Arcane Troubles

## The world The eight regions are linked by caravan roads, mountain passes and underground tunnels. There is no single kingdom: every people governs itself in its own way, and relations between regions pass through merchants, wanderers and the rumours that travel from inn to inn. ## The peoples * The halflings of the Green Shires live on harvests, fairs and gossip. They welcome anyone who pays and distrust goblins, whom they blame for every emptied larder. * The dark gnomes of the Gloomdeep dig tunnels and trade in mushrooms, crystals and clockwork devices. They see in the dark, suffer in sunlight and come to the surface only for business. * The elves and druids of the Bramblewood guard the forest and tolerate woodcutters as long as they fell only dead trees. Basilisks are an old threat in the area. * The Croaking Fens are a land of witches, goblins and smugglers, ruled on paper by a baron who struggles to collect his taxes. * The dwarves of the Ironholds live by mines and forges, make the finest weapons in the world and loathe anything that corrodes metal. * The Emberlands are a land of volcanoes, fire smiths and young dragons looking for a lair. * The barbarian clans of the Whitewolf Tundra follow their shamans and the spirits of their ancestors; feuds between clans pass from generation to generation. * Spirehaven, the city of towers at the heart of the Arcane Vale, is ruled by the Tower Council, an assembly of wizards that regulates the study of magic and sells potions, scrolls and enchanted items. ## The Night of Sparks A year ago the sky above Spirehaven filled with coloured sparks, visible from every region. Since then magic has been unstable. The Tower Council denies any responsibility and speaks of a natural phenomenon; in the inns people blame a failed experiment, a clumsy apprentice, a dragon, a comet. Nobody knows the truth. Magical accidents are more frequent near Spirehaven and wherever magic is used often. ## Jobs Every village has at least one problem to solve. Jobs are pinned to inn notice boards or offered directly by village heads, merchants and afflicted families. Those who solve them are called wanderers; they are paid on delivery, and their reputation travels along the roads with the caravans. A job done badly or betrayed is remembered for a long time. ## Coins and prices Copper pieces (cp), silver pieces (sp), gold pieces (gp) and platinum pieces (pp) circulate everywhere; ten coins of one kind are worth one of the next. Reference prices: * rations for one day: 5 sp; modest meals for one day: 3 sp; mug of ale: 4 cp; * night at a squalid inn: 7 cp; at a modest inn: 5 sp; at a comfortable inn: 8 sp; * torch: 1 cp; hempen rope (50 feet): 1 gp; bedroll: 1 gp; backpack: 2 gp; * healer's kit: 5 gp; potion of healing: 50 gp; antitoxin: 50 gp; * dagger: 2 gp; longsword: 15 gp; shortbow: 25 gp; leather armour: 10 gp; chain mail: 75 gp; * mule: 8 gp; pony: 30 gp; riding horse: 75 gp; * magic items: common 50 to 100 gp, uncommon 101 to 500 gp, rare 501 to 5,000 gp, very rare beyond that. In the Ironholds weapons and armour cost less than elsewhere, in Spirehaven potions and scrolls do, in the Green Shires food does. In the tundra and the Gloomdeep almost everything comes from far away and costs more. ## Regions Every territory's description names the region it belongs to. Regions follow the land itself: * **The Green Shires:** the green lowlands and coasts below about 300 m, with orchards, fairs and halfling homes dug into the hillsides. The safest region, where food is best and cheapest. * **The Croaking Fens:** the coastal and river marshes, misty and full of frogs, reeds and stilt houses. Witches, goblins and smugglers live here, and the baron's taxes rarely arrive. * **The Bramblewood:** the dense, ancient rainforest, guarded by elves and druids. Paths shift, beasts hunt, and basilisks haunt the stone clearings. * **The Gloomdeep:** the rocky hills between about 300 and 700 m, riddled with tunnels and caverns where the dark gnomes live. Collapses and creatures from the depths make it dangerous, and most goods come from far away. * **The Ironholds:** the mountains between about 700 and 1,200 m, with dwarven holds, mines, forges and steep passes. Weapons and armour cost less here than anywhere else. * **The Emberlands:** the volcanic peaks between about 1,200 and 1,600 m, with lava flows, fire smiths and young dragons seeking lairs. Heat and fumes punish the unprepared. * **The Whitewolf Tundra:** the frozen high plateau above about 1,600 m, swept by wind and snow and roamed by mammoths. The barbarian clans camp here and test every stranger. * **The Arcane Vale:** the lakeside around Arvalbuzia Lake, where the towers of Spirehaven rise. Potions and scrolls are easy to find; everything else is expensive. ## Open tensions * The Tower Council would rather nobody investigated the Night of Sparks. * Smiths and dwarves want to drive out the young dragons occupying their forges; many elders would rather pay tribute. * The baron of the Croaking Fens is in a cold war with the