Hahvrensburg

Tollmartyr Gate

The most common entrance into Hahvrensburg is through the Tollmartyr Gate Ward. This is a warren of criss-crossing streets, beggars, peddlers, merchants and the like who day to day compete with members of the City Guard for the best places to peddle wares outside of the markets or the best spots to beg alms. The ward has a rough trapezoidal shape, being widest as its beginning and narrowing sharply as it enters the city proper. The ward faces the Spiritus River and is on the southern side, or 'belly' of the city.

The ward usually smells of animal waste and the clinging scent of the river in the hot months. Few spend a great deal of time in this transitionary ward, other than the guards and tax collectors, most move on through to the markets, or to their city homes. It is the busiest in the morning and evening hours as merchants arrive and depart, and is second only to the main market for being busy and packed with people.

Spots of Interest

The Gallows - Criminals found guilty and sentanced to death are carted from the dungeons under Hahvrensburg Keep north through the market and back to the ward, a sort of tour of shame. They are then paraded up a gangway to where the gallows stand. Most are simply given the short drop and sudden stop. Those who commit worse crimes are left in cages to depend on the handouts from the populace, though this is left largely for brigands and murderers of the first order. The least common are those who are beheaded by the executioner's axe.

The Tolls - Like most cities, much of Hahvrensburg's income is generated from taxes levied on merchants bringing their wares to the city markets, and on taxes paid by the guilds of the city. In the name of better speed, there are several causeways where wagons can be seperated from foot traffic and mounted traffic. The coin or bartered goods are transported the short distance from Tollmartyr to the Keep usually about twice a day under good guard.

Encountered NPCs

Barrik, Ward Captain - This large and jovial man has the unenviable task of policing the ward. Most of the time, he and his guards are busy keeping beggars from crowding the toll lines to beg for coin as well as keeping merchants from setting up their stalls in the ward. His biggest jobs however, are keeping the peace in the ward and seeing that the tolls are brought safely to the Keep each evening. Barrik has a good laugh, but is tired and generally overworked.

Minko Sallidor, Traveling Merchant - His goods sold from the large wicker panniers of his trio of stock horses, Minko often sets up shop on the edge of the ward, trying to work 'Tax Free' and selling goods of questionable quality and origin. He is known to have contact with the Thieves Guild, as well as being a traveling tinker/merchant.

Old Hobbs - Once this tiger of a man was an adventurer and mercenary. Life has been cruel to him, and since loosing his legs in a pitched battle with Larsan Ogres he has been left to beg in the streets. Often he is found in he ward, moving around with a battered drinking horn around his neck and a hand carved wooden flute. He is often demanding of alms and is frequently in trouble with the guards for his aggressive pan-handling.

Minor Items

Tollmartyr Badge - this simple looking tin badge allows a merchant to pass through the tolls without paying his taxes, generally a gift given to bring in new traders, or to reward those who bring frequent business to the city. There is a healthy market for counterfeit badges, which generally sell for a gold piece each.

Cartwright Plaza

North of Tollmartyr Gate is the Cartwright Plaza. It is a fairly large and open plaza that has the shops of the cartwrights and wheel-makers, harnesmakers and other craftsmen who deal with the tools and trade of transportation. There is little else here in the plaza, most pass through it as a junction between the wards of the belly of Hahvrensburg and the southern junction of the main market.

Spots of Interest

The Fountain - fed by an old cistern and K'tonian windmill powered pump, this fountain is primarily used to water horses and livestock that are going to and fro from the main marketplace. Quite a few deals are made in the shadows of the horses and oxen drinking from the water. Most people avoid this fountain for drinking as it tends to be quite muddy from animals untended walking into it.

The Baron's Stables - Considered to be one of the best places to buy and sell horses outside of the market, and unlike the market, the Stables are always open. The Baron, self named and no claim of title, is a horse whisperer and is quite good at dealing with problem animals or with sick and injured animals.

