Hills, growing into mountains that stretch into the sky. On the east side of the hex is a mountain village known for mining and goat-herding. The villagers are mostly quiet and unassuming, although lately they have been terrorized by a local bully who has grown bold as his gang increases in power, however petty that power may be. The town is run by a small council, the leader of which is the matriarch of a family that has lived there for centuries. The council leader may ask the party for help with the gang if they seem trustworthy. The party may be introduced to her by an innkeeper, a union member, or in the street by a councilperson if there is a public altercation with the gang. There is a union of miners in this town as well, although they primarily work in the mountains and only come into town to conduct business on rare occasions. Their office is staffed by two bureaucrats.
Another person of interest is a local youth who is works in the inn as a janitor. This youth wants to be an adventurer and fancies themselves something of a fighter or thief. They will give the party any information if pressed in the slightest although the gang may threaten them if this behavior is noticed. They will follow the party and likely get themselves into trouble at some point, possibly requiring a rescue. If asked they will gladly serve as a retainer even without pay. They have a small group of friends who also have dreams of greatness but are cowards.
Unknown to the villagers, the local gang is growing in power because the local chapter of the thieves’ guild has been without leadership for weeks now. This has led to a power struggle in the shadows as the gang tries to exert their dominance and drive out the guild. The gang’s hideout is on the outskirts of town behind a rough-and-tumble inn. The thieves’ guild chapter is located in a cavern beneath a storehouse in the middle of town.
This chapterhouse is a well-kept secret; the villagers think these tunnels are haunted catacombs… a rumor kept in circulation by the guild. Unbeknownst to the guild further beneath the catacombs lies an ancient dwarven city that harbors a terrible danger. The missing leader of the thieves’ guild is a hedge wizard who is too curious for his own good and delved too far into the caverns below the catacombs, becoming lost in city below. This wizard may be dead or alive in the ruins, and could be a powerful ally or enemy.
The dwarven city is full of automated guardians and traps. The entrance from the catacombs contains a gate to an emergency shaft that leads down into the city. The grand entrance to this city on the other side of the hex in a difficult-to-find cavern. The danger located herein is the hatchery of the orc-centipede. Intrusions by the hedge wizard, compounded by the presence of the party, awakens these monsters who threaten to destroy everything above if unleashed.
In addition to magical items, there are vaults full of dwarf-coins hidden in the city, offering riches to the party if they can bring them to the surface.
d6 encounters in the town:
Gang members hassle the party
Goatherd leads a pack of goats in from the hills kicking up a dust cloud
A woman in leather armor and a cowl, asking vague and ominous questions
A group of children follows the party from a distance, squeaking and hiding if caught
Haunting groans coming from the storehouse
Members of the miner’s guild in confrontation with gang members