Thorngate is the principle settlement of the West Marches at the beginning of your adventures, and the farthest flung outpost of the Old Alliance, now the Myrellian Concordance. It was established as an observation and staging point for Alliance armies during the Ashen Wars. After the Rose Accord was signed and the Darmoran Empire collapsed, Thorngate has become a largely independent "city-state", though it still follows Myrellian laws and customs.
A small town with a population of about three thousand individuals, Thorngate is protected on three sides by a low wall of crumbling masonry. Patches of moss compete for space with crawling ivy and blooming rose bushes. The northern side of town is nestled in to a steep, rocky hill, and built into the base of this hill is Thorndawn Keep. The castle is in an equal state of disrepair as the walls, if not greater; Thorngate has not come under serious attack in more than thirty years. Thorngate's police force and first line of defense are the Knights of the Rose, also called the Rose Guard, or simply as "Pricks" by more ungrateful citizens. These guards typically wear green-dyed gambesons and patrol the crooked streets of town armed with halberds or studded truncheons, always on the alert for trouble-makers and lawbreakers. Considering the nature of Thorndawn Keep, the Knights of the Rose headquarter in a fortified barracks attached to Town Hall, referred to as "the Hedge" by most locals.
Thorngate is a frontier town, at the very end of the western trade route. Merchant caravans arrive in Thorngate to buy cheap furs, ore, lumber, and reagents, mostly dropping off alcohol and mercenaries in addition to other luxuries and commodities. The town's population is about two-thirds human, but the rest of the population is relatively cosmopolitan. Many half-orcs, half-elves, tieflings, and other races considered outcasts by society have made this far flung outpost their home.
While Knight-Commander Meribeth Vestellion is ostensibly the governor of Thorngate, she and the other Knights of the Rose concern themselves mainly with protecting the town from outlaws and breaking up fights between drunks. Most of the town's civil infrastructure is largely managed by a rotating council of merchants and local "concerned factors." These business-minded individuals encourage trade and growth between Thorngate, eastern caravans, and their distant contacts in the West Marches. The only permanent members of this council are Durrekkin Steelheart and Jezeera the Arcane.
The guards of the city wear green padded armor.
Notable Persons
While Knight-Commander Meribeth Vestellion is ostensibly the governor of Thorngate, she and the other Knights of the Rose concern themselves mainly with protecting the town from outlaws and breaking up fights between drunks.
Durrekkin, a grizzled mountain dwarf from his homeclan, manages Western Steel, the town's armory and only major forge; he and his apprentices are responsible for maintaining the Rose Guard's armaments, but also supplying mercenaries and adventurers with basic equipment.
Jezeera, known as the Arcane, is Thorngate's resident wizard. A woman of unknown racial origin, some claim she is a half-elf, an aasimar, a tiefling, or even a fallen angel. She's been here since Thorngate was founded nearly a hundred years ago, and hasn't aged a day. Most of her time is spent running a relic dealing business, buying and selling mysterious and even eldritch artifacts recovered from the ruins and battlefields of the West Marches to curious collectors from the east, or adventurers trying to gain and edge or make a coin. On more than one occasion, Jezeera has used her awesome powers to defend the town from marauding Wartorn, ogres, gnolls, and even a young green dragon. Additionally, every burglar and dare-devil who has attempted to steal her valuables has met a gruesome end. Despite this long life of hardships, the locals seem to adore and tolerate her many eccentricities.
Father Arazmos: Priest of Verida. Bald, long beard. Stereotypical preacher man.
Ellean Ingleywood: Female Gnome alchemist, part of Gnomad guild (Thalia/Kate background)
Lingo: Halfling man, owner of town Apothecary.
Kalisandr (Kal): Green dragonborn, master woodcarver/carpenter.
Ralphy: Bookie for a deadpool. Stand set up near the quest board.
Notable Locations
The Simple Stars
Cassius tavern of preference; he can usually be found here in the evening when he can afford to do so.
