The town is called CrowGrave and will act as a sort of homebase for the PC's, however being set in the Shadowfell will be a hostile environment where the party will have to tread carefully not to overstep the boundaries of their stay, or disturb the strained political balance.
What I have so far, or ideas I have played with;
- The city is ruled over by a a dictatorship headed by a dark warriror, and his corrupt council. The king has dellusions of grandeur. He will be far out of the reach of the powers of the PC's when they arrive, but in the scale of threats of the Shadowfell he is small fish. He believes others to be aware of his rule over CrowGrave but others barely pay him heed, as the town is barely beginning to gain influence and power.
- An injured and outcasted Keeper pulls strings with the council. Hoping to build a powerbase of his own.
- The normal people of CrowGrave live in dire poverty, farm land within the city limits is available on a first come first save basis. However families often steal land from one another, and to prevent this families are often forced to build home on stilts in the marsh land closer to their farmland.
- There is a faction of slum dwellers banding together to try improve life for themselves and oneanother, they meet in secret in the ruined tower on the edge of the slums.
the base of the towers acts as a shelter to livestock and anyone who prefers the smell of animal waste over the cold of the wooden shacks outside the town. The top floor is a the groups meeting place, and a ramshackle bar. - The slums are in a slight basin and the marshland is ever encroaching. At the edge of the slums is the storehouse where the dwellers take the portion of their produce that is collected as tax. Gallows surround the storehouse as a detterent to anyone who attempts to steal from the stores or dodge their tax. The Storehouse is gaurded and the gallows operated by a sadistic Shadow-Kai.
- The Central castle houses the elite of the town, the hunters guild, a league of a assasins in high favour with the king, the king himself resides in the main tower. And the elite guards, main enforcers of the king.
- The cathedral houses the Keeper, and a flesh golem (think Sloth "Hey you guys") who acts as groundskeeper of the graveyard.
Any thoughts and recommendation. Plot hooks, NPC's or basic things I've missed a realistic town would require?
Cheers,
Lee
P.S More houses to be added in the non slum districts, and paddy fields beyond the city walls. Just couldnt be bothered at the time.
The king may organize regular bloody games to entertain the peasants, the nobility and himself.
It can also be a form of income if the games come with a prize and are announced all across the Shadowfell, attracting all kind of champions.
Covert rescue mission perhaps
The Hunters Guild also came from similar thinking regarding attracting champions from across the Shadowfell.
Cheers,
Lee