stands up for the smallfolk in town. She is the first one to volunteer in town when anyone needs help.
	+ **Anders** **Solmor**: A young human man who inherited his family's fishing fleet after his mother's untimely death. The youngest person ever elected to council he is a slight man who charges into issues brashly and optimistically. He pays his sailors well and wants to see the city prosper and wants to scour the seas of the pirates and slavers that plague the oceans.
	+ **Gellan Primewater**: A well spoken older man and one of the most wealthy merchants in town. His popularity in town is second only to Eda. He cares deeply about the spirits of the townsfolk and throws lavish parties every week and celebrations for the whole town. Supports community music and theater in town.
* Loyalists
	+ **Eliander Fireborn**: A burly man in his late thirties. Fought in the army of Wahra for many years, fighting against pirates, bandits, monsters, the dead, or the threats of the deep. While fighting an owlbear he got his leg cleaved through. He lost the leg but his life was saved by his friend Nessa. Now the burly captain has retired to WIllowbank and is somewhat of a local celebrity in many cases thanks to his great facility with languages. He is fully literate in Common, Undercommon, Dwarvish, Gnomish, Elvish, Halfling, Orc, Draconic, Infernal, Celestial, Sylvan, and Giant. He is a cautious man and sees Willowbank on the verge of great prosperity, but wants to temper that optimism with realism. Eliander is a faithful servant of the Sovereign Ports of Wahra and believes that faithful service and discipline are the surest way to preserve peace and order.
	+ **Manistrad Copperlocks**: A female dwarf with copper-red hair and the leader of the mining operation in town. She is competent, stern, and decisive. She is a woman of few words and is curt and quick, but will give everyone she meets a fair accounting. She's nobody's fool.
* Independents
	+ **Berthal**: An old orc who lives in the grove outside of town tended by a commune of other druids. She tends to and raises a pack of raptors and wolves that patrol up and down the area searching for bandits, the dead, and other monsters that dwell in the night. When they return Berthal speaks with the pack and ensures the safety of the town. She is respected for his wisdom, calm demeanor, and strength of spirit.

### Known Deities

* **Procan**: Hero god of Willowbank. CG Alignment. A god of storms and victory. A god who founded Willowbank throwing the former giant rulers into the seas and turning them into the massive rocks that surround the town and shelter the town from harm.
* **Hoku/Huriata**: Twin deities of the stars. Hoku drew power from the stars in the night sky and Huriata drew power from the sun. When an undead plague threatened their home the pair destroyed the threat with the searing might of the stars and when the remaining dead fled to the corners of the world Hoku went west and Huriata went east, each felling undead where they hid. Domains Life, Light, Grave.
* **The World Serpent**: The Primordial Serpent who watches over the wild places of the world and holds together the forces that governs the natural world. True Neutral. Nature, Knowledge Domain.
* **Airmed of the Healing Waters** - Life and Nature domains. Ran a clinic where she purified the sick with water. Instrumental in establishing proper medical sanitation.

* **Valdur**: Hero god of defending one's home. Forge and War domains, a smith who reforged farm tools into weapons for his village and led them to repel and invading force.