Brightrock
Brightrock is a Glimmerstone mining town along the banks of the Serpentrock River at the base of the Graywall Mountains in the Glintrock Range.
The town has swelled in population over the last few years due to the boom in Glimmerstone mining. A huge population of Goblins and Kobolds moved in to work the mines, led by Kraggug Stonebiter while the town itself is managed by an elected council who organize the division of resources and direct the expansion of the town.
The sheriff Grimgor Blacktusk and his deputy Rootrunner keep the people in line with a small band of armed militiamen and help organize escorts for the transport of Glimmerstone up to Graywall.
At the end of every month, a caravan of wagons is sent loaded with Glimmerstone and returns two weeks later with resources that are divvied up among the townsfolk
Demographics
The majority of Brightrock is made up of Goblinoids, Kobolds and Orcs with a notable population of Ogres. Less present in the town are a variety of peoples such as Shifters, Humans, Dwarves, and a roost of Gargoyles in the hills near the mines.
Government
The Brightrock Council consists of five town-members elected every 6 months to manage the distribution of food and land, liaise with the Glimmerstone Acquisiton Bureau, and hear the complaints of the townsfolk to settle disputes.
So far, since the formation of the council, all five members have been re-elected each time as they have proven to be competent leaders and few others have ambitions of responsibility. The current council consists of:
- Grikka Vixnak
- Gruntok Ironfist
- Spluglug
- Thrain Stonehammer
- Xaax
Defences
The hills surrounding the town provide protection from outsiders and a militia run by Grimgor Blacktusk ensure order in the town and keep watch of the town's perimeter.
Industry & Trade
Glimmerstone is the primary industry of the town. Wagons are sent via mountainside to Graywall where the Glimmerstone is traded to the Glimmerstone Acquisiton Bureau in exchange for food, gold, and raw materials.
Such raw materials are processed in the town or traded with merchants that travel to the plaza for the materials settlements in the surrounding area extract or grow.
Infrastructure
- Serpent's Dock—A small jetty used for river barges traveling up and down river to stop in Brightrock to onload and offload goods and people.
- Razorfang Fields—Fields of Razorwheat and Fangcorn crops being grown in the southern hills and vegetative land in Brightrock. Rams and aurochs are also raised on the hillsides for wool and milk.
- Razorfang Mill—A large stone mill and grainery used for the refinement and storage of fangcorn and razorwheat flour.
- Brightrock Lumberyard—A lumbermill at the end of the southern section of the town. Used for the processing of timber from the nearby forests
- Horned Hammer Forge—A large smithy run by Roknar the Blacksmith and his Kobold apprentices. Responsible for most of the creation and maintenance of tools and equipment for the mine and towns.
- Stonekeep Hall—A large stone keep with a high ceiling and open central chamber where the council meet the townsfolk and several offshoot chambers for the various councillors.
- Judas' Kiss—The tavern/comfort house run by Geneviève Bouchère on the banks of the Serpentrock River.
- Brightrock Plaza—The central marketplace for the town where people trade food, tools, and supplies. Merchants from out of town come to the markets to sell their wares to whoemver they can, and is the sole reason many in Brightrock carry gold pieces.
- Keeper's Sanctum—A temple dedicated to the Keeper run by Lyra Merrick. It also acts as a place of healing and recovery for the sick and injured.
- Brightrock Glimmer Mine—The central reason the town has grown as big as it has. The mines are a series of winding tunnels that go deep underground in pursuit of Glimmerstone veins.
Districts
Though the town is not so large as to warrant distinct districts, there are still clear delineations in the town based on geography. The southern side of the river is dominated mostly by laborers working the fields, mill, and lumberyard, and the eastern portion of the town has most of the miners and vagrants who wander in for work.
Central Brightrock is mostly housing but also contains the markets, taverns, and town hall, and to the west is the Keeper Sanctum which acts as a medical ward.
Assets
Within the Razorfang Mill is a grainery that contains most of the grains used to feed its populace with warehouses nearby where meat is processed, smoked, and preserved.
The lumberyard contains the lumber processed from trees felled in the surrounding hills and any imported from outside the town.
Behind the Horned Hammer Forge are stores of tools and equipment used by the miners and weapons and armor are kept under watch by the militia.
Guilds and Factions
There are not defined guilds or factions as such in Brightstone; however, the farmers and miners tend to stick to themselves and butt heads when it comes to determining how best to utilize resources or what to trade away.
History
Brightrock started as a small settlement built around a temple to the Keeper where worshippers would come to seek refuge. When Glimmerstone was discovered and a mine was formed nearby, the miners found the hospitality of the temple a welcome reprieve from sleeping in tents in the wilds. Over time, as the mining operation grew larger and more people traveled to the region for work, the town began to expand and grow.
The more permanent inhabitants of the town banded together to form a council and establish order to the area, and worked together to build up the infrastructure it enjoys today to better support the swelling population. As of 998 YK, the town has between 300 to 500 people depending on the season and the availability of mining work.
Points of interest
Judas' Kiss tavern and brothel is the most 'exciting' or 'interesting' location in the town and the Keeper's Sanctum provide a spiritual respite to many.
Stonekeep Hall, built from quarried stone taken from the mine, is an imposing building signifying the hardiness and sense of stability the townsfolk of Brightrock share with each other.
Tourism
Many vagrant workers seeking succour and work travel to Brightrock to work in the mines and many merchants treat the town as a central hub for the camps and small villages popping up in the Glintrock Range.
Architecture
Buildings are commonly made of stone brick and tiles from the surplus stone from the mine. Wood is used sparingly as there is little to be gained from the few nearby trees and is expensive to trade from the larger forests further down the mountain.
The town has a mixing of cabins, family homes, and homesteads; growing organically to match the expanding population. The homes are of varying sizes to meet needs of the different groups in the town: Goblins and Kobold homes tend to be smaller than Orc and Ogre homes, and the few Gargoyles and Harpies that dwell in Brightrock tend towards taller towers with open faced roofs in which they nest.
Geography
The town is bisected by the Serpentrock river and surrounded by the hills and sparse forests of the Glintrock Range. The little arable land is taken up by grain farms and the rest of the area is rocky and gravelly.
Climate
The Graywall Plains is the most temperate, and the shallow valley in which the town was settled provides natural cover from worst of the storms that palgue the region while the water flowing from the Graywall helps keep things cool though in the height of summer can make the town very humid.
Natural Resources
Wood is harvested from the nearby alpine forests and crops and sheep are farmed in the southern section of the town. Stone from the surrounding hills and mines provide stone for construction and tool use. The river acts as a means of transport and power for the watermill that grinds grain into flour.
Glimmerstone is extracted from the nearby mine, processed to remove slag, and sent by wagon to Graywall.
Maps
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Brightrock
Brightrock is a Glimmerstone mining town found in the Glintrock Range along the Serpentrock River at the base of the Graywall Mountains.
Founding Date
994 YK
Type
Town
Population
700-900
Inhabitant Demonym
Brights
Location under
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Related Reports (Primary)
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