Coldwharf

Profile¶

Kind: Village
Founded: Less than a generation old
Size: Small
Environment: Coastal
Government: A Village Speaker chosen by the households, serving until recalled and representing Coldwharf to outsiders
Overall condition: Ruined, with much of the village’s former structure and comfort lost
Known for: Zurfins

Environment: Coastal, between a polluted river, a healthy river, and nearby swamps
Origin: Founded when the receding blight first made settlement possible. The blight is still receding.

Fortification: None
Current size: Small, with around 30 buildings still intact and more than 70 destroyed

Market:

Trade & Resources:

Core resources: Fishing, with facilities for drying and salting fish, fishermen’s stands, and a wharf
Specialty: Famous for exceptionally fine fish called Zurfins that seem to be found only here

Culture: Algeronian
Population density: Once populous and vibrant, now only the skeleton of the community remains
Demographics: About 100 people, 80% Algeronians and 20% Northerns
Wealth: The villagers are destitute. Many are starving, and survival is difficult.
Visitors: Locals are neutral toward visitors. They have their own problems and pay little attention to outsiders.
After dark: Everything is silent here
Law & crime:
Law enforcement: One sheriff responsible for the whole village
Crime: Little to no crime. People are too poor and exhausted to offend, leaving the sheriff with almost nothing to do.

Dominant faith: Quiet, reserved followers of the Four Sires
Notable places of worship:
Main Oratory: Modest building with seating
Cult Altar: Simple altar dedicated to the cult of the Awaken
Religious climate:
The Awaken’s followers are becoming more visible and numerous.
A familiar and trusted figure from the main oratory has begun performing rituals here.

Algeron: Algeron hired a Ripped Banners company to guard Coldwharf
Red City: The conflict with the Red City is cold war-like. There is no open conflict, but incursions are real. The Red City allows pirates to pass and may even help them.

Coldwharf was once large, but repeated hardship shrank it to the edge of disappearance.

Harsh Weather and the Blight from the Swamp
Harsh weather: Storms spread the blight and destroy repairs.
Blight: The blight leaves the village too weak to recover before the next storm.
Passage of the Ripped Banners
The undersupplied Ripped Banners company lived off the village’s stores and demanded payment it could not afford.
Repeated Raids
Two severe raids struck the village.

Conscription for the recent war against Nevaria left the village visibly and emotionally scarred, even though the fighting never reached Coldwharf.

Superstition: Fear of the dark, especially concerning pregnant women
Custom: Pregnant women should not go out at night. If they must, they carry a lantern held before their belly.

Rare Libation Shop: Sells drinks made from, or served with, Zurfins and their products.
Small Inn & Seaside Pub:
Function: Very small inn mainly serving fish merchants
Feature: A pub with a pier that opens onto the sea, where boats can dock directly
Abandoned Mill: It processed Zurfin scales for blue dye and fell silent when the fish began disappearing.
Amphitheater: A single amphitheater serves as the main place for communal gatherings and announcements.

The Zurfins may simply have changed their seasonal route, but Coldwharf cannot survive long enough to wait and see whether they return.
A worker has been injured. Other villagers are pooling what they can to compensate his lost income and support his family.
Someone keeps stealing resources from the communal storage, making the village’s already poor resources even worse.
Bad weather and storms have damaged or ruined several fishing boats.
Work remains mandatory for survival, but going out to work has become increasingly dangerous.
Whispers say taxes will soon be raised to pay for the war, deepening the village’s already severe hardship.