First, the complete, correct (until I spot some kind of error, I suppose) collection of Bridgetown images.
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| Summer night |
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| Spring |
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| Winter |
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| Autumn sunset |
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| Fall |
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| Early summer |
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| Late summer (original image) |
OK, that project now complete and out of the way, some NPCs you may encounter.
Eward Galland — A middle-aged, sturdy fisherman. He owns a boat that he operates with his son, Holte. He's widowed and also lives with his daughter, Vittoria, who is an accomplished tracker and trapper of small animals, preferring to avoid the company of the Bridge-folk for the solitude of the woods. Despite his rather taciturn children, Eward himself is friendly and kind, and among the townsfolk, is the most likely to be convinced to help in a tough spot. Bring danger or trouble to his children, though, and you'll see a dark, ugly side of Eward. He lives very close to the south gate. Eward and his stoic son Holte are your go-tos if you need help traveling up or down the river a short distance (no more than a few days in either direction, probably) and know almost all of the towns, villages and hamlets along the river for many miles in either direction. Vittoria, on the other hand, is most likely to ignore the characters entirely, although she's got a wild beauty about her and has occasionally attracted unwanted attention from local boys and young men.
Braz Quint — Owner of the Hamath's Spirits, the inn, tavern, and general store for the Southgate district, including a storefront even just outside the gate, backed up against the gatehouse wall. Braz is a large man, who displays a degree of wealth unusual for this part of town. His common room is nearly always full, while his rooms rarely are except when a wagon train, caravan or large cargo along the river is in town along with its visiting workers and merchants. In addition to running the inn, he also is a local brewer, and most of the folks in at least the south end of the city drink small beer brewed by Quint as their day to day drink. Friendly on the surface, Quint is also notoriously untrustworthy and cowardly. The locals like to hang out in his common room and drink his spirits, but otherwise don't trust him with much. That said, he somehow seems to know more rumors than people are willing to tell him (why they don't trust him much). It's not clear how he hears them.
Bruna Greyne — Although she purports to be a simple assistant and serving woman at the Hamath's Spirits; a distant relative of Quint's taken in by his charity, secretly she's actually an agent of the Giersa crime family from out of town. Rumors about how Quint got saddled with her from the few who suspect her affiliation involve him being deep into debt with the mafiosos. If dealing with Shule (see below) isn't your thing, but you need an underworld contact, which is a bit more difficult in Bridgetown than in most comparably sized cities given the intolerance for crime that Bridgetown has, Bruna is a good bet.
Dillon Kendrick — An extremely skilled craftsman, Dillon claims to be able to fix anything that comes through town, and make most of what else is needed. His skill with his tools makes him a popular person in town. Idle talk around town occasionally refers to rumors that he honed his skills working with the Giersas in Garenport, and has "retired" to the country—with a head full of secrets.
Geoffrey Vincent — The Lord Mayor and official town leader, Vincent is notorious for being somewhat indecisive, and its no secret that Camilla, his sturdy farmwife and a highly religious person, actually calls the shots. She is greatly respected, but has little patience for fools. They're both somewhat elderly, but have still three young children, having been married late in life and struggling to conceive for many years.
Evike von Rajecz — As a Tarushan "Gypsy" Evike is one of the most exotic townsfolk. She lives simply in a worn but once colorful traveling wagon or coach that's been parked in a tight alley for many years, long having given up her roaming days, but is famous for her fortune-telling—which is only taken half-seriously by the townsfolk. She's still relatively young and pretty, and many of the men are fascinated by her. It's not clear what exactly is behind her wagon, since it is unreachable (her wagon blocks the way) but there are rumors among the busybodies that all kinds of unusual things happen in that alley behind her wagon, including that an entire secret low house exists there. A house of ill-repute, of cultic sacrifice, or simply of decadent luxury are all popular rumors. Evike acknowledges none of them.
Kemal MacCormack — This brusque woodwose is one of Southgate's primary sources of non-seafood meat, furs and leathers. In addition to hunting and slaughtering, his place just outside of town on the banks of the river doubles as a small tannery and leatherworking facility. He's taken a liking to the similarly taciturn Vittoria Galland, calling her his "little niece." He knows more about the lands nearby than anyone else around. Herds of cattle, pigs and sheep fill his fields, although he seems to like hunting more than tending them.