Cartwright Guildhouse - This rather rough and drab structure sits close to the Baron's Stables and serves as the hub for the cartwrights, wheelmakers, harnessmakers and to an extent a yet to be formed teamsters and driver's guild. It is a painfully dull place that is low on cash for decoration and most of the guildhall is used for workshops for various craftsmen. Little is bought or sold here, and most customers are referred to the marketplace.

The Buckboard - This tavern, generally only friendly to drivers, and teamsters is one of the more dreary taverns in the city, though it is the best place to find a wagon, cart, or carriage heading out of Hahvrensburg. Connoisures should seek their game elsewhere as the tavern only offers beer to drink and once a week does a thick ox pottage that travels well.

Encountered NPCs

Kelic Bonyknees - This grizzled veteran was once former military and has since made a living from the driver's seat of merchant's wagons. Usually found drinking at the Buckboard or tossing dice with the boys at the Baron's Stables.

Tom Moppet - Barely more than a boy, this youth is frequently seen running errands through the plaza for various people. He is the gopher and odd-job for anyone who needs a bit of something done.

Captain Culpowder - Head of the rather diminutive mounted Guard, Culpowder is a proud man and thinks himself a rather large fish in a small pond. He is brash, arrogant, and always looking for some trouble to be started up. His horse, a bay gelding is a biter and nips at travelers who get to close.

Minor Items

none as of yet

Castlewatch Ward

A grandiose name for the administrative nexus of Hahvrensburg, this small ward is dominated by the lone spire of Raven's Roost, a stone tower built along old architectural lines. It is a square tower that would not be hard for siege engines to destroy, but hasn't seen a siege in well over 300 years. The ward is also the beginning of the Civic Guild Wall, as well as being the location of the Lord of Hahvrensburg's town estate, as well as several other key structures.

Spots of Interest

The Raven's Roost - this black tower rises seventy feet above the surrounding city as has a crenellated top, much resembling a square rook from the game of Chess. It is principaly a symbol of power as most of the defensive structures, such as the portcullis havent been moved in a decade or longer. It houses the Lord's Treasury, the Hahvrensburg Arsenal, and the dungeons for long term prisoners who arent bound for the gaol. Most visitors will shell out the copper piece it takes to gain admittance to the lower levels of the tower, while those who have the silver to spare can spend some time on the top of the tower, looking out across Hahvrensburg and the river.

The Lord's Palace - A large, but not quite sprawling affair, the palace is a mishmash of older architectural styles mixed with newer techniques. Much like the growing city, it has not yet found it's own form or style and is at best haphazard. The lord frequently entertains guests here, as well as keeping a decent library.

The Gaol - The base of operations for the Hahvrensburg Civic Watch, or the city guard, this is the barracks that houses the men on duty as well as functioning as a place for their R&R, detaining prisoners, and training.

The Civic Guildhall

The Civic Guild was once the dominating guild of Hahvrensburg, actually it was the only guild. It was this guild that held control of the city commerce, as well as financing the Civic Wall that encloses just over 2/3rds of the city proper. The guildhall is large and still hung with many heavy tapestries, though the guild itself is no more. It was done in by the birth and rise of smaller more specialized guilds. Since then the Guildhall has been converted into a public building, as likely to be used for special indoor auctions, shelter for the poor during bad weather and for grandiose galas and affairs held by the various guilds.

The Civic Guildwall The wall is a large structure, rising some 12 feet in the air and roughly 15 thick at the base. The top has a walkway about four feet wide at the top which is further protected by crenellations. The wall was built at great expense to the now defunct Civic Guild, and was one of the things that led to its eventual dismantling. The start of the wall, close to the newer wooden gates of the Tollmartyr ward is an obelisk of stone inscribed with the names of the Guildmasters who helped finance the 30 year construction of the wall.

