Cities
Village of Ferthic
Forbidden Knowledge
Maps
with Major Sites numbered.
Geography& Population
Ferthic is a small city of roughly 350 people. Normally the number swells
at the end of the harvesting seasons with temporary help from nearby farming
holdings to close to 1000 people.
Food and Water
Due to its location on the Lake, there is an abundance of both food and
water. Fresh water is normally retrieved from any number of local wells
that have been dug. Food is a combination of agricultural and seafood cuisine.
Industry
Ferthic is home to numerous industries. During the year the piers are
bustling areas of trade since most of the major shipping routes across
the Lake make a stop here. Most of the outgoing trade is fish and wheat
and scented candles with most of the incoming items being wines, steel
and coal.
Also Ferthic has a combination of gristmill and lumber mill. Normally
local area holding bring food here to be ground into flour and also have
large logs cut down for use in construction.
Rounding out the industry is the famous candles of Ferthic. Many years
ago a traveler seeking lodging from a cold night traded the local innkeeper
the knowledge of making honey scented candles for a warm bed. Every since
that day the people of Ferthic have produced the unusual honey smelling
candles that can be found in many of the larger cities of the land. While
many of the families of Ferthic produce these candles one would be hard
pressed to find anyone who would share the secret of the candles since
the local lords for years have jealously guarded their secret.
The docks of Ferthic are free for any to come and use. Because of this
there is often a waiting line to tie up at the docks. Every year or so
there is discussion of charging a dock fee and using this money to extend
the docks but the usual ebb and flow of the merchants into town never
leaves time for any such planning.
Security
Ferthic despite being founded in uncivilized lands does not have a wall.
In addition it only has a volunteer village watch that patrols the outskirts
of the city at night. Making up for these two things are the merchants that
make Ferthic their "temporary" home. Ever since the founding of the city
the lure of free flowing trade and personal armies of merchants have kept
the village safe.
The docks of Ferthic are free for any to come and use. Because of this
there is often a waiting line to tie up at the docks. Every year or so
there is discussion of charging a dock fee and using this money to extend
the docks but the usual ebb and flow of the merchants into and out of
town never leaves time for any such planning.
Normally for a fee the watch can turn the other way when people are having
dark dealings within the city. While a majority of the volunteers are
upstanding citizens they realize that they occasionally have to go along
with things to protect their own families.
Leadership
Officially the city is claimed by Halus. Many years ago they sent a contingent
of the Knights of the Order to secure the village and to ensure that a yearly
tithe was sent to Halus. However due to the infighting of the Order and
the lack of any true financial gain Ferthic has lost importance to those
in Halus. The cities garrison stands almost completely empty and the post
of Lord of Ferthic is seen as a quick way to end an advancing career. Nowadays
lip service is paid to the Order and their representative in town only.
The only remaining ranking knight of the Order in the city is Venerad the
Wise. He is a tall human who has throaty whisper of a voice. Keerad, a younger
human squire who wants to eventually be in the Order, always accompanies
him. He is the nephew of Venerad and tries to refute the whispers that the
Order is dead.
Venerad normally patrols the city at night with Keerad in tow. He considers
himself separate from the watch and normally does not interact with them,
except when he believes that a situation will be too much to handle.
The city is now lead by a council of 3 people. They meet when necessary
and make most of the day-to-day decisions, which are few and far between.
They are in touch with reality so they tend to confer with the major merchant
coasters as well as the Twills before they do anything important. The current
council consists of Ciren Bartle, a local sail maker, Clara Tinteron (distant
cousin of the Mill's original owner), and Cadeus a dwarven honey-maker who
is normally the welcome wagon and considered to be the leader of the council.
Major Sites
- Hantle's Mill. This building doubles as both a grinder
for local wheat into flower and also manages to make a tidy profit from
lumber brought here for cutting. Every third day the Mill is set to
cutting lumber while the rest of the days sees the grinding stone in
operation. Because of this split in functions almost everyone comes
here to Hantle's for business.
The current owner of Hantle's is Boris and Brenda Twill. The Twill's
purchased the Mill two years ago from the last surviving member of the
Hantle line. For tradition's sake they have kept the name.
- South Storage. This large stone building houses extra
grains waiting to be taken to Hantle's. Normally there is a small fee
charge for storage here. This money normally goes to pay for someone
to watch over the building at night.
