Breachill

The town of Breachill is nestled in the foothills of the Five King Mountains in the wilds of eastern Isger, about 50 miles from the Druman border. Compared to the region’s other settlements, this small town is young—just shy of 170 years old—though it has a fascinating history that rivals those of many far older places. Breachill began with the humblest of origins, as a barely functional outpost of human amnesiacs, but the aid and mentorship of a powerful Wizard led these shivering and dying unfortunates to found the hardy and thriving town that exists today. Many of Breachill’s 1,300 residents are humans who trace their ancestry to one of these original pioneers, leading to the townsfolk’s identity as people who persevere and are self-sufficient by birthright. As a result, the residents of Breachill are brave and community-minded. Unlike the insular inhabitants of many Isgeri towns, they welcome adventurers of all types. After all, the townspeople owe their existence to the benevolence of a powerful wizard and adventurer—Lamond Breachton —whose legacy is so beloved that it is almost a religion. Practically without exception, any harsh words spoken in town against Breachton are taken as a challenge to most residents’ honor. Breachill’s townsfolk are hardy, and the town is focused on self-sufficiency and creature comforts. Residents are friendly and tend to help each other, and the town’s history makes them open-minded toward outsiders. Breachill’s citizens tend to play as hard as they work, so the town counts numerous taverns among its many businesses.

Government

Breachill has a tradition of governance through democratic council that stretches all the way back to its founding, when Lamond Breachton helped create the town’s charter and officiated its first governmental vote. Back then, the wizard took a vote of the outpost’s people, allowing them to vote for three candidates they believed would best serve their interests in a decision-making capacity. In the town’s very first election, the top three vote recipients—Veraline Rhasolde, Agabe Owu, and Tilda Halversson—became Breachton Hill’s first town councilors, with Veraline Rhasolde becoming council president by virtue of receiving the most votes overall. Every 2 years, the town holds a new election under those strictly democratic terms, with the top vote receivers landing spots on the council. This tradition has persisted for six generations, though the number of council seats has swelled to five, given the town’s far larger current population, and its councilors have included every ancestry that has called the region home, from Dwarves to Elves to Half-Elf to Half-Orc to Goblins to even a few with more uncommon ancestries. Breachill’s town council is responsible for every aspect of municipal government, from administration to public services to taxes. The council meets monthly to discuss its current business and to hear from its residents, and council meetings are known for the lively, polite, and usually quite friendly debates that unfold. Only rarely do politics flare into outright hostilities, which is likely due to the town’s open voting process and the short terms its councilors serve.

Breachill Town Hall - In addition to the chamber used for Breachill’s public meetings—including town council meetings and the Call for Heroes—Breachill Town Hall holds the offices of all staff members who support the town’s government and its myriad municipal functions, as well as facilities for its town guard and courts.

Defenses

Breachill Town Guard

In addition to its municipal duties, the town council is also responsible for overseeing and paying the members of Breachill’s town guard, which typically consists of about 50 members. Currently, the head of the Town Guard is Wilford Lavendil, a jolly yet militaristic man whose human mother’s family traces its heritage to a founding Breachill pioneer. The town guard concerns itself with crimes committed inside Breachill’s town limits, and it regularly patrols Breachill’s perimeter roads for active, large-scale threats to the town’s peace. However, limited as the guard’s personnel is, there is much that falls outside of the organization’s purview, including small threats to travelers on nearby roads, crimes committed against citizens outside the town’s limits, and petty anonymous crimes that don’t actively threaten citizens’ safety. For these jobs, the town council regularly employs trusted adventurers to keep the peace and help its residents feel safe and happy.

Call to Heroes

Breachill takes pride in its legacy as a haven for both burgeoning and established adventurers. And so, in the organized tradition of most of the town’s functions, its town council holds a monthly "Call to Heroes". At these meetings, Breachill residents present their cases for wishing to hire adventurers to the council, the councilors decide whether to expend municipal funds on these problems and then they hire heroes for the approved jobs out of those in attendance. Most months, one or two jobs go to adventurers who have either proven themselves to the councilors in the past or who appear to be trustworthy after presenting themselves at a meeting. Breachill’s leaders hire adventurers for three main purposes. First, it provides the townspeople with an official way to obtain help when they’ve exhausted all other options. Second, it allows the salaried town guard to focus on mundane crimes and threats to the town. And third, it provides experience to local adventurers and allows the council to vet out-of-town mercenaries, so that if the need arises again, the town will have heroes ready to come to its aid, just as Lord Lamond Breachton did years ago.

