LN Small City
Corruption +1, Crime -2, Economy -3, Law -2, Lore +1, Society -1
Qualities notorious, pious (Yalma), racially intolerant (humans), superstitious, hunted
Danger 35
Danger 35
Demographics
Government Autocracy (Mayor Mavanas Ihanor)
Population 6,431
(5,080 humans, 578 dwarves, 321 halflings, 452 other)
Notable NPCs
Mayor Mavanas Ihanor (LE halfling aristocrat 3)
Guard Captain Daszlo Ironhammer (LG dwarf fighter 6)
Chief Accounting Archivist Marcellus Norbanus Indaletius (LN gnome expert 5)
Marketplace
Base Value 4,400
gp; Purchase Limit 37,500 gp; Spellcasting 3rd
Minor Items 4d4; Medium Items 3d4; Major Items 1d6
Originally planned as the gateway to the Sylvanor frontier, Eszath was officially founded in 928 of the Age of Dynastic Collapse. Its location was chosen because of both its proximity to Glastig as well as the massive, seemingly endless forests that lead inland, making it a wondrous source of lumber. With the rise of Whaleden and the hobgoblin empire, Eszath's influx of colonists and settlers looking to make their way north has almost disappeared. To make matters worse, in the last few years the streets have become the hunting grounds of a killer. The only thing that links the victims is that they are not human, leading many to suspect that the humans in the city are to blame.
On the Prowl
The streets of Eszath go quiet when the sun sets. Whereas other cities such as Argoport and Whaleden have a lively nightlife full of drinking, gambling, and company the people of Eszath are too afraid to do so. The reason for this is because in the last five years the rising sun has also frequently heralded another death. There has been a murder almost weekly for the last five years, with the victim sometimes an elf, or a dwarf, or a gnome, but never a human.
The bodies are viciously mauled, hacked, or in some instances even skinned. The people of Eszath are scared, and with the seeming inability of the guard to do anything to stop these killings has resulted in them looking for a scapegoat. They found one in the city's human population. Despite being founded by dwarves from the old Glastig aristocracy, Eszath's population has always been predominantly human.
Now with the viscious killings, and humans being labeled as suspect by the rest of the city, racial tensions have risen to a level unseen anywhere else in the known world. The city officials have tried to diffuse the rising levels of hate, seeing as the humans outnumber the rest of the city by more than three to one, but have had no success.
Nearly everyone in the city realizes that they are one spark away from a conflict that will tear the city apart. Those that had other prospects elsewhere have already left, leaving the ones that cannot either afford or bear to leave. The only question remaining, when the powder keg ignites, who will be the first to strike?
The Remembrance Faire
The one thing that the city officials have done that seemed to work at least marginally to reduce racial tensions is the Remembrance Faire. A festival held over a week with countless games, competitions, and music. Obstensibly held to remember the achievments and inventions of the past, such as the printing press which was invented in the city, everyone knows that it is really a means of distraction rather than an attempt to fix the city's problems.
Despite this, many take the oportunity to have some fun and cheap drinks. Many inns, taverns, and resturants hold booths to try to drum up additional customers, while a many come in from neighboring villages for a chance to win some money in the eating and drinking competitions. More than one farm boy has managed to win a bag of gold to bring home after chugging down enough ale or mead to drop the competition.
Two of the more well known competitions that are thought of as distintly Sylvanor, despite the latter being found in rural communities all over the Green Coast, are the Log Toss and the Drunken Axe Throw. The Log Toss involves taking an oak log half again as tall as the competitor, and trying to throw it as far as they can end over end. The winner is the one that can toss the log the farthest.
The Drunken Axe Throw is much more dangerous for the viewers. A target with three rings is placed a certain distance from the throwing line and the competitors are given three axes as well as a pint of mead. First they drink the pint and then they try to score as many points as they can by hitting the target with the three axes. If the competitor fails to score enough points with the three axes they are given, they are eliminated. The dangers should be fairly obvious as the game progresses, with observers staying far to the sides (a drunk competitor has managed to throw his axe backwards on more than one occasion).
Adventure Hooks
Originally planned as the gateway to the Sylvanor frontier, Eszath was officially founded in 928 of the Age of Dynastic Collapse. Its location was chosen because of both its proximity to Glastig as well as the massive, seemingly endless forests that lead inland, making it a wondrous source of lumber. With the rise of Whaleden and the hobgoblin empire, Eszath's influx of colonists and settlers looking to make their way north has almost disappeared. To make matters worse, in the last few years the streets have become the hunting grounds of a killer. The only thing that links the victims is that they are not human, leading many to suspect that the humans in the city are to blame.
On the Prowl
The streets of Eszath go quiet when the sun sets. Whereas other cities such as Argoport and Whaleden have a lively nightlife full of drinking, gambling, and company the people of Eszath are too afraid to do so. The reason for this is because in the last five years the rising sun has also frequently heralded another death. There has been a murder almost weekly for the last five years, with the victim sometimes an elf, or a dwarf, or a gnome, but never a human.
The bodies are viciously mauled, hacked, or in some instances even skinned. The people of Eszath are scared, and with the seeming inability of the guard to do anything to stop these killings has resulted in them looking for a scapegoat. They found one in the city's human population. Despite being founded by dwarves from the old Glastig aristocracy, Eszath's population has always been predominantly human.
Now with the viscious killings, and humans being labeled as suspect by the rest of the city, racial tensions have risen to a level unseen anywhere else in the known world. The city officials have tried to diffuse the rising levels of hate, seeing as the humans outnumber the rest of the city by more than three to one, but have had no success.
Nearly everyone in the city realizes that they are one spark away from a conflict that will tear the city apart. Those that had other prospects elsewhere have already left, leaving the ones that cannot either afford or bear to leave. The only question remaining, when the powder keg ignites, who will be the first to strike?
The Remembrance Faire
The one thing that the city officials have done that seemed to work at least marginally to reduce racial tensions is the Remembrance Faire. A festival held over a week with countless games, competitions, and music. Obstensibly held to remember the achievments and inventions of the past, such as the printing press which was invented in the city, everyone knows that it is really a means of distraction rather than an attempt to fix the city's problems.
Despite this, many take the oportunity to have some fun and cheap drinks. Many inns, taverns, and resturants hold booths to try to drum up additional customers, while a many come in from neighboring villages for a chance to win some money in the eating and drinking competitions. More than one farm boy has managed to win a bag of gold to bring home after chugging down enough ale or mead to drop the competition.
Two of the more well known competitions that are thought of as distintly Sylvanor, despite the latter being found in rural communities all over the Green Coast, are the Log Toss and the Drunken Axe Throw. The Log Toss involves taking an oak log half again as tall as the competitor, and trying to throw it as far as they can end over end. The winner is the one that can toss the log the farthest.
The Drunken Axe Throw is much more dangerous for the viewers. A target with three rings is placed a certain distance from the throwing line and the competitors are given three axes as well as a pint of mead. First they drink the pint and then they try to score as many points as they can by hitting the target with the three axes. If the competitor fails to score enough points with the three axes they are given, they are eliminated. The dangers should be fairly obvious as the game progresses, with observers staying far to the sides (a drunk competitor has managed to throw his axe backwards on more than one occasion).
Adventure Hooks
- You are newly arrived in Eszath, and notice a few scruffy dwarves glaring at the humans in your party.
- The annual Remembrance Faire has arrived! Awaiting you are drinks and games such as a trivia contest, arm wrestling, and the infamous Drunken Axe Throw.
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