This series of caves under Tinley and the surrounding lands brushes against the plane of earth causing new rock formations full of precious stones to fall into the world, this weakness only works one way, so the gnomes have never been able to use it to go to the plane of earth directly. Despite the access to these gems the price of jewelry remains unaffected as they create only the finest pieces of work. Even the smallest of imperfections are unacceptable to these jewel crafters, one of the few examples of control over the quality of what is done by a gnome.
Tinley
Small City; The population of 7,620 is mostly gnome (79%) with smaller numbers of other races. Underground built on the walls and floor of vast caves that snake and tunnel outward surrounded by gem formations that constantly grow outward. The city is filled with many contraptions meant to dig out sections of tunnel and gather gems. Despite the number of raw gems growing even inside the city they tunnel elsewhere looking for only specific types of gems. An experienced jeweler can tell that those found near to the city are not a great quality. The city itself is rather the opposite of Mengdul as it can be rather chaotic and seemingly unorganized. The gnomes have a certain ‘organized chaos’ as they call it. Elaborate rotating maps are posted in the city to help outsiders navigate where they need to go. The city attracts artisans and miners to work on the ever-growing mines. If it were not for the elemental caves there would be nothing special about the city itself.
Panaston
Small Town; The population of 1,842 is largely gnome (37%), humans (20%), and halflings (18%) with smaller numbers of other races.
Panaston is a farming community, rather than focusing on normal produce the city focuses on the growing on plant based alchemical materials and spell components. While there is some produce most of the growing space is used on these more exotic types of plants. This also leads to Panaston having many alchemists and arborists. Panaston has a reputation of rowdiness from the local taverns as the villagers are not opposed to trying new brews that use some of the ingredients that are grown with a surprisingly active night life in such a small town.
Umser
Small City; The population of 5,236 is almost entirely elven (46%) or gnome (46%) with smaller numbers of other races. A mix of gnomish and Falsoree architecture depending on the districts of the city.
Umser is the city that holds the Arcessan Assembly building and the members of the assembly. The joint governing body of Arcessa as a whole. This city also holds the highest court in the land, which often also deals with crimes committed by outsiders. Umser has a small but consistent population of merchants and travelers from outside of Arcessa entering the city daily. Despite Umser being the defacto capital of Arcessa the city has a marginal military presence within its borders, instead the people of the city rely on the natural defenses of the high sheer cliffs and only two bridges providing access to the city. A perfect example to the mindset of the people of Arcessa in their feeling of not needing a large military or comprehensive defense plan.
Adventure hooks
Tier 1: Earthen Rifts: In the elemental caves there are strange crystals, known as Rift Crystals, that sometimes begin to vibrate and hum and when they do they create a rift to the Elemental plane of earth, most of these are small and only allow mephits in but should they be left to grow or be altered by the mephits larger things could come through. These rifts must be dealt with and the gnomes are willing to pay for them to be shut.
Tier 2: What sleeps beneath: Reports come from the deepest mines that the Rift Crystals are starting to get up and move. They say they take on roughly humanoid shapes of rock and crystal that shamble around and open rifts that restore stone and gem as well as petrify anything nearby when it opens. The gnomes want to find the truth of these reports, and if true find more information about it. They are being called Rift Rumblers and are considered extremely dangerous.
Tier 3: Earth King’s Fortress: A long, long forgotten fortress has been discovered in deep, deep places of the world. This massive fortress must be from the first era or form before, there is no information about this hidden Fortress save for a translation on an archway above the main stone doors: ‘Fortress of the Earth King’.
Comments