Breachill

For weeks, we were disheveled and confused, shivering in the shadow of winter as it crept into the mountainous valley. We barely managed to forage for food and build rickety shelters. A few of us carried swords to fend off wild beasts, but we had no memory of how we found those measly weapons, or of who might have put them into our hands. And that was the worst of it: we knew we all had lives before this bleak state of affairs, but to a one, we barely remembered our own names. Our spirits were broken, and our hope for surviving the winter seemed slim. Then a miracle happened: a benevolent wizard stumbled across our valley. His name was Lamond Breachton, and it is with his kindness that our town’s story begins.

—Opening except from Breachill, Outpost of Liberty, by Veraline Rhasolde, author and first Breachill town council president

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 deep and 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 stripes. After all, the townspeople owe their existence to the benevolence of that powerful wizard adventurer—Lamond Breachton—whose legacy is so beloved that it might be almost be considered a religion. Practically without exception, harsh words against Breachton here are taken as a challenge to most residents’ honor.

Town History

Breachill traces its founding to 4520 ar. That fall, 50 humans found themselves mired in a threadbare outpost in a valley at the foot of the Five Kings Mountains. They had little shelter, provisions to survive for just a few weeks, few skills among them, and almost no defenses against the area’s dangers. Even stranger, they had no idea how they ended up in their hovels, nor why they were there in the first place. Most barely remembered their own names. As winter encroached, the flimsy outpost’s vulnerabilities were clear, and the desperate survivors felt hope fading.

And then an act of serendipity saved their lives. Lord Lamond Breachton, a wandering adventurer, scholar, and wizard, was returning from a lucrative trading trip to Druma↗ when he stumbled upon the amnesiacs’ meager outpost. Even with his powerful magic, kindly Lord Breachton couldn’t solve the mystery of the humans’ origins or restore their missing memories. He took pity upon the villagers, and spent much of his recently acquired wealth on building proper shelters along the banks of what became known as Breach Creek. Further, Breachton helped the amnesiacs acquire food and establish farms, brought in experts to teach them trades, and used his magic and know-how to aid their day-to-day affairs while the townspeople became self-sufficient. In less than a year, the outpost was thriving, and the leaders of the burgeoning hamlet named their settlement Breachton’s Hill. This name was soon shortened to Breachill.

Despite his monumental place in the town’s history, very little is known about Lamond Breachton himself. The wizard’s origins are a mystery, and details of his life before arriving in town are conspicuously missing from the extensive local texts written about the town’s founding. The townspeople know only that Breachton had distinctive, golden-colored eyes, the rich voice of an angel, and flowing white hair that reached past the magnificent robes he always wore. Curiously, the wizard made it clear to those early town pioneers that he was indeed a human, as opposed to an aasimar or other celestial-touched being. History books describe Breachton’s demeanor as exceedingly paternal; he treated each of the town’s pioneers as wayward children regardless of an individual’s actual ages. His kindness and willingness to expend his own resources to help the outpost seemed without limit, however—he made the humans’ survival and well- being his entire focus for an entire year. Then one day, as quickly as he had arrived, Breachton disappeared. The townspeople never heard from him again, but they understood the wanderer’s need to move on. As a final tribute to the wizard, the townspeople erected a statue of him that stands in the center of town to this day.

Breachill’s population swelled and came to include dwarves, half-elves, half-orcs, and even goblins. Though it remains a comparatively small settlement, Breachill quickly became known as a perfect place for adventurers in the region to stop for a hearty meal, a decent inn, and an enthusiastic audience for their tales from the road. Early on, the town established a tradition of formally employing adventurers for duties that concerned its citizens but fell outside the purview of the town’s guard. And in time, the town caught the eyes of the Hellknights, a strictly lawful mercenary group dedicated to protecting order at all costs. In 4638 ar, the newly formed Hellknight Order of the Nail↗ pledged themselves to fighting lawlessness in the untamed wilds. Impressed with Breachill’s peaceful and efficient functionality, they chose a spot outside Breachill for their inaugural home, Citadel Altaerein. The order built its single-tower keep high on a low-rising hill about 10 miles northeast of town. For decades, Breachill served as a supply juncture for the Hellknights, and many townspeople took jobs as laborers or staff members attending to the keep’s needs. But then, in 4682 ar, only 44 years after building Citadel Altaerein, the Order of the Nail pulled up stakes from what had become known as Hellknight Hill. Lured to the west by Queen Domina, then ruler of Korvosa, the Order of the Nail relocated to a far more expansive home in Citadel Vraid. For many years, it maintained a skeleton crew of Hellknights to watch over the essentially empty citadel atop Hellknight Hill, but in 4711, the Hellknights abandoned Citadel Altaerein entirely.

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-elves to half-orcs to goblins to even a few with more uncommon ancestries. For more about Breachill’s current town councilors, see the section below.

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.

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 (LG male half- elf soldier), 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.

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’sfunctions, its town council holds a monthly Call for 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.

The Town Councilors

The members of Breachill’s town council are elected for 2-year terms. The council’s current members are listed below.

