The Cthonia Trading Post
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The Cthonia Trading Post
Trading Post Description:
This is the third attempt to establish a trading post in the Thunderlands. The first two were destroyed, with no survivors. The brutality of the assaults made clear that the dangers of the area are not to be taken lightly, but offered few clues as to how these earlier settlements met their fates. The third Trading Post has been established for a little over two years and sits atop a mesa near the sea — hopefully in a safer area.
The Post is a small collection of 10 buildings surrounded by stout wooden palisade with a 120' signal tower facing the sea. The palisade forms a square, with two watchtowers and north-facing double gate. The gate opens outward and has a pair of large timber braces that can be slid into place. Outside the palisade is about 2 acres of grains, an acre of vegatables and small apple orchard. Below are the specifics on the permament and near-permament residents
Building 1: Tavern/Inn, large common room with center round bar and 4 tables of 6. Trophies all over the walls. Small chicken coop and a couple goats out back. Second floor contains 6 rooms, double bunk beds (4) occupancy and small table with 2 chairs and window. Common washroom at each end of the upper hall. Basement storehouse and private 3 room suite of Owner proprietor.
Haggard Stark: Tavern Owner/Brewer Haggard is a mountain of a man, standing 6'6" and weighing around 280 pounds. He is in his mid forties. He is bald, and claims it's because he shaves his head every morning, and honestly, who's going to contradict him? He has dark eyes, bushy brown eyebrows, a very coarse 5 o'clock shadow. He has a large nose, cocked to the right. He wears a sleeveless buckskin tunic, and thick black bearskin (not fur) trousers. He keeps a dagger on one hip and a well crafted handaxe on the other. A large grey-whiskered mountain lion by the name of Grim sits curled up in a corner of the tavern. It raises its head to "check out" each patron as they enter. Haggard's old Greatsword, "Vanguard" hangs above the mantle.
Hope Stark: Daughter of Haggard Stark and an aspiring young Bard. Hope is a beautiful young woman with a voice of silk. She is tall (5'8") with a lithe, athletic build. She is extremely agile. Long brown hair is left down to flow to the middle of her back. Her eyes are the color of dark emeralds, and her tan skin is without a blemish. She favors a loose-fitting white cotton shirt and a maroon-and-black laced bodice.
Building 2: General Store; Small front counter with 10-15 displays of gear and foodstuffs, back office accounting room, secured walk-in vault of enhanced steel with Cold iron and lead inner layers. 3 Amazing Locks. Large basement store house for foodstuff and other goods that are kept cool. 3 room suite above the Store is a private residence
Lerangis the Half-Elf: A gangly woman, Lerangis stands 6 feet tall and weights no more than 110 pounds. Spry and nimble, she has a long bird-beak of a nose set in a well-weathered face. She is all about the survival of this post; she thinks Fate brought her here and she’s here for good. She is also security-conscious, so she keeps her goods locked up tight. Her eyes always search and look at customers, even the ones she knows. She has a large collection of good locks, and supplements them with cunning traps of her own devising.
Polly: Plump, blue-eyed, blond Polly is the sweetest person you'd ever hope to meet. Everyone at the Trading Post says so. Blessed with a sunny disposition, she is never without a cheery smile or a kindly word.
Anna: Half-elven Anna is as blond as Polly, but she is thin and lissome where Polly is plump. And while Polly is sweet and cheerful, Anna....isn't. Anna is beautiful and knows it. She expects everyone to defer to her beauty, and is visibly annoyed when they do not.
Building 3: Brewery; 4-6 kegs are stored onsight for internal use, another 8-12 are shipped monthly to the Float. Local ingredients makes the brews especially smooth and potent and thus fetch a high price.
Bast the Brewer: Trained in the fields and breweries of the second plateau, Bast was kicked out of his family for experimenting too much. Now they beg him to return. Bast has not only developed new brews of his own, he has also purchased a few recipes from others to supplement them. His reputation is growing, and fully a quarter of the traffic that comes to the Trading Post is specifically due to Bast's skill.
Toth: A streetwise kid Bast adopted when he was left behind by a caravan. Toth was trouble, but Bast has tamed, adopted him, and shared with him his love for brewing. Now Toth is an able apprentice, often seen running errands for the brewer.
Diaosha, Bast’s wife. When Bast was driven out by his family, devoted Diaosha came right along with him, and has never regretted it for a moment. She has proven to have quite the head for business, and essentially manages the brewery for her husband. Both Bast and Diaosha pretend that he is in charge, but it is an open secret that he'd be lost without her.
Building 4: Forge/Carpentry/Workshop; In this all-purpose workshop, wood and iron are shaped into weapons and tools. Cold iron and silver items can be crafted here as well. (Each of the three crafters has a skills bonus of 12; they can create weapons, armor, bows, and tools.)
Three old codgers own this place.
Risca the Stalwart: The dwarven master smith who runs the workshop says he doesn't have a history. He is extremely protective of Hope Stark, though none can really point to a reason. (Nudge and Patterson likely have an idea, but if they do they haven't shared it.) No on knows Risca's surname or clan, but is an extremely talented craftsman and his work is gaining in reputation in Hook City and Floating City.
