Hazelwater
Small City: Population 11,594 (52% elves, 30% humans, 5% vesperkin, 15% other races)
History
Hazelwater is relatively new compared to the rest of the Sudwin Valley, being established in the early Restoration period. Prior to its founding, most trade going to southern Arak came from the Yzerid Desert[. However, Hazelwater is now the single largest port city in southern Arak, and sees the vast majority of naval trade, especially merchants on their way to Evergarde, and sometimes Mythwell. The city itself caters to these passing merchants and has done quite well for itself as a result. But Hazelwater is more than just a hollow crossroads for traveling merchants -- it has an interesting history of strange events and people who have passed through.
The city got its name from the color of the water in the sea the port is built on. The water has a gold-green color that, unlike many strange environmental oddities across Aellorah, is not caused by a Wellspring anomaly. The founders thought it was a uniquely beautiful place, in contrast with the vibrant yellow and green grasses, and the fir, pine, and juniper trees found near the city. The houses of Hazelwater are made of whitewashed sandstone with clay-red roofs and some blue. Many buildings use stone rather than wood as the primary building material. The city took a lot of inspiration for its architecture from Myr, since humans from Myr made up a large percentage of the Rojek Dynasty which founded Hazelwater near the end of its existence, before its assimilation into the Arakian democracy. Additionally, at night, the waters of the sea surrounding the city give off a faint orange glow, and if you were to wade through the water, the water would shimmer and glow brighter in your wake.
During the Yzerid Unification War, the young city saw several bloody naval battles as the Yzerid feudal lords sought to attack Evergarde on two fronts, and the city was nearly destroyed by the crossfire. This battle, called the "Harrowing of Hazelwater", took place on the 4th of Asten in 435 RE. A Lynoxi feudal lord from the Yzerid Desert by the name of Scorchmane led a naval offensive that led to a bloody battle in Hazelwater's harbor which killed nearly 2,000 soldiers and civilians. Scorchmane then captured the city and occupied it for nearly three weeks, hoping to build an army so that the Yzerid could strike against Evergarde, but was foiled by allied forces that arrived from Eldham in the Taungar Valley, who reclaimed the city. They then paraded Scorchmane through the streets of Evergarde before beheading him and sending his head to the other feudal lords of the Yzerid.
Government
Hazelwater is part of the Sudwin Valley, and as such is part of the Arakian democratic government. The local magistrate, Solomon Bersk, is a human man in his late 30s who can trace his heritage back to the original settlers that founded Hazelwater. He is a refined man who enjoys fine wines and can often be found reading in his study in the Statehouse when he does not have stately affairs to deal with. The local residents have mixed opinions of him, with many believing he is a capable and wise leader, with the other half being crude, uncivilized types who like to point fun at his bookishness and glasses, thinking him weak. However, despite his initial cowardly appearance, Solomon is a very confident man who has training with a rapier and is an accomplished duelist. Solomon was elected after the previous magistrate was murdered by pirates who had escaped after being imprisoned for dealing Soot in the city.
Solomon's bookishness has also lended him some skill in financing, and he has kept Hazelwater in a strong economic state for the past ten years. He prefers to focus on maintaining existing infrastructure rather than expanding, since there isn't much need for Hazelwater to grow any larger than it currently is. He has also outsourced bounties on some of the local monstrous races, such as Sahuagin, to keep adventurers in the city so that they will spend on local businesses, which also keeps the city safe without having to risk the standing Enforcer militia. You can occasionally find these bounties on the job board in the Reckless Rudder.
Economy
Hazelwater has a very strong economy thanks to the economic sense of the magistrate, and has been prospering since he took office a little over ten years ago. The majority of trade done in the city is sailors maintaining their ships and divers and fishermen selling wares from the sea. Because of the various monsters found in the ocean waters, sailors have to make regular maintenance and also purchase specialized equipment to protect their ship and crew. A captain who avoids using enchantments on his ship will have a significantly harder time breaking even financially with the constant repairs from sea creature attacks.
One contributor to the economy is that while the majority of travelers passing through Hazelwater are merchants looking to sell their wares in Evergarde, a good amount of adventurers use the city's ships to charter passage to other lands. While these adventurers pass through, most will take notice of the city's job board in the Reckless Rudder. Besides the various odd jobs citizens will post looking for help, the magistrate posts bounties on the board for local adventurers to take care of for some quick coin. This is not just to deal with the monstrous creatures threatening the city and the harbor, but adventurers headed out to deal with a problem inevitably stop in at the local businesses to procure supplies. While Hazelwater doesn't have all the amenities of larger cities like Evergarde, it has a small selection of enchanted items, armor, and some specialty materials not found elsewhere. These adventurers are usually a good source of coin, and Solomon compensates them quite handsomely for their services.