Encountered NPCs

Tobias Mysrith a scholar and antiquarian, Tobais is a member of the city council as well as a curator to the Civic Guildhall. He is the resident sage and is frequently seen answering questions or teaching lessons to children in the Guildhall.

Lt. Pannin a junior member of the Civic Watch, Pannin is trying to stand tall in his jackboots, but is still a bit out of his league, which is why he has been assigned to foot patrol in the safest of the city wards.

The Princess the daughter, one of the six, of the Lord of Hahvrensburg, frequently seen trodging about in the Castleward gardens, would be chatty, but her Ciceron is rather protective.

Minor Items

Tower Badge - a cheap tin badge that is sold by vendors who have a lone stall inside Raven's Roost, a memento of those who visit the keep. Wearing a tower badge is seen as an open display of supporting the Lord over the City Council.

The Mitoyen Ward

Leading west from Cartwright Plaza, the Mitoyen road is a one way road for livestock purchased from the marketplace. The southern side of the road, the riverside is the domain of the slaughterhouses, and smokehouses, and the other outwardly presentable, inwardly splattered with blood and gore domains of the butchers.

Most of the meat for the city comes from this ward, the Butcher's Guild being the primary buyer of livestock in the main marketplace. The animals are lead down the wide and trampled Mitoyen road, which in rainy times becomes a knee-deep sucking morass of mud. The animals are then killed, drained of blood, and hung from hooks to be properly aged in the river cooled basements of the slaughterhouses. Much of the blood and gore is channeled off into the river itself, though on rare occasions blood puddings and sausages can be purchased, but usually only if requested in advance.

Spots of Interest

The Hook and Slab - one of the largest of the non-marker taverns, the Hook and Slab caters to the meat handlers, butchers and such. It is a rough and tumble tavern, but the prices are high enough to keep most of the penniless tavern-crashers from trying to stir up a ruckus. It is also the meeting hall, unofficial, of the Mitoyen Guild of Drovers, Butchers and Slaughterhousemen.

The Ox-Head - Another tavern, though this one is best known for the quality of meats purchased from the Mitoyen guild. In a time before major restaurants, the Ox-Head is a steak house. The tavern is operated by one of the Mitoyen Guild Guildmasters.

The Sluice - not so much an establishment, the sluice is a stone lined channel that runs along the backside of the slaughter houses and dumps out into the river. Most of the larger meat packing houses have large above ground tanks of water that use gravity to empty them, flushing the blood and gore from the facility on a weekly basis. These cisterns are usually filled using animal powered pumps. The Sluice attracts predators, scavengers, and if there is a ghoul in the city, it's probably going to be found in or near the Sluice.

Encountered NPCs

Bear Borion - not a large man, but more known for his sour disposition, Bear is the unranked guardsman who has the task of policing the Mitoyen. He is in good with the Mitoyen Guild as well as the elements of the Thieves Guild, meaning that with enough coin, anything can go unnoticed in the Mitoyen.

The Captain - he has another name, but he is known as the Captain around the ward as now in his 80s, he was one of the first of the slaughterhouse operators, and is one of the middle rich, envied by the peasantage and sneered at by the nobility. Few in the ward command more respect that this frail old man with his ox-bone walking stick. He is accompanied by at least 3 to 7 men of the guild and likely a city guard as well.

Nain the Wench - The locals have an expression about the women from the Mitoyen, being well fed beefeaters. Nain fits most the stereotypes, being stout but still feminine, but generous with the ale. She, and many like her are often seen in the ward, either working in taverns, of being married to the slaughterhouse men.

Minor Items

Talent of Salt - not exactly small, this 100 pound measure of salt is one of the eagerly accepted of currencies in the salt-hungry Mitoyen. Given the damnd for salt in packing, curing and preserving meat, as well as for flavoring it commands a healthy price.