Industry

The town's gold piece limit is 800 gp. Anything, whether it be mundane or magical, having a price under that limit is most likely available for purchase. The total amount of available coinage, or the total value of any given item of equipment for sale at any given time, is 52,000 gp. Lvl 4 Cap

Breach Creek Lumber- This facility on the edge of Crimson Tide Wood serves as a logging mill and a carpenter’s shop. One of the largest logging companies in Breachill, the business provides lumber for much of the town’s construction needs and regularly sends contingents of lumberjacks into the nearby wood—though the aggressive boars, cougars, and even wargs and owlbears often make this a dangerous prospect. As a result, chief logging forewoman Narine Howerdell often hires adventurers to accompany these lumberjack teams. The associated carpenter’s shop employs some of the best artisans in Breachill; the eccentric Xandel Rynearsohn oversees it.
Posandi Brothers-Located on the shores of Breach Creek for more than five generations, this masonry business has provided most of the bricks for new construction in Breachill for the past 50 years. Posandi Bros. is a family-owned business, and all of its employees are somehow connected to its titular clan, whether they’re direct scions or cousins, or have married into the family. Town councilor Quentino Posandi is the business’s owner and manager. As he’s often at the town hall handling his duties, Posandi cousin Amera Lang currently administrates day-to-day duties. The family is notoriously tight-lipped about its business practices.
Quarters and Bits-This dual storefront is home on one side to a general store called Bits, and on the other, a weapon and armor smithy called Quarters. From the outside, the businesses seem separate—until it becomes clear that both are the effort of proprietor Crink Twiddleton, a fast-talking halfling whose sales skills often help him sell outlandish items to customers and convince them they never knew how much they needed his wares. Crink is known for wearing a smart suit and a jaunty hat, and for having a mischievous twinkle in his eye, but beyond his cheesy charisma, he’s also known for importing some of the finest goods and employing several highly skilled smiths.
Reliant Book Company -This niche retailer buys and sells rare tomes and is known for its stuffy and academic selection, ranging from ancient history texts to the personal diaries of long-dead heroes in myriad languages. Owner Voz Lirayne runs this shop with the help of her new apprentice Calmont Trenault.
Vusker's Carts & Wheels- Located just inside the Breachill town limits, Vusker’s Carts & Wheels is the go-to wainwright for the many traveling merchants and adventuring caravans that pass through the town. Chief wainwright and business owner Fadelby Vusker is clever and hardworking, and he has built up a robust business from the small mom-and-pop store that his father opened just before he was born.

Infrastructure

Lamond's Lament- Located in one of the most hardscrabble parts of Breachill, Lamond’s Lament is a soup kitchen and place for the downtrodden to rest. The operation is funded through a mix of public money and donations, and its staff consists of volunteers from throughout the community. Renatta Gilroy currently oversees Lamond’s Lament. This quiet but deeply kind woman often helps guests of the operation at her own personal expense.
Monument Circle- This marble-paved circle is the visual centerpiece of Breachill. Around it stand six deep wells that the nearby residents and businesses rely on for fresh water. In the center of the ring is an elegant, 15-foot-tall bronze statue of the wizard Lamond Breachton, Breachill’s founder and the town’s most important historical figure.
Morta's Mortuary- This imposing, black-painted building with heavy, onyx-colored curtains serves as the home and place of business for Morta Valaskin, an eccentric woman whose daily fashions include elaborate mourning gowns, gauzy black veils, and elbow-length satin gloves. Morta views death as both a business and a lifestyle. She is said to be one of the most informed gossips about town.