The first tavern that most visitors to Thorngate see first, and that most locals recommend, is the Simple Stars. A battered wooden sign displaying one large green star and a burst of blue stars hangs above the wide double doors of this massive pub. Inside is a long and low main room, filled with four huge dining tables with worn benches; a dozen booths line the back wall. Several harried-looking barmaids weave skillfully between the tables, depositing tankards of Ostenwall Stout, Sweetpool Tawny, and noxious-smelling Dulbri juice to a variety of patrons. Caravaneers and their guards, Miosi pilgrims, Verge settlers, and local farmhands jostle force space, devouring plates of fried Dulbri cakes and groat steaks, swapping the latest news from back east or the most recent troubles on the Verge. Multicolored smoke from a hundred pipes fill the rafters and swirl out the door with every new arrival. The food is cheap, the drinks are abundant, and the company is rowdy but cheerful. The publican is the much-beloved human Varic Subrin; fat, balding, quick with the latest gossip or some friendly advice, he is the local barkeep that all across the realms aspire to be.
The Smoke and Dagger & The Red Garter
Sheltering in the shadow of the southern town wall are two less-reputable establishments, both owned by local loan-shark Estrid the Lucky. A flight of cracked stairs leads in to the low-ceilinged basement of a crumbling black stone building -- Estrid's base of operations. The air is foul with unwashed bodies and stale beer. A dirt floor strewn with sawdust, a bar composed of several planks over a pair of barrels, and a dozen tables all crowded with various games of chance complete the living caricature of a classic dive bar. On one wall is a once-beautiful wooden carving of a blooming rose, now scarred from thousands of knife and dart tosses. The Dagger serves the cheapest and foulest liquor in Thorngate, and is the main place you go if you want to lose your money, your shirt, or your teeth. Tending bar is the half-orc Mako, a surly brute said to have troll blood running through his veins. The Rose Guard makes sure that minimal deaths occur there, but they've been known to turn a blind eye if somebody went down those stairs seeking revenge.
Across the street from the Smoke and Dagger is Estrid's other place of business, the Red Garter. Thorngate's only brothel, it is a tawdry place. Brass lanterns obscured by red silk, beaded curtains, over-stuffed furniture, opium pipes, and huge paintings of thrashing nude bodies in ornate frames abound. The Garter is staffed by about two dozen women and a third as many men, mostly tieflings, half-elves, and half-orcs. Madame Surramo is the elegant and mysterious mistress of the Garter, rumored to be a disgraced courtesan from distant Drakeport. Estrid has some sort of deal with the local clergy to make sure the doves are relatively clean, and as far as anyone can tell, they're well taken care of. The last time somebody failed to pay back Estrid on a large loan, they ended up chained to an oar on the Tepid Sea. The last time somebody cut one of her doves, they were never seen again.
The Open Arms
A rambling construction in the Town Circle, directly across from Town Hall and the Hedge, the Open Arms have been heavily built up over the years. Each additional wing has been built out of a new material, depending on current prices and the whims of the owner. It caters to all manner of clientele, from the nearly destitute to the moderately wealthy. On the first floor is a small bar and kitchen, humbly decorated and reasonably-well stocked, as well as huge stables and shared accommodations for poorer travelers. Essentially a small brick warehouse, it contains a dozen brick ovens surrounded by raised wooden platforms, upon which travelers can lay their bedrolls and blankets. Attached to this area are the public bath-houses, which are enjoyed by guests and locals alike for a small fee.
The second floor holds the middle-class rooms, usually containing two beds and basic amenities for reasonable fees. At any given time they are usually half to three quarters occupied, either by merchants from out east or well-to-do landowners from the Verge. Also on this floor are the quarters of the publican's family and his live-in help. The top floor is occupied by half-a-dozen large, well-appointed rooms and a single suite of rooms for the Open Arms' richest guests, though most nobles or truly well-off individuals would turn their noses up at the relatively humble decorations. All in all, the Open Arms is a clean and welcoming establishment, and a welcome addition to the frontier town. It is owned and operated by Imindil Londorwin, a retired elven merchant-explorer and his family. He is good friends with Jezeera the Arcane and a respected member of Thorngate's council and militia.
Temple of Verida Richest, medium-populated temple in the town, largest in physical size.