Gisati Tahhi — A middle-aged kemling woman, who lives in a large house with a bunch of children, none of them her own. Most of them are orphans—or presumed to be—who shipwrecked on the banks in the winter with her eleven years ago just north of the harbor when they were all infants or toddlers. They were brought into the town and her services as a small orphanage were seen as good for the town. More children were moved in, the biggest wave after a bout of plague swept through the town. Curiously, she claims no knowledge of who her charges were or what the mission of the ship was that brought them. The captain was killed in the wreck, and her claims of amnesia seem to be legitimate. There are fewer kemlings in this town than most, partly because an underworld war in town about a generation ago drove the underworld truly underground, and they now keep an extremely low profile. As another consequence, though, the Chersky mafia was truly routed, and no one, criminal or otherwise, would tolerate their presence in Bridgetown if it were known. This is one of the reasons why Oisin (see below) comes here frequently; it's one of the very few cities of any significant size where there is almost no chance of a Chersky spy seeing him. Some are suspicious of Gisati because of her race, but many in town admire her caring for the orphans and don't tolerate talk about her.
Anton von Lechfeld: Anton is a renowned scholar and investigator into the obscure and the occult. He had a storied career at the Academy in Mittermarkt, but is now retired to the Northwoodshire countryside after the death of his wife in Timischburg, where he continues his research independently and lives with his teenaged daughter Revecca. Von Lechfeld is an older, middle-aged man, who has a dispensation from various authorities to study things would otherwise be illegal for most. His knowledge of the occult, necromancy, daemonology, and the forbidden is prodigious, although he himself is no necromancer or daemonologist. Rather, he's occasionally offered his services to various organization, such as the Shadow Rangers, the pursuit of rooting out these baleful influences. He studies them with an eye towards protecting his people from them. Von Lechfeld tends to be friendly and polite, if closed off and quiet. His eyes get hard and he will go out of his way to help anyone who is on the track of a vampire, but he clams up and will often send away anyone who brings an influence who he believes might threaten his daughter. Von Lechfeld still travels a fair bit consulting his colleagues, or otherwise doing research, and sixteen year old Revecca is used to being alone for weeks at a time, other than a few household live-in servants.
Drancent Hewe: Hewe is also a renowned Zobnan scholar, although his area of expertise is not the occult, and he will generally indicate his distaste for any investigation into "generic" occult items, and provide a very high DC due to his reluctance to address it. He spends about a third of his time in Lomar, where his people are and his "permanent address", but he also has highly profitable "gigs" in both Garenport and Barrowmere, where he'll spend months at a time as a guest researcher in their universities and academies, living relatively large in houses in the center of town. But he's already set up in a house near Professor von Lechfeld, and is eyeing it as a retirement destination... not that he's ready to retire by any means. His real passion is history, and he is especially knowledgeable about ancient kingdoms and places, languages, the history of the Kin kingdoms and their comings and goings, meaning that he is spending more time rather than less in Bridgetown, since its close to his area of research. More recent history, or history of more recent people like the Hillmen, he finds boring. The older and more obscure, the more interesting to him. Hewe is a Zobnan grisling, and a confirmed bachelor, although he's still only in early middle age (because of the pale coloration of grislings in general and their white hair in particular, they sometimes look older than they are anyway.) He's in good shape, but he is somewhat indolent in his habits. He can sometimes be more easily persuaded to help out by someone who brings him a bottle of fine wine, exotic cigar, or who buys him a very fine meal first. He's a snappy dresser in finery that looks a bit exotic, but would otherwise be fit for what most people imagine nobility dresses like. In spite of all this, he's not averse to some real adventure, and if you have a really exciting (to him) thing that you're looking for, he could even be convinced to come with as a guide or on-site expert. Although he'll probably pack way too many clothes and require his own packhorse (or two) for all of his luxuries.
Shule: Shule is also a subject matter expert, but not an academic; he's the kind of person you go to for street smart wisdom and experience. As a goblin informant around town (whichever town he happens to be in, and he does wander quite a lot... but for peace and quiet, Bridgetown is his favorite and he's most likely to be found there) his information seems nearly unbeatable. In addition to being an informant about what's going on in the criminal underworld, Shule is also an important liaison between the PCs and potentially all kinds of other criminals and the services that they might offer; smugglers, black-marketers, fences, protection, and more. However, if it's the Chersky Mafia that you're trying to get information on, the only thing Shule will give you is whatever intel can be used to discomfit them. He hates the Chersky Mafia with an abiding passion, and isn't super keen on any kemlings at all, frankly, whether they're related to the Chersky Mafia or not. This can occasionally get the PCs in trouble, if Shule's prejudice against the Cherskies causes the PCs to be seen as enemies of them as well. Shule has a rat that he always keeps with him, and he's rarely seen without it perched on his shoulder, or resting in one of his pockets. Sometimes he holds it up on his wrist and speaks to it. Some who know him believe that the rat is actually the eyes and ears of Shule's outfit, and that somehow he is able to communicate what he sees back to Shule, which explains his preternatural street smarts. Others, of course, think that this is superstitious nonsense.
