Village of Severan

[Kenneth New]

Severan's Mill, better known as Severan, is a large village in the eastern reaches of the Woodverge March in northern Nyrond, almost due east from Midmeadow, situated under the eaves of the Gamboge Forest. It's the place where the Midmeadow road meets the Gamboge Trail (a series of forest paths that wind throughout the forest). It's part of the Domain of Severan, five villages controlled by the Severan family (Charwood Glen, Duncow, Severan, Trembly and Willowstrand). Since the destruction of Motte Severan by forces loyal to Iuz, it has doubled as the seat of the Severans.

Severan (large village, about 180 buildings)

Population 1000 [mixed population, 600 humans, 100 elves (75 high elf and 25 sylvan elf), 100 halflings (60 stouts and 40 lightfoots), 80 elfbloods, 75 dwarves (hill dwarves), 30 gnomes (20 rock gnomes and 10 forest gnomes) and 15 orcbloods]

Government Hereditary Lord (Daric Severan)and Council (important officials and stakeholders appointed by Lord Severan). There are four families of landed knights with estates within an hour or so of the village. Each of them holds a seat on the Council.

Defense 20 armsmen loyal to Lord Severan, 5 armsmen loyal to each of the landed knights, 24 citizens in the militia, plus another 120 with some training, Constable and 5 deputies. 4 foot high fieldstone retaining wall surrounding the village proper.

Commerce logging, pig herding, grist mill, goat herding, dairy. As the largest village in the immediate vicinity, Severan draws business for its eponymous mill. It is also the site of a weekly market that lasts from Freeday to Starday, and the location of the local Growfest, Richfest and Brewfest fairs. Much trade from the Northern Gamboge comes through Severan.

Organizations logging guild, woodcrafters guild, dairy guild

Temples Pholtus, Beory and Pelor, Heironeous

Temple of Pholtus (2 priests, 9 clergy)

The largest temple in Severan is the Temple of the Incandescent Blaze. It is a wooden structure with a sharply pitched roof and a tall steeple. It has a rectory in the back where unmarried clergy live (including both Griselda and Veronica). It has a yard around it on all sides, surrounded by a fieldstone wall.

There are 2 priestesses (Griselda and Veronica)and 9 other clergy (including 5 teachers). High Priestess Griselda (human female, born 513 CY) is a theological moderate who tries to convert through the example of a virtuous life of service. Under Priestess Veronica (human female, born 564) is much more of a firebrand who openly espouses closer ties to the Pale and the decadence and sinfulness of other faiths.

There is a small temple school to educate the children of the faithful. They operate as a grammar school (the equivalent of grades 1-5) for up to 100 full time students, age 6 through 11. For children who's parents cannot afford the fee, there are free classes for up to 100 students offered on Freeday.

Temple of Beory (and Pelor)

The two most popular deities among the rural folks often share religious space in smaller communities. In Severan, the Temple of Beory has a small shrine honoring Pelor. A small forested lot holds a simple wooden longhouse dedicated to the Earth Mother, and a small round shrine dedicated to the Sun Lord.

Priestess Willona (human female, born 546 CY) is the head of the faithful of Beory. She is extremely popular in town, due to her hearty and joyous take on life. She is assisted by 5 clergy who aid in services as well as operating the food kitchen in the longhouse which feeds all those in need regardless of their faith (donations are appreciated).

Priest Adric (half-elf male, born 541 CY) is the head of the faithful of Pelor in Severan. He is well respected as a mediator in town. He is also a healer, having served as a healer in the Nyrond army during the war. He and his aged assistant Felix (human male, born 509 CY) often aid the clergy of Beory in the food kitchen.

Temple of Heironeous

This stone building is fairly impressive, with its long basilica and slate roof. It has a yard in the back that includes a small, but well-maintained rectory. Priest Justin (human male, born 561 CY) runs the church, with the assistance of his young acolyte Calliston (human male, born 575). The two are anxious to expand the church, since that is the directive they've been given by their patron (Lord Severan), but the temple is large for its current congregation.

The Church of Heironeous is the faith of Lord Severan and most of his men. Its congregation is small, but disproportionately wealthy since many of the wealthier citizens find it advantageous to sit in the same temple as the local lord.

[Kenneth New]

Where do you go when you want to get a meal?

Foaming Mug Tavern

Cameron (male human, born 526 CY) is the sexagenarian owner of this tavern. He's lost a wife and son to the plague, a son and a daughter to Nyrond's wars and another daughter in childbirth. He's a loud and cantankerous man, with a cruel wit and a sharp tongue. He has three women working for him, Kiera (human female, born 565 CY), Ellona (human female, born 542 CY) and Brianna (human female, born 570 CY). He treats them like daughters.