Lower Mitoyen

Continueing west along the Mitoyen Road, the road becomes more narrow and not so heavily trodden. Past the slaughterhouses is the Tanner's Guild, and most locals actually refer to the Lower Mitoyen Ward as the Tanner's Ward. Most of the animal hides removed in the Upper Mitoyen Ward are sold to the tanners who scrape, dry and cure the hides.

A major feature of the ward are the leather working shops that are found there. While most of their best wares are sold in the main market, it is no problem for customers to visit the actual workshops to place special orders for saddles, belts, leather armors, or any other good made of leather. Unfortunately, the smell of curing animal hide is enough to discourage customers from visiting the ward and simply waiting for one of the open market days.

Spots of Interest

The Saddle - a ward tavern and brothel, the Saddle gains most of it's business from the leatherworkers and tanners of the ward. It is not specifically associated with the Tanners and Leatherworkers Guild, but is a good place to find them if needed. It is known for the fact that the serving wenches are typically found wearing skin tight kid (goat) leather outfits that are tight and skimpy enough to give even the most liberal cleric heart palpitations.

The Post - officially operated by the Guild Quartermaster, this shop only does one sort of business and that is the buying of animal hides. While their main clients are the various slaughterhouses, a few hunters sell the hides of animals they have caught and killed here. Someone looking to have some fancy work done with a hide, like that leopard skin cloak the Hussar is always wanting, this is the place to arrange it.

Encountered NPCs

Nerim - a thin and almost waifish woman, Nerim is the head of the ward guild and commands a good deal of respect, but this is as much for her connections with the Hahvrensburg Thieves Guild and the mysterious and hidden Mage's Guild as it is for her guild clout.

Trapper Dahlan - This grizzled veteran is one of the trappers who hunts the woods near Hahvrensburg. He is often seen selling wolf pelts, beaverskins and the like he has cleaned. He also tends to have necklaces of animal teeth and claws to sell. He is a competent guide and hunter, though revieres the old ways rather than the standing faith.

Urchin Yole - Yole leads a gang of younger boys not quite old enough for Thieves guild work and is generally seen in the ward acting as a mouth for the thieves guildmaster. The guard keeps a close eye on Yole and meeting with him is a sure way to be interrogated by the guard a few hours later. yole thinks himself very important to the guild, but in truth he is very expendable.

Minor Items

None as of yet

Rampall Ward

Named after Rue Rampall, this ward sits well in the western part of Hahvrensburg and directly north of the Mitoyen wards. While most of the guildsmen and their direct families live in the respective wards, the freemen and commoners who regularly associate with the Mitoyen wards generally live in Rampall Ward. Much of this ward is relatively new construction, and being primarily wood and thatch fire is a common problem.

Many of the ward residents have jobs outside of the ward, working in the various odiferous trades of the Mitoyen, or crossing into the Main market or other craft areas. The ward itself has few shops, no inns, and what taverns there are tend to be smaller and cheaper affairs.

Spots of Interest

Rampall Chapel - A tired old building, formerly a residental home for a Civic Guildmaster, it was renovated some time ago into an almshouse and chapel for the Ward and is a nexus for local gossip, as well as services provided by the Faith.

Encountered NPCs

Alderman Ryn - this eldering gentleman has the town appointed task of overseeing the municiple affairs of the Rampall Ward. He is overtaxed by his job as he doesnt have enough people to do the work that needs to be done, cannot afford the people he already has, and hears nothing but calls for his resignation. When someone actually accepts his job, he will gladly step down. The Alderman position is a legacy from the old Civic Guild, and has been retained for wards that no one really wants official control over.

Midwife Tiba - a bull dog faced older woman, Tiba has been birthing babies in the Rampall for well over half of her own life. Frequently found near one of the ward's often dry fountains, as the pumps need to be repaired or water channels need to be cleared out, she is the resident curmudgeon. She is willing to give anyone a piece of her mind, if they want it or not.