Oisin Dughall: This large and strong woodwose used to be associated with the Chersky Mafia himself, as many urban woodwose were, as shakedown and protection, rather than deeply involved with the organization. Oisin, however, had a falling out with the Mafia. He's been "out" for a number of years, and spends most of his time in the rural areas of the Hill Country, avoiding the cities, and trying to keep a low profile. Bridgetown, in part because it is not connected to the Cherskies, and because it's the only city of decent size that has a rural character, is one of his favorite stops. That said, he's a friend to many rural homesteaders, hunters, scouts, trappers, and other men with a lonely occupation in the wilderness. He's hard to find, but because he wanders across the Hill Country, he could be nearby almost anywhere if the GM needs him to be. Other hunters, trackers, homesteaders, and woodwoses may also have knowledge of where to find him, although they're often suspicious and protective, and will only share such knowledge if convinced that the seeker is a genuine friends of Oisin. Oisin's support to potential PC activities can be quite varied. There are fewer experts with more knowledge of the backwoods and backcountry of the Hill Country than Oisin, and he can be consulted about what happens and what's to be found outside of settled areas, where his advice and knowledge is second to none. Where he can be even more helpful, though, is that because he's always on the move anyway, it's not hard to convince him to travel with the PCs for a short time, offering his expertise freely. He's rarely lost, he makes good time across the wilderness, and he's an expert at finding food as well as avoiding trouble from other travelers, wildlife, or anything else that you might find in the wilderness. He's also a fierce fighter when he needs to be. However, he'll never stay with the PCs for long; a few days to maybe a week or two tops—and less if they are heading into a town, city or even a village for more than a night, or if they are magnets for trouble getting involved in all kinds of combat with all kinds of things. Oisin is friendly to those he knows, but always chary, with everyone. His eyes dart around carefully, he rarely looks you in the eyes, he often stops and ignores you, even mid conversation, as he listens for something beyond you; in short, he always behaves paranoid.
Brythe Aermeld: This young lass can be placed wherever you need her to be. She was young, pretty, and ambitious, and was a student at the Academy in Barrowmere. She is a brilliant, if somewhat acerbic and sharp-tongued sorceress (or witch, if you prefer), but she's also an object lesson on why exactly witchcraft should be avoided. Corruption from her exposure to thaumaturgical rituals and energy has mutated her body. While she's still beautiful, after a fashion, she no longer looks remotely human, and is considered by sages to be a non-born cambion; i.e., a person who's exposure to witchcraft has made them half-daemon rather than one who was born half-daemon. Because of this, Brythe almost never leaves her tower; although her tower itself either seems to appear in multiple places, or there are multiple versions of it that she can travel between. It's been seen reliably in Garenport, Barrowmere, Simashki, Port Liure and Bridgetown, and reports of it being present in other cities exist as well. She will receive the PCs in the lobby of the tower, if they come to visit her in person, but will probably not show herself, preferring to keep the lobby very darkened, and her physical form hidden behind thick curtains or even a grated door. If she is gained as a contact, however, she doesn't need to be physically present to contact the PCs (or vice versa) she will give the character a small round stone inscribed with a few curious runes. If the character sleeps with this stone in his bedroll, or pocket, or otherwise on his person, he can speak to Brythe (and she to him) in his dreams as needed. If this is done repeatedly, eventually the rune will start to appear as a small mark on the skin of the character, and when it is fully realized, the stone will no longer be needed. Brythe is a prodigy in sorcery. She can, if convinced, cast spells for the PCs. She can give PCs spells that she believes that they are capable of learning. She can also offer all kinds of advice on occult and magical concerns. Most importantly, as she is constantly looking for a way to reverse her corruption and expand her own power, she will have things that she wants from the PCs, and is a great source of potential side quests and other tasks, which she will barter for with the benefits that she can provide. Brythe is very bitter about what has happened to her, and this is reflected in her arrogant and angry way of reacting to the world. Unfortunately, she doesn't accept responsibility for her condition, and hates the world, her former teachers, or anyone else who she can rationalize as a person to blame other than herself for her mutations. Or for that matter, anyone she can blame for doing anything wrong or inconvenient for her at all. But she is helpful, if you can tolerate her abrasive personality. Needless to say, she doesn't advertise to her neighbors what she is or what she does.
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