- Temple to Mother Ge. This temple serves as both as a
worship house as well as a exchange house for the city. Normally the
priests here attend to the Mill everyday acting as moneychangers and
lenders when the occasion arises.
A head priest, Marta, serves the temple. Marta has a quick wit and a
discerning eye that keeps the temple running smoothly. She very rarely
loans money to those whom she does not know and always weighs any coins
she exchanges. Along with Marta there are two other priests at the temple,
Tirlan and Shafer. Two young men who joined the order some time ago
in Halus and have since come to the small village to make something
of themselves.
- Northern Storage. This building is constructed in much
the same manner as the southern storage shed. Similar to the Southern
Storage it also acts as a holding area for the Mill and charges a fee
for protection. Because of the farther distance from the Mill it normally
holds less grain and more lumber.
- The Bitter Wizard. This tall two-story building is made
of stone and lumber. It is the only Inn currently in town. It has a
large Tankard room and common room on the first floor and also offers
additional rooming on the second floor. Normal room costs are one silver
piece for the common room and 4 silvers for private rooms on the second
floor. Food normally is included in the price for lodging but can be
purchased separately. Currently Jelrick and his brother Mophit own the
Inn, two humans who have been attempting to add more rooms to the Inn
for some time. Once the new planting season has begun they will probably
look into expansion. Jelrick and Mophit are very similar in appearance.
Both have a reasonably sized paunch and have receding black hairlines.
Neither bathes very much although the Inn does provide bathing services.
They both believe that there is no reason to eat up profits by enjoying
their own services. This rule holds true for everything save for the
cuisine, which they constantly taste.
- The Ferthic Stables. The stables normally house most
of the traveler's mounts. At any one time there are normally three or
four separate wagons stored here for the day since many traders often
lay over for a day or so after unloading onto ships on the Lake. The
stables also provide wagon repair and rudimentary blacksmithing. The
current blacksmith is a dwarf named Yurik Longshadow. Rudy the town's
full time blacksmith is Yurik's cousin.
- Temple to Ephertain This temple acts as a record house
for all the trade that comes into Ferthic. While originally the priests
here counted everything they currently take on word what a trader says
is coming into port. Normally a fee accompanies this type of counting
to Ephertain's coffers.
Currently the temple is watched over by Sitpenn Silverway a noble from
the city of Halus who was forced to do penance for miscounting the number
of male visitors a noble woman had. Unfortunately for Sitpenn, the noble
eventually found out about his wife's affairs and demanded that Sitpenn
be sent away. Sitpenn is currently training a young woman, Agburr, a
rotund woman with a huge appetite.
- Honey Row The houses in this area of the village produce
the famous candles of Ferthic. Anytime during the day a pleasant honey
smell lofts on the air. To support their industry many of the villagers
here have beehives from which they can acquire the honey they need.
- The Stone Halls Over the years these single story stone
buildings have served many purposes; school hall, lumber storage, and
wagon repair. Currently the Stone Halls stand empty since Hantle's Mill
has been doing such a brisk trade and does not need the space. Talk
has been that the halls should be turned into an academy, however, no
one has been able to spare the time or the coinage to make that dream
a reality.
- Rudy's Smithy This two-story building is the only metal
works for miles. Here Rudy, a dwarf from the far north, plies his craft.
Normally Rudy is only called upon to shoe horses or fix wagons although
on occasion he takes a piece of metal to the forge and returns with
a finely shaped weapon. On these occasions Rudy calls upon his cousin
Yurik who runs the Stables to tend to business.
Adventure hooks
-
An ancient dwarven hold lies on the Western side of Tangra Lake.
This hold was sealed some time ago as the residents had turned dark
and evil. It is whispered that some within town have knowledge of
this location.
-
Also to the Western side of Tangra Lake there is an abandoned Elvin
underground granary. Originally used for a stopover point for travelers
the granary has go unused for some time. While grain isn't the best
treasure in the Vale, it is rumored that the Elves also used it
for other purposes.
-
Recently two dwarven youngsters that were dock runners have disappeared.
Some believe that those working out of the secret room in the North
Storage building may have snatched them.
-
The local Lord of Ferthic, Venerad the Wise, has been
seeking new recruits to go to the East and test their mettle against
the dangers of the swamp. He is ready to spend some coinage for tales
and souvenirs of any willing to take up his offer.
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