Hazelwater also has a market along the harbor where you can find merchants selling wares they may not have had luck selling elsewhere. It is common to find discounted goods here. What you'll find here varies week to week, but you can expect a wide variety of vendors.
Notable Locations
The Statehouse of Hazelwater is a tad different than those of other major cities in its design. Overlooking the sea, the Statehouse is an attractive villa made of beautiful white sandstone imported from the Yzerid Desert. It is a more open concept than the manors found in other cities, with breezy hallways leading to balconies that overlook the city and the ocean. It is otherwise the same in function as other cities, and is the home of the magistrate, Solomon Bersk, a Human man in his late 30s.
Along the docks of the harbor, there is a roughly carved stone slab that has a hole cut through the top. Throughout the day, as the window blows in from the sea, a haunting whistling howl can be heard coming from the slab. It is thought that the howling noise comes from the wind passing through the hole, but some say that if you listen carefully at night, the howl starts to sound like the wailing of a person, and some claim to hear indistinct whispers as they pass by, though this is dismissed as superstition by most.
Hazelwater is home to a variety of goods and services the those passing through might find interesting:
- The Reckless Rudder - This seaside inn was built into the wreckage of a ship that crashed into the harbor decades ago. The captain and the helmsman were drunk and ran the ship aground and were thrown overboard in the process, killing both of them. The inn offers fresh fish dishes and has a job board which have become popular in many taverns and inns across Arak. The owner, an Elven man named Travaran, is popular with the local women, and there is a particular group of them that will order a table almost every day just to come see him.
- The Lighthouse Tavern - This tavern is operated out of an old lighthouse, which is owned by an older Elven woman named Melody. She keeps the lighthouse lit despite it not being needed by the sailors because of a superstition about a sea monster that the lighthouse is believed to keep at bay, though nobody really believes it, and mostly just humor Melody because she is kind to them.
- Seaweed & Scrolls - This small shop sells a variety of spell scrolls catering mostly to sailors. The scrolls can be anything from gusts of wind to fill a ship's sails, to spells to ward off Sahuagin. The scrolls are treated in a special solution which makes them resistant to water damage. The owner, a Human man named Mattias Dumein, also stocks other types of scrolls, but his offerings of non-marine magic is limited. Mattias lost his left leg years ago while sailing and swears that it was bitten off by a sea serpent, but most of the locals know it was just crushed by a crate of heavy cargo that fell off the deck above.
- The Armored Anchor - A smithy owned by the only Dwarf in Hazelwater, a man named Bronn Dainanvil, who is a retired pirate who decided to pursue metalwork and wanted to stay by the sea. He is quite proficient at armoring, but can't forge a sharp blade to save his life. He makes most of his money from making anchors, nails, and gratings for ships. Due to his Dwarven heritage, he has some magical talent and can forge basic enchanted armors, but he admits that if he had any real talent with it, he wouldn't have been a pirate.
- The Treasure Chest - A curio and trinket shop that carries a variety of random objects purchased from sailors. The owner, an Elf by the name of Miklos, who insists on being called "Captain M", has a good eye for enchantment and often swindles sailors out of objects they've found that just so happen to be enchanted, which the sailors are usually ignorant of. The locals will confirm that Miklos has never actually been a captain of anything.
- Manta Mercantile - A general store decorated with gaudy nautical items throughout the interior, as well as some coral decorating the storefront. The owner, a Human man named Captain Stern, is a gruff man who stocks all manner of sailing equipment, basic foodstuffs suitable for sailing, and other supplies you might need around town. There are rumors that Stern was once the infamous pirate "Brownbottom" -- a humiliating name given to him by his crew after he soiled himself mid-battle while raiding a merchant vessel, and kept fighting.
- Salty & Sweet - A bakery and confectionery run by a Vesperkin couple, Merric Whitmind, and his wife Cora. They have various sea salt infused sweets, such as salt water taffy and pastries, such as their famous apple fritters, made with apples imported from Thornwallow. Though most would assume the bakery's name comes from the flavor profile of their goods, some say it's because the sweet comes from Cora, and the salty comes from Merric, who tends to be a bit grouchy.
- Novel Knick-Knacks - A novelty shop where sailors, divers, and fishermen can find specialty items that may be useful to their professions, such as Coralweave cloth, which is waterproof and resists pressure in the ocean depths, and various minor enchanted items. The owner, a Lynoxi woman with the unfortunate name of "Fall", has a habit of tripping and falling as she moves about the shop.
