To Farazad

LEGEND

1. Market Plaza
2. Craftsman’s Ward
3. Merchant Quarter
4. Gate District
5. Cathedral Square
6. Castle Grounds
7. Adventurer’s Guild
8. Farms

To Westmarch

3
2 1 To Borderlands & Rivenwold

8
A Beacon of Light on the Edge of Darkness
The independent city-state of Lanternlight was established on the edge of the
Blackmoon Frontier over a century ago. The land was originally settled by a group of
pioneers seeking to make their lives away from the rule of the kings to the south.
When some folks discovered a vein of gold in the nearby mountain, it sparked an
interest in exploration of the frontier and a town formed around the general store that
served local farmers, fishers, and prospectors.
Decades later, the town found itself under frequent attacks from nearby barbarian
tribes. A prominent land owner, rich from silver mines on his property, stepped up to
invest in the town’s security by erecting a sturdy stone wall, arming and training a
local militia, and building an impressive fortification to keep watch over the
surrounding lands. The town grew into a small city and the citizens named Dalmund
Erancord ‘Lord of the Land’.
Today, Lanternlight has made a name for itself as a mysterious, far-flung destination
for those looking to escape their old lives and start anew. Lord Erancord, now aging
into elder years, still holds seat in the now heavily armed castle that presides over the
shire. It serves as an important trade hub for those who work on the frontier and
become a common place for adventurers to gather before venturing forth to seek
riches, fame, and glory on the frontier regions to the north.
MARKET PLAZA POINTS OF INTEREST
- The Adventurer’s Guild: A large building wrought from sturdy timbers looms
over plaza. The guild serves as a headquarters for local adventurers. Fearing the
dangers that adventurers tend to bring, most folks in town barely tolerate its
presence, but some of the cities businesses profit from the activity and so therefore
support them staying in town.
- Foamer & Fox: A simple, no-frills tavern known for its foamy but potent ales,
smoked meat, and near-weekly bar fights. The place is decorated with fox-themed
wooden carvings, fox pelts, and stuffed foxes.
- Mad Maringer’s Hot Pastries: The tall redheaded woman who runs this
cook-cart sings amusing tunes while preparing and serving her fragrant meat and
fruit-filled pastries.
- The Silver Down: Owned and operated by the joivial, gray-bearded man called
Belmunder, this simple but cozy inn offers inexpensive rooms and a warm hearth to
weary travelers. Just don’t get on Belmunder’s bad-side, or you’ll find yourself on
sharp end of a big sword.
- General Sundries: Offering a wide variety of tools, supplies, materials, gear, and
trinkets, Udra and her sister Mila have run the store for their uncle for the past five
years. The store itself has been mainstay of the city since its founding over a hundred
years ago.
- The Farmer’s Market: Every other day, a dozen or so carts from nearby farms
gather in the plaza to sell everything from livestock and produce to furniture and
wagons. Haggling is not uncommon.
- Nirra the Butcher: A thin, pale girl wields the butcher’s knife with cold precision
behind an oak counter. She’s willing to cut and clean just about anything you bring to
her.
- Cedril the Barber: A hawkish young barber-surgeon has established a practice
here, offering a wide variety of services including haircuts, shaves, tooth-extraction,
enemas, and bloodletting.
CRAFTSMAN’S WARD POINTS OF INTEREST
- Larzander’s Forge: A stone building nestled in between warehouses and
workshops on the west side of the ward. Larzander hammers every piece himself and
offers fair prices for metalwork as well as weaponry and armor.
- Andwyr’s Fine Stones: Lady Andwyr and her husband Llewrick run a fancy
jewelry store, as well as buy and trade fine stones, rare minerals, gems, diamonds,
geodes, and more.
- Rare Text Emporium: The old man behind the counter, goes by the name of
Baltimmer, is facinated with old, rare, and occult books, scrolls, manuscripts, and
writings of just about any kind. He is known to be fluent in many languages.
- Quiver & Quarry: A small workshop manned by two brothers, one a talented
bowyer and fletcher, the other a skilled leatherworker. Together they produce reliable
products with decent prices.
- Kyren the Cooper: This stout young lad opened shop not too long ago. He makes
solidly-built barrels, buckets, basins, and churns.
- Tinker’s Workshops: An alley-alcove tucked into the surrounding buildings hides
a ramshackle workshop where they make simple metal items such as pots, pans, and
other flatware.
- Lorn the Wheeler: Wagons and wheels of assorted shapes and sizes are scattered
around this workshop built in an old barn.
- Carpenter’s Shop: Wooden furniture and other assorted products, as well as raw
lumber, are stacked all around. Viella and her brother Varn run the show.
- The Tannery: Just outside the west gate is a complex of buildings use by local
tanners to produce raw leathers to use for goods. They’ll skin pretty much anything
for you.
- The Clay that Awakened: A pottery workshop that uses clay from nearby
streams to produce a decent array of ceramic materials and products. They’re
strangely obsessed with bulls and have a large tapestry of a minotaur hanging above
the entrance.
- Lutes for Loots: An eccentric musician named Melnor the Musical crafts a decent