swamp witches. * The halflings demand that goblins be kept out of the Green Shires. * The tundra clans fight over the winter grazing grounds of the mammoths. * The dark gnomes fear that collapses and awakened creatures will force them to the surface. ## Storytelling Fun, often sarcastic and grotesque. Time by time include riddles and puzzles. Think always out of the box. ## Roads and smaller settlements Caravans, guides and boat crews connect the following local stopping places to the region's trade. Sea passages still require a boat and a willing crew; a marked entrance does not make an underground route safe. ### Crooked Kettle Hut (The Croaking Fens) Mother Brackle's reed-roofed hut stands in the marsh country around Mirewick. She is the witch who turned the baron's tax collector into a toad. She will discuss lifting the spell, but demands an end to his seizure of the villagers' winter stores. ### Clearing of Statues (The Bramblewood) The clearing from Oakhearth's existing job contains Hob Ashby and older victims of the basilisk. Tam watches the approaches from behind a blind of dead branches. The basilisk hunts nearby; looking directly at it remains dangerous. ### Gullmeadow Landing (The Green Shires) A halfling fishing hamlet and landing links an outlying stretch of the Green Shires to coastal traders. Mirabel's contacts use its smokehouse as a collection point. Boat journeys depend on a real vessel, weather, payment and time. ### Coppercart Rest (The Green Shires) A small caravan inn and stable serves the Green Shires' longer journeys. Mirabel is a regular customer, not its owner. Pella Barleybutton trades news from Applebrook and honours paid reservations with alarming precision. ### Underbough Orchard (The Green Shires) This orchard supplies dried fruit and cider to the Green Shires' fairs, including Applebrook's. Tansy Pipseed keeps an herb plot and records the ingredients sold to travelling potion makers. Her ledger may help investigate Wendel's accident but cannot establish his whereabouts. ### Reedwhistle Landing (The Croaking Fens) A timber jetty and a few stilt houses give the outer marshes access to fishing and coastal trade. Nessa Reedwake carries letters and small cargo. She knows Mirewick's smugglers, but never promises passage beyond her boat's reach. ### Siltmarket (The Croaking Fens) A small market on timber platforms serves a remote part of the fens. It trades mushrooms, reeds and salvaged goods. Buyers connected to Grik's fence in Mirewick visit here; the fence and Grik's debt remain in Mirewick. ### Lanternless Causeway (The Croaking Fens) An old raised track and a squat toll shelter cross a stretch of wet marshland. The baron's neglected wardens dispute fees with carriers. Dry footing here helps local travel, but does not bridge the seas between islands. ### Bellowsgate Refuge (The Ironholds) A stone shelter and pack-animal yard break a long journey through the Ironholds. Carriers bring food up and tools down. News of Stonerail's rust monster has made them inspect every scrap of metal before loading. ### Old Coppervein Mine (The Ironholds) A small worked mine outside Stonerail's workings has its own timber supports and ore store. Its miners fear the rust monster could reach their tools next. They can offer material knowledge without solving Stonerail's existing job on the wanderer's behalf. ### Anvilpass Exchange (The Ironholds) A sheltered trade yard supplies mountain carriers and dwarven smiths. Dorrin Slateback keeps its inventories and has set aside hardwood clubs and wooden wedges after hearing Brunna's report of Stonerail's trouble. Honest trade depends on the next food caravan arriving. ### Sporewick Exchange (The Gloomdeep) The marked surface entrance leads to a dark-gnome market in shallow caverns. It trades dried mushrooms and crystals with carriers from Mosslight Delve. Its tunnels connect only where a surveyed passage exists; light and suitable guides still matter. ### Listening Shaft (The Gloomdeep) Venn Tickroot tends a listening post at a cavern mouth away from Mosslight Delve. Gnomes compare vibrations here before reopening routes damaged by collapses. Their measurements could aid Nekk's investigation but do not explain the Night of Sparks by themselves. ### Rainbough Shelter (The Bramblewood) A small refuge built around fallen timber shelters herb gatherers and forest travellers. Its keepers recognise Briar's grove and tolerate visitors who respect living trees. Routes onward change with weather and the forest's hazards. ### Ashpot Refuge (The Emberlands) Fire smiths maintain a rough shelter and a modest working hearth along an Emberlands route. Sella Coalhand takes in travellers turned away by Cinderforge's occupied forge. Heat, fumes and scarce supplies remain serious problems. ### Mammothrest Camp (The Whitewolf Tundra) Runa Mammothstep's small clan camp watches a winter grazing ground away from Wolfhearth. Its people trade furs and distrust strangers who promise to speak for every clan. The camp's elders know Ulvar, while keeping their own loyalties.