Assets

Breachill Archive- Kept in a sprawling (if musty) facility just across the fence from Breachill Town Hall, the town archives consist of official records and historical accounts dating back to the settlement’s founding. Chief archivist Jorell Blacktusk is one of the most knowledgeable citizens in the settlement about the town’s history. Jorell is happy to assist any visitors with finding even the most obscure records here, though the fact that he is woefully understaffed means that he is often preoccupied and distracted while doing so.
Crimson Wood Furs- Despite the specificity of its name, Crimson Wood Furs is a comprehensive haberdashery known for its high-end tailoring, gorgeous cold-weather outerwear, and fine cobbling. The establishment takes pride in its origins as a luxury supplier to high-ranking Hellknights, and portraits of early Order of the Nail leaders wearing the shop’s fine clothes line the store’s mahogany walls. Current owner and chief tailor Winthrop Finney is a relative newcomer to Breachill, but he is passionate about his craft and about outfitting his customers in exquisite finery
Pickled Ear-This rough-and-tumble dive bar and tavern is frequented by locals and hardscrabble adventurers alike—many of whom clash in rowdy and sometimes vicious brawls that take place far too regularly for the town guard’s liking. Proprietor Roxie Denn is always looking for ways to expand her customer base.
Tuskhead Stoneworking- A new venture in the last decade, Tuskhead Stoneworking does brisk business building limestone foundations and walkways, installing landscaping stonework, and carving gravestones. The business is known for importing large barges of quarried stone straight into its building on the banks of Breach Creek, and management’s strong relationship with the town council has ensured that all permit requests are readily approved. In recent years, Tuskhead has poached a few prominent clients from the Posandi Bros. masonry company—a coup for owner Rorsk Axebane, who has always suspected that his rivals dabble in shady business practices.
Wizard's Grace- Owing to its proximity to Breachill Town Hall, the Wizard’s Grace tavern is the favored establishment of many adventurers who hope to gain work from the council by attending the town’s monthly Call for Heroes. Adventurers and municipal workers regularly mingle here, exchanging stories and generally enjoying the atmosphere created by the diverse clientele. In the days leading up to each council meeting, the tavern is particularly busy, as adventurers schmooze with town officials and even the occasional council member who might show up for a drink and a meal. Before each meeting, the inn’s tavern has a long-standing tradition of holding toasts and serving meals of boar stew with lentils—a practice owner Trinil Uskwold inherited from her grandfather, a prominent local adventurer who loved eating that meal before embarking on his own many daring journeys. Because of the politics of socializing here, the crowd tends to be both well-mannered and chatty, though occasionally a brash adventurer or two gets rowdy.

Guilds And Factions

Cayden's Keg- This rousing, well-kept tavern is one of Breachill’s most popular places to enjoy a hearty meal and a pint of ale, and it doubles as a temple of Cayden Cailean, the freewheeling Accidental God. The proprietor, primary bartender, and head priestess is Brynne Taithe, who loves little more than when adventurers tell rousing tales of their daring exploits and deeds, preferably in conjunction with frequent purchases of ale.
The Great Dreamhouse- One of the few dedicated temples in Breachill, the Great Dreamhouse is a monastery-like establishment dedicated to the goddess Desna. About 30 priests and acolytes who live, work, study, and pray in the temple’s peaceful lounges and verdant indoor gardens call the place home. The Great Dreamhouse offers a place for weary travelers of all stripes to rest, and most of its resident faithful are willing to provide healing at a reasonable price. On clear nights in the summer, head priest Kellen Carondil invites the public into the temple’s observatory to gaze at the stars and ponder the callings of the goddess of travelers.
Shelyn's Smile- This segmented building on Breach Creek is both the headquarters of Breachill’s artisan guild and a temple to Shelyn, goddess of art, beauty, love, and music. In one wing, the faithful worship the Eternal Rose through sculpture and painting classes as well as via choirs and orchestral performances, and priests offer healing to those in need. In the other wing, representatives for Breachill’s artisans and tradespeople are available on most days of the week, and customers can pay a small fee to be matched with the right proprietors for all their renovation, building, and decorating needs. Guild president Tarindlara Vallindel is an immaculate professional representative—the picture of sartorial splendor and class—and a prominent Shelynite herself.