Tired Lem - Lem is like hundreds of others who live in the Rampall, working at what is really a dead end job doing menial labor for another ward's guild. He works hard for what money he can bring home to his wife and six kids...well, they can't exactly afford going to a theatre so what else is there for them to do for entertainment?

Abbot Armal - The head of the Rampall Chapel, Armal is a good hearted man up to his eyes in people who need his good heart. He has made good progress at limiting the corruption and graft in the ward, but has silently made himself the enemy of the thieves guild.

Jasne Harlow - Once dreaming of being a princess, Jasne learned the truth for her future was working in three different alehouses. When the tips from the bottom-pinchers isnt enough to make her bills, she is a part timer at one of the Malhonne Ward brothels.

Minor Items

None as of yet

Aasvogel Ward

Splitting the central portion from the less desireable and lower income western region of Hahvrensburg, Rue Aasvogel and the associate Aasvogel ward are considered the be a buffer. Heading north from Rue Mitoyen and running along the western border of the main market, Aasvogel is a curious mix of formerly grand palaces and manors that have been slowly overgrown by human shanties and thickly crowded alleys. The main avenue is kept clear of this debris but off of the main avenue, the law is pulled short and the Sanitation Guild is very rarely seen.

Spots of Interest

Kiskydee Square - A poor and wastrel plaza at the northern juncture of Mitoyen and Aasvogel, this is a major interchange between Aasvogel, Mitoyen and Rampall. The center of the square is dominated by a large fountain portraying the God of Love holding the hand of Dame Hahvren, wife of the city founder. The fountain itself is a gathering point for the washer women and children drawing water for the various homes and businesses of the square. After dark, the square is generally overrun by whores unassociated with the Guild of the Lily.

The Doyenne - This tavern was once the home of a wealthy wheat speculator and investor who very much lost his wealth in the wheat bust two decades ago. Since then, the home was rennovated into a cozy tavern that caters to primarily female clientele to the point that the male prostitutes outnumber the female and the standards and rates are both quite high.

Witchhazel Alley - This knock-kneed alley was originally named after a plant that produced a tincture of witchhazel, a skin clearing medicine, it was only later that it was taken over by charm makers, spellbrokers, charlatans, fake mystics and fortune tellers. Curses, hexes, and fates are bought and sold here, though the majority are quite fraudulent.

Hathcomb's Inn - While it is an inn of very questionable quality, Hathcomb's is an alehouse and a flophouse combined together sitting on top of one of the biggest fighting pits in Hahvrensburg. Prizefighting occurs here, as do bloodsports of dog and chicken fighting. It is quite common to see less scrupulous members of the local nobility rubbing shoulders with some of the larger criminal elements of the city, all anonymous of course.

The Spatchcock Market - Located outside of the general butchery of the Mitoyen, this cluttered market/warehouse is the site of the primary fowl-butcher in Hahvrensburg. While most of the coin worthy birds find their way to the market, there is no shortage of pigeon and other avians that find their way into local cookpots.

Encountered NPCs

Mother Fate - A rather grandiose title claimed by a half toothless old crone who wanders the avenue. She is accompanied by a black raven whom she refers to as a lord of the Blackfeathers. She is quite mad, though charms and curses bought from her have a 25% chance of working as promised. The locals fear her as sort of a holy woman/crazy woman.

Pelly - Thin and wolf-hungry, Pelly is just one of the dozens of non-guild prostitutes who make their living along the Aasvogel. Comes complete with a hard luck story, a plea for some money to: 1. get back home, 2. pay her landlord, 3. but herbs for her sick mother, etc. Very likely a thief as well.

Guardsman Raelson - One of the few who are assigned to the Ward, Raelson has gone and done something foolish to make the captain of the guard angry. As punishment for stepping out of line, this man has been put on the Aasvogel watch for a few weeks. He is dour and ready to get away from the witches and whores of the Aasvogel.

