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Siren's Fountain

Profile

  • Kind: Town
  • Founded: An older village that became a medium town about 12 years ago
  • Size: Medium town with ~60 buildings
  • Environment: Mild climate, perched on the edge of the mountains, with barren wasteland stretching to the south
  • Government: Elected leader
  • Military: A well-equipped force with deputies and a guard squad
  • Overall condition: Good
  • Known for: Old fountain depicting a siren and food, especially excellent white bread
  • Motto: “Enough to live a good life.”

Geography

  • River Marmor: A clear, drinkable river running past the town. Its waters remain safe only up to the point where it enters the southern wastes.

Layout

  • Roads: Fair roads and cobblestone streets
  • Housing: Solid well-built houses
  • Fortification: Light, with guarded entrances and watch posts but no continuous wall

Government & Power

Leadership:

  • Raimon Welpser is the city's elected leader and a merchant. His family is often, but not always, chosen to lead. He is generous and fair and personally chose Otthein Bieswag as Reeve.
  • Politics: Very peaceful and stable.

Law:

  • Otthein Bieswag is the Reeve and manages the guards. The town has a well-equipped force with deputies and a guard squad. Otthein is an ex-archer from a mercenary company who lost an arm. He remains poor, though his years of begging are behind him.
  • Mine Palace: Home of the court and the Mine Inspector, an Algeron-appointed judge who records concessions, settles disputes, and keeps the ledgers honest.
  • Mining concessions are granted directly by Algeron.

Economy

Market:

  • Ore and industrial goods are regulated through the Mine Palace, while food and ordinary goods are traded freely.

Trade & Resources:

  • Traffic: Droves of visitors. The town sits on a growing trade route.
  • Gateway Role: Serves as a safe, well-supplied pass through the mountains toward the Red City, where caravans gather, rest, refill water from the Marmor, and hire protection before the final leg of the journey across the southern wasteland.
  • Mining: Locals work several small mines with veins containing silver, lead, and copper, alongside separate iron deposits, providing a steady flow of raw ore and tools to trade.
  • Banking: Fugren House was the great bank that formerly operated in town. It was recently pushed out because Arral no longer accepts competition.

Shops:

  • Food & Goods: Great bakery (famous white bread), great general store, good general store.
  • Crafts & Supplies: Good tailor, good cobbler, good cooper.
  • Herbalists: Two good herbalists.
  • Butchers: One poor butcher and one medium-quality butcher.

Services:

  • Drinking & Lodging: One great tavern and another superb tavern.
  • Stables: One great stable and one poor stable.
  • Other Services: Single poor scribe and a great crossbowman (trainer who can also teach the bow).

Society

  • Culture: Public modesty hides a strong drive for commercial and industrial success.
  • Population density: Congested, with many people crowding the buildings.
  • Demographics: 50% Algeronians, 25% Northerns, 20% Redders (others negligible).
  • Wealth: Prosperous. Most have a little more than they strictly need, supported by trade in bread, ore, and caravan traffic along the Marmor.
  • Cost of prosperity: The town remains prosperous and orderly because miners, charcoal-burners, muleteers, and other laborers bear the dangerous and poorly rewarded work supporting it.
  • Visitors: Friendly and welcoming to visitors.
  • After dark: Quiet. The taverns remain open, but most of the town closes early.
  • Law & crime: People are notably honest. Crime is almost non-existent. Honesty, prosperity, and a strong watch keep offenses very low.

Religion

  • Dominant faith: The same nature faith found in Cuten and Galloping Forest
  • Notable place of worship: Oratory dedicated to the nature faith
  • Religious climate: Moderate faith. Worshippers are devout but not extreme.

Relations

  1. Algeron: Grants mining concessions, appoints the Mine Inspector, and places the mines under state law.
  2. The Red City: The destination beyond the mountain pass, a source of visitors, and a rival influence over the mines.
  3. Cuten: Raimon Welpser is buying its debts, forest plots, logging businesses, and wagon contracts to secure resources for the ferreria.
  4. Galloping Forest: Shares the same nature faith.

History

Siren's Fountain began as a small village just beyond the mountains. It grew when mines were discovered nearby and became a medium town about 12 years ago.

  • Welpser once held the mines outright and grew wealthy by extracting the deep veins.
  • The Algeron State claimed the mining right “for protection,” to block Auburn influence and place the mines under state law.
  • One generation ago, while Siren's Fountain was still a village, a Welpser used Fugren loans to build the ferreria and became the family's first notable member.
  • A northern merchant-bank, the Fugren House, once financed expansion here, minting credit against silver and advancing tools, wagons, and pay.
  • Their departure left empty ledgers, unpaid notes, and a gap in caravan insurance, forcing the town to rely on Algeron courts and local coin again.

Notable Locations

  • Old fountain: The town's old siren fountain rises from a natural rock and serves as a source of fresh water.
  • Mine Palace: Home of the Mine Inspector and court.
  • Ferreria: A huge ferreria where mined material is processed in furnaces and forges, powered by huge amounts of charcoal.
  • A foundry with a blast furnace, workshops, warehouses, and an ironworks section with multiple forge-hearths and hammers, plus a large workforce including canopi (miners), charcoal-burners, woodcutters, and muleteers.
  • Magic Shop: A good general store quietly keeps a back room for charms, questionable relics, and rare magical goods. Access depends on introduction and trust.

Notable People

  • Raimon Welpser: The city's elected leader and a merchant.
  • Otthein Bieswag: The Reeve who manages the guards, an ex-archer from a mercenary company who lost an arm.
  • Mine Inspector: An Algeron-appointed judge.
  • Crossbowman: A great crossbowman and trainer who can also teach the bow.

Currents

  • Raimon Welpser: Buying household debts, forest plots, logging businesses, and wagon contracts throughout Cuten Village. He intends to control the village piece by piece to secure forests and transport for the ferreria.
  • Fugren factor: Rumor says a Fugren factor still visits in secret, hunting a missing seal-ring ledger that could name who truly owns the richest shaft.