Nudge: The gnome armor smith has had a fear of “horrible raking attacks” since some battle decades ago, which still figures prominently in his nightmares. He talks very fast and never stops between sentences. Nudge is not his real name, but so far it's the only one he's shared.
Patterson: The Halfling bowmaker also makes various tools. Somewhat shy, he talks softly and always seems to be looking over his shoulder. He is fond of nature; his hairy white feet can often be seen dangling from one tree or another as smoke rings puff through the branches. He also holds church services for various gods on their holy days. Post gossips are divided as to whether he is a priest or a ranger.
Building 5: Administration; Treaties, maps, and commissions are all kept on the first-floor office, which consists of two joined rooms. There is small meeting room at the back of the building, behind the office. Pen and his family live in a three-room apartment on the second floor.
Penfold Blurwinder Phwent (Pen): Pen is a gnome from the Floating City assigned to run the post. Stuck as a lower administrator and yearning for more, he jumped at the chance to move to a higher-profile position. He is middle-aged, with a wife and son, who both live with him at the post. He is ambitious, and determined to prove the worth of the Trading Post, and of himself as an administrator. He is orderly, meticulous, and always on the lookout for improvements.
Phinystys Cobberstore Phwent: Phinny is Pen’s devoted wife. She loves her husband dearly and despite what Pen thinks, she is quite happy with their life together. She supports and encourages Pen, but does not understand his drive for greater success. She was a bit put off when they first came out beyond civilization and she lost access to reliable metalsmithing tools and supplies for her tinkering, but she now makes do with an occassional delivery. Mostly she worries about their son who seems to have "the feys," that is, displaying a knack for mischief and magic.
Penttlecaster Blurwinder Phwent: Caster is gnome of 16 whose magical gifts are beginning to manifest. He is insatiably curious, overly mischievous, and a source of major worry for his mother. And his father, whenever Pen spares a moment from worrying about the Trading Post.
Building 6: Temple/Residence; As befits a diverse and ever-changing population, this is a general-purpose temple. The south door is the main entrance, leading directly into a simple nave with shrines to Domi, Pantheon, Flower, Ffloy, Wardd, and Gargul along the east and west walls, with a slightly larger shrine to Alemi on the north wall. At the back of the temple is a two-room apartment for the cleric.
Rexan: Human cleric of Alemi and former member of the group sent by Mr Randolph to the Trading Post. He has decided to retire from the adventuring life that brought him here and to set up pernament residence. He has begun courting Anna. He currently shares the residence with Patterson the bowmaker; plans are underway to build an addition.
Building 7: Alchemist/Herbalist; Most of the lower floor is taken up by Gazzy's workshop. She does have a tiny "front counter" area, but most of her concoctions are sold through the General Store. Because the surrounding jungle is home to so many rare plant specimens, Gazzy is able to create an astonishing variety of highly potent potions and salves. The upper floor is a three-room apartment.
Gazzy : She is quite the cat’s meow to the older gentlemen of the trading post--none of whom have demonstrated the courage to make the first move. She simply LOVES dinosaurs, and seems to have an affinity with them, although she never discusses it. Folks swear she can turn back a raging dino just by looking it in the eye; it is almost as if she goes into a trance that they can understand. She is not often at the Trading Post; she spends much of her time out in the jungle gathering for her potions and concoctions. She can brew an antidote to just about anything, and sees no practical difference between a poison and a disease. Both harm the body, she says, and both can be neutralized with the correct remedy.
Building 8: Stable; The stable is more-or-less public property; people can keep their horses and mules here, but are responsible for brushing, feeding, and caring for their own animals. Visitors to the inn can also put animals here, under Hope Stark's care, for an additional fee. The stable's permanent residents include four mules (two belonging to Klariest, and one each to Lerangis and Riska), and three horses (belonging to Haggard, Rexan, and Pen).
Building 9: Miller/Bakery/Residence; The mill has a large grindstone, powered by mules that live in the livery stable. Klairiest grinds grain for anyone who brings it to her, in exchange for a small portion of the resulting flour. She also grows some of her own grain, and grinds it for flour for the bakery. Typically, she runs the grindstone about once a week. In the bakery, she bakes daily. The small loaves she bakes are pretty basic, but very good.
Borcht the Baker: Borcht had a rough exterior and a heart of gold. Unfortunately, he was killed during a dinosaur attack on the Trading Post, leaving his sister to run the mill and bakery.
Klairiest: Borcht’s sister inherited his business and responsibilities. Klairiest is as stern and intimidating as her brother was, but she has a deep, abiding sense of community. Nobody goes hungry in the Trading Post, whether they can pay or not, and Klairiest scorns any idea of thanks.
Building 10: Grain storage
A large community well is located in the central yard
The overall Population is fluid, as hunters, explorers, missionaries and thrill seekers temporarily take up residence through out the year. The most well known at the Post is Orion. A Burly bald headed man. [Think the guy that Indiana Jones fought near the airplane in the first movie.] Tattooed all over with the things he’s killed. Deep Basso Profundo voice and sings too. A hybrid hunter/monstrologer, he gets along with both factions but also has problems with both cause he’s a moderate.