Doyenne Ispen - An oddity that occurs over and over, a good number of well dressed and mannered people make their homes along Aasvogel, where they are largely left alone by the incessant nattering of the general weathly. Ispen is one such woman, a Lady of her own manse as well as keeping several strong men on retainer. Her business is her own, but she is jovial and well mannered, a great contrast to the general squallor of the Ward.

Tetunia, Daughter of the Lily - unlike Pelly, Tetunia is in good health and complexion. Though a prostitute in the same line of work, Tetunia is part of the Guild of the Lily and as such has guild protection from things like pimps, and dangerous working conditions. She gets regular meals, has a working bodyguard, and rather than tromping the squares and avenues after dusk, she works in a brothel or inn for good rates.

Minor Items

Stormhazel Brew - A rather rank bottle of rotgut, this was formerly red wine, but it has sense been simmered and steeped in assorted herbs until it takes on a greenish brown color. While bitter, the brew is very strong and surprisingly helps accelerate healing from illness.

Street Charm - sold for good luck, these charms tend to be baubles of glass, though a few have very low quality semi-precious stones set in them. Hand made, their quality is dubious, though about half offer a very minor boon, such as a one time bonus to a dice roll then becoming completely magickless.

Cricket Cage - a very finely wozen net box of wicker, this type of box is often used by locals to catch crikets, for luck. Larger and stouter versions are used to hold mice, which are released as a curse on a location or person.

Lily Bracelet - easily stolen, this is a linen ribbon bleached white with a tin 'lily' hanging from it. Wearing one is symbolic of being part of the Guild of the Lily. Being caught wearing one and not being part of the guild is a good way for a person to get in alot of trouble. When a non-guild prostitute is caught wearing a guild badge, she is generally shaved bald, rolled in manure and marched to the Tollmartyr ward as an example.

Mayhaw Ward

This is one of the largest and loosest of Hahvrensburg's wards. Spreading west from the boundary of Aasvogel and the north from the boundary of Lower Mitoyen. This ward is part slum, and part shanty town and is the poorest part of Hahvrensburg. The worst part, however, is the fact that much of the Mayhaw ward is in a hole, one that is very prone to flooding.

When the city was fist growing, the area was called Mayhaw Hole, after a certain type of golden berry that grew in the wet soil. It was later during the collapse of the Civic Guild that much of Mayhaw was 'colonized' by ramshackle construction and lean-tos. Officially, it isn't part of the city as there are no city patrols through the ward and their is no Alderman to oversee the ward's function.

Points of Interest

Mayhaw Creek - this narrow ribbon of water is the only source of fresh water in the ward, and by the time it actually reaches the Mayhaw Bridge of the Mitoyen road in Lower Mitoyen, the water is unfit to drink due to waste products and soaps in it. The berries that gave the creek it's name has since vanished.

The Manacle - the closest thing the ward has to an Inn, the Manacle is a single story shell of clapboard and scavenged shingles and slat, run by a band of thugs and toughs who use it as a base of operations. some investigators will on occasion venture out to the Manacle just to keep an eye on things in the ward.

The Bend - just as the name implies, the Bend is a bend in Mayhaw creek where the local women gather to gossip and wash clothes, while the men attend their own affairs elsewhere. Water above the Bend is considered safe to drink, while water below the bend is considered fouled. The southern part of the bend is a communal latrine that drains into the creek itself.

Encountered NPCs

Hustler and Malloy - these two men go together like salt and pepper, one is lean and sharp as a knife, while the other is blunt as a shovel. Hustler is the talker, while Malloy is the implied threat of the conversation, rarely speaking. hustler is the acting name of this street con-man, while Malloy was found guilty of deception and had his tongue cut out for it.

Old Clara - along with a flock of old women, Old Clara is the boss hen of the Bend. Bent as a willow and mean as a snake she is considered the closest thing the ward has to a Alderman. She is generally followed by half a dozen other old women, all of whom are catty and mean as she is.