Greta Gardania (LG female human councilor): The daughter of one of the most prominent families in Breachill, Greta Gardania traces her lineage to one of Breachill’s founders, Rennold Gardania. From a very young age Greta passionately aspired to public service, tirelessly studying the town’s civic history and diving into every text she could find about the philosophy and strategies of governance.

Jorsk Hinterclaw (NG male dwarf councilor): The son of silver miners from Kraggodan in Nirmathas↗, Jorsk was a smith’s apprentice in his hometown before he left for a life of adventure. He traveled all around the region completing various jobs with crews of mostly kind-hearted adventurers, and he garnered a very positive reputation in Breachill long before he settled there and began to dabble in public service.

Quentino Posandi (N male human councilor): One of the most inscrutable members of Breachill’s town council, Quentino Posandi is nonetheless the owner of one of the most successful businesses in town, the Posandi Bros. masonry company. Quentino is the business’s fifth-generation owner and manages it himself, and despite the significance of handling those tasks alone, the business has never thrived more. Out of all the council members, Quentino speaks the least, but when he does weigh in publicly on a decision, his shrewdness and problem-solving ability are remarkable.

Melma Ann Sendari (LN female human councilor): The scion of a Chelish family who fled the nation after the Thrune Ascendancy, Melma Ann carries the pedigree of old nobility whose legacy ended with the political upheaval of the Chelish Civil War. Nonetheless, she carries herself with impressive self-assurance, and she understands diplomacy and statesmanship better than perhaps any other politician on the council.

Trini Sprizzlegig (CG female gnome councilor): A first-generation resident of Breachill, Trini Sprizzlegig immigrated as a baby from her parents’ hometown of Brastlewark in Cheliax↗. Trini is a deeply kind and empathetic woman, if a little manic, and her propensity for helping others led her to earn a spot on the council. Perhaps one of its flightiest members, Trini nonetheless is one of its staunchest voices for helping those in need—and for welcoming adventurers from far-off locales or unusual backgrounds.

Religion

Religion is not a particularly prominent part of daily life in Breachill; its residents are more focused on community and communal survival. However, there are pockets of faithful here.

One of the most prominent religions is that of Cayden Cailean↗, the Accidental God of freedom, ale, wine, and bravery, and more than a few taverns regularly engage in traditional rounds of rousing hymns while hoisting flagons to the Adventuring God. Another popular religion is that of Desna↗, the Song of Spheres and the goddess of dreams, luck, stars, and travelers. Shelyn↗, goddess of art, beauty, love, and music, is also popular among the town’s artisans and tradespeople; in fact, the town’s artisans’ guild doubles as a temple to the Eternal Rose.

Far less common but still worth mentioning is the Church of Asmodeus↗—while there is no Asmodean temple in Breachill, the faith rose in prominence several generations ago with the arrival of the Hellknights at Citadel Altaerein. Worshippers of the Dark Prince aren’t always trusted around town, but they’re accepted, partially because Breachill Asmodeans don’t tend to practice much in public and partially because the town has never experienced problems with violent diabolism, unlike other towns in Isger.

Among the scions of the town’s oldest families, the closest thing to a widespread religion might be veneration of Lamond Breachton. However, a schism is slowly forming between the more tradition-minded residents and newer citizens, who sometimes question how the town’s amnesiacs arrived in the region at all and why Breachton just happened to come upon them at just the right time.

In general, Breachill residents are welcoming to worshippers of any good- and neutral-aligned god. In fact, given the number of adventurers who pass through, there is a general laissez-faire attitude toward faiths of almost all stripes. Many residents don’t even mind adventurers who openly worship evil gods, so long as those adventurers don’t do anything to disturb the public peace. The town guard is known to casually shadow such adventurers, however, just to make sure they don’t cause trouble in public areas.

Gazetteer

Breachill’s townsfolk are hardy, and the town is focused on self-sufficiency and creature comforts. However, the town’s tight-knit nature means that its residents are friendly and tend to help each other, and their origins keep them open-minded toward outsiders. Breachill’s citizens tend to play as hard as they work, hence the town’s high number of tradespeople as well as taverns. public infrastructure, including bakers, blacksmiths, brewers, brickmakers, butchers, coopers, excavators, leatherworkers, lumberjacks, masons, wainwrights, weapon and armor smiths, and weavers. These tradespeople are happy to sell their services to established residents and newcomers alike, and anyone with enough coin and at least the semblance of a friendly smile might be able to outfit nearly any home or traveling party with but a few visits to key professionals around town.

Breachill’s notable locations are described below.

1. Breachill Archives

Kept in a sprawling (if stuffy) 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 (LN male human half-orc librarian) traces his lineage on his human mother’s side back to Breachill’s original pioneers, and he 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. Jorell sees the historical figure Lamond Breachton as a personal hero; he suffers no rude comments about Breachton and has in fact banned visitors who’ve shown less than a healthy respect for the wizard.

The archives began with Lamond Breachton’s own meticulous notes detailing the year during which the wizard worked with the valley’s foundlings to create a self-sufficient hamlet. Official first-person accounts from town residents also are stored here; they begin shortly after Breachton’s departure and continue to be regularly added to. Military records from the town’s involvement in the Goblinblood Wars and documents related to the Order of the Nail’s official presence on Hellknight Hill are found here, too; these archives all have a rather formal and official feel compared to the more personal recollections of the main repository.

