THE VALLEY OF CASTELLUM
This is the region where the Dunjonstompers are currently adventuring.
FOR A SENSE OF SCALE:
HEARTH
A small village with an almost entirely human population of between four and five hundred, Hearth sits on the eastern bank of the river Ivliss. Hearth is located approximately fifty miles south of the Dragontooth Mountain range and the mining village of Falstone, at an approximate forty degree lattitude; this means hot summers and freezing winters for the residents.
Hearth was founded many years ago by those seeking political and religous freedoms that could not be found in other communities such as Sathenge or Talibra. As such, hearth is governed by a council of seven that rarely influences the citizenry other than to help when those citizens are in need. The general alignment of the council and population can be best described as Neutral Good.
Hearth's location was picked primarily due to the very fertile soil at this stretch of the river Ivliss. Hearth relies on crops and livestock as it's chief export commodities. Hearth also has a fair number of craftsmen and several guilds that promise to increase their use of the river and it's resources so that someday farming is no longer Hearth's most viable profession.
The growth and stability of the village has seen a handful of inns built within a day or two's foot travel from Hearth; this helps foster local trade and allows for relatively safe travel along the well-worn trade route.
THE SHADY DRAGON INN
A three-story structure with plenty of history, the Shady Dragon Inn offers travelers a place to eat, rest and sometimes gather interesting morsels of information. Currently run by Kimball Black, the Shady Dragon Inn also employs a surprisingly skilled cook who goes by the name of Gort, an unnaturally strong bouncer named Ilona Firehair, and when it suits them the two serving wenches Adrianne Beornsdottir and Gwen Kutpurse.
Located halfway between the villages of Falstone and Hearth the Shady Dragon Inn was at one time an overly busy location with added foot traffic coming to and from the nearby thorp of Silverton and the outlying Mines of Mithros. Since the incident at the mines and the inexplicable collapse of Silverton things at the Shady Dragon have slowed down.
Originally owned and operated by Casus Tomis the Shady dragon was rumored to have a healthy rogue’s guild using the inn as base of operations. It was not an uncommon occurrence to have the local constabulary of Hearth or Falstone stopping by the inn to "look around" or ask questions of some of the regulars. Several years ago Kimball Black bought into the venture and within a few years of this new partnership, Casus vanished. Although rumors abound that Casus was done in by his business partner, patrons swear that Kimball and Casus appeared to be the best of friends and of course nobody will accuse Kimball in public.
Today the Shady Dragon Inn still acts as a stop-over for travelers between Hearth and Falstone but just as many travelers use the inn as a starting point for a trip to the abandoned Mines of Mithros or the long-dead community at Silverton - many go but few, if any, return. . .