Two-Fingers Goyle - a street urchin and beggar, Goyle is known for his frequent use of rude hand gestures and knavish behavior.

Minor Items

none as of yet

Alesgate Ward

Considered the second most important of the markets in Hahvrensburg, only surpassed by the Achelandange, the Alesgate Ward is part marketplace, part crafts ward, and is the central meeting point for about half of the city's population. Completely enclosed by the Civic Guildwall, the most visible feature of the ward is the towering gates where wagons trundle in and out on a daily basis. The door are made of heavy timbers and are closed every evening at nightfall and opened again after daybreak.

Places of Interest

Brewer's Market - The city of Hahvrensburg outlawed large scale brewing and fermenting inside of the city after a number of accidents. Since then, the brewers have traditionally kept their operations in the ward beyond the Alegate. Once their goods have been brewed and barreled, they are carted into the city through the Alesgate. The barrels are then sold in the early hours of the morning to the operators of the city's bars, taverns, brothels, as well as smaller amounts to individuals interested in buying. By the late afternoon, the Brewer's Market is almost empty of goods and sellers for the day.

The Beer Bucket

This clapboard tavern buys whatever beer has not been bought by the end of the day from the sellers. The beer is poured into a large vat inside the tavern and the wenches there sell it not by the mug or glass, but by the gallon bucket. This brew is usually the dregs and has been mixed, is seldom ever even cool, but beer is beer to those unable to buy it from the taverns or from the brewers directly. Draining a bucket is a local term for frequenting taverns below your economic income, or 'slumming'.

Cooper Alley - filled with the sound of saws and falling hammers, Cooper Alley serves as the central location for carpenters and woodworks in the eastern part of the city. While barrels are the primary good produced in the Alley, contacts can be found their to find furniture makers, carpenters, woodcarvers and others who make a living with wood.

Heiegl's Tavern - Possibly the most popular tavern in all of Hahvrensburg, this location is decried by the local clergy and stays constantly full. The menu is short, left over pieces of poultry fried in oil and served with a slathering of pepper sauce. The wenches who work there are chosen for their appearances, and in most immodest fashion ply their work topless and sometimes almost completely nude. Heiegl sells the ale at twice the going rate and the poultry is the undesireable wings and leftover pieces which he purchases daily for a pittiance. Skimming from his wenches' tips, he has made himself one of the ten richest men in Hahvrensburg.

Encountered NPCs

Jan Dannilynn - A cantankerous and scabrous old teamster, Jan is a regular driver of wagons for the brewers. He drives his team with the what many consider to be reckless abandon, with no regard for the safety of others, or common decency. He is also a very good driver since despite all complaints, he has never been in any sort of accident. it is known that the old man is also financially well off after he appeared with a gold-haired bride half his age one day and refused to talk of where she came from. Sinec then, she has given him four children.

The Ale-Singer - This bard has a real name, but no one really cares. He frequents the taverns during the daylight hours, his eyes bloodshot and red. He plays for tips and free ale as long as he can stay on his feet. This generally lasts until about nightfall when more accomplished bards and musicians start showing up for the evening crowds at the taverns. During these hours, the Ale-Singer can be found sprawled out in an animal stall, stowed in an nook or some other place sleeping it off.

Pretty Molly - One of Heiegl's former employees, Molly now works to end the business going on there. She thinks that the wenches are underpaid, plus considers giving part of their tips to the owner to be paramount to theft. Having recently re-embraced the Faith, she campaigns with little success against Heiegl.

Minor Items

Branded Barrel - The brewers are loath to sell their beer barrels, since they are not cheap or quick to make. A solution was found to the selling of their barrels of beer. A large, very prominent brand is burned into the outside of the barrel and said barrel can be returned to the brewer who owns the brand. If so returned, the returnee can get a small monetary reward or a discount getting a new barrel full of beer. Officially the barrels are considered leased property and improper use of a barrel can be considered a minor offense, though the guard hardly ever enforces this.