The Foaming Mug is an establishment that caters to serious drinkers, but they do serve some food that can be prepared on a grill or preserved by pickling. They serve sausages (4 cp), meat skewers (4 cp), pickled sausages (3 cp), pickled eggs (1 cp each), pickled vegetables (2 cp per cup) and flatbread (bannock, 1 cp).

For drinks they have ale or cider (pint, 3 cp), wine or mead (cup, 5 cp), superior wine or mead (cup, 1 sp), and distilled liquor (shot, 5 cp).

The main room has booths along the wall and long tables in the center, as well as a bar. A back room has smaller tables for 2-4 and standing games of dice and cards run by the house.

Red Acorn Tavern

Ardo (male halfling stout, born 541 CY) and Petunia (female halfling stout, born 545 CY) run this cozy establishment. They have five children. The eldest child, Lily (female halfling stout, born 575 CY), helps out serving customers, while the second child, Brego (male halfling stout, born 579 CY) supervises the smaller children (Liego, Rose and Holly) while they play or help out in the kitchen.

The Red Acorn specializes in pies (meat and mushrooms, cheese and onion, garbanzo and vegetable or fruit) and hearty soups served with dumplings. All the pie crust and dumplings contain flour made from acorns. Pies are 4 cp each (most big folk eat 2-3), and soups are 5 cp or 10 cp, depending on the size of the bowl. They also serve ale or cider (pint, 3 cp), wine or mead (cup, 5 cp), superior wine or mead (cup, 1 sp), tisane (cup, 2 cp), small beer (cup, 1 cp).

This tavern is definitely a more homey establishment. Raucous or unruly crowds aren't welcome.

Sunflower House

Della (female human, born 565 CY) and her half-brother Ellarion (male half-elf, born 568 CY) have run this tavern since the death of their maternal grandmother in 588 CY. Their parents were both scouts in the Nyrond army, and died during the Greyhawk wars.

This tavern has a dining room and a bar. They also use the garden patio, which remains a constant 70 degrees. The patio has a glassteel ceiling, dating from 200 years ago when Sunflower House was the home of the wizard Arbogast.

This establishment looks more like an old stone row house than a shop (because that's what it was). The two floors above the tavern are not open to the public, but Della and Ellarion have converted the third floor and the garret to one bedroom apartments which they rent for 30 sp a month. The apartments are reached by a back stairwell that leads into the patio garden. Della and Ellario live on the second floor. It is rumored that there are several other magical amenities created by Arbogast.

The Sunflower house serves a wide variety of breads, cheeses, meats and sausages (usually sliced thin). They also have pickled vegetables and eggs. Meals cost 6 or 9 cp, depending on the size of the order. Patrons are allowed to compose their own meals, making choices from categories of food grouped roughly according to price. (Think of the cuisine as half Delectables and half Chock Full of Nuts). They also serve drinks: ale or cider (pint, 4 cp), wine or mead (cup, 6 cp), superior wine or mead (cup, 1 sp), rare wine (cup, 2 sp), hippocras (cup, 1 sp), a variety of tisanes (cup, 3 cp).

There is almost always music in the garden patio.

The walls of the tavern are covered in murals depicting sunflowers.

Griffon House

This large building is the only inn in Severan. It's a two course house with a great hall in between. In Griffon House, the Great Hall serves as the common room of the inn. The northern course is the residence of the ostlers, and the southern course consists of rooms for let. The double doors of the common room are flanked by wooden statues of perching griffons, which are kept brightly painted.

The owners are Elmer (human male,born 545 CY) and Tegwen (female human, born 550 CY). Tegwen is a descendant of the original owners of Griffon House before the family fell on hard times and converted it to an inn (434 CY). They have two daughters Frida (born 570 CY) and Gillian (born 573 CY) who help out in the inn along with other employees.

They have two larger rooms with cots that hold 10 people (5 cp per cot) on the ground floor, and 8 private rooms that cost 6 sp each on the second floor. The third floor has 2 larger rooms with many amenaties that cost 1 gp each.

Prices in the common room are: bannock bread (1 cp), roasted carrots and parsnips (2 cp), pickled beets (2 cp), pickled cabbage (2 cp), other vegetables or fruit in season (2 cp), cheese 2 cp, stewpot (5 cp), roast chicken or pork (1 sp), fruit pies (about the size of a hand pie, 4 cp), ale or cider (pint, 3 cp), wine or mead (cup, 5 cp), superior wine or mead (cup, 1 sp), hippocras (cup, 1 sp), distilled liquor (shot, 5 cp), tisane (cup, 2 cp), small beer (cup, 1 cp).