2. 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 (N female half-elf lumberjack) often hires adventurers to accompany these contingents. Payment might come in the form of gold pieces, choice selections of lumber, or wood worked into graceful furniture or other pieces in the carpentry shop attached to the mill. The shop enjoys a reputation as employing some of the best artisans in Breachill; the eccentric Xandel Rynearsohn (CG male human carpenter) oversees it.

3. 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 includes the offices of all staff members who support the town’s government and its myriad municipal functions, as well as its town guard and courts.

4. 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 (CG female human cleric of Cayden Cailean 5), 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 priestess particularly loves when a good story holds the entire tavern rapt, and she has been known to provide entire rounds on the house when that happens as an offering to her god. It’s also a good business practice, though, since a captivated and tipsy audience is usually willing to purchase more food and ale as the evening progresses.

5. 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 (NG male human tailor) is a relative newcomer to Breachill, having moved here from Elidir as a very young man, but he is passionate about his craft and about outfitting his customers in exquisite finery. Winthrop began working at Crimson Wood Furs more than a dozen years ago and worked his way up the business’s ranks until he eventually purchased the operation from the previous owner. He is particularly impressed by self-made adventurers, and he can be convinced to offer discounts or even free articles to adventurers who promise to publicly and prominently wear his clothes and speak highly of his wares.

6. 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 call the place home, living, working, studying, and praying in the temple’s peaceful lounges and verdant indoor gardens. 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 (CG male elf cleric of Desna 5) invites the public into the temple’s observatory to gaze at the stars and ponder the callings of the goddess of travelers.

7. 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. Council President Greta Gardania once worked here and administrated its operations. Since she joined the town council, oversight of Lamond’s Lament has fallen to Renatta Gilroy (LG female human chef), a quiet but deeply kind woman who often helps guests of the operation at her own personal expense.

8. 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.

9. Morta’s Mortuary

This imposing, black-painted building with heavy onyx-colored curtains serves as the home and place of business for Morta Valaskin (N female human mortician), 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. Though her flighty mannerisms and morbid outlook toward funerals and the dead might seem macabre, to Morta, death is just a part of life, and a fascinating one at that. Naturally, Morta worships Pharasma↗, the Lady of Graves, so various images of psychopomps—particularly the birdlike nosoi—decorate the mortuary in the form of paintings, sconces, floor statues, and the like. Morta is also one of most informed gossips about town, and she knows the secrets of everyone from prominent citizens to ordinary townsfolk.

10. 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 (CN female human tavernkeeper) is always looking for ways to expand her customer base.

11. Posandi Bros.

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, cousins, or have married into the family. Town councilor Quentino Posandi is the business’s owner and manager. As he’s often at town hall handling his duties, Posandi cousin Amera Lang (LE female human mason) currently administrates day-to-day duties. The family is notoriously tight- lipped about its business practices, and for good reason: the Posandis have been secret Asmodeus worshippers for generations. They often seek the guidance and aid of devils when they feel it’s necessary, sometimes even summoning them in their secret diabolic underground chambers.

12. 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 smith called Quarters. From the outside, the businesses seem separate—until it becomes clear that both are the effort of proprietor Crink Twiddleton (CN male halfling merchant) a fast-talking halfling whose sales skills often see him selling outlandish items to customers who 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.

13. Reliant Book Company

This niche retailer buys and sells rare tomes, though its selections are known for being rather stuffy and academic, ranging from ancient history texts to the personal diaries of long-dead heroes in myriad languages. Owner and secret necromancer Voz Lirayne runs this shop with the help of her new apprentice Calmont Trenault.

14. 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 (NG female elf cleric of Shelyn 5) is an immaculate professional representative, the picture of sartorial splendor and class, and a prominent Shelynite herself.

15. 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, however, Tuskhead has poached a few prominent clients from the Posandi Bros. masonry company—a coup for owner Rorsk Axebane (LG male dwarf mason), who has always suspected that his rivals dabble in shady business practices. So far, the masonry company hasn’t turned its sights on Tuskhead, but when the Posandis eventually take notice, no doubt town councilor Quentino Posandi could make life difficult for the company.

16. 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 (LN male human wainwright) 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. He’s also a shrewd businessman, and when his customers return to him complaining that wayward bandits or roving monsters damaged their wagons, Vusker simply shrugs, charges them for repairs, and recommends that they petition the town council for adventurers to address any recurring dangers to themselves or other travelers. Occasionally, when a threat outside town has scared enough of his customers, Vusker himself quietly looks for heroes to help address the problem and keep the heat off his business affairs.

17. Wizard’s Grace

Owing to its proximity to Breachill Town Hall, the Wizard’s Grace tavern is the favored establishment of many adventurers who wish to seek work from the council in the town’s monthly Call for Heroes. Here, adventurers and municipal workers regularly mingle, 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 (NG female human innkeeper) highly encourages, as her grandfather, himself a prominent local adventurer, 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.