Bremen

Ten-Towns

Founded by dwarf prospectors, the sleepy town of Bremen sits on the west bank of Maer Dualdon, at the mouth of the Shaengarne River. Bremen’s harbor has frozen, requiring local fishers to haul their boats across the ice to put them in the lake. Visitors who lack a boat can reach Bremen only by crossing the river, which is mostly frozen over. Targos, Termalaine, and Lonelywood are all visible from the docks on clear days.
If Auril’s everlasting winter has one benefit, it’s that the hardy folk of Bremen are spared the seasonal floods that normally threaten the town in early summer. That’s not to say that the long nights, frigid air, and howling blizzards provide any comfort. They don’t.
Twice in the past two months, residents of Bremen have had to mount search parties for their town speaker and oldest living resident, Dorbulgruf Shalescar, and twice they’ve found him wandering the frozen shores of the Shaengarne in heavy furs, with no memory of how he got there. Dorbulgruf, old even by dwarf standards, isn’t long for this world. Many locals fear the same is true of the town itself, if Auril’s brutal winter does not abate.

Locations

Bremen doesn't have much to seduce or comfort the weary traveler, but the following locations are likely to attract adventurers.

Buried Treasures

Inn
This inn caters to treasure-seekers, specifically ones who pan for treasure along the riverbank in warmer weather. During the winter, this establishment has few, if any, visitors. The middle-aged innkeeper, Cora Mulphoon, treats her guests like royalty while trying to conceal the fact that she is barely making ends meet.
Cora’s Loss. Cora is eager to please and apologizes at the slightest provocation if she thinks the characters are not pleased with her service. She explains briefly that her adult son and only child, Huarwar, used to help with the chores until two months ago. If the characters ask Cora for more information, she says that her son had joined a search party to find Speaker Shalescar after he went missing during a blizzard one afternoon. The speaker was brought back safe and sound, but Huarwar got separated from the others and didn’t find his way home until the following morning. He had frostbite and could barely walk.
Over the next few days, Huarwar displayed a meanness toward his mother that was uncharacteristic. The change in his demeanor started after Cora found what looked like a shard of black ice in her son’s room. Huarwar snatched it away and threatened his mother with bodily harm if she touched it again.
The next day, two tieflings (a male and a female) arrived at the inn and offered Huarwar sanctuary in their castle. He left with them willingly, taking the shard with him and telling his mother that he would never return. The tieflings wore amulets that looked much like the shard in Huarwar’s possession. Cora misses her son terribly and she hopes he is still alive. She recalls that one of the tieflings mentioned a castle, and she knows that there are only two castles in Ten-Towns: an intact one in Caer-Dineval and a ruined one in Caer-Konig. The characters might encounter Huarwar in the keep at Caer-Dineval. 

Five-Tavern Center

Five Unaffiliated Taverns
Five taverns stand in a semicircle around a central yard in the heart of Bremen. As the story goes, five brothers originally intended to build a tavern together, but each had assumed he would be the one to run the business. Since none of the brothers would work for the others, each built his own tavern, and they all compete for customers. The five taverns are called Stones, Even Keel, the River’s Mouth, the Grumpy Moose, and the Black-Bearded Brother. The taverns are old and poorly maintained.
Characters who hang out in the taverns are likely to hear a rumor or two.

Map of Bremen

Open full size

Friendliness.
❄❄❄
Services.
❄
Comfort.
❄❄
Population.
150
Leader.
Speaker Dorbulgruf Shalescar speaks for the townsfolk. Age has addled his mind, and his vacant-eyed stare is often mistaken for unflappable calmness.
Militia.
Bremen can muster up to 25 soldiers (use Tribal Warriors) and 2 Veterans.
Heraldry.
A gold circle on a white field, with a horizontal blue band extending to the left under the circle, and a flaring blue triangle opening away from the circle on the right. The gold circle represents treasure found in the wake of local floods, the blue band is the Shaengarne River, the blue triangle is Maer Dualdon, and the white field represents snow.
Rivals.
Lonelywood, Targos, Termalaine.
Sacrifice to Auril.
Warmth.
Available Quest.
Lake Monster