assortment of string and woodwind instruments.
MERCHANT QUARTER POINTS OF INTEREST
- Blacktide Bay Trading Company: A gruff, eye-patched man who chomps cigars
runs the show at this successful branch office of one of the largest resource trading
companies in the known world.
- Manor Row & Gardens: The wealthy merchants who do business out of
Lanternlight have been building their lavish houses in clusters within this area of the
city. The alleys in between contain lush, flowered gardens.
- Temple of Lux: An lavishly adorned, domed marble temple with tall pillars
depicting scantilly-clad people sits in the center of the merchant quarter. It’s less of a
house of worship and more of a glorified casino.
- Gordran’s Peculiar Paraphernalia: On the western edge of the quarter sits a
inconspicuous shop full of all variety of bizarre things, interesting trinkets, and
obscure curiosities.
- Fine Boots and Shoes: A quaint little cobbler shop with whitewash walls and tall
chimney sits between townhouses. The owner Humphrey also makes his home here
with his family living upstairs.
- Garments by LaVondrius: The mononymous LaVondrius is an expert tailor and
has produces fine apparel for wealthy aristocrats, nobles, and royalty.
GATE DISTRICT POINTS OF INTEREST
- Customs House & Teamsters Office: Caravans that move through Lanternlight
must check in with the customs house; a small tax is applied to goods that start or
end their journey there. An adjacent office with oxen stables serves as the headquar-
ters of the teamsters who trek back and forth from the Southern Kingdoms.
- Lanternlight Jail & Watch Barracks: A cluster of sturdy stone and timber
buildings create a secured complex just outside the gates to the castle grounds. Those
who are caught comitting a crime in and around the city are detained and potentially
sentensed to serve time here. The town watch maintains a barracks on site.
- Sibyl of the Auspicious Star: Psychic readings, divinations, soothsaying, cards
of fate, augury, and more. The spaewife known as Rehella keeps a low profile in town
but sells her services to everyone from wealthy merchants to lowly farmers.
- Stables & Farrier: A sizable barn, yard, and work area serve as the city’s primary
stables. Bruella lends a hand as the farrier, crafting and fitting horseshoes as well as
tending to the health of the creatures.
- The Old Mill: Originally a freestanding windmill, the building has since been
refitted into a bakery where Adissa and her three sons produce hearty loaves of
wheat, barley, and rye bread every day.
- Hawkleaf Brewery: The Hawkleaf family runs a successful brewery, specializing in
dark ales and occasionally producing ciders that locals rave about.
- Reeve’s Manse: A stately mansion stands guard near the main southern gate to
the city. Here the shire-reeve Tanick Arrowglen and his family make their home. The
reeve acts as the local magistrate, barrister, and executive officer for the town watch.
- Town Hall & Courthouse: A girthy blackstone edifice dominates the street-side.
Inside is a large meeting hall where locals gather for business, celebrations, weddings,
contract signings, legal proceedings, and social events.
- Bath House: A small stone dome covers a natural hot spring in the ground. Fees
are minimal, steam is relaxing, and water is mostly clear.
- The Silken Sash: The men and women who work at the Silken Sash won the right
to operate their brothel in town a decade ago. Jacko and Sasha are the ringholders,
vaguely respected around town and trusted by their workers.
- Big Boarshoof Feast Hall: A large and raucus feast hall that hosts nightly parties
full of abundant alcohol and food. Gets out of hand once in a while but most folks try
to keep it civil.
- Monastery of the Blackfriars: An austere temple made from solid black stone
walls sits tucked into the borough. The psycopomp monks that reside here spend their
days worshipping their grim goddess of death, Ravinica. They also operate a skilled
health clinic that attempts to heal those that it can, and usher those that it can’t into a
painless journey to the afterlife.
CATHEDRAL SQUARE POINTS OF INTEREST
- The Cathedral of Mythras: Built shortly after the walls of the city were
constructed some fifty years ago, this grand structure was a masterwork example of
architecture and crasftmanship, with four towering stone spires and a magnificent
stained glass dome centerpiece in the great worship hall. In the decades since, it has
endured much wear and tear from weather and use. Sadly, it’s seen better days. Three
priests live and preach within the walls of the impressive church, offering sanctuary
and spiritual guidance to any who pledge their immortal soul to Mythras.
CASTLE GROUNDS POINTS OF INTEREST
- Inner Gates: Separating the castle grounds from the city proper is a massive iron
gate guarded by two turrets manned by crossbowmen at the ready.
- Castle Lanternlight: While Lord Dalmund Erancord is getting on in years, he is
still a commanding presence in town and his two sons, Darrix and elder Dalomir, keep
the peace with the help of the shire-reeve and the better than sixty armed guards who
defend the city. The castle itself is an ornately crafted, five-story fortress made from
gray limestone mined from local quarries. Built into the side of the castle is an
eight-story tall tower with battlements. A great lantern the size of a barrel is lit at
sundown every day as a beacon to travelers.