- Talavir Tailoring - An Elven seamstress by the name of Shanna Talavir who makes fine garments and happens to own a Dwarven sewing machine.
- Gilly's Gems - A gem store owned by a Vesperkin jeweler named Gilly who sells cut gems of almost every kind and makes her own jewelry to go along with them.
Culture
The locals of the city are a rough and tumble bunch, due to the fact that many spend most of their lives around sailors who have faced the harshest weather conditions seen in Aellorah, and seen horrors one does not speak of in polite company. Most people you ask in the city will have at least one tale of some kind of terror at sea or some sort of mystery involving a boat or something lost at sea. However, Hazelwater is a hotspot for tales of maritime spirits, and for good reason. While it does not boast the eerie nighttime mists found in its sister city, Mistmouth, Hazelwater can be just as frightening to the average person. Besides the ghost ship that appears each full moon during the month of Quenten, many have had experiences with lost sailors' spirits haunting the harbor and ghastly pirates boarding the deck of their ships at night. Perhaps the most notorious tale is that of "Foxy Fern", an Elven pirate woman who terrorized merchants in the Gulf of Liborius during the early Restoration period before the Enforcers in Hazelwater hired a sorcerer passing through town and tracked her down, whereupon the unnamed sorcerer blew her ship apart with a single massive Fireball. It is believed that Foxy Fern still harasses sailors in the Gulf, and there is credible evidence to support that several ships' crews have gone missing as a result.
Though the city is not a hub for exotic foods, the number of merchants visiting from distant lands bringing spices with them creates an environment perfect for culinary experimentation. If you're a lover of fish, Hazelwater has a rich variety of new foods for you to try. Of particular interest lately is a dish called "Embercod", which is a battered and fried piece of cod that is topped with a paste made from crushed dried Emberberries, oil, salt, garlic, and fresh dill.
Defenses
Hazelwater is defended by a contingent of Enforcers of about 400 members. Most of their attention is focused on checking incoming cargo for contraband and dealing with thieves, but they are trained to deal with some of the monsters known to be in the area, such as Sahuagin and Goblins. The city does not have an outer wall like larger cities, but buildings on the outer edges of the city are butted together so as not to give too many openings for hostiles to enter the city unchecked. The Enforcers guard several checkpoints and patrol along the outer edge to check for threats.
Because of the number of ships coming and going from the city and their past experiences with naval attacks, Hazelwater is well-prepared for attacks from the sea. There are low 20 ft. walls along the harbor to shield citizens from any projectiles that may be fired, and there are ballistae mounted along this wall that are equipped with a limited amount of Alchemist's Fire bolts to ignite enemy ships should the need arise.
Not all threats come from people though. Being next to the sea, Hazelwater needs to plan for storms that may bring large waves which could threaten buildings closest to the shore. As a result, though the harbor and the docks are flush with the sea, most of Hazelwater is elevated about 10 ft. above sea level. Business owners who choose to inhabit this "flood zone" are given discounts on their taxes to offset the potential cost of dealing with damages due to weather. However, there has not been a serious storm in the area for years, and the businesses closest to the docks have at most had to deal with the occasional inch or so of water buildup. Some of these businesses have sought the services of traveling wizards to ward the bounds of their buildings against water so it cannot enter.
Crime
Every city Hazelwater's size has to worry about crime, and with a city that primarily deals with foreign merchants coming and going, their primary concern is going to be theft. There are plenty who seize opportunities to board ships in the harbor during the night to attempt to steal valuable trade goods, and the Enforcers patrol the docks heavily. However, the local thieves are very crafty and have utilized the various unique resources available to come up with all manner of specialized tools for gaining entry to ships in the harbor without being noticed. It seems as though every month, the Enforcers have caught some wayward thief with an inventive new way of boarding a ship unwelcome.
The murder rate in Hazelwater is fortunately quite low, but it does happen. It has been a long time since Hazelwater has seen activity from a serial killer, but there have been at least a handful in the past century. Murders that do happen in the city are frequently enacted by visitors to the city rather than its citizens. These murders often go hand-in-hand with pirates coming ashore with illicit drugs, which can be a dangerous business. The one drug that is most prevalent in Hazelwater is Soot, which blackens the throat of the user and gives feelings of extreme paranoia and anxiety, but can give a euphoric high and even impart a resistance to fire. The paranoia it brings on can lead many users to act irrationally, and even dangerously, which is why it is highly illegal all across Arak. If used frequently enough, it can result in an incurable illness that will kill the user.
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