Rustknoll
Rustknoll is a small settlement a day's ride southwest of Castle Firrine.
Background[edit]
Rustknoll is one of the settlements along the ill-defined border between Belkzen and Lastwall. It is a tiny and independent farming community headed by Rickan, a former adventurer who fell in love with a local girl and decided to retire there.
Rickan and Hamish were interested in this wide spot in the road, where old dwarven buildings survived, obviously for a much larger town than Rustknoll. Some of the ruins have been reclaimed for use in Rustknoll's current building.
Rustknoll survived by coming to an agreement with the weakest of the local orc bands, helping them become dominant in the area, and leaving tributes of foodstuffs for the orcs to "raid" and take, while the town and its people were left intact.
Recently, that tribe has been disrupted by outsiders. Orc raids have become real, and more seems to be going on in the background.
Facilities[edit]
- Assorted Goods The town's general store, run by Rickan and Asha.
- Blackened Shoe Livery stable and forge, run by Byrn..
- Feather and Tankard Taran's Tavern, food, drink, lodging, and baths.
- Hamish's Place Home and working are of the town's informal schoolmaster, who teaches the local farm children over the winter.
Surrounding Area[edit]
- Foundries - Ancient Dwarven homes and foundries.
- First Foundry - Ironhearth Foundry? - is known, and currently not in the hands of orcs. Its occupants are a cult named the Steel Eaters.
- Second Foundry is being sought by the orcs, who already have some arms of Dwarven make. They know of one opening, but the entrance is blocked by a major rockfall. There is a second entrance that is currently undiscovered.
- Orcish dead drops
- Asha's Farmstead - Around 1-1/2 leagues from Redknoll, this farmstead was raided by orcs and burned to the ground. When the party visited that drop, it was mostly rebuilt... but by who? By whom? Drop was in farmhouse kitchen table. Farmhouse was guarded by bear traps and more!
Mission[edit]
The party's mission is to help the community as needed against the orcs without disrupting what remains of the balance, to win hearts and minds, and possibly convince them to fly the banner of Lastwall again.