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Edmund Smith is the local blacksmith. You can find his wares at Ol’ Stabby’s General Store and Grocery or visit him at his forge!

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Philomina Beltash is the town doctor. She seems a little too concerned about potential outbreaks of disease, but then again, it’s probably better safe than sorry in Runford…

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Athen Warbler act as a sort of public defender for those who can’t afford legal counsel in Runford. He’s a bit bumbling, but he’s got a heart of gold and is always willing to help those in need.

One of my characters is playing a corrupt lawyer, so I’m going to have fun with this one.

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Another local shopkeep, the owner and pharmacist at the drug store, is Alva McDonald. She might be able to mix you up custom potions if you gather the right ingredients.

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Jaylie Barleystide is Augustus’ daughter, and one of the many miners in town.

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Augusta Barleystride, or “Stabby” to their friends runs the local general store and grocery. They seem to know everybody around town.

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Oops, turns out the town judge is actually a devil who killed the last (admittedly corrupt) town judge. He’s not too ecstatic to be in Runford either though, and is trying to get back home after being mistakenly summoned. The question remains, however, how did he get here?

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Talking quietly to Mayor Ironson before the announcement is the town Judge: Andreas Daan. He is a relatively new arrival to Runford, appointed judge at the courthouse after the sudden and mysterious disappearance of the last one. Something seems fishy about the man… what could his secret be?

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The story begins in the town square, where Mayor Jonah Ironson has an announcement to make to the townsfolk. He isn’t well like by the people of Runford, but his family has been in charge since the town was founded forty years ago. Attendance at his speech is mandatory, so we’ll see you there…

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Annnnndddddd here’s the labeled map of Runford!

In the eyes of most, Rúnford is not so much a boom town as a town that has been bust for the last 50 years. Established in one of the few valleys of Candlefly not littered with tell-tale glowing crystals, it produces no magic at all. The miners here instead dig for materials far more mundane: coal, and, luckily for the town, persistent veins of gold. Despite its banality, Rúnford has not escaped the strange threats offered up by the mountains. In fact, it seems that every year more beasts and monsters appear in its streets, and this poor, isolated village grows ever more dangerous. Some whisper that this is because its people have grown too tolerant of magic, or perhaps because they were strange to begin with, outcasts that could only ever exist on the fringes of a country like Salem. Beyond its residents and their strange ways however, could there still be darker forces moving unseen?

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Today, a map with (very limited) labels of Salem, where Runford is located. I’ll build on it as my players build out their characters, but for now Runford is the main focus…

Across the Circumfluent Sea, rife with pirates, corrupt merchants, and the navies of powerful empires, is a kingdom nestled between the ocean and a mighty range of mountains. Established fifty years ago after a bloody war, the Vigilant Church lays claim to this land and its people. From elves to orcs, dwarves to humans, halflings to gnomes, dragonborn, tiefling, Genasi and more, this kingdom, known as Salem, is home to people from many places and walks of life.

In Salem’s capital, the bustling port town of Tithe, dockworkers and laborers scrape together poor lives in contrast to the mercantile nobility, made rich through maritime trade and kept rich through their loyalty (not to mention their generous donations) to the clergy. The Vigilant Church, faithful of Tyr, god of heroism and justice, is the rule of law here. Its priests pass legislation, while its infamous Witchhunters act as jury, judge, and executioner. Magic, they say, is dangerous, and must be eradicated.

The Candlefly mountains, which cradle Salem, are its own poorly kept secret. The Gavel War fifty years ago was fought not for justice or honor, nor even by many heroes, but to claim these uncharted slopes and the wonders they hide. Abundant precious minerals are now almost completely controlled by private companies, but it is the church that maintains a stranglehold on the mysterious “Candlefly Crystals,” each of which has its own strange magic. Though the witch hunters keep a strict eye on this magic, at least one of these crystals is common knowledge. Impossible to overlook, and the namesake of the Candlefly Mountains, glowing yellow crystals lie strewn across their slopes for miles. Finding it difficult to hoard the relatively common resource, the distribution of yellow quartz was legalized in 1896, only a year before the beginning of the campaign, and has sparked something of an industrial revolution within Salem.

Though possessive of the other crystals and their secrets, the Vigilant Church does need miners to procure the precious gems, to delve deep for purer forms of the common yellow crystal, as well as those yet hidden. As money flows from Tithe into the pockets of lucky prospectors, people rush to the mountains, hoping to strike it rich themselves.

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I'll start with the town map - this is Rúnford, where the majority of the campaign will take place. It is a small, extremely isolated mining town in the high mountains; a place rife with oddities where everyone has their own secrets. The vibe is very much dark scooby-doo mystery / gravity falls town set in the late 1800's.

Stay tuned for a labeled version and get ready to start meeting the townsfolk!